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0.999976 |
Is New Mexico next for a minimum-wage hike?
Across the U.S., electoral results have shown a consumer preference for a higher minimum wage. Whether that's by backing candidates who promise to "Fight for $15" or via ballot measures that voluntarily boost what the lowest-paid workers within the state make every hour, this is a trend that doesn't appear to be slowing down. After so many states have already acted to raise their minimums at least somewhat, yet another place where the minimum wage may soon be on the rise is New Mexico.
Currently, 20 states are poised to see at least a small increase to their minimum wage at some point in 2019, as lawmakers and voters alike strive toward a more equitable pay situation, according to Fox Business. That comes in addition to 23 municipal governments taking the same steps. While some states will raise their minimum wages through previously passed ballot measures that tie the level of pay to the consumer price index (that is, inflation-adjusting minimum wages every year) others will boost this minimum more dramatically.
And while even 20 additional cents per hour - more or less the CPI change in most states from the start of 2018 to now - might not sound like much when other states raise their minimums by a dollar or more, that's a real benefit to a person who works at least one minimum-wage job.
New Mexico's current minimum wage is just $7.50 per hour, higher than the federal minimum of $7.25, but not appreciably so, according to the Las Cruces Sun News. To that end, a pair of legislators have already filed bills to dramatically increase that level over the next few years, with one pushing for $12 per hour, and another striving for $15.
While both proposals are expected to face at least some opposition from industry concerns, the fact is that both legislators and Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham seem committed to raising the minimum wage, especially as Lujan Grisham swept into office on the back of a 14-point win in November, the report said. Of the proposals currently filed - for which the actual legislative process will begin in January - the increase to $15 is far more aggressive; it would be in place in 2020 if passed as written. Meanwhile, the $12 proposal would see the state's minimum rise to that level by July 2021. Both would also be tied to inflation going forward.
At the same time, Lujan Grisham also recently appointed long-time state legislator Bill McCamley to New Mexico's Department of Workforce Solutions, the Sun News further reported. McCamley begins his job at the start of the new year, having previously been chairman of the New Mexico House Labor and Economic Development Committee, which included oversight related to both the minimum wage and wage theft by employers. McCamley still needs to be approved by the state Senate but this is expected to be an easy process.
When minimum wages are on the rise just about anywhere, it's important for employers to be proactive about providing their own workers with more incentives. That includes not only higher pay, but also better selections of benefits like retirement savings contributions and health insurance.
| 2019-04-20T12:49:28 |
https://www.resourcemfg.com/news/2018/12/40181658/is-new-mexico-next-for-a-minimum-wage-hike
|
0.828529 |
Phil Levitt, Ted Kowalski, Dave Somerville and Bill Reed of The Diamonds photographed in 1954.
David-Troy Somerville, co-founder and lead singer of '50s rock 'n' roll band The Diamonds, died in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Tuesday. He was 81. According to a press release, "Diamond Dave" died from cancer.
Somerville founded The Diamonds in November 1953 after meeting a vocal group while waiting to audition for a talent show. He became their coach and then their lead singer.
The Diamonds charted 16 hit singles on Billboard's various charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including top 10s with "Little Darlin'," "Silhouettes" and "The Stroll."
In 1957, "Little Darlin'" spent eight weeks at No. 2 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart, which was the leading singles chart before the launch of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. The smash finished as the No. 3 song on Billboard's year-end recap of the Best Sellers in Stores chart, behind only Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" (No. 1) and Pat Boone's "Love Letters in the Sand" (No. 2).
Somerville left The Diamonds to pursue a solo career under the name David Troy but later joined a group called The Four Preps. In 1969, he left The Four Preps with fellow lead singer Bruce Belland and formed a new duo called Belland and Somerville.
Somerville has been inducted into five music halls of fame: the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Doo Wop Music Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, Doo Wop Hall of Fame of America and Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He also received a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The pop rock star is survived by his wife Denise, his son David and his grandson Chilao. Funeral dates have yet to be released.
| 2019-04-26T08:35:03 |
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6634361/david-troy-somerville-diamonds-dead
|
0.999985 |
I would like to get help with how do i disable right click for visitors that visit my site in order to steal products from my site?
Someone can provide you the code - but realize - anyone who really wants anything doesn't need to right click to get it - anything you can do by right clicking, you can also do through the keyboard - and you can't disable that.
It's a waste of time to disable right click. If you have something you're putting on line you don't want others to have - it doesn't belong on line. If it's a picture - there are other ways to keep them from being stolen - none 100% - but much more effective - starting with watermarking.
| 2019-04-26T04:15:47 |
https://www.vodahost.com/vodatalk/archive/index.php/t-15060.html?s=c8852b5cbd833e89c5a1a8cb042c500f
|
0.998884 |
At the end of June I shall be facing the biggest challenge of the journey so far for me - Glastonbury!
Glasto is the highlight of my summer, and I would not miss it for the world. I thought I would face it a bit nearer the time, and now with 5 weeks to go, I guess it's time to work out a plan!
I'll be there for 5 days as we always go as early as we can. It will be Day 121 for me at this point and I will be in development. I don't expect to start management until August.
Initially I thought I would have a little break as could not see any way around the practical hurdles, but now I'm feeling so incredible and completely motivated to keep on going, I'm thinking why add an extra week (at least) in terms of getting to management goal, as a result of having 5 days of eating and drinking?
I know that if I do eat and drink then I will be on super cautious behaviour, but if there is a way around this then I want to stay in abstinence. Also, I just don't know what's going to happen to my bod with real food in it, or any booze for that matter! I've been completely 100% in abstinence so far.
- I know that it's *imposible* not to have the greatest time at Glasto regardless of food and drink. The whole place is such a buzz and I will not require food or drink to have the best week of the summer.
- I can easily find hot water to make up soups, and the bars will be a godsend.
- I've had some massive challenges over the last 12 weeks and have got through them all (including a 10 hour flight in business class with nothing more than a bar and 2ltrs of water - now that was tough!!) I truly feel that I've broken through the feeling deprived barrier, so I'm pretty certain that I will not feel deprived or have any of those crooked thoughts around this when I'm there.
- There is no way I will be able to get through 4ltrs of water a day. If there are any fellow Glasto goers here at mini's, then it goes without saying the loo situation will just not support 4ltrs of water a day! Therefore I'm worried that I'm just going to be hungry - too hungry, and may be unwell due to energy levels or knock myself out of ketosis. The camping situation means that I cant predict how near or far I will be to a loo, and that feels pretty important just now!!
and just not being able to keep up with the pace on my little 500cals a day diet!
I can't stress enough that it really is the practicalities that I'm worried about, not the head stuff.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated. Glasto is always pretty unpredictable (well, except the state of the loos!), so I guess I'm trying to prepare for complete abstinence if possible and if I do have to have an alternative, what could that look like?
Its tough, and a hard one for me to help with as I have never been to Glas, but there is an interesting thread on the She-wee you could take a look at, as I think the loo business the the real difficulty here, as I presume drinking the water will not be a problem. It would be a shame to stay in absinance and not get a good loss becuase you cant risk drinking the water, so I would put all your efforts int solving that. I have just been on holiday and manged to lose 3lbs and your dead right about the planning being everything. The LL shaker and a little battery whisk I got from Ikea for 99p was my life saver. I hope you manage to sort it out. and have a brilliant time!
In 3 weeks my son (razorblade love) & myself are off the the download festival at donnington park for 4 days. We have both decided that we are going to eat just once a day, hoping that it doesn't do too much damage. If it does......then hey just get straight back on track when we're at home. As for the water last year i got through gallons so i don't think that should be a major problem, the biggest problem will be festival food....Uh, not very healthy.
I'm definitely going with the aim to stick with it, and preparing for pretty much every eventuality!
I'd def give the she wee a try and that would potentially solve the loo problem & still be able to do 4 litres a day! You can do it but may just have to go more gently than in previous years, just this once!!! Hope you resolve this for yourself!
I think you need a plan B. I think it is very sensible and realistic to recognise that Glastonbury is not a VLCD friendly scenario. I don't think it would be wise to try to stay SS if you can't take on board the water you will need. And if the weather is warm (like it was one year I was there) it will be a nightmare.
Have you considered 'going Atkins' for the 5 days? That would keep you in ketosis but enable you to survive in that environment? I don't know if you eat meat but there is always lots of that about and so long as you stay away from the carbs (and alcohol!!) you should be fine. You could take some Atkins and other low carb stuff with you and then it wouldn't matter so much that you can't do the 4ltrs.
I can't see how you could safely manage SS - so get a Plan B.
I think you're right - plan B is required. I dont want to get there, panic and mess it all up. And yes, it is a pain when you get the 'don't make excuses' thing! This definitely isn't that.
I'm hoping to have a totally different Glasto experience than ever before, ie a non mashed up one! I do eat meat (well, I think I remember a substance called meat which I once ate!) and there's always a great food choice there as oppose to the usual festival dirty burger options, so I think an atkins thing could be the answer.
Starting sns tomorrow Huge amount of weigh to lose!
| 2019-04-21T08:24:04 |
https://www.minimins.com/threads/huge-challenge-ahead.15537/
|
0.995102 |
I have done some research and got wildly different estimates from immigration attorneys for the EB-5 application. Why is there such a large difference in fees charged by lawyers for EB-5? After charging these fees, what is the attorney responsible for/what services will they provide? If the fees are paid up-front, what happens if I were to get an RFE or something - would the attorney be required to assist me?
Attorneys may charge different rates. Rates or flat fees may also depend on the scope of legal services to be provided. You should review an attorney-client agreement to determine what specific services an attorney will be obligated to provide. Sometimes, attorneys charge a separate fee for an RFE. There may not be an RFE if the case is well-prepared and if it is a well-established regional center with an excellent track record.
Attorneys are free to charge what they believe to be reasonable for the services provided. In most cases if the attorney has done the job well there should not be an RFE or it should be directed at a narrow issue. Projects are very different though - an established regional center with a good track record is a much different case than a stand-alone project where there is no business plan, an entity has not been created, etc. Further, some business models are simple and others are quite complex as can be the ownership structure being offered to the investors. The attorney's retainer should explain the services being provided in detail and you are entitled to have this explained in detail to you orally. You should understand each and every document you are signing, what your risks and benefits are, what happens if the project is not built, what if the jobs are not created as promised, what happens if the I-526 is not approved, what is the expected rate of return on your money, is there a chance to get your money back when the project is built, etc.
An experienced EB-5 immigration attorney has the expertise to advise you on the required information AND action to prepare the I-526 investor's petition, and the authentication of the source and transfer of personal investment funds, and immigration due diligence on the viability of the EB-5 project.
Just like any legal or professional service, the market has a wide range of prices depending upon various factors, including the scope of services to be rendered, the level of expertise and experience of the attorney or law firm, the complexity of the case, etc. The arrangement between you and your attorney should be clearly documented in a retainer agreement or engagement letter/agreement. For example, the agreement should be clear as to what happens and who is responsible in the event an RFE is issued, as well as any other services included or excluded from the normal processing of your type of immigration case.
The attorney should provide you with a fee agreement that specifies the work to be performed. Normally, in the EB-5 context it would be the preparation and filing of the I-526. This would include guidance on showing the source of funds, and obtaining the requisite personal documentation. You should ask whether or not the fee includes answering RFEs. Ask the attorney to provide you with a draft of the agreement and then you may negotiate any changes. It is best to know at the beginning what is included and put it in writing.
The fees charged by an attorney depend on the hourly rate, complexity of your case and the knowledge and experience of that attorney. The fees may also vary based on the services that are included. Once you narrow down your search, you should review the retainer/fee agreement to determine whether the quoted attorney fees cover the RFE. You may also propose to have part of the fees set aside in the client trust account to cover an RFE. It really depends on what you and any specific attorney agrees to. You should work with someone you feel comfortable with. I would advise against choosing an attorney solely because he or she is willing to do it for a smaller fee.
Sorry for the lawyer answer, but it depends! More experienced lawyers often charge more. You are paying for the years of experience that goes into your representation. In my opinion, an immigration attorney should assist you with reviewing the EB-5 project for immigration compliance issues, authentication of the source of funds, and putting together and filing of the I-526 petition. Some may add on consulate processing or adjustment of status up front. Some include responses to RFEs in their price, and others do not.
Retaining an investment immigration attorney is an investment in your and your family's future as well as a significant financial commitment. I recommend you look for an attorney that offers you the assurances and value you are looking for rather than price.
It is up to you to negotiate with an attorney who can set a fee schedule that is right for you. Most attorneys in this area charge a flat fee for their services, sometimes with an additional fee for things such as RFEs. The reason for this is that the process, no matter how many times an attorney works within it, is fraught with surprises that in many instances can consume inordinate amounts of time. The attorney should have all of this written out clearly for you in a retention letter that both you and the attorney will sign. If the attorney won't provide one, you shouldn't work with them. That being said, shopping around for an attorney to handle an investment of $500,000 to $1 million based on the additional cost of an RFE as you are doing is something akin to shopping around for a doctor to perform surgery. You really need to concentrate on hiring the person with whom you are most comfortable and feel can do the best job for you in your particular circumstances.
Attorney fees are based on many different factors, such as the years of experience, level of expertise in EB-5, number of hours expected in order to prepare the cases, and the attorneys' track record, etc. Normally, the seasoned EB-5 attorneys with several years of EB-5 experience with great track records charge approximately $20,000. This fee includes all the steps of the EB-5 process from I-526 and RFE if any, I-485 adjustment or DS-260 immigrant visa applications for the investor and his/her whole family, and I-829 and RFE if any.
| 2019-04-22T00:40:55 |
https://www.eb5investors.com/qa/what-services-eb5-immigration-attorneys-supposed-to-provide
|
0.999744 |
PDF Splitting & Merging automates the process of concatenating multiple PDF files together. You can concatenate to a new PDF file, an existing PDF file, or append a list of files together, the result file is optimized for space.You can append to a new pdf file, an existing pdf file or append a list of files together. PDF Splitting & Merging. Free download of PDF Splitting & Merging 4.0.1.5, size 1.46 Mb.
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Free Pdf Splitter software automates the process of split, concatenate and append pdf files, you can break one file in to two or more than two files and you can break it in to specific range of pages or consolidate range of file to a new pdf file by dropping some pages from it. you can split a pdf file into single pages and nerge any number of. Free download of Pdf Splitter 4.0.1.5, size 1.46 Mb.
| 2019-04-24T12:33:26 |
https://www.fileguru.com/user/infoalp_technologies
|
0.999997 |
I support non-violent protests as a part of the right to free expression. It doesn't particularly matter to me what is being protested. As long as the protests remain peaceful, I'm going to support the right of the protestors to protest. Even when I disagree with the protestors on whatever they are protesting, I can respect them for taking action to bring about the sort of change they seek. I don't think we see enough protests these days. Even when I despise the protestors' cause, I can usually still admire their passion.
Most generalities have exceptions, so are there exceptions here? Are there cases where I would not support protests even when they remained peaceful? Yes, I can think of at least one relevant exception. If the protestors, despite remaining peaceful, were to create a significant enough burden on others who were not willing participants in their protest, I would become less inclined to continue to support their actions. In other words, a protest should not interfere with the lives of those who opt not to participate in it. To the degree that it does, the protestors have overstepped the bounds of what is reasonable, and my support for their actions is going to be affected.
In recent years, the most common example of this involves protestors blocking traffic. I do not support this tactic because it does not strike me as being fair to others. Protestors need to be able to protest peacefully without interfering with others who are not involved in the protest. When they block traffic, they are interfering with others and potentially even preventing access by emergency vehicles. When it becomes clear that a group of protestors is going to use this tactic deliberately, I am unlikely to continue to support their right to protest in this particular way even though I'd continue to support their general right to protest. If they can do it without blocking traffic, more power to them. If not, clear them out.
Another possible exception would involve a different sort of public disruption: noise. Suppose that a group of peaceful protestors descended on your neighborhood and protested loudly all night long for several consecutive nights. It would not be fair to you to have your sleep disrupted in this manner. Even if such a group remained peaceful, I'd be unlikely to support this approach because it would not be fair to the residents of the neighborhood who were not part of the protest. Once again, I'd not support the right of the group to protest in this particular way. And once again, I'd want police to clear them out if they refused to stop disturbing the peace.
Although I am inclined to support peaceful protests that do not create an undue burden on those not involved in the protest, this does not necessarily mean that I'll never have anything critical to say about the protestors' cause or their choice of tactics. I can think of many instances where I have supported protestors' cause but thought their tactics were counterproductive. I can think of others where I strongly disagreed with the cause but found the tactics to be effective and even impressive. Support of the right to protest and support for those who exercise that right does not mean that one cannot criticize any aspects of the protestors' cause, agenda, or behavior. In fact, I find that for the causes I agree with, I'm generally motivated to suggest the sort of tactics I believe would be most effective.
In the end, I think that recent moves in some states to limit the right to protest are misguided. Protests that become violent or create undue interference on others (e.g., blocking traffic, excessive noise) require police action. Those that do not should be encouraged.
| 2019-04-20T20:10:28 |
https://www.atheistrev.com/2017/03/some-thoughts-on-protests.html
|
0.999533 |
How do the adventures of Noctis and his friends hold up? It's full of surprises, for better or worse. It is, however, a road trip worth taking.
The load times wouldn't bother me so much if every fast travel wasn't a two step process. Warp to your car, and then warp to where you want to go. The game would be better if you could cut out one step. (Sometimes it's only a one step warp on the rare case you're going to resting place). Which you mention those concerns.
Yeah, both of these are issues I'd love to see addressed. I can see loading times getting patched, but the fast travel will probably stay a multi-step process.
I might play it one day but I'm in no hurry.
Mostly because I don't like the battle system much.
I was going to borrow this from a friend (when he's done) but he went digital DL.
If you didn't like it in the demos, I didn't either. It's much more fun in the full game, but not dramatically changed. More like fully featured.
Same here. Demo gameplay was pretty bleh, but the full game does it way better. It's worth a rental or borrowing from a friend, at the least, when it comes to checking whether the gameplay is up your alley.
*sigh* this review best not be misleading - I may just give this a shot - despite my hating on it for the last 2 years.
I didn't like (and didn't finish) the demos. Yet I have 60 hours in this game and am enjoying it. In the demos, Noctis seemed to get drained of energy very easily, meaning he was always looking for a place to hide. He's stronger here, so it's less frustrating.
Ahahaha. It's misleading, that's my goal with reviews.
I'm not sure what square was trying to achieve with the platinum demo.
Wasn't it a tech demo they gave the press a few months before it released as the Platinum demo?
For me the loading times haven't been a drag. As I get older I have more to do and always a cup of coffee to brew in my keurig. My advice: let Iggy drive and go make your coffee with the soundtrack on shuffle. Mill about the house and accept it into your life.
you praised the story more than most reviews which I totally did not expect (I think it may be the worst story FF has ever done sans FFXIII) but that just my opinion. Recently SE announced that they will be adding story cutscenes weeks or even months down the line with IMO is inexcusable. Tee fact that this is happening is that they know the story is confusing and not well written that they need to try and clarify though patches. It also seems that they purposely left out explanation on the characters that will be explained in their DLC which is also disheartening.
Finally a game that can make my Destiny characters gather dust, glad the extra time to polish that game worked out.
The story totally could use more detail, but the character interactions between the main four was great throughout. Loved every minute of that.
I think sometimes people forget "Story" doesn't just include the main plot thread.
That said, I support my praise of the story. It wasn't unconditional love though, as I state in my review. Lots of side characters get dropped hard and I'm glad that's getting fixed. Wish it had been there from the start and this review would be even more glowing.
Indeed. I'll take great characters and character interactions, settings, and lore and a crappy plot over a good plot that lacks these. To me these are all part of the story and I have frankly come to have a very low expectation for the 'plot' component in games.
This is a major point for me. Without the additional stuff, it could just as well be a summary of events. On the other hand if most of the plot is stuff that happens off screen and the only on screen story is character interactions between characters who seem pretty pointless because they aren't significantly tied to the plot (see FFXII), then there's not much story to speak of either way.
On the other hand if most of the plot is stuff that happens off screen and the only on screen story is character interactions between characters who seem pretty pointless because they aren't significantly tied to the plot (see FFXII), then there's not much story to speak of either way.
Thankfully this isn't FFXIII. It's just too light on some side characters instead of needing a codex to explain the main story.
I think I'm going to have to watch this on twitch or something. All the reviews I've read still leave me unsure about whether this is actually a good game or not. (from my perspective).
Eh maybe I've been sold on it. But I think I'll wait until all the DLC is out and I can pick up the complete game+DLC for $20 or less.
That's where I'm at. I think I've been hit too hard by the story line mess that's FF13. While I've seen pretty positive reviews, the few concerns I see hit a wee too close to things that tend to bug me, personally. And, hey, by that time, I bet all those free updates and patches will be in there as well. I like the idea of paying once for the best, most complete experience...and saving a wee bit o' dough in the process.
As someone who has finished the game I can say that might be a good call.
I dig the game. For me it really is a 8-8.5 easily. The story just needs maybe a bit more clarity to push it up a bit.
Game play wise? Gold... total gold. And Phil... the gameplay, ya know?
I feel ya and see exactly where you are coming from, Phil. That said, this is no KH battle system (which I also hate), as it has tons more depth, but is still way more action than you'd probably like.
I'm pretty much in agreement on the KH end. I don't necessarily mind a more action RPG system (although I prefer turn-based / ATB, which is quasi-turn based as far as I'm concerned), but I prefer a more simple straight forward style like that of Secret of Mana (also quasi-turn based action RPG, in a different sense than ATB though) or Brave Fencer Musashi or even Zelda (although I consider that just action w/o RPG). Kingdom Hearts is just manic button mashing with ridiculous combos that are largely out of user control other than setting some skills. FFXV unfortunately looks rather similar and I have to say that adding more complexity to the system doesn't necessarily make it better if it still has the KH style at its core.
I'll say this outside of spoilers, because I don't mind starting this discussion. It IS action, but this is no longer like Kingdom Hearts. Not at its core or anything.
It's closer to the console versions of dragon age inquisition control wise.
It's not the action I don't like if they are smooth and done right... which tends to happen more with games that focus on those mechanics. I'll definitely give it an honest, fair shot when I finally do pick it up and get to it. BTW, would you say that, in combat, your companions actions are important to success/failure, or largely ignore-able... providing maybe nice boons here and there?
| 2019-04-26T09:38:49 |
https://forums.rpgamer.com/discussion/25342/review-final-fantasy-xv
|
0.999804 |
To add two vectors, add their coordinates or components.
Given = (2, 1, 3), = (1, −1, 0) and = (1, 2, 3), find the vector = 2u + 3v − w.
Given vectors and , determine the magnitude of the vector .
In the same direction as if k is positive.
In opposite direction as if k is negative.
Given = (6, 2, 0), determine so that 3 = .
| 2019-04-23T12:20:30 |
https://www.vitutor.com/geometry/vectors/vector_addition.html
|
0.999857 |
Character set: I find the use of c, j, q, x rebarbative.
In particular, x = sh in some languages, notably Portuguese and Pinyin, plus it's ch in catalan, and I doubt it has the -gua!spi value in any language. Except some dialects of Basque "baeba". Likewise q = ch in Pinyin.
Phonology: affricates conflict with clusters; how can you reliably distinguish between "c" and the cluster "tq" (resp. "j" and "dx")?
Phonotactics (not explicitly discussed in the report): I find the consonant clusters way too loose: many of them are unreasonably difficult to pronounce. I would suggest starting from the Lojban set and adding carefully and selectively. What is the existing phonotactics anyway?
Tones: Six is too damn many.
Extensionality: Defining predicates purely in terms of the result sets has known problems. In particular, "x1 has a heart" and "x1 has kidneys" are true for the selfsame set of x1s, so in -gua!spi terms they are the same predicate.
But there would be no need to distinguish them anyway if there is nothing known that fits one predicate but not the other.
For mathematical predicates, this may be all right (to be negative is the same as to be less than zero) but in the real world it can lead to annoying results. See Quine.
The boy who deserves it will get the prize he wants.
The boy who deserves (the prize he wants) will get the prize (the boy who deserves it) wants.
The boy who deserves (the prize (the boy who deserves it) wants) will get the prize (the boy who deserves (the prize he wants] wants.
And so on. You lose.
Compounds: You don't give any examples in the report of compounds of length greater than two. Transitive compounds and event compounds can both suffer from ambiguity about associativity.
Masses: As you know, I have problems with your identification of masses with sets. The set of rats is large if there are many rats, whereas (part of) the mass of rats is large if at least one rat is large. Masses may have properties that appear self-contradictory because they are the conjuncts of the properties of their components (the mass of you is green if at least one of your components is green). Sets, on the other hand, have properties totally independent of the properties of their members.
Negation: I believe you need something equivalent to Lojban's na'e - nonspecific scalar negation. lo na'e gerku is a non-dog, probably another kind of animal (or something else if a different scale is presumed). This is distinct from lo na gerku - that which is not a dog, contradiction pure and simple. There also seems to be no way to express a metalinguistic negation (presupposition failure, categorical denial, etc.) like Lojban na'i.
Parenthesis: It would be helpful to be able to have subordinate clauses which are marked as digressions - () in English prose - or editorial insertions - in English prose.
Erase all: a sentence start word which erased all of the speaker's previous sentences (Lojban su) would be useful.
Change of topic: Sentence start words to clear anaphora assignments (Lojban da'o) and sticky tenses (approximately Lojban ki and/or fu'o) would also be beneficial.
Subscripting: there should be a mechanism for attaching an arbitrary phrase (typically a number) as a subscript to any word without affecting the word's grammar otherwise. This is excellent for manufacturing extra variables and the like.
Emphasis: Lojban ba'e emphasizes the next word, bringing it to the speaker's particular attention (similar to moving it to the beginning or the end of its bridi). It is like italics in English prose.
Sentence anaphora: there seems to be no analogue of Lojban di'u and friends: "the previous (following, earlier, later) utterance considered as an object". This is distinct from go'i and friends, which repeat the utterance implicitly.
And after making all these changes you end up with Lojban with tones. And rafsi pretending to be gismu.
... Tones: Six is too damn many.
Tell that to the Yue (Cantonese) speakers.
| 2019-04-21T12:10:12 |
https://mw.lojban.org/index.php?title=critique_of_gua%5Cspi&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile
|
0.996821 |
How to Make Real-Time Inventory Management Part of Your Food Distribution Business Strategy?
As those of you who are in the food business industry must be aware, real-time inventory management can be an essential element of your strategy. Real-time management is the process that uses custom hardware like inventory software, as well as other relevant tools, bar-code scanners, and the comprehensive inventory management software that works in conjunction, to record in real-time all inventory-related activities. These activities could include transactions like receiving, picking, moving, cross-docking, delivery, and shipping of raw materials and finished food products. Other activities could include processing orders, purchases, sales, and transfers in a digital inventory system.
Real-time inventory management can add many benefits to your overall food business strategy and allow you to plan in detail. You can not only plan your warehouse capacity, waste minimization, pricing changes but also go a step further to look at historical data to plot trends over a period to become proactive rather than reactive. However, you must remember that warehouse scanning is a significant aspect of real-time inventory management and give due importance to the same. Managing inventory in real-time would only be possible if you can do away with or at least minimize paper-based transactions involving manual data entry. If every task in the warehouse requires a person to carry paper around and keep updating records, then it would mean a lot of work, and the chances that updates are not in real-time and with an increased probability of errors occurring.
Minimize first expired stocks: In the food business, expiry dates are one of the aspects that you need to be completely cognizant of. The expiry dates not only help you with quality control and meeting compliance requirements, but they also help you prioritize sales. For instance, you would sell or deliver the soon-to-expire lot sooner and keep the ones that have a more extended expiry date for sale or delivery later.
Manage current inventory levels: inventory management can offer you a condensed view of the current cost of the inventory you are carrying, the sales potential, and clear picture of how the stock is dated in terms of aging. As a consequence, you can plan sales in a more relevant and specific way to outline the process ahead of time.
Means of storage and planning: Another significant aspect of inventory management is also that of storage. In the food industry, it is very likely that you need different types of storage like temperature-controlled units (refrigeration units or freezers) or other specifications and you need to take stock of the inventory of all the goods to be able to plan accordingly.
What is more, if your business is spread of over several locations, then the logistical planning aspect also comes into play. Real-time inventory management can help you with that aspect of it and help you save on manpower, time, money, and other resources. You can tweak sales requirement and manage finances when you have the details of the value of current inventory, the margin, the spread of items across locations, how much of each item at a particular area in terms of quantity and warehouse space details.
Want to learn more about how our solutions help customers in the food business? Read the below case study of a produce distributor D’Arrigo Brothers, who with the help of To-Increase Food Manufacturing & Distribution solution, gained unprecedented levels of business control and customer responsiveness.
| 2019-04-21T20:32:53 |
https://www.to-increase.com/food/blog/real-time-inventory-management-in-food-distribution
|
0.999999 |
Samosa Bhai got tired of the difficult tasks given by CodeChef along with meagre salary being paid to him. So he moves to Aloo uncle's village and opens a courier company there. In the village, everyone knows Aloo uncle and Kachori Aunty, so everyone sends their gifts using Samosa Bhai's courier company only.
There are N houses in a row in the village. On New Year's Eve, each house sends a gift to all the other houses.
The distance between two houses situated at positions x and y in the row is |x - y|. Samosa Bhai's courier company charges dk rupees for each delivery, where d is the distance between the 2 houses.
Everyone chose Samosa Bhai's company because of Aloo uncle and Kachori aunty. So he decides to give them the amount of money earned by him modulo 1000000007 (109 + 7). You need to compute this amount.
The first line of input contains an integer T denoting the number of test cases. The description of T test cases follows.
The first line of each test case contains 2 integers — N and k — denoting the number of houses and the exponent k, resepctively. The second line contains N space-separated integers A1, A2, … , AN denoting the positions of the houses.
For each test case, output a single line with the amount given to Aloo uncle and Kachori aunty by Samosa Bhai.
| 2019-04-25T16:08:53 |
https://www.codechef.com/problems/KOL1506
|
0.999999 |
What are we to make of the recent allegations made by Oprah Winfrey about a brush with what she perceived to be racism in Switzerland?
Ms. Winfrey is a high profile person and certainly has enough wealth to buy pretty much anything she wants wherever she wants. Ms. Winfrey is also a high profile person politically and her words and actions (for better or worse) carry a lot of influence to many people.
The incident took place at a high end boutique named Trois Pommes in Zurich, Switzerland where Ms. Winfrey was attending the wedding of Tina Turner. The owner of the shop, Trudie Goetz, was also a guest at Ms. Turner's wedding.
She told Entertainment Tonight: "I was in Zurich the other day at a store whose name I will not mention. I didn't have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and sandals, but obviously The Oprah Winfrey Show is not shown in Zurich."
"I go into a store and say to the woman, 'Excuse me, may I see that bag over your head?' and she says to me 'No, it's too expensive.'"
Winfrey says she asked again to see the bag -- a $38,000 crocodile skin number by Tom Ford -- and the woman again refused, saying, "No no no, you don't want to see that one, you want to see this one, because that one will cost too much and you will not be able to afford that."
Winfrey says she asked a final time to see the bag: "One more time I tried -- I said, 'But I really do just want to see that one,' and she said, 'I don't want to to hurt your feelings,' and I said, 'Ok thank you so much, you're probably right, I can't afford it and walked out of the store. Now why did she do that?"
Now I have my doubts that someone who is on commission would deny someone to look at a potential big ticket item unless they looked they crawled into the store from under a cardboard box. And I would certainly hope that Ms. Winfrey would be given to making up stories about being denied looking at an item. That said, it would appear as if Ms. Winfrey indeed might have tweaked the narrative to fit her agenda during the interview.
"I could've had the big blow up thing and thrown down the black card and all that, but why do that?"
Because maybe nothing really happened?
"Racism for me doesn't show itself that way. Nobody in their right mind, unless they're a Twitter thug, is gonna call me the N word."
"True racism is being able to have power over somebody else, so that doesn't happen to me that way. It shows up for me this way; It shows up that sometimes I'm in a boardroom or I'm in situations where I'm the only woman, I'm the only ah, African-American person within, you know a hundred mile radius. And I can see in the energy of the people there, they don't sense that I should be holding one of those seats. I can sense that. But I can never tell, is it racism or is it sexism. Often it's both. I mean the sexism thing is huge. the higher the ladder you climb, it gets huge. Because, just men are used to running things. So I don't have it in the same way other people have it.
Then she goes on to tell the story about the incident in Zurich.
The other side of the story comes from the clerk at Trois Pommes who is trying to maintain anonymity.
'I wasn't sure what I should present to her when she came in on the afternoon of Saturday, July 20, so I showed her some bags from the Jennifer Aniston collection. 'I explained to her the bags came in different sizes and materials, like I always do. 'She looked at a frame behind me. Far above there was the 35,000 Swiss franc crocodile leather bag. 'I simply told her that it was like the one I held in my hand, only much more expensive, and that I could show her similar bags. 'It is absolutely not true that I declined to show her the bag on racist grounds. I even asked her if she wanted to look at the bag.
The saleslady went on: 'This is not true. This is absurd. I would never say something like that to a customer. Really never. Good manners and politeness are the Alpha and the Omega in this business. 'I don't know why she is making these accusations. She is so powerful and I am just a shop girl. 'I didn't hurt anyone. I don't know why someone as great as her must cannibalize me on TV. 'If it had all taken place as she claimed, why has she not complained the next day at the wedding of Tina Turner with Trudie Goetz, my boss? She was there also at the Turner wedding as a guest. I don't understand it.
'I spoke to Oprah Winfrey in English. My English is okay but not excellent, unfortunately. 'I didn't know who she was when she came into the store. That wouldn't have made any difference if I had. 'We work really hard to greet all the people who come into the store with the same level of respect and treat them all equally.
What exactly happened when Oprah Winfrey came in your business?
She came on Saturday 20 July in our boutique. It was in the afternoon, just a normal day. Oprah Winfrey had a friend there, maybe it was her bodyguard, I do not know. He has certainly held up the door for her.
So if Ms. Winfrey came into the shop with someone who the clerk assumed might be a bodyguard, would it make any sense for her to deny showing her an expensive item?
Ms. Winfrey claims she was alone in the store and the clerk flatly refused to show her the handbag.
The clerk claims Ms. Winfrey was accompanied and she was showing her similar bags to the one she asked about. Bear in mind also that the clerk admits that she does not speak English as well as she'd like.
Going back to the ET interview, Ms. Winfrey is talking about the perception of racism and sexism to the interviewer. This was all in response to a question about Paula Deen admitting to using the N word and the interviewer asking Ms. Winfrey if she had ever been called the N word. Ms.Winfrey tells of how nobody would ever dare be racist to her face but in her case, it is done more subtly.
It appears to me that Ms. Winfrey got her nose out of joint because the clerk did not recognize her. She even mentions this in the interview that "it's obvious The Oprah Winfrey Show is not shown in Zurich"
How dare they not air her show in Zurich?
She would also have us believe that this clerk who has worked in a high end boutique in Zurich and also worked in Italy in a major boutique has never encountered a wealthy black woman.
"I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland. I'm really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I'm sorry that I said it was Switzerland, I was just referencing it as an example of being in a place where people don't expect that you would be able to be there."
Again, she mentions that "people don't expect that you would be able to be there"
Ms. Winfrey got caught making the story out to be more than it really was because the clerk, who referred to being on commission and has enough experience with wealthy customers, seems as if she would be smart enough to qualify a customer such as Winfrey.
It's also important to note that the store is located in a ritzy area and it would be safe to presume that the clerk would have noticed that Ms. Winfrey was an American and also that she was wealthy enough to shop in such a store.
Oprah talks about perception; perception of racism, perception of sexism. Every person can feel some sort of sizing up and scrutiny if they want in any situation. It's human nature. People are constantly analyzing each other during every encounter. Anyone can perceive that another person is looking down at you or feeling like you don't measure up if you really want to. It all comes down to how secure you are and how much you want to guess what someone else is thinking.
Good luck with that. It's silly to worry about what you think someone else thinks of you. And, there's a really good chance you might be dead wrong.
I really find it hard to believe that a salesperson with 5 years experience in a high end boutique in Zurich would tell any customer that they cannot afford an item. I would be shocked to hear a clerk in a JC Penny tell a customer that. It doesn't make sense.
And she still has her job.
Oprah Winfrey should be more careful about her anecdotes, she is very influential and her words can create big issues where there aren't.
I don't think that Oprah thought that this would become the story it eventually did. She got caught making a mountain out of a molehill.
Apparently Oprah Winfrey really thinks way too much of herself. She is now, as they say doubling down on the racism claim. But again, her comments are more telling.
In the U.S., blacks have to deal daily with racism. Can it be that you have particularly sensitive in Zurich?
No! Although I do not know any black man who was not stopped or traced ever because of his skin color from the police, but in women it's different. What I experienced in Switzerland, is my only happened once before in my life. I did not accuse Switzerland it. It was a single incident. One incident, experience the everyday people with black or brown skin color. However, it was unusual that happened to me. Believe me, usually rejoice seller when I get them into the business. It is very unusual that I'm not literally dragged into a boutique. Outside of the window, dozens press the nose flat to watch me while shopping.
I was the only person in the store. I had specially dressed me because I know that it can get very snobbish in this kind of stores. The first thing people pay attention on what clothes you are wearing. Therefore I have a Donna Karan outfit chosen and even washed my hair. So they do not think of me as some homeless people who got lost in her shop.
The woman did not want to jerk the bag that I just wanted to look at me. The effort it was too big, because they did not come off so easy. Then she told me that the bag was simply too expensive. And I said: "But I want to see them anyway." Instead, it has presented me cheaper bags.
I said: "Okay, thank you very much! But I really want to see the others."She still held back the cheaper me. To be honest, I've only just found out how much these damn pocket costs. You know what? The woman was right: I would not have bought the thing - too expensive!
$ 38,000!! I would have fainted when I saw the price tag.
Apparently, Ms. Winfrey was put off by the lack of dozens of people pressing their noses flat to watch her shop.
She admitted that the price tag was too high. Perhaps the clerk knowing the price was more interested in trying to sell her something with a more reasonable price?????
That's what commissioned sales people do, size you up and try to steer you toward what they think you will actually buy.
Of course Oprah Winfrey can afford the $38,000 handbag, but would she actually buy it? Her comments indicate the answer is a definitive NO. And the sales clerk likely knew that she wouldn't bite so she steered her toward what she thought would be more palatable.
It appears that Ms. Winfrey is using this incident to make her appeal to those who in her words "what people of black or brown color experience daily". She's a billionaire who is recognized the world over and I'm sure treated better than 99% of the people in the world regardless of her gender and her skin color. Her story holds no water. Anyone who is serving on a board of directors like she mentioned certainly knows who she is and likely could care less about her gender or skin color. It's all about power and prestige at that level and Oprah Winfrey knows that. She is just trying to make herself out to be a victim where there's no crime. She's trying to make herself a sympathetic figure to those who actually do experience racism and prejudice.
"I don't know why she talked of racism. I am sorry, but perhaps she is being a little over-sensitive here. Maybe she was somewhat offended because she was not immediately recognized in the store."
| 2019-04-24T17:50:11 |
http://www.medicineforthedead.com/2013/08/the-curious-oprah-winfrey-handbag.html
|
0.999999 |
I sat on a bench.
= I sat down on a bench.
She was tired and wanted to sit.
= She was tired and wanted to sit down.
My mother sat me down and scolded me.
The staff sat me in the front row.
Can I offer you a seat?
They sat down to a nice dinner.
They sat to a nice dinner.
| 2019-04-26T08:35:42 |
https://talking-english.net/sit-sit-down/
|
0.996934 |
The purpose of this study is to assess palliative care physicians' attitudes, beliefs and practice patterns related to parenteral hydration at the end of life in Latin America and Spain. Objectives: 1. To assess palliative care physicians' attitudes, beliefs and practice patterns related to parenteral hydration at the end of life in Latin America and Spain. 2. To assess cross-national differences in practice patterns related to parenteral hydration at the end of life. (Latin America vs. Spain). 3. To determine the percentage of physicians who practice parenteral hydration at the end-of-life in the hospital setting and the home setting. 4. To examine the association between providers' parenteral hydration practice patterns and: - 1. provider demographic characteristics; - 2. specific characteristics of their practice settings; and - 3. training and experience in end of life care; 5. To determine which factors most predict the practice of parenteral hydration at the end of life among palliative care physicians.
Behavioral:Survey10-15 minute online survey to assess palliative care physicians' attitudes, beliefs and practice patterns related to parenteral hydration at the end of life in Latin America and Spain.
| 2019-04-26T00:03:43 |
http://patientsville.com/study.htm?q=dehydration&id=NCT01011140&rank=18
|
0.999927 |
Shipping Cookies can be a challenge. How to keep them fresh and not turning into a pile of cookie crumbs before getting to the recipient? There are several methods, but here is one of m favorites.
Turning a potato chip canister into a cookie canister.
Baking the cookies: I have found that about 1 heaping Tablespoon of cookie dough will make the perfect sized cookies to fit into the containers.
Covering the container: I cover the contanier in paper. I used brown craft paper and literally just tucked the top edge down into the can rather than trying to cut it perfectly at the top.
Label I just wrote directly on the kraft paper with a permanent marker.
I usually wrap them in sets of two into plastic wrap. This helps keep them even more air tight and fresh during shipping.
Carefully place the wrapped cookies into container. I got 16 chocolate chip cookies into mine.
Seal the top of the canister with the lid. (Secure down with tape if you feel you need to).
Wrap canister in a layer of bubble wrap before placing into the care package.
| 2019-04-21T02:44:20 |
https://www.thetipgarden.com/2015/12/mailing-cookies.html
|
0.996867 |
Cabal can click on the shortcut key "B", then enter the friend column . Please read follow the tips for the game.
1. Friends List: You can select friends to whisper here, team and other operations.
2. Stop the directory: refuse to chat with selected cabal users.
4. Add a friend: Enter the player's name, you can add the player as a friend.
5. Increase in group: can be classified into friends.
| 2019-04-23T18:53:39 |
http://vir4u.com/news/Pet-save-kit-in-Cabal.html
|
0.998583 |
NGC 147 and NGC 185 are two of the most massive satellites of the Andromeda galaxy (M 31). With similar mass and morphological type dE, they possess different amounts of interstellar gas and tidal distortion. The question therefore is, how do their histories compare? We present the first reconstruction of the star formation histories of NGC 147 and NGC 185 using long-period variable stars (LPVs). LPVs are low- to intermediate-mass stars at the asymptotic giant branch, which their luminosity is related to their birth mass. Combining near-infrared photometry with stellar evolution models, we construct the mass function and hence the star formation history. For NGC 185 we found that the main epoch of star formation occurred 8.3 Gyr ago, followed by a much lower, but relatively constant star formation rate. In the case of NGC 147, the star formation rate peaked only 7 Gyr ago, staying intense until ~ 3 Gyr ago, but no star formation has occurred for at least 300 Myr. Despite their similar masses, NGC 147 has evolved more slowly than NGC 185 initially, but more dramatically in more recent times.
| 2019-04-26T06:26:50 |
http://eprints.keele.ac.uk/3765/
|
0.999333 |
I may have children but not now. How can a pre-nuptial agreement take this into account?
The purpose of a pre-nuptial agreement is to try as much as possible to make reasonable provisions and for future need. This means that thought is given to what would happen if there were children. So including such provision in the agreement will make the agreement more robust and resilient to court scrutiny and give the court a chance to consider such terms. It will all ways be subject to the discretion of the court, but at least you have something in writing that reflects both our intentions and the court cannot ignore this.
What happens if I or the other party commits adultery, will this count against me.
The Short answer is no. Unless there is anything in the prenuptial which states that in such an event one party is to get more. This may deemed as being unfair/unreasonable by the court. However, the issue may be brought up on nay Divorce and financial proceedings.
| 2019-04-23T10:01:21 |
https://garner-hancock.co.uk/family-law/pre-nuptial-agreements/family-in-prenuptial-agreements/
|
0.998798 |
The life expectancy at birth in Angola is 55.29 while in Denmark it is 79.09.
The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in Angola is 79.99 while in Denmark it is 4.10.
The percentage of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Angola is 2.30% while in Denmark it is 0.20%. 12,600 people in Angola and 100 people in Denmark die from AIDS each year.
The annual number of births per 1,000 people in Angola is 38.97 while in Denmark it is 10.22.
With its 19,088,106 people, Angola is the 58th largest country in the world by population. It is the 23rd largest country in the world by area with 1,246,700 square kilometers.
| 2019-04-26T15:04:11 |
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/DK/AO
|
0.999996 |
Health care reform at the precipice: What happens next?
A snapshot of health care reform as Congress takes a mid-summer break. Multiple bills need to be reconciled, while members of Congress face increasing pressure from advertising and lobbying.
Congress left for summer recess without having passed health care legislation. It has made progress: Three of the four congressional health committees reported versions of the legislation. (Congress never got this far with Bill and Hillary Clinton's health bill.) The one holdout was the Senate Finance Committee, which continues to work on an agreement that will bring some GOP support. Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), the committee chair, and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), its most senior Republican, reported progress but said they wouldn't produce a bill until this month.
By the time Congress returns, its members will have been exposed to excessive advertising and grass-roots lobbying designed to sway voter opinions on health reform. The best that can be said now is that the public is conflicted. Polling before the recess showed that large majorities still support overhauling our health care system. Voters worry about losing health insurance and rising costs, but are anxious that reform will lead to government interference with the doctor-patient relationship, lower quality, fewer choices and higher taxes.
As I have written on my blog, there is a battle under way to win the hearts and minds of physicians. Opinion polls show that the public trusts their doctors. The most powerful message against health reform is that “It will take decisions away from you and your doctor.” If physicians echo this concern, it undermines public support; if they instead say that health reform is good for patients, it increases public support.
Like the public, internists are conflicted. Most continue to support health reform but have concerns about particular elements. They recognize that patients are not well served by a system that leaves millions without insurance and where almost everyone could lose coverage if they develop a chronic illness or lose their job.
But they are deeply divided on whether people should have access to a public plan. Some argue with great passion that a public plan will lead to a government takeover and care rationing. Others believe with equal fervor that patients would benefit from a government-administered plan modeled on Medicare as an alternative to wasteful, inefficient for-profit private insurance.
Internists are also conflicted on whether to raise taxes to fund reform, and if so, on whom? Many express concern about the potential cost and its impact on the deficit, while others say we can't afford not to provide coverage to everyone.
Like other voters, physicians are influenced by personal politics and ideological leanings. Conservatives are likely to oppose almost everything proposed by President Obama and the Democrat-led Congress, especially health reform legislation. Liberals want Obama to succeed, especially on health reform. Many doctors who fall in the middle could be swayed either way.
reducing the costs and inefficiencies of our wasteful and unfair medical liability system.
With the notable exception of liability reform the single biggest blind spot within the Obama administration and Congress pending bills address each of these priorities.
Internists have strong differences of opinion on major elements of health reform. But ACP's priorities are grounded in policies that came directly from ACP membership in most cases, long before the current administration and Congress. They deserve to end up in a final bill.
We have a chance to enact legislation that would make coverage affordable for most Americans, rebuild the primary care physician workforce, and end the cycle of Medicare physician pay cuts. But health reform could also fall from this precipice. If it does, there will be more uninsured, more bankruptcies due to high health care bills, more Medicare cuts, fewer primary care doctors and, quite likely, a Medicare program that runs out of money.
| 2019-04-24T08:02:29 |
http://acpinternist.acponline.org/archives/2009/09/washington.htm
|
0.999616 |
tchuf tchuf; ou seria nheco nheco fum?
It’s been a couple days since I returned from this year’s WebKitGTK+ hackfest in A Coruña, Spain. The weather was very nice, not too cold and not too rainy, we had great food, great drinks and I got to meet new people, and hang out with old friends, which is always great!
I think this was a very productive hackfest, and as usual a very well organized one! Thanks to the GNOME Foundation for the travel sponsorship, to our friends at Igalia for doing an awesome job at making it happen, and to Collabora for sponsoring it and granting me the time to go there! We got a lot done, and although, as usual, our goals list had many items not crossed, we did cross a few very important ones. I took part in discussions about the new WebKit2 APIs, got to know the new design for GNOME’s Web application, which looks great, discussed about Accelerated Compositing along with Joone, Alex, Nayan and Martin Robinson, hacked libsoup a bit to port the multipart/x-mixed-replace patch I wrote to the awesome gio-based infrastructure Dan Winship is building, and some random misc.
The biggest chunk of time, though, ended up being devoted to a very uninteresting (to outsiders, at least), but very important task: making it possible to more easily reproduce our test results. TL;DR? We made our bots’ and development builds use jhbuild to automatically install dependencies; if you’re using tarballs, don’t worry, your usual autogen/configure/make/make install have not been touched. Now to the more verbose version!
For a couple years now we have supported an increasingly complex and very demanding automated testing infrastructure. We have three buildbot slaves, one provided by Collabora (which I maintain), and two provided by Igalia (maintained by their WebKitGTK+ folks). Those bots build as many check ins as possible with 3 different configurations: 32 bits release, 64 bits release, and 64 bits debug.
In addition to those, we have another bot called the EWS, or Early Warning System. There are two of those at this moment: one VM provided by Collabora and my desktop, provided by myself. These bots build every patch uploaded to the bugzilla, and report build failures or passes (you can see the green bubbles). They are very important to our development process because if the patch causes a build failure for our port people can often know that before landing, and try fixes by uploading them to bugzilla instead of doing additional commits. And people are usually very receptive to waiting for EWS output and acting on it, except when they take way too long. You can have an idea of what the life of an EWS bot looks like by looking at the recent status for the WebKitGTK+ bots.
Maintaining all of those bots is at times a rather daunting task. The tests require a very specific set of packages, fonts, themes and icons to always report the same size for objects in a render. Upgrades, for instance, had to be synchronized, and usually involve generating new baselines for a large number of tests. You can see in these instructions, for instance, how strict the environment requirements are – yes, we need specific versions of fonts, because they often cause layouts to change in size! At one point we had tests fail after a compiler upgrade, which made rounding act a bit different!
So stability was a very important aspect of maintaining these bots. All of them have the same version of Debian, and most of the packages are pinned to the same version. On the other hand, and in direct contradition to the stability requirement, we often require bleeding edge versions of some libraries we rely on, such as libsoup. Since we started pushing WebKitGTK+ to be libsoup-only, its own progress has been pretty much driven by WebKitGTK+’s requirements, and Dan Winship has made it possible to make our soup backend much, much simpler and way more featureful. That meant, though, requiring very recent versions of soup.
To top it off, for anyone not running Debian testing and tracking the exact same versions of packages as the bots it was virtually impossible to get the tests to pass, which made it very difficult for even ourselves to make sure all patches were still passing before committing something. Wow, what a mess.
So a few weeks back Martin Robinson came up with a proposed solution, which, as he says, is the “nuclear bomb” solution. We would have a jhbuild environment which would build and install all of the dependencies necessary for reproducing the test expectations the bots have. So over the first three days of the hackfest Martin and myself hacked away in building scripts, buildmaster integration, a jhbuild configuration, a jhbuild modules file, setting up tarballs, and wiring it all in a way that makes it convenient for the contributors to get along with. You’ll notice that our buildslaves now have a step just before compiling called “updated gtk dependencies” (gtk is the name we use for our port in the context of WebKit), which runs jhbuild to install any new dependencies or version bumps we added. You can also see that those instructions I mentioned above became a tad simpler.
It took us way more time than we thought for the dust to settle, but it eventually began to. The great thing of doing it during the hackfest was that we could find and fix issues with weird configurations on the spot! Oh, you build with AR_FLAGS=cruT and something doesn’t like it? OK, we fix it so that the jhbuild modules are not affected by that variable. Oh, turns out we missed a dependency, no problem, we add it to the modules file or install them on the bots, and then document the dependency. I set up a very clean chroot which we could use for trying out changes so as to not disrupt the tree too much for the other hackfest participants, and I think overall we did good.
By the time we were done our colleagues who ran other distributions such as Fedora were already being able to get a substantial improvements to the number of tests passing, and so did we! Also, the ability to seamlessly upgrade all the bots with a simple commit made it possible for us to very easily land a change that required a very recent (as in unreleased) version of soup which made our networking backend way simpler. All that red looks great, doesn’t it? And we aren’t done yet, we’ll certainly be making more tweaks to this infrastructure to make it more transparent and more helpful to the users (contributors and other people interested in running the tests).
If you’ve been hit by the instability we caused, sorry about that, poke mrobinson or myself in the #webkitgtk+ IRC channel on FreeNode, and we’ll help you out or fix any issues. If you haven’t, we hope you enjoy all the goodness that a reproducible testing suite has to offer! That’s it for now, folks, I’ll have more to report on follow-up work started at the hackfest soon enough, hopefully =).
| 2019-04-18T10:44:55 |
https://blog.kov.eti.br/2011/12/webkitgtk-hackfest-o/
|
0.999818 |
Albany Barracks (formerly Parkhurst Barracks) was a military installation on the Isle of Wight.
Amarah (العمارة Al ‘Amārah, also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates. Predominantly Shia Muslim, it had a population of about 340,000 as of 2002 and about 420,000 as of 2005. It is the administrative capital of the Maysan province. A major trading center for the surrounding agricultural area, it is known for woven goods and silverware.
Beersheba, also spelled Beer-Sheva (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע; بئر السبع), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel.
Bouldnor is a hamlet near Yarmouth on the west coast of the Isle of Wight in southern England.
Bury St Edmunds is a historic market town and civil parish in the in St Edmundsbury district, in the county of Suffolk, England.
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight.
The Drill Hall Road Army Reserve Centre is a military installation in Newport, Isle of Wight.
The title of Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was granted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur, on 24 May 1874.
The Essex Brigade, later 161st Brigade and 161st Infantry Brigade, was a volunteer infantry formation of the British Army in existence from 1888 until 1941, and again from 1947.
Lieutenant General Sir Frederick William Stopford, (2 February 1854 – 4 May 1929) was a British Army officer, best remembered for commanding the Suvla Bay landing in August 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign.
The Gallipoli peninsula (Gelibolu Yarımadası; Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, Chersónisos tis Kallípolis) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east.
The Great Bitter Lake (البحيرة المرة الكبرى; transliterated: al-Buhayrah al-Murra al-Kubra) is a saltwater lake in Egypt, connected to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.
Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, between 1541 and 1544.
General Sir Ian Standish Monteith Hamilton, (16 January 1853 – 12 October 1947) was a senior officer in the British Army, who is most notable for commanding the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the Gallipoli Campaign.
The Isle of Wight (also referred to informally as The Island or abbreviated to IOW) is a county and the largest and second-most populous island in England.
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British Royal Navy officer and statesman, an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and second cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mahikeng, formerly and still commonly known as Mafikeng and historically Mafeking in English, is the capital city of the North-West Province of South Africa.
Newport is a civil parish and the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England.
Nunwell is the location of Nunwell House, near Brading on the Isle of Wight, which was the home of the Oglander family for many centuries.
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom.
Parkhurst is a neighbourhood northwest of the town of Newport, Isle of Wight.
Prince Henry of Battenberg (Henry Maurice; 5 October 1858 – 20 January 1896) was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse, later becoming a member of the British Royal Family, through his marriage to Princess Beatrice.
Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, (Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore; later Princess Henry of Battenberg; 14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944) was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Puckpool is a small coastal settlement on the outskirts of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
RMS Aquitania was a British ocean liner of Cunard Line in service from 1914 to 1950.
Romsey is a market town in the county of Hampshire, England.
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, with a population of 23,999 at the 2011 Census.
Sandown is a seaside resort town and civil parish on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, which neighbours the town of Shanklin to the south, with the village of Lake in between the two settlements.
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously.
View of Suvla from Battleship Hill Suvla is a bay on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey, south of the Gulf of Saros.
The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise about 30m out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay, and part of Totland, the westernmost Civil Parish of the Isle of Wight.
Turkestan, also spelt Turkistan (literally "Land of the Turks" in Persian), refers to an area in Central Asia between Siberia to the north and Tibet, India and Afghanistan to the south, the Caspian Sea to the west and the Gobi Desert to the east.
Ventnor is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, England, eleven miles from Newport.
The Wessex Regiment was a Territorial Army (TA) infantry regiment of the British Army between 1971 and 1995.
The 128th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army.
The 163rd Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw active service during the First World War in Gallipoli and the Middle Eastern Theatre as part of the 54th (East Anglian) Division.
The 1st Wessex Artillery was a volunteer unit of the British Army that existed under various titles from 1860 to 1971, including active service in World War I and World War II.
The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army.
The 54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army.
1st (Ryde) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 1st Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 2nd (Newport) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 3rd (2nd Ryde) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 428th The Princess Beatrice's (Isle of Wight Rifles) Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery, 428th The Princess Beatrice's (Isle of Wight Rifles) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 4th (Nunwell) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 530th The Princess Beatrice's (Isle of Wight Rifles) Coast Regiment, Royal Artillery, 5th (Ventnor) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 6th (Sandown) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 7th (Cowes and Osborne) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, 8th (Freshwater) Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteer Corps, Princess Beatrice's Isle of Wight Rifles Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery, Wight rifles.
| 2019-04-18T18:22:52 |
https://en.unionpedia.org/Isle_of_Wight_Rifles
|
0.998304 |
I have lost count of the amount of times somebody has asked me what the single best indicator in technical analysis is. Up until the point of asking that specific question, it is usually the case that the person has already tried and tested pretty much every indicator and trading technique which they could get their hands on, a story which unfortunately is most common amongst traders worldwide. As I have often written in the past, it is not the fault of the trader to try out all these different methods because they are encouraged to by the amount of free information on the web today and books available to buy from the stores out there. However there is hope for the market speculator who is determined to search for ongoing consistency in their trading activities, yet it is not typically the answer or solution which they really want to hear.
Without a shadow of doubt, any disciplined objective trader out there will more often than not tell you that the very best indicator that anyone can use is simply price itself. If you know how to objectively read a price chart, it will tell you all you need to know, from where to get into a trade, where to get out for profits or a small loss and from time to time, when to actually not even place a trade. Price always leads everything else. Any other technical indicator we can place on our chart is nothing more than a derivative of the actual prices which have been trading in the past and what are trading right now. If the market is shut and prices are not moving, then obviously the technical indicator itself will also be static. The fancy calculations and formulae used in the indicator itself are a useless empty shell if they are not given price data to work with. Therefore, we have to recognize that if price is the key component or fuel for the indicator, it then has to be the most important piece in the trading puzzle. As you may already know, here at Online Trading Academy, we focus on teaching our students and Grads a simple rule-based methodology which is formed around price itself and the only dynamics which will ever cause prices to move in any marketplace: Supply and Demand, or the willingness of people to buy and to sell and specific times.
With this in mind, does this therefore mean that all technical indicators are useless to a trader and should be ignored? My answer is absolutely not but only if the trader using the indicator, fully understands why they are using it and how it relates to the price in the correct context. An often interesting fact about indicators too, is that there are so many of them to choose from. No wonder why people are always looking for the right one to use! Considering that there are so many indicators it should not be surprising to find that many of them do the same thing as well, or at least tell the trader the same thing but in a different format. The disciplined trader would only ever use the indicator in conjunction with price action and know exactly how to get the very best out of it.
The green line you can see is a 50 period EMA. What I would like to draw your attention to is the way that the candlesticks move above and below the EMA line. I have drawn a series of orange arrows on this chart to illustrate times when price attempts to pull away from the green moving average line. I want you to imagine that these candlestick bars have invisible springs attaching them to the EMA. The further the bars try to move away from their average price, the faster they seem to get drawn back to it. This is the dynamic of reversion to mean. The more over-extended price becomes, the more it needs to revert to its average.
Much like the EMA chart before, we can see that the bands show a clearer illustration of price being “over-extended” by the actual piercing of the bands themselves, instead of the way that the bars pull away from the EMA. While the graphical representations of these 2 technical indicators are quite different, they are actually telling the very same story: When price becomes imbalanced to a high degree, it will revert to its average.
While not quite as obvious to the untrained eye, levels or supply and demand when recognized objectively, will offer the rule-based trader low risk, high potential reward trading opportunities time and time again. I would always rather use price itself to show me a trading opportunity, instead of a tool which is based on price. However, using a technical indicator in the way it is meant to be used, can be a great way to gain a solid understanding of price and how it behaves. No matter what way you look at it, price changes are governed by pure supply and demand coming into the market. When the imbalance between these two competing forces becomes most out of balance, price has to revert to its mean no matter what way it is shown on a price chart. The disciplined, consistent trader simply finds their way, forms a plan and executes their trades with precision. I hope this was useful to you.
| 2019-04-21T22:15:53 |
https://www.tradingacademy.com/lessons/article/two-perspectives-one-meaning/
|
0.999011 |
The answers to these questions have been prepared by the NCIMS HACCP Technical Resource Team and are based on the NCIMS HACCP Requirements. The Technical Resource Team is comprised of federal, state, and industry representatives. Additional questions and answers, accepted by the NCIMS HACCP Technical Resource Team after the issuance of MI-07-4, are indicated by a note in square brackets, [like this], preceeding each addition. Questions and answers are organized into the following categories.
What is the NCIMS HACCP committee mission?
Utilize current National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) HACCP principles that are consistent with current FDA HACCP recommendations.
Continue to assure at least the same level of milk safety provided by the traditional Inspection/Rating/Check Rating System.
Continue to provide uniformity and reciprocity under the HACCP alternative to the traditional Inspection/ Rating/Check Rating System.
Why would the NCIMS choose the HACCP system for study?
A: HACCP is the internationally-accepted, science-based system for ensuring food safety controls, harmonized with the current recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF). In the U.S., Meat and Poultry are regulated under HACCP by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Seafood is regulated under HACCP by the FDA and new regulations have been proposed for juices. In addition, FDA also has an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) published for HACCP for the rest of the food industry.
A: HACCP is a science-based system used to ensure that food safety hazards are controlled to prevent unsafe food from reaching the consumer.
How does HACCP differ from traditional food safety systems?
A: HACCP places more ownership of the responsibility on the food processor to identify and control hazards and to document the effectiveness of the system. In addition, it requires constant verification that the system is working.
How much authority is given up by the regulatory agency when HACCP is adopted?
A: None. The regulatory agency retains its authority and responsibility for oversight to verify that food is manufactured according to the firm's HACCP plan and is handled in such a way that its safety is assured.
What are the advantages of adopting the HACCP System?
A: Safety is enhanced by a proactive approach of continuous monitoring of food safety controls and documentation of results and corrective actions. This monitoring takes place in "real time" rather than a reactive, after-the-fact approach.
How does HACCP enhance food safety?
A: HACCP requires monitoring to reveal when food safety limits have been violated. This results in taking corrective actions to reinstate control and through documented procedures to prevent recurrence. The operation of the system is constantly verified.
What is the regulatory agency's role in HACCP?
A: As noted previously, regulatory authority and responsibility for oversight in the safety of food have not changed, but HACCP allows more flexibility to use resources wisely and gives the regulator a continuous picture of food safety controls applied and documentation of corrective actions.
What is wrong with the PMO that it requires new HACCP regulations?
A: Nothing. The committee is developing guidelines for an alternative voluntary HACCP program. This is another tool the states and industry have available for assuring the safety of milk and milk products.
Is mandatory HACCP under the NCIMS program on the horizon?
A: No, HACCP is a voluntary alternative to the traditional system under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.
What food safety issues does HACCP address?
A: HACCP evaluates and addresses potential biological, physical, and chemical hazards. These hazards may be introduced from raw materials, the process, equipment, the environment, and employees.
How will the components of the PMO be addressed in HACCP?
A: The PMO represents the cumulative wisdom and knowledge for producing safe dairy products. The expectation of the committee is that food safety controls addressed in the PMO will be addressed in HACCP to provide an equivalent margin of safety to the consumer.
How much of HACCP did the committee have to "reinvent"?
A: The committee turned to the 1997 National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) document for guidance on the HACCP system. This document provided guidance for the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) "MegaReg", the FDA seafood HACCP regulation, and the FDA juice regulation, as well as being harmonized with Codex Alimentarius international guidelines. The committee did not make major departures from the structure of the internationally accepted HACCP system.
How can input be provided to the HACCP Implementation committee?
A: The committee welcomes and encourages outside input, which will assist it in accomplishing its tasks in an effective and timely manner. The committee asks that comments honor its mission statement, its previous deliberations, and its time constraints. Observers are welcome at meetings and are welcome to provide relevant input during deliberations. However, time does not allow for reviewing and revisiting past deliberations during committee meetings. For the current Chair, see the list of HACCP Implementation Committee members.
Why do we need a voluntary alternative to the PMO? If there are two programs available, that makes it harder to manage and support. Is the goal for HACCP to replace the PMO system if it is proven to work? Why was HACCP formed? Is it that the current operating system is not adequate?
A: It has never been said that the current system is not adequate. HACCP allows processors to take a systematic approach in identifying and managing food safety hazards when the NACMCF principles are applied. HACCP is a science-based system used to ensure that food safety hazards are controlled to prevent unsafe food from reaching the consumer.
How does the fact that some plants could be under the HACCP program and others under the current program promote uniformity within the NCIMS?
A: FDA State program evaluations will continue to be conducted and include plants utilizing the traditional system and plants utilizing the HACCP system to promote uniformity within NCIMS.
Could the critical control limit be a range?
A: No, the critical limit must have a specific cut off.
By definition, a critical limit is based on scientific evidence. If this is so, why can a critical limit for pasteurization not be based on thermal death curve values rather than on regulatory definitions such as 145° F for 30 minutes or 161° F for 15 seconds? (i.e. Why not 170° F for 10 seconds, if based on thermal death curve data?
A: The definitions of pasteurization, which are cited in the question, are based on science. These temperatures and times have been adjusted over the years to help insure the destruction of pathogens in milk and milk products. If a firm wanted to use different definitions, the data must be submitted to FDA for approval.
Should we get caught up in definitions of deviation, deficiency and non-conformity? In our plant's quality system any deviation is a non-conformity and is either major or minor. Internal to plant understanding that an outside auditor will use deviation and deficiency terms, can we continue to say any deviation is considered a non-conformity?
A: Internally, plant personnel can use their own definitions, but the plant needs to recognize that the NCIMS HACCP program has specific definitions for these terms and we would encourage that they be used.
Have any state regulators been part of an industry HACCP team?
A: No, but the plant should utilize the resources provided by FDA and the state regulator.
Should states lacking the authority to issue permits under the NCIMS HACCP Program because they have failed to adopt the 2003 Grade "A" PMO be automatically excluded from participating in the HACCP alternative until they do have the authority?
A: The question was sent to the NCIMS Executive Board for resolution. The following motion was agreed to by the NCIMS Executive Board and FDA.
"After further discussion a motion passed unanimously for FDA to continue to accept HACCP listings from states already participating in the HACCP pilot program and additional states that wish to participate in HACCP listings, and recognize that they may not have the enabling legislation, but point out they must have legislation adopted within the 6 year time frame as recommended by the Liaison Committee for State Program Evaluations."
"It was agreed that if a State does not adopt legislation within the 6 year period they may be considered in non-compliance on the next State Program Evaluation, which would trigger an Action Plan, and if the Action Plan is not followed the issue would be turned over to the Executive Board."
[Added November 2008] On the Milk plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FD 2359m (10/06) is Section 12-c necessary as it applies to a requirement of the state regulatory agency, not the HACCP plant?
A: Yes, during a State HACCP listing audit or an FDA audit of HACCP a listing.
Part of the milk plant’s HACCP system (as it is audited by the State for an IMS listing, or by FDA for continuation of an IMS listing) is that the State Regulatory agency issue a report, set timelines (normally with the HACCP plant’s concurrence) to complete the identified deficiencies of the HACCP audit, and follow up on the timelines to be sure that corrections were made.
During State regulatory audits and State follow-up audits, Section 12-c would not normally be marked but would serve as a reminder to issue a report, set time frames (normally with plant concurrence) for correction and follow up to verify that the corrections were made.
What is the time requirement for retaining Prerequisite Program (PP) records?
A: In Appendix K of the PMO it explains that "All records required by this part shall be retained at the milk plant, receiving station or transfer station facility for, in the case of perishable or refrigerated products, at least one (1) year after the date that such products were prepared, and for, in the case of frozen, preserved, or shelf- stable products, two (2) years or the shelf life of the product, whichever is greater, after the date that the products were prepared unless longer retention time is required by other regulations.
Should the cleaning and sanitizing of milk tankers that leave the establishment destined for a co-op be included in the plant's PP for cleaning even though those tankers may not deliver milk back to the firm?
A: Yes, tanker cleaning should be part of the PP since there is a possibility that some of the tankers will deliver milk back to the firm.
We understood that the plant was to determine what Prerequisite Programs (through the hazard analysis process) would be monitored, controlled, and verified. The regulators understanding, on the other hand, is that many if not all of the PP's listed in the Grade "A" PMO, Appendix K, PP's must be written and implemented. Can you please tell us how and who determines which basic PP's should be implemented? What is acceptable documentation for these basic prerequisites programs?
A: Grade "A" PMO, Appendix K. PP's indicates that dairy plants are required to develop, document and implement brief written PP's and that PP's shall address public health concerns identified in the various regulations. Mandatory programs include the eight required PP's listed in the GRADE "A" PMO, Appendix K, which must be implemented by the plant, if applicable. The exact set of PP's to be implemented should be determined by the plant. In fact, the plant's hazard analysis should clearly identify the PP's that reduce the likelihood of potential food safety hazards.
The regulator must determine if the PPs developed by the plant adequately address food safety issues. The regulator should also determine if PPs are implemented, monitored and verified by the plant.
Is dirty equipment OK under HACCP?
A: Dirty equipment is not acceptable under the PMO and is covered in the Grade "A" PMO, Appendix K. PP's.
A milk plant wants to use the same piping system to deliver product recovery water and cleaning and/or sanitizing solutions. What safeguards are needed to protect the public health?
A: The Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) Item 15p(B) 1 prohibits direct piping connections between pipelines and equipment used to contain or conduct milk and milk products with tanks or circuits containing cleaning and/or sanitizing solutions except when a specific type of block and bleed valve system is used.
Sub-item (7) of this item allows variations from those specifications if the variations have been individually evaluated and found acceptable and the level of protection is not compromised. A variation must be validated under the milk plant HACCP system. These variations must be accepted by the state and FDA.
The criteria to be used to accept a variation could include an individual processing plant review of the design of their system. SOPs must be identified to manage potential cross-contamination and must be monitored, documented, and verified. All monitoring and verification records would be reviewed during the regulatory audit including the FDA audit.
With regard to PP's, must all of our records of monitoring, review and corrective action created as part of the PPs be assembled in a central location as is the HACCP Plan and CCP data?
A: Centralization of PP records is not required, however, to help analyze trends, it may be helpful to consolidate these records.
Should a recall procedure be part of the PPs?
A: The industry may choose to include its recall procedure in its HACCP system but this is not a requirement of the Grade "A" PMO. The plant must be able to quickly remove product from commerce when it is injurious to health or it is otherwise adulterated.
How are such things as equipment construction (materials, finish, etc.) controlled under HACCP? Are the current requirements (conformance with the PMO or 3A) still applicable or mandatory? Is equipment review still applicable?
A: Equipment meeting 3-A standards is not required under the current system or under the Grade "A" PMO. Equipment construction is covered in the Grade "A" PMO, Appendix K. Required PPs b. and e. as listed in the Grade "A" PMO, Appendix K or 2 and 5 as they are listed on the Form FDA 2359m.
Are monitoring and record keeping for vitamin addition required under HACCP in the Grade "A" PMO?
"Assays of milk and milk products as defined in this Ordinance, to which vitamin(s) A and/or D have been added, shall be made at least annually in a laboratory, which has been accredited by FDA and which is acceptable to the Regulatory Agency, using test methods acceptable to FDA or other official methodologies, which gives statistically equivalent results to the FDA methods. Vitamin testing laboratories are accredited if they have one (1) or more certified analysts and meet the quality control requirements of the program established by FDA. Laboratory accreditation and analyst certification parameters are specified in the EML manual.
In addition, all facilities fortifying milk or milk products with vitamins must keep volume control records. These volume control records must cross reference the form and amount of vitamin D, vitamin A and/or vitamins A and D used with the amount of products produced and indicate a percent of expected use, plus or minus".
Should the Product or Process flow diagram include a "flow diagram" of the pasteurization process used?
A: No, it is not necessary or advisable to provide a detailed "flow diagram" of the pasteurization process in the process flow diagram. The purpose of the process flow diagram is to simply show all processing steps from raw material receipt through to finished product distribution, which are directly under the control of the manufacturing facility. The process flow diagram should show pasteurization as a processing step, whereas the details of pasteurization would be described in the hazard analysis.
It would be important to discuss the mechanics and maintenance of the pasteurizer during the hazard analysis to determine if the pasteurizer itself could introduce a biological, chemical, or physical hazard. Therefore, the design, operation, and maintenance of the pasteurizer should be assessed during the hazard analysis and during the HACCP system validation to determine if pressure differential and other pasteurizer design features are adequately addressed and monitored. This assessment would be written under the justification column in the hazard analysis form and in the HACCP system validation report, but would not be detailed in the process flow diagram.
The inspector/state listing auditor/FDA Regional Milk Specialist may continue to diagram a flow of the pasteurizing system as part of the verification of the hazard analysis.
Must the Prerequisite Program (PP) be identified as controlling a significant hazard before the PP is considered justified OR are PP's identified as controlling Potential Hazard Analysis considered justified?
A: The hazard analysis is a step by step process: the initial step asks you to identify all potential hazards, the next step asks if any potential hazards are reasonably likely to occur (are they significant)? This is the step where you justify if an existing PP reduces the likelihood of that potential hazard, if yes - you document the justification (list the PP) and assure that the PP is written, monitored, with corrective action and appropriate records. If a PP is not in place to reduce the likelihood of a hazard, then that hazard is considered "likely to occur" or "significant" and needs to be controlled by a control measure, a CCP. The HACCP team would then document in the hazard analysis the appropriate control measure (CCP) to control the "significant" or "likely to occur" hazard.
If the hazard analysis determines that certain processing equipment under the HACCP program can be operated for more than 24 hours without creating a food safety hazard, is the "once each day" PMO requirement for equipment cleaning a requirement under the HACCP program?
Any significant equipment or processing changes shall be communicated to the Regulatory Agency, and may result in a re-verification of the extended run proposal, if it is determined that the change could potentially affect the safety of the finished milk or milk product(s).
If the hazard analysis has determined potable water used by the dairy plant (tested microbiologically every six months) does not constitute a hazard to the dairy products processed at the plant, is it acceptable under the HACCP program to use this potable water to "chase" pasteurized dairy products?
A: The use of unpasteurized potable water was accepted into the PMO when it has undergone an equivalent process found to be acceptable to states and FDA. A firm wishing to use unpasteurized potable water must justify its use in writing and this justification should reside in the hazard analysis.
Each individual processing plant must review the source and treatment of their own water system both internally and externally for food safety hazards. Preventive measures and prevention of cross-contamination measures used to reduce the likelihood of the food safety hazards must be documented and verified. PP's, which monitor and document the sanitary quality of the water supply, are required under the PP portion of the document. Frequency of testing will be dependent upon where the water is incorporated into the process, e.g. testing would be more frequent for cases where water is added post-pasteurization.
All monitoring and verification records would be reviewed during the regulatory audit including the FDA audit.
If a company chooses a consultant to do the hazard analysis entirely, does the consultant need to be trained in this program?
An NCIMS HACCP plant would like to use potable water to flush the raw milk lines in receiving to the plant's raw milk silos. Even though this is an economic adulteration issue and not a health hazard, a representative of the plant has indicated that a hazard analysis would be completed and their proposal would prevent the accidental addition of water to the raw milk.
If the plant's hazard analysis can show that their proposal would prevent the addition of water to raw milk, does HACCP give them the flexibility to follow through with this installation without approval from the state regulatory agency or FDA?
A: The plan's PP should address the prevention of added water. Proper implementation of the PP should be verified during the regulatory and rating audits. Since it is an economic concern, failure of a plant to prevent adulteration falls under "Other Applicable NCIMS Requirements, adulteration" in Appendix K of the PMO. The state regulatory agency has the legal authority to take action against plants that fail to comply with this and other NCIMS requirements.
[Added January 2008] Would it be safe to say the plants regulated under HACCP should consider vitamin addition during the hazard analysis?
A: Yes, as an ingredient, vitamins need to be included in the Hazard Analysis process.
[Added January 2008] Does the HACCP program need to address vitamin under or over fortification if a state regulatory vitamin sample results shows under or over fortification?
A: Yes, page 23 of the 2005 PMO states, "Each milk plant regulated under the NCIMS HACCP Program shall adequately document its response to each regulatory sample test result that exceeds any maximum level specified in Section 7 of this Ordinance. The Regulatory Agency will monitor and verify that appropriate action(s) was taken by the milk plant." In the case of annual state vitamin analysis, this could be interpreted to include under fortification as well as over fortification. The hazard on vitamin under or over fortification is commonly addressed in the plant's HACCP prerequisite program on adulteration.
[Added January 2008] Does a manufacturer of "Pasteurized" bulk cream need to control biological hazards with a pasteurization CCP even though the cream will be sold to a customer that will further process the cream (provide kill step)?
Please clarify plant review of consumer complaints, does regulatory have access to actual complaints?
A: No, the regulator does not have access to consumer complaints. The HACCP program requires the plant to review any consumer complaints they may receive. The regulator should, therefore, verify that the facility has a program to receive and review consumer complaints.
For verification should all or most records be reviewed within 24 hours even when most of the plant's products are shipped within 12 hours?
A: The frequency of verification is not specified in the Grade "A" PMO. The plant should consider the risks involved with shipping product prior to verification.
Our HACCP plan states "All equipment of new design will be reviewed and/or inspected for compliance with State Regulatory." We send blueprints of the equipment/piping changes to the State for review. In the yearly validation form, it questions new equipment. I stated we added a new HTST and a new culture filler. I am questioning whether or not I need to indicate tanks and pumps in the new equipment validation form? We changed from a positive displacement pump to a diaphragm pump and we added some additional yogurt holding tanks.
A: The Grade "A" PMO states that the HACCP plan shall be validated at least annually or whenever any changes in the process occur that could affect the hazard analysis or alter the HACCP plan and PP. Such changes may include changes in processing methods or systems. This would include equipment changes.
Replacing equipment may or may not affect the HACCP plan or PP depending on what is replaced and the type of equipment substituted for it. Replacing a pasteurizer timing pump is a significant change requiring that the holding time be tested and seals be affixed. The change of a CIP pump from manufacturer A to manufacturer B which both have the same specifications may not be. Changing from a positive displacement pump to a diaphragm pump may impact cleanability and flow and most likely would need to be addressed.
While it has been traditional to define HTST or HHST pasteurization by time and temperature, does the CCP for HTST or HHST pasteurization require the critical limit also include differential pressure?
A: Maintaining minimum pressure differentials between the raw and pasteurized regenerator sections is covered under the "CCP Verification" section, not the "Critical Limits" section of an NCIMS HACCP Plan.
[Added November 2007] When the lid was put back on the homogenizer after preventive maintenance one of the seals was sheared. The other seal remained intact. Both seals must be removed before changes can be made to the homogenizer. The pasteurizer did not notice the seal was broken, the state inspector noticed it during the HTST quarterly check. Is this a deviation of a critical control point, since a critical limit was not exceeded? It certainly needs to be addressed under verification.
A: No, a broken seal does not represent a failure to meet a Critical Limit- in this case required holding time. The HTST/HHST HACCP Plan Model places seal integrity under the area of Verification of the HACCP plan.
[Added January 2008] When the lid was put back on the homogenizer after preventive maintenance one of the seals was sheared. The other seal remained intact. Both seals must be removed before changes can be made to the homogenizer. The pasteurizer did not notice the seal was broken, the state inspector noticed it during the HTST quarterly check. Is this a deviation of a critical control point, since a critical limit was not exceeded? It certainly needs to be addressed under verification.
[Added November 2008] I am making an entirely new product in my HACCP listed facility. How do I handle this on the NCIMS HACCP Validation Checklist?
A: Addition of a new product in an existing NCIMS HACCP Plant would trigger two validation related activities. Each may be documented using the "NCIMS HACCP Validation Checklist". Use of this specific form is not mandatory but it is strongly suggested and can be an extremely useful tool.
The new product will require a validation prior to beginning production of the new product (the first checkbox on the "NCIMS HACCP Validation Checklist") for that product including; creation of a flow diagram, and a hazard analysis as well as identification of applicable Critical Control Points and applicable Prerequisite Programs etc.
Production of a new product in an existing NCIMS HACCP plant would also trigger a reassessment validation (the second checkbox on the "NCIMS HACCP Validation Checklist") of the existing validated HACCP plan(s) at least to the point of determining whether production of this new product could affect the Hazard Analysis for the existing validated HACCP plan(s).
If the Hazard Analysis for the existing validated HACCP plan(s) could be affected, a more complete reassessment validation for each affected HACCP plan may be needed.
Both parts of this validation work must be completed and any needed HACCP system adjustments made BEFORE production of the new product begins.
[Added November 2008] The Milk plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FD 2359m (10/06) Section 7 Item C. 2. requires a reassessment of the HACCP plan be conducted after significant changes in the operation including raw materials and/or source, etc. The milk plant is responsible to be sure this happens.
During an audit is there some specific required record of milk plant sources that can be audited by the State regulatory or listing or FDA auditor from which the auditor can know that there was a significant change in a source that would require a HACCP plan reassessment?
If a plant has an IMS listing for condensed/dry products and a listing for their receiving area under the traditional system, how many HACCP listings should this facility have?
A: One listing with product codes as needed to cover all currently listed products.
Who is responsible for conducting the 30 to 45 day follow-up after a listing? The HACCP listing officer or the state plant inspector?
As you are aware, state agencies are required to "evaluate" milk plant receivers for sampling. Under HACCP, does the plant assume responsibility for this activity?
A: No, since Appendix N must be followed regardless of the HACCP program.
Must the regulator evaluate every HACCP plan for every product every time? Or is looking thoroughly at one plan (that in general contains most of the same info as all plans) sufficient to give the regulator confidence in the system?
A: The degree to which each area of the HACCP system is examined is up to the discretion of the auditor. Initially (or whenever there are changes), the HACCP system review may be more extensive to verify that the system is working effectively.
We reference pasteurization time and temperature as a CCP. If a plant has operated for 10 years and has never had a divert valve failure (or recorder and thermometer failure) and the preventative maintenance is part of the PP, can a plant justify not having the HTST as a CCP or is this a sacred cow?
A: Pasteurization is a sacred cow and fits the classical definition of a CCP. The PMO contains CCP model HACCP Plan Summaries for continuous flow and batch pasteurizers.
If a plant does not have a written prerequisite or hazard analysis, can it be listed?
A: No, the lack of a written Hazard Analysis is a critical listing element. Appendix K of the PMO requires a written Hazard Analysis as well as a brief written description or checklist for each of the 8 required PP's and any PP's that are relied upon in the Hazard Analysis to reduce the likelihood of a hazard such that it is not reasonably likely to occur.
Have plants been listed in the program without prerequisites being written in the HACCP program?
What action is taken on any audit if equipment tests are not performed per frequency required?
A: Lack of these equipment tests is a Critical Listing Element.
In HACCP, how do you deal with a repeat violation?
Which has taken longer, a regular plant inspection or a HACCP plant audit?
A: Initially a HACCP plant audit will take longer since all parties involved are on a learning curve.
How should prescriptive requirements like the 72 hour time limit on holding milk products contained in the PMO be considered and evaluated by state auditors in plants participating in the NCIMS HACCP program? More specifically, if an auditor in a HACCP plant determines that a plant has not complied with the 72 hour time limit on more than one occasion and for more than one milk product, then how should the auditor proceed? Hopefully, the answer will provide a template or step-by-step process for arriving at a conclusion that is applicable to most; if not all prescriptive requirements in the PMO.
A: The 72 hour time limit is a requirement of the PMO and thus constitutes "safe harbor" that may be used without further justification in the hazard analysis, and that will be considered to be acceptable during State Licensing, State Listing or FDA Check-audits.
If the milk plant selects a less stringent standard (in this case a longer time limit) this must be justified in the Hazard Analysis and prerequisite programs and will be subject to review during State Licensing, State Listing or FDA Check audits.
What would be a rough estimate of how long an audit will take? I realize this will depend on the size of the plant. For instance, how long would the audit take at a plant putting up 7-8 different Grade "A" products?
If during an audit it were observed that a chocolate milk product was processed at 163° F but the HTST was still in forward flow because the cut-out was set at 161° F, would this deviation in the process require a product recall? What if the temperature went under 166° F for only a few seconds? Would this require a product recall?
A: Yes, both problems would require a product recall. We would follow the same rules as the traditional system.
What happens if the auditor does not agree with the HACCP plan?
A: The auditor would have to justify and document their concerns and the plan may have to be modified.
Who determines the time frame (Industry/state) for the correction of problems found during a State enforcement audit?
A: The same way corrections are made in the traditional system. The state regulatory agency has the final say as to the time frame. The correction should be discussed with the plant to determine the time frame that is appropriate.
How will the voluntary HACCP program affect the listing if a plant has not chosen to have a HACCP plan?
A: If the plant chooses to be listed under the HACCP alternative, they must have a HACCP system that conforms to the requirements of the program. If the hazard analysis (as verified by State licensing and listing officials) determines that there is a need for a HACCP plan, the plant may not be listed without one.
Are the states and FDA required to provide pre-notification to the plants of upcoming audits?
A: As under the traditional system, inspections are usually performed without notification. HACCP audits will normally be performed in the same manner. The audit may be announced at the discretion of the auditor under certain circumstances, e.g. initial audit, follow-up audit, new construction, pasteurizer checks. When unannounced audits are conducted, the audits shall not be completed until appropriate plant personnel have had an opportunity to make all pertinent records available for review by the auditor.
Should we use Appendix N of the PMO to justify why antibiotic testing is required by the NCIMS HACCP program since there is little scientific evidence to use as justification?
A: Complying with drug residue and trace back requirements of Appendix N. is required under Appendix K and is a critical listing element.
A firm receives pasteurized milk to which it blends dry ingredients such as sugar and starch all with Certificates of Analysis from approved suppliers. Can a case be made for pasteurization being a PP rather than a Critical Control Point?
A: No, since historical food-borne illness data overwhelmingly shows us that pasteurization is milk safety's "sacred cow".
Is it required that a chart remain on a pasteurizer recorder after completion of CIP and prior to the next start up? If yes, what about if the plant has extended down time between runs?
A: No, it is not required under the current program or under the HACCP Program.
How do you establish the measure by which you determine the adequacy and effectiveness of procedures? These may be subjective methods but a measure should be quantitative?
A: The plant's HACCP system must be evaluated against the plant's written HACCP system procedures and the requirements of the NCIMS HACCP Program as described in PMO Appendix K and related documents.
If a deviation occurs which violates a cook critical limit but subsequent testing shows the cook step was effective, can the processor routinely refer to the incident as an acceptable response to similar deviations or is a change in the critical limit required?
A: An operating limit should not be used as critical limit. The plant should change its HACCP plan to reflect the critical limit.
Under the concept of HACCP, can a firm that has validated a heat process step for an aseptic operation under the low acid can food requirements of the CFRs consider this an acceptable control point for the production of extended shelf life (ESL) product? Does this step have to have a flow diversion device as outlined in the PMO?
A: The NCIMS HACCP Program includes all of the pasteurization requirements of the PMO.
Does the state regulatory agency or rating officer need to be notified when there is a change in the plant's HACCP plan? Will a copy of our HACCP plan be maintained by someone other than by our plant?
A: Changes in the plant's HACCP plan or HACCP system will be reviewed by the state at the next audit. The plant must document any changes in its HACCP plan and maintain a current copy at the plant.
Can I as a regulator insist on a change to a PP? Example: A firm using a spring for a water supply decides that monthly bacteria examination will be adequate to monitor the supply and ensure safe water. I as the regulator have knowledge that upstream contamination can occur from a pasture. Can I insist on a change to the PP? If the firm shows documentation and procedures they believe will be effective can I accept their PP?
A: It is not the responsibility of the regulatory auditor to change the firm's PP. The regulator must evaluate the PP. Then the regulator must document any deficiencies or non-conformities found during an audit and establish timelines for correction. The firm must address any adverse regulatory findings.
Do timelines need to be recorded for all corrective actions including PP's and plant self-audits?
A: The regulator will work with the plant to establish timelines for corrections resulting from a regulatory audit. The plant will need to record timelines for correction if the particular PP or plant self-audit is part of the plant's HACCP system. Written timelines for correction are required for all deviations, deficiencies and non-conformities that are marked by the regulatory agency during a regulatory audit.
When we as regulators review a HACCP plan, do we review such things as how something were determined to be a hazard and the rationale that went into it including the references consulted?
A: Yes, the auditor needs to review the references and rationale considered in developing the HACCP plan.
If I as a regulator am going to pre-announce my audit to the plant, should I also share my audit plan ahead of time with the plant?
A: There is no requirement that you share your audit plan with the plant ahead of time. However, if the regulatory auditor has certain needs to review specific equipment, for example, these needs might be shared with the plant ahead of time.
Are CLEs the only items addressed under the Corrective Actions in the PMO?
If vitamins, adulteration and allergen issues are handled as a PP and over fortification of adulteration occurs, it does not appear to get the same scrutiny as if it was listed as a CLE. Should the Corrective Actions part of Appendix K include and define PP's that could cause a food safety/public health concern to be handled in the same manner as a CLE under Corrective Actions?
A: The NCIMS HACCP Program defines corrective actions as, "Procedures followed when a deviation occurs." A deviation is defined as, "A failure to meet a critical limit." For example, if the required time and temperature is not met during HTST pasteurization, the corrective action is to manually divert the flow of the product, isolate the product, evaluate and determine its disposition and document these actions. If a plant includes vitamin addition as a critical control point, any deviation would be dealt with in this part of the HACCP plan.
The plant may determine that its PP for vitamin addition reduces the potential of a food safety hazard resulting from vitamin over fortification to the point that it is not reasonably likely to occur.
In either case, the auditor must review the plan's procedures to make sure they are adequate and being followed by the plant.
A Critical Listing Element (CLE) is defined as, "An item on the NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report identified with a double star (**). The marking of a critical listing element by a state listing or FDA auditor indicates a condition that constitutes a major dysfunction likely to result in a potential compromise to food safety whereby a listing may be denied or withdrawn." Critical Listing Elements have been identified to assist the auditor in determining condition(s) which constitute a major dysfunction in the NCIMS HACCP system or that violate NCIMS requirements regarding drug residue testing and trace back requirements or raw milk sources.
If an item is marked on a HACCP audit for a particular reason and on the next audit, the same item is marked, but for a different reason, does this count as a repeat violation?
An example would be that Section 9., Item A was marked on our last audit for the ceiling not being in good repair in the processing room, then on our most recent audit, Section 9., Item A was marked because the spray ball assembly in milk receiving was assembled improperly. According to the state, this is a repeat violation.
A: It is important to remember that HACCP is a program that requires a structured, systematic and preventive approach to food safety. If a deviation, deficiency, or non-conformity occurs in the plan's HACCP system, it is the auditor's responsibility, along with the plant, to determine the root cause for the occurrence.
In the example given, it appears on the surface that two completely different issues have been identified by the auditor and, in this case, would not be repeat violations. However, after the auditor and the plant thoroughly investigate the reason for the violations, it is possible that the same root cause could be identified for both issues. For example, an incomplete PP.
The regulatory auditor and the plant should work together to establish a timeline for correction of the items identified in the root cause analysis. This timeline and corrections must be documented in an Audit Report.
If, after a thorough root cause analysis, the same violation occurs at the next audit because of the same root cause, this would be considered a repeat violation.
The table of regulatory audit timeframes at the end of Appendix K of the PMO requires that a milk plant that meets the requirements for a 6 month minimum regulatory audit frequency revert to a 4 month minimum audit frequency if the plant has a violative water sample, or a current warning letter for 2 of the last 5 finished milk or milk product sample results that are violative.
If the milk plant water sample result is found to be violative, or if the milk plant receives a "2 of 4" sample result warning letter before the 6 month audit is due, is the next audit due 4 months after the previous audit or 6 months after the previous audit? Stated another way, may the milk plant remain at the 6 month audit frequency until the next audit is due even though the requirements for this frequency are no longer being met.
A: No. The milk plant no longer qualifies for a 6-month audit frequency and will immediately revert to the 4-month minimum frequency. Audits will become due within the remaining days of the 4th month (or within the remaining days of the month if the violation occurs in the 5th or 6th month). During State listing audits and FDA audits, professional judgment must be used in evaluating this item under item 2 of the NCIMS HACCP SYSTEM REGULATORY AGENCY REVIEW REPORT when less than a full month remains before the 4 month frequency would expire.
If the plant fails to conduct the quarterly equipment tests on time, should this be considered a violation of a Critical Listing Element (CLE) and result in a delisting of the plant?
A: Inconsistent verification of CCP's is to be regarded as a serious issue. Clearly, professional judgment is to be used as with violations of any CLE. CLE's are intended to flag those items, which are likely to result in the failure of the HACCP system to the extent that the uniform compliance with the provisions of the PMO is not assured and the rights of reciprocity should be denied, resulting in delisting. Several factors may affect the decision of the person performing the survey or the check rating. The most obvious factor is the impact on the assurance of the level of safety required for the public health. If there is any indication that the public health is reasonably likely to be adversely affected, the CLE violation should be considered a reason for delisting. A second consideration is whether this indicates that the HACCP system is not being properly managed. Usually, this will be indicated by a pattern of related violations or previous violations in this category, without reasonable extenuating circumstances. Reasonable extenuating circumstances might be in the area of plant emergencies. The following guidance was provided for a specific case scenario during the 2004 training in Albany.
Scenario - "How Highs' It Got to Be?"
Following the retirement of a state regulatory co-worker, you have been assigned new field territory that includes a Grade "A" milk plant listed under NCIMS HACCP. During an audit of this plant and while reviewing the HTST pasteurization system in the plant, you note that the product discharge from the HTST system rises to an opening to the atmosphere (provided by a vacuum breaker) located only 4 inches above the raw homogenizer line, which is the highest raw milk line in the system. The homogenizer is the timing pump for the system, and the system does contain a booster pump. In reviewing the current recording chart, you note that the HTST system had been shut down 3 times during the run while waiting for additional milk for pasteurization. Neither the HTST operator nor the plant manager, are able to understand your concern about the relative height of the two lines. They indicate that the system was last changed about a year ago when a new homogenizer was installed.
Later, while reviewing the HTST equipment test records, you note that the plant representatives failed to perform the required quarterly PMO tests including the Appendix I., Test 9.3 (Additional HTST Tests for Booster Pumps). The plant management offers no explanation for this deficiency and requests that you highlight your concerns in the audit report.
As a state regulatory auditor, prepare your NCIMS Milk Plant HACCP System Audit Report following this first audit of the firm.
"The plant has failed to complete the necessary calibration of process control instruments listed as verification activities in the HACCP plan. Specifically, the required quarterly tests were not performed by the industry during the last year."
Mark Item 10G. Pasteurization equipment design and construction.
"The plant pasteurization equipment design and construction failed to conform with applicable requirements, specifically the pasteurized product exiting the regenerator failed to rise at least 12 inches higher than the highest raw milk in the system. During the three times that the HTST system was shut down, pasteurized product in the regenerator may have been compromised by the failure to assure at least 1 lb higher pressure in the pasteurized side of the regenerator."
Take immediate action to assure product safety and provide written documentation concerning corrections and the timeframes for their implementation."
The pasteurized discharge line will be raised 12 inches above the highest raw line in the system.
Each of the regenerator plates will be tested by an outside firm for defects. If any cracks or pinholes are found, we will initiate a recall of all products processed on this pasteurizer that are coded Feb. 8 or later.
We will attend a meeting with the State Regulatory Agency at 10:00 am tomorrow regarding the pasteurization testing responsibilities.
Plant management and pasteurizer operators will attend special HTST Operator's training.
The pasteurized discharge line must be corrected prior to running additional product through the HTST system. I will inspect the modification for compliance with Item 16p.(D) 1 and 2 once completed. Additionally, I will complete all the applicable HTST tests at this time to assure that the system meets all the criteria of Appendix I prior to further operation on product.
Regenerator plate testing to be completed within 24 hours.
"An operator's workshop should be completed within 10 days. Training in required HTST design requirements is also necessary and should be completed as soon as practical, based upon an appropriate training opportunity that is acceptable to the Department."
B. As a state Milk Sanitation Rating Officer, prepare your reports in response to this situation.
Mark Item 7D. Calibration of CCP Process Monitoring Instruments Performed as Required and at the Frequency Defined in the HACCP Plan **CLE "The plant has failed to complete the necessary calibration of process control instruments listed as verification activities in the HACCP plan. Specifically, required quarterly HTST tests for booster pumps were not performed by the industry during the last twelve month period."
Mark Item 10G. Pasteurization equipment design and construction. "The plant pasteurization equipment design and construction failed to conform with applicable requirements, specifically the pasteurized product exiting the regenerator failed to rise and be opened to the atmosphere the minimum 12 inches above the highest raw milk in the system. Pasteurization records indicated that the system had been shut down 3 times during the milk production run included in the audit."
"As a result of the above findings, the result of this HACCP listing is "Unacceptable." FDA form 2359i will be completed accordingly and FDA and all known receiving states will be notified.
The regulatory auditor is currently working with plant management to evaluate product safety, to recall product in the market place as needed, and to meet suitable timelines for correction for these findings."
Under the "requirements interpreted in accordance with the Grade "A" PMO as indicated by past audits," comment that "regulatory audits during the past 12 months have failed to identify the improper HTST atmospheric break location on the pasteurized discharge side of the regenerator."
Under the "pasteurization equipment tested at required frequency," comment that "the regulatory agency failed to assure that the trained plant representatives performed the required quarterly tests. Regulatory audits on 2/8/04 and 8/2/04 failed to address these verification failures.
Under "milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station audited by the Regulatory Agency at the minimum required frequency," comment that "critical listing element items that would have existed during the prior regulatory audits, but were not marked, should have resulted in a 4 month audit frequency."
Who may perform the required review (verification) of HTST & HHST pasteurization charts and if this is not being done by the proper individual, where would it be marked on the Audit Report?
Performing required HACCP Plan records reviews." and "The industry individual(s) performing the functions listed in Part 2 of this Section shall have successfully completed appropriate training in the application of HACCP principles to milk and milk product processing at least equivalent to that received under the Dairy HACCP Core Curriculum. Alternatively, (emphasis added) job experience may qualify an individual to perform these functions if the experience has provided knowledge at least equivalent to that provided through the standardized curriculum."
Therefore, these charts may be reviewed (verified) by individuals that have successfully completed the required training OR whose job experience qualifies them to perform these functions. In other words "the proof is in the performance." If this is not being done by the proper individual, it would be indicated in Section 11 C. of the Audit Report.
How does the HACCP guidelines provide for deviations or failure in the HACCP system?
When the plant has failed to recognize or correct a deficiency(s) or nonconformity(s), the state shall initiate regulatory action such as permit/license suspension, revocation, hearings, court actions, and/or other equivalent measures.
How would a firm lose its IMS listing?
A: The criteria and procedures for denial or withdrawal of a listing are stated in the NCIMS "Methods of Making Sanitation Ratings" and "Procedures" documents.
If there have been changes to the HACCP plan, shouldn't regulatory have been notified at the time the changes were made for their approval?
A: No, regulatory does not need to be notified since regulatory agencies do not pre-approve HACCP plans.
Earlier it was stated that the records must be kept for 1 year or the shelf life but according to the audit its 1 year.
Can a dairy plant that produces many products opt to have a HACCP program for only one product (e.g. sour cream, yogurt etc.)?
A: No, the plant must have all Grade "A" products on the HACCP alternative or they must all be on the traditional system.
Both of our HACCP plants produce single service containers as part of their plant processing operations. In both cases the bottles are not produced for sale but only for use by the plant. Under the traditional system, we have been rating and listing their single service facilities at the same frequency as the milk plant. Would you please clarify the procedures that should be followed by the plant HACCP team, the regulatory auditor, and the listing auditor with regard to these SSC facilities under the HACCP system?
A: The NCIMS HACCP program applies to the single service portion of the plant when the single service operation is included in the dairy plant listing. If the single service operation is listed and rated separately, it does not need to be included in the HACCP program. Refer to the PMO, Appendix J, Section E. Criteria for Listing Certified Single-Service Manufacturers in the IMS List.
Can you clarify what is meant by "Other NCIMS Requirements" with regard to packaged products vs. raw bulk products?
A: All ingredients required to be Grade "A", including raw milk, must come from an Interstate Milk Shippers (IMS) listed source.
Since there has been wide agreement that the HACCP voluntary alternative is focused on food safety and tamper detect ability has very little to do with food safety, is it necessary for plants operating under the NCIMS HACCP alternative to address tamper detectability?
A: Tamper detectability is a required provision of the PMO and should be handled as an "Other NCIMS Requirement". It will be evaluated under Section 10, Item I of The Milk Plant, Receiving Station, or Transfer Station HACCP System Audit Report.
[Added November 2007] The plant auditor writes a report at the end of the audit and timelines are established to address some issues that were noticed during the walk through. The auditor comes back to the plant on the due date to see if these items have been taken care of. The auditor does a complete walk through and writes another report asking for timelines on issues that have come up since the original audit. These new observed items are minor issues. Is this an appropriate approach?
A: Assuming that these were truly minor issues, the auditor should be focused upon the items for which he or she established the timelines for correction. The auditor may verbally comment on the observations, and indicate that he/she may be focusing in on these issues again during the next regulatory audit.
Note: The NCIMS HACCP program has established routine audit frequencies, with flexibility to allow state regulators to establish their own audit frequencies. These audit frequencies should be based on actual conditions observed at the plant.
[Added January 2008] The plant auditor writes a report at the end of the audit and timelines are established to address some issues that were noticed during the walk through. The auditor comes back to the plant on the due date to see if these items have been taken care of. The auditor does a complete walk through and writes another report asking for timelines on issues that have come up since the original audit. These new observed items are minor issues. Is this an appropriate approach?
[Added October 2010] What is a repeat audit violation?
A: A repeat violation is a finding that is documented on the Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FDA 2359m at a full regulatory audit when that same finding was also marked on the previous full regulatory audit.
*Item 12 B “previous audit findings remain corrected...”may also be marked (and the minimum regulatory audit frequency set at, or retained at 4 months) if a current finding is documented that has the same specific root cause as a finding on the previous audit (even if the observations that support that finding differ). The specific root cause shall be identified during the required discussions between the plant and the regulatory auditor (See Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, Appendix K, Section V: HACCP AUDITS AND FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS Items #6 & #8).
However, if the same problem reoccurs after the plant has identified and corrected what it considers to be the root cause, the regulator may mark 12 B. For example, if a PP requiring that equipment be cleaned and sanitized was violated because of milk soil in raw milk silos 3, 4, and 5, and the plant determines that the root cause is improper training of raw receiving personnel and perform that training, but at the next regulatory audit, this same PP is violated because of milk soil in raw milk silos 1, 2, and 3, the regulator may properly mark item 12 B.
[Added October 2010] What constitutes follow up audit for verifying correction of regulatory audit findings?
A: Any activity used to verify that the conditions that resulted in the finding at a regulatory audit have been corrected within the established timeline can be considered to be a follow-up audit. These activities may vary based on what is needed to satisfy the regulatory agency that the corrections were made within the timeline that they established. In many cases, these activities will include a plant visit and partial audit to verify the corrections. However, in some cases, this may be accomplished without a plant visit (for example if the finding involved a HACCP record deficiency, it may be as simple as the plant correcting the record deficiency and providing the corrected record to the regulatory agency).
In all cases, these follow-up activities, along with any findings or corrections, shall be documented by the regulatory agency.
Note: A full regulatory audit is not normally required (or desirable) to follow-up on findings unless those findings are so general that they affect the entire HACCP system.
[Added October 2010] I am representing a milk plant that is planning to be listed under HACCP, am I officially listed after the initial 60 days of records (initial audit)?
A. No. When the plant has implemented their HACCP system and gathered the required 60 days of records, they are eligible to request an NCIMS HACCP Listing audit be made by a State Rating Officer that is currently certified to make such listing audits. If this audit shows no findings that are critical listing elements, the milk plant will then be listed in the IMS list of acceptable sources as an acceptable HACCP listed plant.
[Added October 2010] How many days does the State Regulatory or Listing auditor have to provide plant with a written copy of the HACCP Audit report (Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FDA 2359m?
A. A specific number of days is not mentioned, however, the written report, if not provided at the close out interview, should be provided as soon as practical after that time.
This written report must be provided soon enough to best support the milk plant efforts to correct the identified items within the established timelines for correction. It is unacceptable for a written regulatory agency audit report to be delayed to the point that the milk plant can not meet the established timelines for correction specified in the written report.
The milk plant should feel free to contact the state HACCP auditor or regulatory agency if they need the report before it is provided.
Note: Based on current NCIMS procedures, at FDA check audits, the written Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FDA 2359m will be provided to the State rather than to the milk plant.
[Added October 2010] If I build a new yogurt plant can I be listed on day one under NCIMS HACCP or must I operate 60 days listed under the traditional system to build 60days of records?
A. If a new plant wishes to be listed at start up, they must be listed under the traditional system for the 60 days that it takes to collect the required HACCP records and continue under that listing until an acceptable NCIMS HACCP listing is completed. The satisfactory HACCP listing becomes the most recent official listing and will automatically replace the traditional rating.
A. No. Under the “Procedures...” document, the term “supply” and “listed supply” are inclusive terms that refer to all IMS listed sources whether that source supplies raw milk, pasteurized milk, condensed or dried milk or milk products, and/or cultured products. Therefore the words “milk supply” can be properly applied to all dairy ingredients that are used in an NCIMS HACCP listed milk product.
[Added October 2010] What is an audit "finding"?
A. A finding is a deviation, deficiency, or non-conformity in a plants' HACCP system that is documented on the Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report Form FDA 2359m by marking the appropriate item on the 2359m audit report form and describing the finding (with the observations that support it) on the NCIMS HACCP SYSTEM AUDIT REPORT DISCUSSION SHEET portion of the 2359m.
A finding is based on a series of observations made during an in-plant evaluation of a plant's facilities, equipment, operations and procedures and/or a review of HACCP program documentation and records. It is based on conclusions drawn on the meaning of the observations made, the way they fit together, or how they are related. Findings require correction.
An example of appropriate language that can be used to document a finding (from the Auditor training held in January 2009 in Kansas City) appears below. Note: the finding is the first sentence and the observations that support that finding constitute the remainder of the paragraph.
Finding #2: “The plant failed to implement prerequisite programs that are in substantial compliance with the HACCP regulation. Specifically, the plant failed to comply with the prerequisite requirements regarding the condition and cleanliness of product contact surfaces, as evidenced by the fact that there were numerous dented product lines and product contact surfaces of a powder horn that were in disrepair.” This would be identified on the Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP System Audit Report (Form FDA 2359m-10/06) as a violation of Section 9, A2, “Condition & cleanliness of equipment milk contact facilities”. This is addressed as a requirement under the NCIMS HACCP Program in the PMO, Appendix K, Section II, 1b.
The Grade "A" PMO Section 7 Item 16p.(E)(2.) states that industry personnel conducting the Pasteurization and Aseptic Processing Equipment Testing must be adequately trained and must be able to demonstrate acceptable ability to the regulatory agency. To assure adequate qualifications and uniformity in conducting these tests, one State would like to require industry to attend an FDA or equivalent pasteurizer course. Under the NCIMS HACCP program may a State insist on accepting only this FDA or equivalent training?
A: No, industry must physically demonstrate to the state regulatory agency that they understand and can perform the required equipment tests according to the requirements of the PMO. The State regulatory agency shall accept a regulatory field practical, a written exam, formal classroom training, OR on the job training or any combination of these.
If industry personnel do not demonstrate the appropriate capability to perform the tests adequately to the satisfaction of the regulator, they are not acceptable for conducting such tests.
Continued training such as, but not limited to, on the job training with supervision or an acceptable pasteurizer training course should be completed before they reapply for pasteurizer equipment testing approval.
When pasteurizer seals are broken by industry due to the 3-month pasteurizer tests or more importantly due to some other reason, e.g. maintenance, does the state regulator need to reapply the seal?
The Regulatory Agency may verify any equipment sealing and evaluate (accept or reject) the skills and knowledge of the individual performing the sealing."
For those instances where a seal is broken for another reason (e.g. maintenance), the industry can reseal, however, they must continue to notify regulatory of the broken seal and document why the seal was broken and date resealed.
The Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance Section 6 states "Each milk plant regulated under the NCIMS HACCP Program shall adequately document its response to each regulatory sample test result that exceeds any maximum level specified in Section 7 of the PMO." While it is clear that a firm must document appropriate actions taken in their investigation, must the firm also document any findings that may have led to the violation?
A: No, however, the findings may very well be part of the corrective actions.
If a HACCP plant has a violative sample, should the state collect another sample between 3 and 21 days, even if it is the first violative sample?
A: No, the regulatory agency sampling and sample enforcement program will be the same as the traditional system.
In order for the State regulatory agency to be able to determine if an industry person is qualified to conduct an HTST equipment test, what type of training is required for the industry personnel? Is it similar to the requirements for industry HTST sealers?
A: Item 16p.(E)2 of the Grade "A" PMO states: "The Regulatory Agency shall accept a field practical exercise, a written exam, formal classroom training, on the job training or any combination of these except that, if industry personnel do not physically demonstrate the appropriate capability to perform the tests to the satisfaction of the Regulatory Agency, they are not acceptable for conducting such tests."
How will regulatory equipment checks and seals be addressed in HACCP?
A: Pasteurization and aseptic processing equipment tests shall be done at a frequency not less than the PMO standards. Industry shall have responsibility for the performance of all required tests. The semi-annual (six month) tests should be performed at a time that is mutually convenient to all parties. Industry personnel conducting the Pasteurization and Aseptic Processing Equipment testing must be adequately trained and must be able to demonstrate acceptable ability to the regulatory agency. For more details, please refer to the PMO Item 16p.(E) 2.
Can a state regulatory agency deny evaluation of any adequately trained plant employee to conduct routine quarterly pasteurized equipment checks required in the PMO, Appendix K and detailed in Appendix H in order to maintain their current system of having state employees conduct all quarterly pasteurized equipment checks?
A: The current wording of the PMO in regards to industry performing their own pasteurizer checks would indicate that there needs to be cooperation between the facility and the state regulatory agency to determine the adequacy of the firm's knowledge and training. The same cooperation which was exhibited in the acceptance of the HACCP alternative program should be performed between the industry and the regulatory agency to accomplish the task of testing pasteurization equipment. This wording is meant to give the flexibility to the regulators and industry in performing these tasks.
Under the NCIMS HACCP Program what records are required to be kept at the plant and what records are required to be kept by the state regulatory agency?
A: Under the HACCP Program the plant must maintain records of its PP, HACCP plan, flow diagram, pasteurization equipment tests, drug residue screening tests, regulatory sample test results, as well as any other records pertaining to the plant's HACCP system including a table of contents and centralized list of the HACCP program records by title, documenting the ongoing application of the HACCP system.(See PMO Appendix K, II. Subsection - "Records" for more details). The state regulatory agency must keep records of its regulatory audits, listing audits, regulatory sample results, and pasteurization equipment tests. The regulatory agency must have access at the plant to the HACCP plan, flow diagram, product description and all records pertinent to the plant's HACCP system.
Define "HACCP - trained". Now that I have attended NCIMS HACCP audit training, can I train people within the plant to review records?
A: The person responsible for the oversight of verification of CCP's must have attended the NCIMS HACCP orientation and must have basic HACCP training as well. However, the individual who actually signs the records may qualify by on-the-job training or other training.
Who is required to take the NCIMS HACCP auditing training? Is the industry person conducting the hazard analysis and developing the HACCP plan required to take this auditing training?
A: The PMO Appendix K, III. and the "Procedures Governing the Cooperative State-Public Health Service/Food and Drug Administration Program of the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments," Section VIII, C. 2. d. 4.) and Section VIII., E. 4.b. taken together say that state regulatory, listing and FDA auditors must take the NCIMS HACCP auditing training. Industry is not required to take this training but may find it helpful as it participates in the NCIMS HACCP program.
Is training of milk plant associates required under Appendix K?
The success of a HACCP system depends on educating and training management and employees in the importance for their role in producing safe milk and milk products. This should also include information in the control of milk borne hazards related to all stages of dairy production and processing. Specific training activities should include working instructions and procedures that outline the tasks of employees monitoring specific CCPs and PPs.
An orientation to the requirements of the NCIMS HACCP Program.
Basic HACCP training consists of instruction in the application of the NACMCF Principles of HACCP to Food Safety. This training includes practical exercises in conducting a hazard analysis and evaluating potential hazards; in writing a HACCP Plan; and in the validation of the plan. It should be taught by experienced instructors.
The orientation component ideally is coupled with the basic HACCP training, but can be taught separately. The content of the orientation will be conducted under the guidance of the NCIMS. It is intended to familiarize industry and regulatory personnel with specific dairy HACCP concerns and the regulatory requirements under the NCIMS HACCP Program. It is to be taught by instructors experienced in the application of HACCP under the NCIMS HACCP Program.
The industry individuals performing the functions listed in Part 2 of this section shall have successfully completed appropriate training in the application of HACCP principles to milk and milk product processing at least equivalent to that received under the Dairy HACCP Core Curriculum. Alternatively, job experience may qualify an individual to perform these functions if the experience has provided knowledge at least equivalent to that provided through the standardized curriculum.
Performing required HACCP Plan records reviews.
Therefore, Plant Associates performing the functions listed in 2 above are required to have training as stated in 1. Core Curriculum or equivalent job experience.
Plant Associates not performing the functions listed in 2. above need to have sufficient training to perform their jobs within the plant as is the case under the traditional system. For example, during the course of a HACCP audit, the auditor will check the cleaning of milk storage tanks and other product contact surfaces within the plant, a required PP. If the milk storage tanks are found to be unclean and monitoring records indicate a malfunctioning CIP system and the plant did not correct the problem, the cause might be lack of employee training in this particular job area and could be debited under on the HACCP Audit Form Section 11 D, "Employees trained in PP programs". However, employees performing the job of tank cleaning are not required to be trained in the HACCP Core Curriculum specified in 1. above.
May a State Rating Officer be certified for the first time using a plant that has never been HACCP listed? If yes, then how and in what areas?
A:Yes, provided that the milk plant is working toward being HACCP licensed and listed and has a viable NCIMS HACCP system in place and a minimum of 60 days of the required HACCP records available for review.
What training is required and what is the procedure for FDA to approve a new State Rating Officer to make milk sanitation ratings of HACCP plants?
The Candidate shall provide a statement describing their background and experience that qualifies them to perform this work.
Candidates are encouraged to gain practical milk plant experience in the application of HACCP and in conducting milk plant NCIMS HACCP audits by working with SRO's that are certified to perform NCIMS HACCP Listings audits whenever practical.
The Candidate shall complete a basic HACCP training course that is acceptable to the NCIMS and FDA; NCIMS HACCP Orientation; as well as training in general auditing requirements for the auditing of milk plants, receiving stations and transfer stations under the NCIMS HACCP Program.
Candidate shall be a certified SRO for milk plants.
A standardized FDA Regional Milk Specialist (RMS), qualified to conduct HACCP Audits, will accompany the Candidate during the course of one (1) mock-listing audit conducted separate from an official HACCP listing audit. The candidate may be certified to conduct HACCP listings after successfully completing one (1) mock-listing audit, with the certification valid for three (3) years. In the case of an original HACCP certification, the date of expiration of the other SRO certification shall be automatically extended to correspond with the original HACCP certification expiration date.
The Candidate is not certified.
NOTE: The cause shall be documented and provided to the candidate and the State Rating Agency.
After the initial successful Conditional HACCP Certification, subsequent certification of a SRO to make NCIMS HACCP Listing Audits will be valid for three (3) years unless revoked for cause.
The Candidate shall continue to meet the requirements for certification of a SRO for milk plants.
During the three (3) year certification period, the SRO, certified to conduct NCIMS HACCP listings, will complete the minimum training requirements established to maintain proficiency regarding the NCIMS HACCP Program.
Small group training with practical exercises and other appropriate training that may include written examinations will be used to evaluate the SRO's technical knowledge for continuing certification.
The SRO is not recertified.
NOTE: The cause shall be documented and provided to the SRO and the State Rating Agency.
The milk plant, receiving station or transfer station ncims haccp audit report, with attachments, the NCIMS HACCP system regulatory agency review report, and the permission for the publication of an interstate milk shipper's listing shall be submitted with Form FDA 2359i for each NCIMS HACCP Listing Audit to the FDA Regional Office for quality assurance review.
These reviews will be used to enhance uniformity and strengthen each individual's skills and will be used to assist in identifying needs for future training.
[Added November 2008] Task Force noted that Form FDA 2359m (10/06), Milk Plant, Receiving Station or Transfer Station NCIMS HACCP Audit Report, Section 11 a - d used the word "trained" when in fact the NCIMS HACCP program does not require training for industry. Follow up needed with the NCIMS HIC regarding use of the word "trained" individual to either change wording to "trained or experienced" or clearly identify that experience qualifies as "training" for 11 a - d.
A: Appendix K does require training of Industry personnel. The training requirements vary based on the sub-section of 11 that is being evaluated.
For Section 11 a, training in monitoring activities (for monitoring prerequisite program activities and for original monitoring of CCP records), this training may be provided locally at the milk plant by milk plant personnel.
-- Performing required HACCP Plan records reviews (11 c).
During regulatory, listing and FDA check audits, the acceptability of an industry person’s job experience may be evaluated based on a review of these records specified as Appendix K that apply to the audit report sub-sections 11 b and c.
For section 11 d, employees who perform PP activities may be trained in their specific duties at milk plant by milk plant personnel. A determination of the adequacy of their training may be based on an evaluation of their work.
For all of Section 11, appropriate training records must be maintained.
No proposal needs to be submitted to the 2009 NCIMS Conference.
| 2019-04-26T01:54:33 |
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/HACCP/ucm121259.htm
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Dramatic space pictures from the Hubble Telescope and other new instruments have become frequent news events. Everyone is awed by these colorful images of distant planets, stars, and galaxies. For the creationist, important questions arise: Are new stars forming today, as often reported? Are new planets which circle faraway stars beyond the solar system actually being discovered? Since our creation model is solidly in place, based on both science and Scripture, it is not threatened by new astronomical discoveries. Instead, publication of fresh data is welcomed since it helps us further refine the creation position.
Standard astronomy must assume that stars are continually forming in abundance throughout space. After all, the universe is thought to be ancient, and its stars are observed to die out sooner or later as novae or supernovae. Yet stars are still present in vast numbers, some "young" in age. If the universe is old, new stars must arise to maintain the stellar population. Even our sun is thought to have formed relatively recently in the history of the universe. For many years astronomy texts have been hard-pressed for evidence of new star formation.
In 1995, newborn stars were reported to be emerging from giant pillar-like structures of gas and dust in the Orion and Eagle Nebulae, both a few thousand light years from the earth. Stars are thought to form inside the clouds after which their stellar winds of radiation slowly clear the region. A part of the beautiful Eagle Nebula is shown in figure 1. The Hubble Space Telescope will surely find many other equally fascinating regions in future years, because after all, at this time we know very little about the detailed structure of space. The complexity of space appears to be designed to get our attention and also to frustrate all natural origin theories.
Only on an evolutionary time scale can regions like the Eagle Nebula properly be called "star nurseries." In stellar evolution models hundreds of thousands of years are required for a dust cloud somehow to collapse and a new star to form. A variety of stars are known to exist, and dust clouds have now been discovered. The theory says that dust clouds collapse to become a star, but the process has not been observed.
One alternative creationist model is that the entire heavens were formed much as we see them currently. If Adam and Eve had had access to a telescope, their space view then would have been very similar to ours today. That is, the universe appears to have been formed in a fully functioning state in every sense, complete with stars in all their variety. This would include red giant and white dwarf stars, pulsars, and also dust clouds. In this view all the stars we see were created on the fourth day, just a few thousand years ago. In this creation model all stars are "new" stars.
Given unlimited time, might a star naturally form in space? Theoretically, the answer is a qualified "yes." If a vast cloud of gas and dust could somehow be squeezed inward to a critical size, gravity would stabilize it, and nuclear fusion reactions might then begin. The sun itself is a stable gaseous sphere, as is the planet Jupiter. The needed initial condensing of gas to the critical size, however, appears to be a rare event. Astronomers have looked far and wide for indications of cloud collapse, but as yet have not found any. On rare occasions it may occur, as perhaps in compact globules of gas. However, this slight possibility falls far short of explaining the existence of the myriads of existing stars, most of which are located light years apart and far from gaseous nebulae.
It should also be remembered that astronomers have no satisfying formation mechanism for the vast nebulae themselves, from which stars are assumed to grow spontaneously. To make the popular assumption that the gas and dust came from preexisting stars is simply to reason in a circle.
It is quite certain that only nine planets circle the sun, with Mercury and Pluto as inner and outer boundaries. But what about additional planets far beyond the solar system? Such objects circling other stars have long been sought by astronomers. They reason that the earth naturally condensed from a disk of gas and then later quickly blossomed with evolved life. If true, then this also should be happening in many other places in space. The search for evidence of planets outside the solar system is sometimes described as seeking the "Holy Grail," a much overused term in current astronomy. In the past, many experts have reported planets orbiting distant stars, only to retract their claims with embarrassment later.
Over the years, Barnard's Star, 61 Cygni, VB8B, and several other stars showed wobbles that were heralded as planet-caused. Each planet report was later debunked.
In 1992, a planet was declared to be orbiting a nearby pulsar. Variation in the light signal was later embarrassingly shown to be caused by the earth's own orbital motion instead of by a new planet.
In recent months there has been a flurry of new planet reports. Computer and instrument improvements have greatly increased detection abilities. We will consider three stars that show evidence of having planetary companions. In each case, no actual planet has been seen. It is difficult enough to observe distant Pluto in our own solar system; the new planets under consideration are 500,000 times more distant than Pluto.
Astronomers look for small, regular variations in the Doppler shifts of light emitted by stars. Such changes indicate a back and forth "wobbling" of the star's motion, perhaps due to gravity effects from an unseen, orbiting planet. Analysis of the light signal also permits estimates of the planet's mass and orbital characteristics to be made.
51 Pegasi. This sun-like star is 45 light years (250 trillion miles) from the earth. If a planet does indeed circle this star, it is nothing like the earth. The star's light signal indicates a companion that is 190 times heavier than the earth and 22 times closer to its star than the earth is to the sun. As a result, the planet's surface temperature probably exceeds 1300·C, hot enough to melt copper metal. The planet also poses additional challenges for astronomers. First of all, theorists have long assumed that planets spontaneously coalesce from a protoplanet disk of material surrounding a star. In such models it is doubtful that such a large planet could ever form so close to a star. Secondly, sun-like stars such as 51 Pegasi are thought to go through a "T Tauri" phase in their youth. During this time the star would be 100 times brighter than it is today and would blow off a massive stellar wind of radiation, enough to evaporate any nearby planet. Thus, according to stellar evolution, this new planet should not exist where it does.
70 Virginis. The announcement of a possible planet circling this star follows seven years of close observation. The planet appears to be 2500 times heavier than the earth (eight times greater than Jupiter) and twice as close to its star as the earth is to the sun. The speculated planet could possibly have a warm temperature, which has led astronomers to speculate wildly about the possible presence of liquid water there. Time Magazine even carried the false caption, "Astronomers have detected water-bearing planets around nearby stars." In truth, water has not been found beyond trace amounts anywhere else in our solar system, let alone on unseen, distant planets.
Why the emphasis on water when the presence of any chemicals on far-distant planets remains completely unknown? The persistent hope is that water might accommodate the origin and evolution of life elsewhere. The planet of 70 Virginis, however, presents a severe challenge to any thoughts of extraterrestrial life. The planet's large size would result in enormous surface gravity and pressure. Because of this, some suggest that the planet might have a moon which harbors life. The planet also seems to have a highly elliptical orbit, leading to uneven heating of itself and any moons.
Some astronomers do not believe new planets have been found at all. Instead, the massive objects circling other stars may be brown dwarfs. These are sub-stars that lack sufficient mass to begin vigorous nuclear fusion.
47 Ursae Majoris. This star resides in the Big Dipper constellation. Its wobble reveals a companion that is 1000 times heavier than the earth. Like other massive planets, this companion of 47 Ursae Majoris is probably gaseous rather than solid. It is twice the earth-sun distance from its star, resulting in a possible low temperature of -100·C. The planets of our solar systems, however, have shown that distance from a star may be a poor indicator of temperature. Venus, for example, is farther from the sun than Mercury, yet it is much warmer, with a temperature of 500·C compared to Mercury's 125·C.
The major impetus for new planet discovery is the "Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" or SETI. After spending untold millions of tax dollars over 35 years with zero results, Congress stopped funding SETI projects in 1993. The search is being continued today with private funding. Thus far, though, the only message received from radio signals in space is random static.
Claims of discoveries are flooding in from the new generation of space instruments. These reports are often given an evolutional "spin," especially regarding new stars, planets, and origin theories. Creationists are encouraged to enjoy and study the new data and photographs. They should also be ready to separate the unneeded, anti-creation statements that often accompany these reports. Our enlarging view of creation shows a complex universe that completely frustrates any attempt to explain its origin or content by natural processes alone. The heavens clearly declare God's glory!
NASA, Office of Public Outreach, Hubble Space Telescope, via Internet, 1995.
MacRobert, A.M. and J. Rather, The Planet of 51 Pegasi, Sky and Telescope 91(1), 1995, pp. 38 40.
Bailes, M., A.G. Lyne, and S.L. Shemar, A planet orbiting the neutron star PSR1329-10, Nature 352(6333), 1991, pp. 311-313.
MacRobert, A.M., et al. op. cit., p. 40.
Mayor M. and D. Queloz, A Jupiter-mass companion to a solar-type star, Nature 378(6555), 1995, pp. 355-359.
Cowen, R., Two Extrasolar Planets May Hold Water, Science News 149(4), 1996, p. 52.
Lemonick, M.D., Searching for other worlds, Time 147(6), 1996, pp. 52-57.
Cowen, R., op. cit., p. 52.
* At time of publication, Don B. DeYoung, Ph.D. was Professor of Astro/Geophysics at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: DeYoung, D. B. 1996. New Stars, New Planets? Acts & Facts. 25 (4).
| 2019-04-21T20:54:14 |
https://www.icr.org/article/stars-new-planets
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So he had been spotted within his popular post "Hamlet and don Quixote" (1859), a decade earlier in the day, offering the contemporary incarnation of this ceaseless image at the narrative "Hamlet County". In English, Shakespeare research, in comparison, has created that a convention to find out at the instance of Hamlet the catastrophe of an ethical idealist, that originated in to the earth together with faith and faith, however reluctantly stunned with the passing of his daddy as well as adulterous mum. This has been that the interpretation indicated in his traditional work "Shakespearean tragedy" from A. C. Bradley (1904). At a feeling, the deepening and evolution with this theory proved to be a Freudian reading of this picture outlined by Freud and elaborated by his own disciple E. Jones, at the soul of psychoanalysis introduced the catastrophe of Hamlet for a results of this Oedipus complex: disordered hatred for its dad and adore to get mum.
Nevertheless, inside the twentieth century increasingly begun to become discovered of the warning, that started his own famous article about the catastrophe of T. S. Eliot, who mentioned that the drama "Hamlet" would be the most important dilemma, also Hamlet whilst the personality just. To comprehend Hamlet would be always to realize the legislation of arty entire, by that it originated. Himself, Eliot believed that Shakespeare inside this method excellently suspected that the arrival of individual issues are indeed new and profound which might not provide them a more fair justification, nor so they can come across decent shapes, to ensure at the art pertains "Hamlet" can be really a significant collapse. During this period around Russia commences to grow up the investigation of this catastrophe "Hamlet" in the perspective of style architecture, carried outside.
Inform this question: "Exactly why does Hamlet?" Was an amazing linguist plus also a psychologist searching for your clear answer the way, as stated by the legislation of this structure and effect of this catastrophe, there co-exist the storyline, the narrative and also the protagonist, coming into the unavoidable contradiction. Inside this way, "Hamlet" isn't just a breach of the speech, along with also the right fulfilment of the regulation, specifying for its personality while the inescapable states of presence in lots of strategies, which he vainly hoping to induce and also pushes just inside the finished action of vengeance complies together using the action of their own passing.
Hamlet that the protagonist of intellect and conscience, also that it sticks apart by your total gallery of Shakespearean pictures. Just in Hamlet united a dazzling culture and also a profound significance, a greater instruction of their mind without morals shaken. It nearer, dearer to us than the rest of the characters from Shakespeare, along with also his weakness and power. As it's far simpler emotionally to socialize, and throughout him, as though Shakespeare himself straight interacts with us. In case Hamlet is so very simple to really like, it's basically because we believe it in certain stage himself; when sometimes it's indeed hard to comprehend, it really is basically because we ourselves are still maybe not pretty nicely known.
By the close of the drama Shakespeare very last time weighing the total amount of forces. However, how exactly to quantify those forces, even if all of the personalities are all dead? An ethical success will be obtained by one Hamlet. The writer highlights that the struggle isn't around, which the settlement of this battle later on. A couple of moments ahead of the passing of Hamlet bequeaths into Horatio to share with people by exactly what transpired. They will need to understand about Hamlet to check out his case, "to battle the confrontation with" the wicked on the planet and also a prison universe to eventually reverse into the area of flexibility.
| 2019-04-23T02:37:25 |
http://bridgesofmadisoncountymusical.com/hamlet-tragic-character-part-2
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0.999999 |
How do I check if Trend Micro is working on Safari browser on an iPad?
The following instructions are given, but I cannot locate a Safari menu on the iPad version of the Safari browser?
Click Preferences under the Safari menu.
The instruction you referred to is actually for iMac or Macbook. For Trend Micro Mobile Security for iOS, the setup and protection works slightly different.
Regarding your question on "How do I check if Trend Micro is working on Safari browser on an iPad?", if you use Scan Website feature in your iPad's Safari and do not encounter any issues, then TMMS for iOS is working normally for Safari browser.
| 2019-04-20T20:46:32 |
https://en.community.trendmicro.com/tm_en/topics/safari-protection-ipad-trend-micro-mobile-security?topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Bfilter_by%5D=all&topic-reply-list%5Bsettings%5D%5Breply_id%5D=16845646
|
0.999195 |
What is the proper way to inject the UserService and UserCache spring beans via spring annotations? This question: Injecting UserService yields Null addresses it using xml configuration, but how does this translate to annotations?
Are there contexts I cannot inject the UserService and UserCache objects into my code? Are there best practices? I'm experiencing some inconsistency with injecting the activiti provided beans. I am able to inject the bean into a class that implements BootstrapConfigurer (as a private autowired instance member variable) but not in a class that lies within the com.actviti.extension.bean class (attempting to inject as as an autowired, protected member variable). The class is annotated with @Service but does not extend or implement any classes.
There are two main annotations that prove useful when wiring services via annotations: @Inject and @Autowired. While they generally function in about the same manner, there are subtle differences. These two annotations have different origins, @Inject being based on JSR-330 - a standard for Java dependency injection - and @Autowired is a Spring proprietary annotation to have similar functionality. The main difference between the two is that @Inject does not have the ability to toggle whether a wiring is required or not - so on failure, an exception will be thrown.
In order to allow for annotations without following the XML method that is showed in the link given, I would recommend looking into the @ComponentScan annotation. When used in configuration files in the initialization of your project, @ComponentScan will search the packages listed in its declaration to find certain annotations and register the class as a valid bean. Those annotations are: @Repository, @Service, @Controller, @Configuration, @Component. This tutorial/walkthrough gives a fantastic example, with identical configurations done within XML to compare, of utilization @ComponentScan & other annotations in order to auto-wire classes.
I believe the issue you mentioned about problems autowiring things in certain locations probably has to do with where the components are being registered and not registered - but I'm not entirely certain based on what I know about the situation.
Honestly, I don't have any recommendations for best practices utilizing dependency injection; the internet doesn't seem to have many thoughts either. The general consensus seems to be that you shouldn't 'abuse' it - but it's there, and it works, and if constraints are necessary, those can be configured.
While adding my package to @ComponentScan was not necessary (I suspect it is added elsewhere in this app) in my case, the @Service annotations were necessary to make spring aware of the objects I needed to inject.
| 2019-04-25T21:47:01 |
https://community.alfresco.com/thread/228314-injecting-userservice-and-usercache-yields-nullpointerexception
|
0.998595 |
The official currency of the Bahamas is the Bahamian dollar.
What is the Bahamian Currency?
The currency of the Bahamas is the Bahamian dollar. The Bahamian dollar has served as the country's official currency since 1996, is abbreviated as either $ or B$, and assigned code BSD. It exists in denominations of $1/2, $1, $3, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. The Bahamian currency is minted by the Central Bank of the Bahamas. The Bahamian dollar is also used in Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Bahamian dollar has not always been the currency of the Bahamas. Initially, the pound was used, until 1966 when it was replaced by the Bahamian dollar at a rate of 1 dollar to 7 shillings. The sterling to dollar rate was then fixed at £1 equal to $2.80 following the system of parity with the US dollar. The $3 bills and the 15 cent coins were minted during the transition from pounds to dollars to assist in decimalization.
Coins were introduced in the Bahamas in 1966. Denominations included 1 and 2 dollars, and 50, 25, 15, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins. These were struck in nickel-brass, cupronickel, and silver. However, the silver coins were not circulated in the economy after 1966. The current Bahamian 1 cent coin is slightly smaller than a US dime. However, the 5 and 25 cent coins are equal in size with the 5 and 25 cent US coins, but have different metal compositions. All coins have the Bahamian Court of Arms inscribed on one side, while the reverse face contains objects of Bahamian culture, such as a pineapple, two bonefish, three starfish, hibiscus, and a native sloop. Bahamians portray great honor for their culture with these objects. It should be noted that the 15 cent, 50 cent, $1, $2, and $5 coins are seldom used.
Bahamian banknotes were also introduced in 1966 in denominations of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 3, 1, and ½ dollars. The Bahamas Money Authority was responsible for issuing the banknotes starting in 1968, and after 1974 all banknotes were printed by the Central Bank of the Bahamas. The banknotes are equal in physical size to the US dollar notes. The Bahamian currency has experienced different changes in order to reduce problems of forgery. Most recently, the counterfeit-proof “Counterfeit Resistant Integrated Security Product (CRISP)” formula was introduced. All notes previously included the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, but then featured portraits of former Bahamian politicians. More recently, however, the portrait of the older Queen Elizabeth II has been reintroduced on the $10 and $100 banknotes. The current Bahamas dollar notes are dark green, mint green, or brown in color. They measure 156 mm long and 67 mm wide in size. Security features can include watermarks, security threads, see-through features of the Sand dollar, 100% cotton banknote paper, and latent images. Additionally, the $1/2, $3, and $100 dollar notes are rarely used today.
What Are The Major Natural Resources Of The Bahamas?
| 2019-04-23T09:56:20 |
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-currency-of-the-bahamas.html
|
0.999999 |
A woman has been awarded compensation after cosmetic surgeons left her face a "complete mess" after a series of botched procedures.
Beverley Binks underwent an eye and jaw lift to bolster her self-esteem but instead claims she was "butchered" by two cosmetic surgeons.
Mrs Binks, 43, has now been awarded an undisclosed sum in compensation after taking legal action against the surgeons after going to Newcastle's Transform Medical Group (NTMG).
After a series of botched procedures she was left with her face appearing "too tight" and too much fat had been removed from underneath her left eye, meaning the skin would not properly connect with the eyeball.
Mrs Binks, a former wine bar and nightclub owner from Hetton, Co. Durham, says she has lost her livelihood because of what happened to her and tried to take her life because of the stress.
She said: 'The cosmetic surgery has ruined my life and has left me looking a complete mess.
'I used to be such a sociable person and outgoing but now I'm like a recluse and hardly ever go out.
'I'm fine one-to-one but in crowded places I think everyone is looking at me - its very upsetting.
'When I first saw people I knew after I'd had the surgery they'd ask me if I'd had a stroke because of the way I looked.
'I have been suicidal and my 25-year marriage nearly ended because of how depressed I have become.
'My face has been butchered.' After the initial cosmetic procedure, in March 2005, Mrs Binks was told too much skin had been removed from her face and that was what was causing the problems.
She was stunned when NTMG advised her to have a further operation by the same surgeon, because she was told no other surgeon would want to get involved, and reluctantly agreed.
The mum-of-two said: 'I was certainly not prepared to stay with my face looking as it was and was desperate for it to be put right.
'I was told I should allow the surgeon the chance to put things right but it was another complete disaster - my eyes were not symmetrical, my ears still drooped, and I could not believe the mess I was in.
'Incredibly, they said I could be seen by a different, 'better' surgeon, this time a German one, who said everything that could possibly have gone wrong, had done, so, but that a third operation could put things right.' But she said the third operation was also a catastrophe.
Still, one further procedure was carried out by the second surgeon in May 2006, and though she still feels her face is a mess, it will be a long time before she considers further cosmetic surgery.
Shami Thomas, spokeswoman for NTMG, said: 'Transform Medical Group is unable to comment on individual patient's cases due to strict patient confidentiality guidelines.
'However, we are committed to excellent clinical care to patients.
| 2019-04-20T06:32:06 |
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202272/I-believe-mess-I-Woman-wins-pay-cosmetic-surgeons-butchered-face.html
|
0.999975 |
I want to buy a SIM card with prepaid data plan in UK. I will travel around France and Finland. I'm staying for less than a month, and I expect to use <250 MB. It seems that most plans don't allow data roaming across countries for pre-paid plans. My criteria are (1) cost, (2) convenience, and (3) internet speed. Is it better to get multiple SIM cards, one for each country?
Freedom £38 plan: 30 days, unlimited minutes & texts, 1GB in UK, Finland, France, and more.
Among the plans in this list, lebara Freedom £38 sounds most reasonable. Is there a better option I should consider?
You will almost certainly be better off buying a separate SIM for each country. This may change in the next few years as roaming charges may be eliminated completely within the EU, but for now separate SIMs for each country is the best option.
In the UK, I use O2. The SIM is "free" and available from any number of shops, but you will need to purchase a 10 pound recharge voucher at the same time. From there, you can activate one of their "Web Bolt Ons" (http://www.o2.co.uk/tariffs/payandgo) which will give you 100MB for £3, 500MB for £6, or 1GB for £10. These amounts are taken from the credit on the account (ie, the £10 you originally purchased). There are many other providers all of which have similar pre-paid plans.
In Finland, I use Saunalahti. You can purchase a SIM card at any R-Kioski (which are everywhere, including at Helsinki Airport), at the Supermarket at Helsinki Airport, or from numerous other locations. It costs around €6 (although is often on special for closer to €3) and includes €6.90 credit. Data plans are available, but if you don't sign up for one then there is a maximum charge for data of €2/day. Depending on how long you will be in the country, it may be cheapest to simply buy multiple SIMs and swap between then. Again, there are multiple providers available with similar plans.
As I said, these are simply the ones that I use - there are multiple other options available - however I've visited both of these countries at least 3 times each this year already, and both of these SIMs have worked without any problems.
I used to have different sim cards for each country and now I switched to lefrenchmobile which should actually be called european mobile. You have a french number but it's the same price when you call from any country in Europe. For internet you can get different packages depending if you only stay in France or Europe.
The "+" : the prices in all europe, the home delivery and the service in english.
The "-": you can't buy data packages directly you have to convert all or parts of your credit if you want one (but you can do internet with package).
I bought different sim cards in the UK and France. The one issue I had with buying a Virgin SIM card in France was that they needed a home address even though I was buying a prepaid card. I had a local residence that I could have claimed but I am not sure how it works for a typical tourist. You might need to get someone to purchase the card for you in France.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged france uk cellphones finland or ask your own question.
What is the most cost effective way to get turn-by-turn navigation in the UK?
| 2019-04-20T12:14:45 |
https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/18644/prepaid-sim-card-for-data-in-uk-france-and-finland
|
0.999999 |
26 May Haris Alexiou - O fantaros. Can you please translate this song into Turkish or English? thanks, Apopse pire adia, ke me tin tsepi adia, travai gia. Haris Alexiou - O Fantaros lyrics lyrics: Apopse pire adia, ke me tin tsepi adia, travai gia tin poli, Richni ena. Ο Φαντάρος (O Fantaros) by Manos Loizos and Haris Alexiou - discover this song's samples, covers and remixes on WhoSampled.
haris alexiou o fadaros indir, haris alexiou o fadaros şarkıları, mobil indir, haris Haris Alexiou & Trifono & Manos Loizos (O Fantaros) Haris Alexiou - o. Haris Alexiou O Fantaros mp3. Haris Alexiou and Trifono and Manos Loizos (O Fantaros).mp3. Play | Download · Haris Alexiou - o ftlofutbol.com3. Haris-Alexiou- O Fantaros - convert (download) to MP3, MP4 or AVI from youtube .com. 17 Dec Απόψε πήρε άδεια Tonight he took permission και με την τσέπη άδεια And with his empty pocket τραβάει για την πόλη. He shoots for the city. Haris Alexiou. O Fantaros. Apopse pire adia, ke me tin tsepi adia, travai gia tin poli, Richni ena "gia sou" sto frouro, saltari s'ena fortigo, ki o Charos den glitoni.
| 2019-04-26T07:42:21 |
http://ftlofutbol.com/arcade/haris-alexiou-o-fantaros.php
|
0.999828 |
Increasing demands for smart drugs/smart pills.
Our goal for this article is to summarise some of the areas in which 'smart pills' and 'smart drugs' are in very high demand, such shift workers, academics and students. We examine the 'fairness' of 'smart pills' in an academic setting, and offer an alternative to synthetic nootropics: 'natural nootropics'.
| 2019-04-23T14:43:52 |
https://www.brainzyme.com/blogs/news/tagged/increasing-demands-for-smart-drugs-smart-pills
|
0.997909 |
>> Has anybody here used the NSF (National Science Foundation) API to identify citations coming from a grant?
>> The NSF has a simple API for querying grants. See --> https://www.research.gov/common/webapi/awardapisearch-v1.htm Based on what I read, no citation data is associated with awards. In other words, after an award has been granted, list the publications associated with it. Am I missing something?
I missed this. Thank you for bringing it to may attention. "Many eyes make bugs shallow."
> You might also try searching Google Scholar and other literature databases for the grant number to see where it's mentioned in the text of an article. Publishers are increasingly storing such data in article metadata as well, so in the long run, I expect this kind of searching on publications will become easier.
Yes, this approach is something that has also been brought to my attention.
| 2019-04-20T08:28:55 |
https://lists.clir.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=CODE4LIB;cafe3b2c.1904
|
0.999074 |
Crumbs and Cookies: coffee and milk chocolate chip cake.
As I type, there is an annoying fly ricocheting against the walls of my room, the ceiling, my cupboard and god know what else. You know, it's one of those big ones large enough to cause distress. Whenever it hits an obstacle, the beat of its wings can be distinctly heard. I left my windows wide open but apparently it's not taking the hint. Why am I not surprised. If it even had an inkling of IQ it wouldn't be flying into walls all over my room.
Good lordy lord I just saw it crawling on my windowsill.
Woo hoo I just crushed its irritating presence into a wad of tissue paper. In the rubbish bin it sails. Good riddance.
Okay. Now I can type about cake in peace. This is cake is really as straightforward as its title- a coffee-flavored cake with milk chocolate chips suspended throughout. There is a coffee wash brushed across the surface too. The coffee wash is basically coffee liqueur, coffee and sugar stirred together. It doesn't have to be heated to dissolve the sugar. In fact, the undissolved crystals of sugar are the very reason why I love this coffee wash. When you apply it onto the cake's surface, it forms a thin crust and gives a little crunch to the cake. I made a rum pound cake with a similar glaze before and it was fantastic too. You should totally try it. Highly recommended.
I would like if the cake itself had more coffee flavour but I had no other complaints. It is very flavorful and not overly sweet. I bet white chocolate chips instead of milk would go wonderfully with the cake as well. Or perhaps caramel. Try these suggestions and let me know?
For the cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 10 to 12 inch bundt pan.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg together.
Whisk the buttermilk, vanilla and instant espresso powder together.
Cream the butter and shortening together until smooth. Add in the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate the first before adding the next, until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the buttermilk mixture in 2, alternating them. Fold in the milk chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out mostly clean, with moist crumbs attached. Cool the cake in the pan for about 5 minutes before unmolding onto a rack.
Make the coffee wash: Combine the coffee liqueur, coffee and sugar together in a bowl.
Brush the wash onto the surface of the cake. Cool completely before slicing.
Oh yum, your cake looks so delicious! I love the idea of the coffee wash and I can't get enough of coffee and chocolate together!
Your cake looks so moist and has a beautiful crumb.
| 2019-04-24T06:49:59 |
http://crumbsandcookies.blogspot.com/2013/04/coffee-and-milk-chocolate-chip-cake.html
|
0.999999 |
Jeffrey was sure he could make the goal, so he asked Thomas to kick him the ball. But he missed the goal and his team lost. He really let them down.
Jenna promised her mom that they would have breakfast together on Mother's Day, but she forgot to set her alarm. When she woke up at 11am, she called her mom, but she had already had gone out for brunch with a friend. Jenna said she was sorry that she let her mom down and promised to make up for it next week.
Meaning: To "let someone down" means to fail or disappoint that person or group. Usually, this expression is used when the person/group being let down was relying on the person to be successful, and the failure was that person's fault. In the first example/illustration above, Jeffrey missed after he said he was sure that he could make the goal; if he hadn't said he could make it, he wouldn't have let them down. In the second example, Jenna let her mom down after sleeping through the Mother's Day breakfast she promised.
| 2019-04-18T16:31:03 |
http://idioms.languagesystems.edu/2015/05/to-let-someone-down.html
|
0.998975 |
The purpose of this work is two-fold: 1) to understand the phenomenon of the biodegradation process of municipal solid waste (MSW) in leachate recirculated bioreactors, and 2) to create a realistic predictive model based on this understanding which is capable of supporting a laboratory-to-field relationship for bioreactor landfills. Biodegradation is best described by loss of mass; however, primary researchers have assumed the phenomenon to be purely volume loss and modeled best by mechanical processes using a conservation of energy approach. It is suggested that the phenomenon requires a fundamental understanding of biodegradation process which results in a loss of mass, and therefore an understanding of the conservation of mass must be considered.
It is difficult to measure and predict volume change of a heterogeneous MSW material as well as the change in mass in the field. In the laboratory, under controlled conditions, changes in volume and mass can be determined destructively and a relationship between mass and volume changes can be obtained. Changes in volume in the laboratory are related to the corresponding volumes of gas produced as the MSW degrades. From these measurements, vertical strain (settlement) of MSW landfill and the state of biodegradation as a function of time can be estimated. This is the basis of the research conducted herein. Characteristics curves depicting percent biodegradation and vertical strain as functions of time for a given composition of MSW can be developed.
Four homogenized sample sets, each consisting of composite, readily, moderately, and slowly degradable MSW are prepared and tested in separate bioreactors. These are connected to an electronic gas flow meter, leachate recirculation tubing, and subjected to leachate over a period of approximately 260 days to simulate a landfill environment. Gas production, settlement, and other physical and engineering parameters are measured as these conditions vary. Approximately 72%, 93%, and 62% of the calculated theoretical total gas potentials of 6.23, 9.04, and 8.43 cubic feet per pound waste for composite, readily, and moderately degradable bioreactor sets are collected. From the laboratory program, it is determined that characteristic curves for any composite MSW sample could be developed from the results of the readily, moderately and slowly biodegradable MSW samples using weighted averaging techniques. In a landfill, lifts of MSW, placed at different times, will degrade at different rates and are at different states of biodegradation. A method to determine the average state of biodegradation for such a condition is developed to assist in field validation.
Field validation of the laboratory models based on newly developed characteristic curves is performed on two MSW bioreactor landfills. The first, Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority bioreactor landfill, exhibits MSW composition similar to the composite waste sample tested in the laboratory. It is determined that the percent biodegradation predicted by the model developed here in is between 3 and 14 percent of the actual field results, and the settlement values predicted by the developed model are in very close agreement with those observed in the field. Similar agreement is obtained using the method for the second, Yolo County landfill located in California, with different MSW composition and environmental factors.
Shah, Vatsal Atulkumar, "Modeling biodegradation settlement of municipal solid waste (msw) based on measurement of landfill gas and degradable solids in leachate recirculated bioreactors" (2014). Dissertations. 108.
| 2019-04-25T11:49:01 |
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/dissertations/108/
|
0.999998 |
Which of the following specifications is a companion to the IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) algorithm, and warrants the use multiple spanning-trees?
MST uses the modified RSTP version called the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP). MST extends the IEEE 802.1w rapid spanning tree (RST) algorithm to multiple spanning trees. This extension provides both rapid convergence and load balancing in a VLAN environment. MST converges faster than PVST+. MST is backward compatible with 802.1D STP, 802.1w (rapid spanning tree protocol [RSTP]), and the Cisco PVST+ architecture.
MST allows you to build multiple spanning trees over trunks. You can group and associate VLANs to spanning tree instances. Each instance can have a topology independent of other spanning tree instances. This new architecture provides multiple forwarding paths for data traffic and enables load balancing. Network fault tolerance is improved because a failure in one instance (forwarding path) does not affect other instances (forwarding paths).
In large networks, you can more easily administer the network and use redundant paths by locating different VLAN and spanning tree instance assignments in different parts of the network.
A spanningtree instance can exist only on bridges that have compatible VLAN instance assignments. You must configure a set of bridges with the same MST configuration information, which allows them to participate in a specific set of spanning tree instances. Interconnected bridges that have the same MST configuration are referred to as an MST region.
You are assigning VLANs to the ports of switch R1. What VLAN number value is an assigned to the default VLAN?
A: This is the default Token Ring VLAN that is installed in the switch IOS. It is seldom used.
C: ON is a VTP configuration mode, but is not a normal VLAN name.
D: Although any VLAN can be named VLAN A, it is not created by default.
E: Although in Cisco IOS the number 0 has significance (i.e. ethernet 0, console port 0, serial 0) in VLANs 1 is the default. VLAN 0 is an invalid VLAN and can not be used.
#show vlan id 5 : Shows all ports belonging to VLAN 5 and MTU of ports and type.
MST configuration must be manually be configured on each switch within the MST region.
The access layer is the outermost layer, and it is composed of the least sophisticated network equipment. The most important function of the access layer is high port density, since these devices connect the individual end users. The access layers are also where VLANs are implemented, since VLANs are assigned on a per-port basis.
| 2019-04-19T02:49:53 |
http://www.ccnpswitch.net/642-813-qa-implement-vlan-based-solution-26-30.html
|
0.999999 |
Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The introduction demonstrates saying only what needs saying and nothing more, and glossary is also quite helpful. Lo resides and teaches in San Francisco. Robert Amacker is a long-time student of T'ai Chi and the author and contributor of several works on the subject. He is a co-translator of The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, translating literature of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics, which are Chinese literary writings spanning one thousand years. It is a book to pick up at the beginning of a practice session.
At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less. Bookseller: , Washington, United States. Lo sought out Tai Chi as a method to help his chronic pain when he was in university. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less. He is a co-translator of The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, He is a licensed practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in the states of California and Hawaii.
Bookseller: , Washington, United States North Atlantic Books, 1993. It's an esoteric philosophy book on an art I don't even understand. The introduction demonstrates saying only what needs saying and nothing more, and glossary is also quite helpful. A passage read at that time will resonate and move through you as you yourself move. I found this book when I traveled outside of the Bay Area and visited a small used book shop.
Inn has been a teacher of T'ai Chi Ch'uan for over 40 years. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Amacker is also the author of the political satire Patriots Wanted. His published works include The Theoretical Basis of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Later, I realized that it had been published in San Francisco and that my current martial arts instructor knows the author. The book probably not of great interest to anyone not interested in tai chi or related arts English translations of nine classic Chinese texts about tai chi. How can I rate this book? The book probably not of great interest to anyone not interested in tai chi or related arts, but for those who are, I highly recommend it.
Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. He is a co-translator of The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, translating literature of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics, which are Chinese literary writings spanning one thousand years. Amacker is also the author of the political satire Patriots Wanted. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. Lo resides and teaches in San Francisco. The spine may show signs of wear.
Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed. Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo is a devoted instructor of Tai Chi and a former student of Cheng Man-Ch'ing. Robert Amacker is a long-time student of T'ai Chi and the author and contributor of several works on the subject. Under the tutelage of Man-Ch'ing, Lo regained his strength and soon became an instructor of the art. Susan Foe is a co-translator of The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, translating literature of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics, which are Chinese literary writings spanning one thousand years.
. I can't rate this book. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. His published works include The Theoretical Basis of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Lo sought out Tai Chi as a method to help his chronic pain when he was in university.
He later translated The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan: The Literary Tradition. Susan Foe is a co-translator of The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, translating literature of the T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classics, which are Chinese literary writings spanning one thousand years. English translations of nine classic Chinese texts about tai chi. . .
| 2019-04-20T22:49:58 |
http://rmworthantiques.com/the-essence-of-tai-chi-chuan-the-literary-tradition.html
|
0.999844 |
Skyhook Wireless is the smallest entity among all the Android patent plaintiffs I'm following, but it's a disproportionately interesting one. After business negotiations between Skyhook and Google failed, Skyhook signed up Samsung and Motorola as strategic partners, but Google allegedly exerted pressure on the two Android device makers resulting in the termination of those relationships. The Boston-based startup brought a patent infringement action in federal court (District of Massachusetts), claiming that Google used some of its technology regardless, and a competition complaint in state court. As a result of Skyhook's litigation, hundreds of pages of partly astounding revelations about Google's Android-related strategies entered the public record.
Two weeks ago, Skyhook filed a second patent infringement complaint against Google, asserting nine patents. This time around, Skyhook elected to sue in the District of Delaware.
Yesterday Skyhook and Google filed a joint case management statement in their first patent venue, the District of Massachusetts, in response to the court's request for a proposed schedule. The filing says that "the parties [...] had conferred and have an agreed schedule to propose to the Court", and that schedule envisions a 50-hour trial to commence on August 12, 2013. That would be almost three years after Skyhook brought its related complaint. By comparison, you can have two consecutive ITC investigations adjudicated during that time frame (unless there are unusual delays, such as remands), and in the three leading German patent venues (Düsseldorf, Mannheim, Munich) you will typically already have a decision by an appeals court (comparable to a U.S. circuit court) in your hands at that stage. Even some U.S. district courts are considerably faster. For example, Judge Koh's Apple v. Samsung trial took place after less than half of the time to trial of Skyhook's case based on the procedural agreement with Google.
Skyhook will be lucky if its first Google patent trial really does take place next summer. The aforementioned "agreement" is actually fragile. The final section of the Skyhook-Google joint case management statement discusses Skyhook's recent filing in Delaware, and while "Skyhook believes that these patents are not in the same family as the patents in this case and that they cover different subject matter", Google takes the opposite position and, according to the filing, "will be filing a motion to change venue of the Delaware action to this Court or to the Northern District of California, where all of Google's witnesses reside". The second scenario -- a transfer to Silicon Valley -- wouldn't affect the Massachusetts case. But if Google's first choice of a transfer to Massachusetts materializes, there's no doubt in light of Google's claim that the patents have overlaps that it will request consolidation of the two patent infringement cases. And if that post-transfer motion succeeded, a summer 2013 trial date is practically impossible because of all of the work that would have to be done on the nine new patents-in-suit. Also, with a double-digit number of patents-in-suit in a consolidated case, there would be pressure on Skyhook to narrow its case, but it would presumably want the benefit of claim construction and summary judgment decisions before engaging in major winnowing.
It may take months before the Delaware-based court decides on Google's motion to transfer venue, which has yet to be brought.
| 2019-04-22T14:40:38 |
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/10/skyhook-and-google-agree-on-august-2013.html
|
0.999959 |
cout << "At the 'New client?' prompt, enter a client's name. \n"
<< " you have won the top prize!\n"
cout << "Sorry, " << worst << " you lost the least weight: "
| 2019-04-24T22:56:57 |
http://cpp.proffriedman.net/home/assignments/hourofcode/solutions/loss-gain--solution
|
0.999997 |
Oscar Williams is a familiar name. His Little Treasury poetry series and other anthologies are known the world over. At least four collect poems by Henry Reed: The War Poets: An Anthology of War Poetry of the 20th Century (1945), A Little Treasury of Modern Poetry, English and American (1950), A Little Treasury of British Poetry: The Chief Poets from 1500 to 1950 (1951), and An Album of Modern Poetry: An Anthology Read by the Poets (1959). There are certainly (probably) more.
Though Williams is familiar as an editor and anthologist, he was a poet in his own right, and while my Granger's lists 26 poems in various anthologies, I am pressed to find a single verse of his online.
Not surprisingly, Williams' correspondence with authors and poets is voluminous and manifold: his collected papers at Indiana University's Lilly Library contains over 11,000 items, including 6,300 photographs of the likes of Conrad Aiken, Anatole Broyard, Richard Eberhart, Robert Frost, Anne Sexton, and Dylan Thomas.
Hidden amidst this trove of treasures is a (carbon copy of a) letter from Williams to Reed, dated July 9th, 1959, and a 1963 letter to Reed, along with Reed's response (carbons, also)! See the "Index to Correspondents."
The index also contains a minor literary mystery: a letter from one Henry J. Dubester, addressed to Henry Reed and dated October 2nd, 1959.
Dubester, as near as I can figure, was Chief of the Census Library Project, at the Library of Congress, sometime in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in charge of cataloging and indexing censuses and vital statistics. The Williams collection contains letters from Dubester to an absolute litany of poets, including W.H. Auden, William Empson, Roy Fuller, Robert Graves, W.S. Merwin, Theodore Roethke, Delmore Schwartz, Stephen Spender, and Richard Wilbur, among many others.
So, my question is (or my questions are): What was a bibliographer doing, writing to all these authors and poets? And how did copies end up collected among Williams' papers?
Dee: "Henry J. Dubester was Deputy Director, Office of Science Information Services (OSIS), at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960's. Burton W. Adkinson was Director of OSIS and Henry J. Dubester worked under him."
steef: "Thanks, Dee! I don't if you saw it or not, but I actually had a follow-up to this post, regarding the Album of Modern Poetry."
[email protected]: "While at the Library of Congress my father oversaw the visiting poets. One of his projects was coordinating 'poets reading their own poetry' -originally on record and now available on-line I think. This may be the reason for his correspondence with many poets."
| 2019-04-20T19:10:00 |
http://www.solearabiantree.net/reedinglessons/post/dubesteranyone
|
0.998871 |
I was wondering if anyone would be willing to answer a few questions about the Japanese test?
In particular, on the transliteration part of the test, how are we supposed to transliterate the particles は, を, and へ, as well as the ん kana? Are thes particles supposed to be transliterated as they sound ("wa," "o," and "e" respectively) or a straight representation of the kana ("ha," "wo," and "he")? Is ん supposed to be transliterated simply as "n" or should the apostrophe be included as well. And will points be taken off if I transliterate a word or phrase that has multiple ways of reading it one way when the other is expected?
For the phrase 今日は. Should this be transliterated as "Kon'nichi wa" or "Konnichi wa" or "kon'nichi ha" or "konnichi ha." Similarly, if there was no context to tell if this was a salutation or referring to today, would points be taken off if transliterated as "kyou wa" or "kyou ha" instead?
Finally, if we haven't passed the test is it okay to post in the forum (not as a submission) our attempts to translate songs as we learn? For instance, I have attempted to translate the ending song to Danmachi, "Light Right Rise." Could I posted that attempted translation in the forum for possible input and or corrections; and then, when I do pass the test, make it as an official submission at that time?
Or should I just wait until I pass?
Fortunately, the majority of your questions have one short, simple answer: It's up to you. I don't try to mandate a single cohesive romanization style across the entire site; that would be a headache. As long as it's internally consistent--as in, you're not using "wo" in some places and "o" in others and so on--it will have no bearing at all on your test result.
And will points be taken off if I transliterate a word or phrase that has multiple ways of reading it one way when the other is expected?
If it's a situation where there's legitimately no way to tell without listening to the song, like for example "明日" as "asu" vs. "ashita," no--since we don't provide audio along with the text, it would be very unfair to ding you for that. However, if you were to transliterate it as, say, "mei hi" or something like that indicating that you were looking at each kanji in isolation, or if it was a verb and you transliterated the kanji in isolation from the stem/failed to recognize it as a verb (like, I don't know, rendering "来ました" as "rai mashita") that would be a mark against you.
Yes, that's fine. Lyric Discussions is probably the best place for that.
| 2019-04-19T02:34:43 |
https://www.animeforum.com/showthread.php?133933-A-few-questions-about-the-Japanese-Test&s=e655fc7c4fd760a42380d1fe10749238&p=2901527
|
0.999994 |
Is Melinda, or is Roman going to the market?
Barbara loves playing with dolls.
Kristian can't tell a horse from a pony.
Matthieu tried to catch the rabbit.
He may become a baseball player.
Rick can help you as well.
If you aren't careful, you'll fail again.
Anthony might think I don't like him.
Who wants to translate this article?
I thought we were supposed to meet Martha at 2:30.
The magazines were sold out.
In the city, the information is flooding.
Hienz wasn't interested in learning how to cook Chinese food. He just wanted to eat it.
I suppose you think Mac is really stupid.
Are you willing to help Ravindranath?
He would have done it already.
Sugih knew what was hidden in the cave.
I couldn't prevent Kee from swimming.
Lanny needed help doing his taxes.
I made the changes you asked for.
Heidi is cleaning his room.
I haven't seen Bill since he's come back from Boston.
Micah is nearly three hours late.
It doesn't look like Honzo's around at the moment.
I used to beat Lievaart up in high school.
Atuqtuaq has lived in the North all his life and has never visited the South.
Computers didn't yet exist around that time.
Johnathan and Jacob went spelunking.
Bud forgot all about them.
It is often necessary to depend upon others.
I assume Cindie will be here today.
Tai said you were good at chess.
Kristin gets frustrated when her colleagues do not recycle.
| 2019-04-21T04:11:58 |
http://galyac.com/government/research
|
0.999079 |
What does the "Table" Represent? And Why is it a "Round Table"?
Knights were usually of noble birth: they were usually kings, princes, dukes, counts (or earls) and barons. They formed the backbone of the army, since they were the only ones who could afford expensive armour and weapons, as well as the cost of training and maintaining the war-horses.
When knights attended a festival or council at the king's main hall, those who sat at the head of table, usually had precedence over others. Some knights would feel envy or jealousy to those of higher ranking. and sometimes, the knights would cause a brawl, over who would take the seat at the head of table.
To resolve this problem, The King, Arthur, resorted to having his table constructed in a rounded shape. The ingenuity of this design was to make all the knights equal standing, regardless of whether he was a king or a minor baron. No one would have precedence over another.
Likewise In the case of "The Knights of the Brown Table" (KOTBT), The table is "round" to celebrate that we are all equal importance. The brown color of the table refers to the powerful MAHOGHANY wood created by God. The Knights honor people of all races and color. Finally, whether you are actually seated at the table or not, There is always a place for you. Knights are always considered to be present and a part of the Knighthood..
| 2019-04-18T21:02:52 |
https://www.knightsofchivalry.com/the-table.html
|
0.999999 |
13.1: True or False. Market capitalization of a company can fluctuate from day-to-day due to changes in the stock price of the company. The correct answer is True.
13.2: True or False. There are micro-cap companies among the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones. The correct answer is False.
The Dow is comprised of 30 large-cap or mega-cap stock companies.
| 2019-04-22T00:45:46 |
http://www.teenvestor.com/chapter13answer/
|
0.999994 |
Are there bobcats in Niagara?
I recently wrote an article for the Sentinel about coyotes. I met a friend in Youngstown at Melloni's Market Place, and he told me he had read the article and asked if I heard anything about bobcats in the Niagara area.
That discussion brought me back to a time when I thought I saw one on the roadway, about 150 yards away looking at me from the road. I didn't see the whole animal up close, nor did I recognize it from that distance. It looked like an overgrown housecat or a stray field cat, but as I drove closer it sauntered off into the field at the side of the road. I kept my eye on that spot, and as I approached the area where it disappeared, all of a sudden I could see its hind end and the short tail. In about two jumps, it was gone.
About a month or so after that, I was in Bandanas on Lake Road and a friend and I got into a conversation about different things. He mentioned he had spotted what he thought was a bobcat near his house, but had only gotten a glimpse also. We both live in the same general area around Bandanas, and our description of what we saw were similar: short spotted tail, and brownish hindquarters. After our sightings, I did some investigating with area sportsmen/hunters to learn if they ever spotted any creatures around here that would meet that description, and no one ever even heard of one around here. Time had passed and I forgot all about my sighting until my friend in Melloni's Market asked me about these 'cats.
When I got home my curiosity made me Google bobcats in New York. These wily, secretive felines are interesting and live a good life, mostly nocturnal, but can be seen in daylight at times, and sighting one is extremely rare. Their diet is similar to a coyote, believe it or not: rabbits and rodents, birds, insects, even fish and they have been known to prey on deer just like its coyote friends in the wild. They are natural born survivors and live around 12 to 13 years, and according to some sources, six to eight years. Males are usually between 32 and 37 inches long and weigh about 28 pounds. Females are anywhere between 29 to 34 inches and the petite little things hit the scales at an average of 15 pounds. It had to be a male that I spotted; it was big.
From descriptive pictures I have seen, colors vary from yellowish brown, light gray, reddish brown, and buff brown, probably like the one I saw the back end of. They are spotted along the sides, some more than others, and the tail is between 6 to 8 inches, multi-colored, spotted, black on top and white on the bottom.
"Bobcat" is so called because of its "bobbed" tail. The face is cute and bright-looking, with furry black tufts at the top of its sharp pointed ears, long fur at its cheeks and whiskers like your domestic cat. They like to make their homes in secluded places like rock piles, brush, hollow trees and logs, and ledges where they can pounce on their prey sight unseen. They don't like human activity and keep to themselves. Predators are few, deaths occurring mostly from disease such as rabies, or from their prey, in self-defense. If you are out in the winter or spring you can tell bobcat tracks by their looks and size. Showing four toes without claws they are about two square inches, which are larger than your house feline, and if they are running, the stride is between 4 and 8 feet.
Hunting and trapping bobcat is not permitted in Central and Western New York; the eastern part of the state allows hunting and trapping, but check the laws. The season opened on Oct. 25.
So, are there bobcats in Niagara? According to the people I talk to it is highly unlikely, but what was it my friend and I saw? I think we saw a bobcat, and more than likely we both saw the same one. If you have had a sighting in your travels or spot one in your future travels, I would be interested in knowing; please contact me.
Maybe if you want to actually see a live bobcat you would need to find a zoo with one, but if you do have a sighting in the wild, by all means get a hold of the Department of Environmental Conservation office in Buffalo and if you can, get a picture to verify your sighting so it can be recorded. The DEC Buffalo number is 851-7201.
For up-to-date fishing reports in our area be sure to check out www.OutdoorsNiagara.com for the latest. Right now, steelhead fishing in the Lower River is going quite well. If you are fishing from shore or boat, fishermen are using eggs, egg sacks, Kwikfish and a variety of spinners and spoons. Wilson and Olcott pier fishermen have been very successful.
If you have something to add, contact me at [email protected] or go to the Outdoors Niagara website. There you will also find an archive of my recent Sentinel articles on the Sentinel Page.
| 2019-04-24T00:04:54 |
https://www.wnypapers.com/news/article/current/2011/12/03/104540/are-there-bobcats-in-niagara
|
0.999995 |
Valentine's card at Pistorius trial Jump to media player Oscar Pistorius reads out the message in his Valentine's card from his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius: I heard Reeva breathing Jump to media player The cross-examination of Oscar Pistorius has ended, following intensive questioning about the final moments of Reeva Steenkamp's life.
Pistorius 'tailoring evidence' Jump to media player South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is "tailoring his evidence" at his murder trial, the prosecutor says on the fourth day of his cross-examination.
Pistorius 'heartbroken' over body Jump to media player South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has told his murder trial he was "heartbroken" when he saw the body of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Pistorius: 'I did not fire at Reeva' Jump to media player South African athlete Oscar Pistorius breaks down in tears as he is pressed by prosecutor Gerrie Nel about the moment he fatally shot his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Oscar Pistorius' defence has presented his murder trial with a Valentine's card from his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The athlete read out the message in which the model told Mr Pistorius that she loved him.
Ms Steenkamp never got to give the card to Mr Pistorius, who shot her dead in the early hours of 14 February 2013.
Mr Pistorius denies murder, saying he fired through a door in fear, believing there was an intruder behind it.
| 2019-04-19T23:27:19 |
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-27041749/oscar-pistorius-trial-reeva-s-valentine-card-to-athlete
|
0.999261 |
In the actual Fate Route (after Saber is summoned) we see Gilgamesh in casual attire when he confronts Saber and Shirou before getting into his golden armour. However, in Unlimited Blade Works and before the start of the Fate Route, his casual attire is different, particularly his hair and that he's not wearing earrings.
Now I can understand that in Unlimited Blade Works the reason he doesn't wear his armour when fighting Shirou in the end is in part due to his ego in thinking he won't need it on someone like Shirou. However, I don't think it's his ego which is the cause of his change in appearance.
So I am wondering, why does Gilgamesh's casual appearance look different in these two routes, considering his Unlimited Blade Works appearance was also seen when he was talking to Sakura?
I never play Fate/stay night until the end but know a little, I think it's more like "he has anything in his vault and willing to wear casual clothes, so let's make him stylish" sort kind of thing. Because as I know, other servants don't even wear "normal casual" clothes as much as Gilgamesh, they pretty much always use their astral dress/clothes which is very(?) strong/sturdy (in the case with Saber's dress that can block certain magical attacks).
As for the reason why Gilgamesh wear casual clothes much, I think it's to emphasize his arrogance, I mean he is a king and think himself the most powerful entity in their universe, and mostly because he is ranged-type because most of the time he just throw whatever in his vault, even his strongest weapon Ea isn't melee-type weapon like Lancer's noble phantasm Gae Bolg: barbed spear that pierces with death or even Caster's Rule Breaker or Assassin's Tsubame Gaeshi.
From a real-world perspective, my guess is just that they wanted to give him a few different looks, instead of making him look identical in every scene.
He likes to wear casual clothes, "playing attire" to ward off boredom from being in spirit form, when not in battle, later becoming knowledgeable on the latest fashion trends after living in modern society for ten years. He has collected a number of casual outfits.
Fate/Zero: The clothing he wears in during the Fourth Holy Grail War is a fashionable white v-neck with three quarter sleeves, and python print pants.
Fate route: During Fate, he wears a white jacket with a fur collar, a black shirt, and black pants.
Biker outfit: The "biker outfit" worn at the beginning of the game and in the Unlimited Blade Works route and Heaven's Feel route is his favorite outfit, liking it enough to ignore Shirou's group when presented with the possibility of the ashes from the burning Einzbern Castle dirtying it. It can be said Shirou's life is worth less to him than his coat. He dons this clothing in the first Fate/stay night Manga adaptation of both the Fate route and Unlimited Blade Works route.
Perhaps because he has been living in human society for the past ten years, he seems to be hip on the latest fashions. He owns various casual clothes, but his favorite is the biker outfit he wore in the Rin route.
Also, during the design stage, I selfishly insisted that "Gil absolutely has to wear full golden plate armor".
Why do the summoned Servants all belong to different classes?
Why do red Saber and blue Saber look so alike?
Did Gilgamesh know about Sakura?
Why is King Arthur female? Why is Iskander tall?
What happens if there is no relic in a summoning?
What caused the difference between the good and true endings of Unlimited Blade Works?
| 2019-04-23T04:29:12 |
https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/7237/why-does-gilgameshs-casual-appearance-look-different-in-different-routes/50282
|
0.998119 |
1500: What Should It Be?
Several years ago, I began to keep a running database of all the films that I have seen. I scoured the databases at IMDB, Boxofficemojo, and rottentomatoes, looking to add to my database any film that I have seen in my lifetime. In December of 2005, I went to see King Kong in the theatres, and it marked film number 1000 of all-time. Its been a little under three years since then and I am fast approaching on film number 1500 of all-time. My tally currently sits at 1498, and I am beginning to wonder what film I should make number 1500.
I want to make it a memorable film, since its a big number, but I'm not sure what film I should bestow this great honor upon. Should it be a theatre film? I thought about Burn After Reading since the Coens took my Best Picture honors last year with No Country For Old Men, but the reviews are rather poor and this one is looking more like Ladykillers than No Country. I'm not willing to wait until October to make Body of Lies my big 1500, although that seems to be the next biggest theatre film I would want to see. If I won't wait for Lies than that puts Saw V and High School Musical 3 out of the picture (Sorry Julie).
Maybe a classic film that I have missed? The classics that I have put on my "maybe" list are, Brining Up Baby, It happened One Night, The Night of the Hunter, and The Lost Weekend. I want to see all of those, but none of them really get me excited. Then, all of a sudden, a particular film darted into my brain. Its a film that I have been wanting to see for some time, and its a film in a genre that I would call a guilty pleasure for me. So what film is it? 1994's Fist of Legend.
For some time now, I have been wanting to bolster my Martial Arts credentials, and this is the top film on my list to do it. I've already seen a couple of the fight scenes on Youtube, and they are flat out awesome. Right now, its going to be my 1500. THAT IS, unless you can suggest a better one! I am planning on throwing a 1500 party here in the next couple days, and I think this might be a great group movie to watch (considering all the action badness on display). So if you can think of a better group movie that should be my number 1500, then let me know. Till then, your cordially invited to watch Fist of Legend with me very, very soon!
if i remember correctly, i think kyle actually saw 'the lion king 1.5' back when it came on dvd. hmmm, my suggestion... a classic brando, perhaps?
come on now. Why can't you wait for HSM3? You know it would totally be worth it.
on that note, what about HSM 2? I don't think you ever saw it all the way through soooo technically speaking you shouldn't have counted it as one of your 1499 or anything. I still have it on my dvr or I would even volunteer to go out and buy it for such an occasion.
Hmm, I'm a new reader of your's (and kudos for a great blog, I'm definitely subscribing as a follower!), so I am not vewry familiar with the movies you have or haven't seen, but a movie that comes to mind that not a lot of people have seen is "Being Julia", and it's absolutely amazing!
Ooh, or what about "Shortbus"?
1. For Julie: HSM & HSM2 were both TELEVISION movies. So, do they REALLY count in the 1499?
2. "Burn After Reading" was better than "Ladykillers" but not nearly as classic as "Lebowski," "Fargo," or any of their other comedy/thriller hybrids. It would not be worth making the 1500th film, because you would've hyped it up and been disappointed. Wise move, my friend.
3. "Bringing Up Baby" is BORING. "It Happened One Night" is PHENOMENAL. Those are just personal thoughts.
4. All that being said, going with "Fists of Legend" is a great 1500th film. You know it's lowbrow, so there won't be too much expectation.
Oh, and since today is the 23rd, and you posted this on the 11th, I'm assuming the screening has already happened. Hope it was a blast!
Thanks for all the comments. The screening has happened already and it did turn out to be Fist of Legend.
| 2019-04-20T10:38:53 |
http://www.kyleleaman.com/2008/09/1500-what-should-it-be.html
|
0.811978 |
Every time I turn around, it seems that someone is giving me a piece of (unsolicited) advice about how to raise my daughter. It can make a person feel exhausted. I know that I am not the only Mom who experiences this. It seems that everyone wants to offer their two cents. I acknowledge that this comes from a good place and that most people are actually trying to be helpful. I choose to believe that they are not criticizing my parenting. I choose to believe that they are giving me a useful nugget of information that worked for them. Sometimes, however, the "advice" clearly comes from a judgmental place.
Can we agree on something? The majority of parents are working hard to raise their children in the best way they can. The majority of parents love their children. This is the most important thing a parent can do: Love their children.
Can we also agree on something else? Children are individuals and families are unique. What works for someone else's family may not work for yours. And vice versa. It is also true that children are individual people so what works for one child, may not work for another one. This can be true even within the same family. For example, when I asked my Mother if I could go to a party, she would ask me, "Do you think that's a good idea?". To which I would reply, "No". End of discussion. 3 years later, when my brother asked to go to a party she gave him the same question. To which he replied, "Yup". She gave him a curfew and off he went. I sat there dumbfounded. I told my Mom, "I didn't know I could say yes!"
I think that many parents, especially Moms, can feel discouraged, especially when someone else's advice contradicts what we are doing. Even worse, when someone insinuates (or flat out tells us) that we are parenting "wrong". So listen closely (or read closely?): you are doing a good job. If what you are doing is working for you and your family, then keep up the good work! Trust yourself. We also needs to recognize that someone with a different parenting style is just parenting in a different way. It isn't a personal attack on your parenting style. It isn't the "wrong" way to parent.
I try to keep an open mind when people offer unsolicited advice. Most of the time it truly is meant to be helpful. I ultimately get to decide what I use and what I don't. So do you. Let's be supportive of one another. This parenting gig can be challenging! Surround yourself with friends who support you, even when their parenting choices are different than yours.
| 2019-04-26T00:45:47 |
http://www.peacefulsimplelife.com/2016/05/for-all-moms.html
|
0.999999 |
Read the each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is 'E'. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any).
D). the agenda notes and minutes.
D). of funds and other resources.
D). many of his friends.
| 2019-04-18T13:18:19 |
http://www.indiaparinam.com/english-verbal-ability-question-answer-spotting-errors/exercise-9
|
0.999844 |
Toast the bread. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg with salt and pepper. Pour into a nonstick pan and scramble. Lay the smoked salmon on the toasted bread and top with the scrambled egg. Finish with your choice of red onion, capers, dill, or a squeeze of lemon.
In a microwaveable bowl, stir the eggs with a fork until well blended and microwave for 2 minutes. Arrange all the ingredients on the tortilla, fold the ends, then neatly roll.
1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
3. In a medium bowl, beat together the whole eggs and egg whites. Beat in the bread crumbs, basil, lemon zest, and pepper.
4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Stir the spinach mixture and the feta into the egg mixture, then pour into the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the top of the frittata is set.
5. Cut into wedges to serve.
Spread the pesto on the ciabatta roll. Layer on the spinach leaves, turkey, cheese, and pickle slices.
1. For the dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, or whisk together until smooth.
1. For the salad: Toast the pecans in a 400°F oven for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, berries, tomato, and radishes. Drizzle with the dressing. Toss gently.
2. Divide the salad between 2 plates. Place half of the chicken on top of each salad. Sprinkle with the pecans and goat cheese.
Soft silken tofu stands in for mayonnaise in this more healthful version of egg salad.
1. In a medium saucepan, place the eggs in cold water to cover by several inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 12 minutes. Run the eggs under cold water until chilled. Peel, halve, and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the tofu, mustard, salt, and hot sauce, and mash with a potato masher until some small chunks remain. Fold in the onion and parsley. Cover and chill until serving time.
1. In a food processor, combine the salmon, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, soy sauce, oil, scallions, and 2 tablespoons of the ginger. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Form into 4 equal (3" diameter) patties. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Put the patties sesame-seed side down in the pan. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until done.
3. Place the burgers on the buns. Top with the spinach and the remaining 2 tablespoons ginger.
1. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic and gingerroot and saute for 1 minute. Add water chestnuts and cook 1 more minute.
2. Add chicken, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper; stir well. Add rice and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in scallions.
3. Divide chicken mixture equally among lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
2. Meanwhile, toss the steak with 2 teaspoons of the soy sauce. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the steak and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Return the skillet to the heat, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, the carrots, onion, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften. Stir in the snow peas and almonds. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
4. Add the reserved steak and juices, the hoisin sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Serve over the rice.
| 2019-04-22T12:56:11 |
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/g19959301/healthy-eating-plan/
|
0.999992 |
1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2: Mix cream butter, cocoa and on low.
3: Add 1 egg to the mixture at a time.
4: Add in vanilla and mix the Crown Royal.
5: In separate small bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt.
6: Slowly add to wet ingredients.
| 2019-04-25T03:50:13 |
https://wtvr.com/2016/12/29/leannes-crown-royale-cookies/
|
0.998466 |
This article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation).
Brazil had been inhabited for at least 6,000 years by semi-nomadic tribes when it was discovered by Portuguese explorers around 1500. Over the next three centuries it was re-settled by Portuguese and managed as a commercial colony, based to a large extent on slavery. In 1808 King João VI of Portugal, fleeing from Napoleon, relocated to Brazil with the royal family and government. Though they returned in 1821, the interlude led to a growing desire for self-rule among Brazilians, and in 1822 the then prince-regent Dom Pedro I established the independent Empire of Brazil. This lasted until the next emperor, Dom Pedro II was deposed in 1889 and a republican based federation was established.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Brazil attracted over 5 million European and Asian immigrants. That period also saw Brazil industrialise and further expand into its interior. Brazilian democracy was replaced by dictatorship three times — 1930–1934 and 1937–1945 under Getulio Vargas, and 1964–1985 under a succession of generals appointed by the military.
Brazil is now undergoing a deep economic and social crisis due to its huge national debt, which consumes a disproportionate fraction of its GNP and is preventing much-needed investment and economic growth.
The Brazilian legislature, the bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional, consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal of 81 seats, of which three members from each state or federal district are elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period. Beside the Senate there is the Chamber of Deputies or Câmara dos Deputados of 513 seats, whose members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms.
Some Brazilians have advocated a parliamentary, rather than presidential, system of government, while some have even advocated restoring the monarchy as a symbol of national unity and political stability. (Brazil was briefly a parliamentary republic, similar to India and Germany, during the mid-1960s.) However, a national plebiscite was held on both issues in April 1993, but both options were rejected, and voters chose instead to remain a presidential republic.
Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, as well as a large labour pool, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. Major export products include coffee, soybeans, iron ore, orange juice and steel.
After crafting a fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural reform, Brazil received a USD 41.5 billion IMF-led international support program in November 1998. In January 1999, the Brazilian Central Bank announced that the Real would no longer be pegged to the US dollar. This devaluation helped moderate the downturn in economic growth in 1999 that investors had expressed concerns about over the summer of 1998, and the country posted moderate GDP growth.
Economic growth slowed considerably in 2001 - to less than 2% - because of a slowdown in major markets and the hiking of interest rates by the Central Bank to combat inflationary pressures. Investor confidence was strong at yearend 2001, in part because of the strong recovery in the trade balance. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.
After Lula_da_Silva came to power in 2003, the government have changed softly the economic policies, but, after a recess of the economy, it is growing again, and it's expected to grown for a long time.
The only clearly separated minority ethnic groups in Brazil are the various non-assimilated indigenous tribes, comprising less than 1% of the population, who live in officially delimited reservations and either avoid contact with "civilized" people, or have assimilated mainstream Brazilian culture to some extent but still constitute separate social and political communities. The rest of the population can be considered a single "Brazilian" ethnic group, with highly varied racial types and backgrounds, some broad regional trends, but without clear ethnic sub-divisions.
Most of the population descends from early European settlers (chiefly Portuguese, but also some French and Dutch), African slaves (Yoruba, Ewe, Bantu, and others), and assimilated indigenous peoples (mostly Tupi and Guarani, but also of many other ethnic groups). Trans-ethnic marriages and concubinates have been common and fairly well accepted ever since the first Portuguese settlers arrived.
Starting in the late 19th century Brazil received substantial immigration from several other countries, mainly Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Lebanon, Japan, China and Korea. Japanese are the largest Asian group in Brazil, but some Chinese and Koreans also settled Brazil. Most Chinese came from mainland China, while others from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and also from other Portuguese-speaking place, Macau (These Chinese from Macao can speak and understand Portuguese, and they did not get hard to adjust to Brazilian life.). Those immigrant populations and their descendants still retain some of their original ethnic identity, however they are not closed communities and are rapidly integrating into mainstream Brazilian society: for instance, very few of the third generation can understand their grandparent's language.
About 80% of all Brazilians belong to the Roman Catholic Church; most of the remaining 20% adhere to various Protestant faiths, Kardecism, Candomblé, Umbanda, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.
Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas, giving it a distinct national culture separate from its Spanish-speaking neighbors.
Portuguese is the only language with full official status in Brazil; it is virtually the only language used in schools, newspapers, radio and TV, and for all business and administrative purposes. However many of the indigenous peoples still speak their native languages. These include Mbyá-Guaraní (or simply Guaraní), Kaingang, Nadëb, Carajá, Caribe, Tucano, Arára, Terêna, Borôro, Apalaí, Canela, Língua Geral (which is now almost extinct but at one time it was the common language used by indigenous and African and African descendent captives throughout the coast of Brazil), and many others. Some of those languages have recently obtained local co-official status — e.g. Nheengatu, Tukano, and Baniwa in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas (2003).
Other languages such as German, Italian, Polish and Japanese are still spoken by 19th and 20th century immigrants and their descendants; however they are rapidly being replaced by Portuguese as those communities are integrating into Brazilian society. Some immigrant communities in southern Brazil, chiefly German and Italians ones, have lasted long enough to develop distinctive languages — for example Hunsrückisch and Pommersch. A Japanese-language newspaper, the São Paulo Shinbun, is still published in São Paulo. The English-language daily Brazil Herald is directed mostly to tourists and foreign executives.
Portuguese is the first language of almost 99% of the population.
| 2019-04-18T10:48:28 |
http://www.bioreference.net/encyclopedia/wikipedia/b/br/brazil.html
|
0.999999 |
An identified language for the given input text.
The BCP-47 language code for the language.
The confidence score of the language.
| 2019-04-18T15:12:51 |
https://firebase.google.cn/docs/reference/swift/firebasemlnllanguageid/api/reference/Classes/IdentifiedLanguage
|
0.999965 |
Infants and toddlers suffer from mobility impairments due to diseases such as cerebral palsy, down syndrome and others. These impairments affect the development trajectories of these infants. Lack of mobility gives them less opportunity to interact socially with others. We have shown that even 6-month old infants can learn to drive a robot through training with a force field joystick. Through well designed haptic interfaces with forces fields, these children can learn higher level behaviors such as driving in a cluttered environment and navigation to reach a goal. These paradigms have been tested with infants and toddlers with cerebral palsy, spinal muscle atrophy, and others.
In this study, we suggest a new training paradigm for young infants and toddlers seated on mobile robots, using force feedback joystick, to bring them closer to their peers so that it can facilitate interaction. Four healthy children participated in a game as they chase a caregiver. A haptic force feedback strategy teaches how to follow the caregiver. The force feedback guidance strategy is tested as a training tool to bring the children in close proximity to their peers.
What we found was that the driving performance of the children with force feedback showed distinct improvements compared to those with conventional joystick. We thus conclude that it is feasible, with proper design, to teach even young children to learn how to drive a robot.
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are at risk for further developmental delays due to lack of self-generated mobility. It is possible that these infants may benefit from robot-enhanced mobility, where the mobility comes from a robot that the child drives via a joystick. We believe that such a mobility experience will enrich the child and minimize further delays in attaining some of the childhood developmental and social milestones.
In order to address the broad goal posed earlier, one can ask the following simpler questions: 1) Will children with CP learn to drive a robot using a joystick? 2) Will these children with CP sustain interest in doing so over multiple training sessions? 3) Will such a robot-enhanced mobility impact development scores in this group of children? 4) Will a larger number of robotic training sessions be more effective to enhance these developmental scores?
We found that, after training with the robot, children who performed 30 training sessions, labeled as “long-term study,” advanced in their driving skills and showed significant improvements in clinical scores such as Gross Motor Function Measure, Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test, and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (mobility with/without caregiver and social function with/without caregiver).
| 2019-04-21T15:24:06 |
https://roar.me.columbia.edu/research-projects/infant-mobility
|
0.998666 |
Having your hair dyed by a professional can be really costly; and may range from Php1,500 - Php2,500. That's why if you are to achieve one tone or even 2 tones lighter or darker, it is ideal to know how to do it yourself. If your goal is also to cover gray hair, learning to do it yourself is something I highly recommend to save money.
When coloring your hair, always remember the golden rule - 2 tones lighter or darker only. This is the most natural way of doing it. More than this should be done by a professional.
Always do a strand test. Pluck a strand or two of you hair and color it. After 10 minutes, rinse it. I recommend placing the strand on a clear white paper and use sufficient light. This is the closest way to test the color on your hair.
Your hair should be chemical free before you apply the coloring agent. This way, the product is absorb well by your hair.
How to Apply the Hair Color?
Never start with the crown area (unless you want your hair to look like a carpet!). Always start with your permanent hair; these are hair growing from your ear area and immediately on top of your nape. These are your hair area which has thicker and stubborn. One you're done applying the hair color, leave for 5 minutes before you start applying at the crown area.
Depending on the instruction attached to the box, leave it for 10 minutes.
How to Rinse Hair Color?
I do not recommend rinsing the your hair while you bow your head inside the sink. It is best to take a bath so you can totally remove the coloring product. Most color products comes with a shampoo and conditioner. Use it to protect the color and to add shine to your hair.
Note: Make sure to read the complete directions and precautionary measures on the box of the color product. You do not want looking like a clown after washing your hair.
| 2019-04-20T18:31:56 |
http://www.ericcapacia.com/2013/01/how-to-color-your-own-hair-revlon.html
|
0.99999 |
What episodes does regeneration happen?
"The Tenth Planet" -- First Doctor to Second.
"Planet of the Spiders" -- Third Doctor to Fourth.
"Destiny of the Daleks" -- Romana I to Romana II.
"Logopolis" -- Fourth Doctor to Fifth.
"The Caves of Androzani" -- Fifth Doctor to Sixth.
"The Twin Dilemma" -- Azmael committed suicide by initiating a thirteenth regeneration.
"Time and the Rani" -- Sixth Doctor to Seventh.
"Doctor Who" (the TV movie) -- Seventh Doctor to Eighth.
"The Parting of the Ways" -- Ninth Doctor to Tenth.
"Utopia" -- The Master, Professor Yana incarnation to Harold Saxon incarnation.
"The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" -- Tenth Doctor to identical incarnation.
"Regeneration" (K9 story) -- K9 Mark I to K9 Mark 2.
"The End of Time" -- Tenth Doctor to Eleventh.
"Day of the Moon" -- Melody Pond (new incarnation not shown).
"Let's Kill Hitler" -- Melody Pond, Mels incarnation to River Song incarnation.
"The Night of the Doctor" -- Eighth Doctor to War Doctor.
"The Day of the Doctor" -- War Doctor to Ninth Doctor (but new incarnation not shown).
"The Time of the Doctor" -- Eleventh Doctor to Twelfth.
"Hell Bent" -- The General, male incarnation to female.
| 2019-04-25T08:24:16 |
http://doctorwho.answers.wikia.com/wiki/What_episodes_does_regeneration_happen
|
0.999314 |
Question: Using 16 coins, how can you make $1 by using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters? Hint: There is only 1 quarter.
Answer: 5 pennies, 6 nickels, 4 dimes, and 1 quarter. 5+6+4+1=16 coins.
| 2019-04-23T07:06:13 |
https://goodriddlesnow.com/riddles/view/3290
|
0.999678 |
What is a Group Insurance Scheme? How does it Work?
School Fees Insurance provides certainty for Parents, Children and the School. For an annual insurance premium, which is included with school fees charged, and paid by parents, each child's total future school fees are paid to the school, should either of their parents or legal guardian's die before they finish their time at your School.
Why would the School set up such a Scheme?
School Fees are a major budget item. School Fees Insurance provides certainty for a family should a parent die. All future fees are taken care of and the child's education is continued irrespective of the changed financial circumstances that will likely occur.
The scheme also provides certainty for the school by guaranteeing the future attendance and fees of any affected pupils, while being a cost neutral item in the school's budget. A large number of private schools in New Zealand now have such a scheme in place.
The cover applies to parents with New Zealand residency who actually reside in New Zealand. Cover is automatically guaranteed until age 70 regardless of their state of health.
The group scheme is not a voluntary "opt-in" arrangement. All pupils, apart from overseas students, are covered by the scheme.
The premium varies depending upon the school roll and the level of school fees, but a very broad idea could be based on $40 per pupil per term. The amount would be charged along with school fees. No one covered by the scheme is required by to complete any forms at all.
The group premium is decided by actuarial calculations and provides and insurance cover at substantial discount rates for parents. The school is invoiced for the premium on a per term basis.
What happens if there is a claim?
On the death of a parent, or Guardian, Fidelity Life will pay a lump sum to the school equal to the anticipated future fees payable for the student.
The scholarship concept is one where the school has an option of adding a Scholarship Benefit. This means that there is a small increase applied to the overall premiums (something like $3 per child per $1,000 of fees). The school is then able to offer a 50% scholarship to one child every year which covers all their fees for the entire time they are at that school. The scholarship recipient would be selected by the school and managed by them from that point forward. As an alternative, the amount of funding available could be utilised so it covers 100% of the fees but if that were the case it could only be offered every two years.
Fidelity Life is 100% New Zealand owned and a family focused organisation. Fidelity already covers many large schools in this way under their Group Life Insurance Policy. No other Life Insurance provider offers this kind of group insurance for schools.
Day pupil numbers in each year, with school fees per annum for that year.
If you are interested in learning more you can watch our explainer videos here.
| 2019-04-25T06:15:41 |
http://www.acbrokers.co.nz/school-fees-group-insurance-scheme.html
|
0.99651 |
Would you like to send a Card as a gift, or pledge in someone's honor?
With this option, you send a Card that gives someone the Power to Pledge to a project of their choice. Or pledge money to a project in someone's honor and send them a Card to show you care.
With this option, you send a Card that gives someone the Power to Pledge to a project of their choice.
Pledge money to a project in someone's honor and send them a Card to show you care.
| 2019-04-19T18:29:34 |
https://www.caringcrowd.org/select/credit-digital/12201/nojs
|
0.99953 |
summary: What should have been a relaxing work became a little more difficult with heavy rain!
I really havent done a lot of walking in The Royal National Park, and with so many shorter day tracks available, I decided to attach this one first.
Uloola Falls has a camp ground associated so I thought I would scout out this location for a future camping trip. Unfortunately the day I decided to go, the weather did not cooperate! The track starts from Waterfall train station and goes all the way to Audley Weir. I decided to start at the Audley end and turn this walk into an out and back as I was concerned about week day parking at the Waterfall end.
The weather had been average during the early morning, but as I drove north, it got worse! Stopping at Stanwell Tops, I could hardly stand up in the wind, and the rain had just started rolling in from the south. I thought heading to Audley would protect a little from the weather since it was inland a little, and down a but lower. This was partially successful. When I arrived the rain had stopped, but it was looking grey - but I decided to head out anyway.
I parked in the main carpark, and headed out along the trail alongside the river - not realising I could have parked 1/2km further down the road in the next car park! And it was about there that the rain started! The track then heads straight up the hill at the back of Audley. Its a great track actually, well marked, nice steps and beuatiful bush setting.
Before long, the rain was torrential, and the thunder was rolling about overhead. I made a call that if it did not ease off before I hit the first junction, I would turn around and come back. Well by the first junction it hadnt really eased off, but it hadnt become any worse either, so I decided to continue on. The track soon turned into a small river, and little waterfalls all up the trail! Eventually though, the rain did ease off a little, and then the trail popped out on the ridge line from where amazing views were likely available on good weather days!
Continuing on now that the rain had almost stopped, the track headed down again, and before long ended at a rather ordinary looking campsite - marked as Uloola Falls camp ground. The falls themselves were also pretty ordinary! Especially since how much rain we had, and yet there was still only a trickle of water running over them. It was also too difficult to climb down to the bottom of the falls - at least in this weather. So I didnt spend too long here before turning around and heading back to the car!
And no, the rain did not start up again!
Overall the track is a pretty good one. I wouldnt do it again just for the falls, but certainly do it again for the ease of access, and the pleasant environment.
Download GPX data for TRACK.
| 2019-04-25T22:33:24 |
http://hikeoz.com/SITE/article.php?article=0113
|
0.998253 |
Penn State is 11-2 and Big Ten champions. Other than a three-point loss to in-state rival Pitt and an egg laid in Ann Arbor -- both in September -- the Nittany Lions have had a magical season. Yet James Franklin's team was left out of the College Football Playoff. Another Big Ten team, No. 3 Ohio State, which lost to No. 5 Penn State, is in.
"You can make arguments for and against for so many teams," he said Sunday on ESPN.
Franklin gets it. Even before the Big Ten Championship Game, Penn State knew it needed help with Clemson and/or Washington losing their conference title games. Both won.
But it shouldn't be this way. Winning a national championship is the ultimate goal of the college football team. So shouldn't a conference championship be a prerequisite in the current playoff format?
The simple answer is an eight-team playoff is needed. With four spots and five major conferences, the College Football Playoff's most notable flaw is that it is set up to exclude a team with a good case to be included. There are legitimate reasons for keeping the field at four teams, and most of them are related to New Year's Six bowl money. But if organized correctly, an eight-team playoff can make everyone happy and justice can be served.
What Teams Should Make It?
Consider the circumstances of 2014 Big 12 co-champion TCU and 2015 Pac-12 champ Stanford. Both teams were left out.
In 2014, No. 3 TCU throttled Iowa State, 55-3, at home in the final week of the season to get to 11-1. But on the same day, Florida State and Ohio State won their conference championship games -- the 13th on their respective schedules -- passed TCU in the committee's rankings. TCU drubbed No. 9 Ole Miss 42-3 in the Peach Bowl, but Ohio State went on to win the national title.
In 2015, Stanford was in a similar spot as Penn State this year with a conference title but two losses, which meant a trip to the Rose Bowl where the No. 6 Cardinal proceeded to truck No. 5 Iowa, 45-16.
The Big 12 will not be represented in the playoff for the second time in three seasons, even though its conference champ, No. 7 Oklahoma, hasn't lost since September.
All five conference champions deserve a shot. For reference, that would get Alabama (SEC), Clemson (ACC), Washington (Pac-12), Penn State (Big Ten) and Oklahoma (Big 12) into the Playoff this season.
How are we able to compare a mid-major who goes undefeated and beats up on lesser opponents with a power conference team who just skates by on one or two losses? Considering most major conference teams have little experience matching up with mid-major upstarts, the underdogs always have a chance. In 2006, Boise State, then 12-0 out of the WAC, shocked Big 12 champ Oklahoma with a 43-42 overtime win in the Fiesta Bowl. In 2008, Utah was still in the Mountain West and beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl 31-17. Last season, out of the AAC, No. 14 Houston beat No. 9 Florida State in the Peach Bowl.
This year, that team is No. 15 Western Michigan. The Broncos, as the highest-ranked non-power five team, get a chance to row the boat in the Cotton Bowl Classic against No. 8 Wisconsin. But 13-0 Western Michigan, as the lone undefeated FBS team that does not play in Tuscaloosa, deserves at least a shot to run the table to a national title.
There is no perfect system and there is some subjectivity to this madness. Madness ... that's a relevant word. The NCAA basketball tournament, which features a 68-team field, includes 32 conference champions and then 36 at-large teams chosen based on a mix of statistics and the eye test.
Based on the College Football Playoff rankings system, the easiest way to make this work is give the final two spots to the highest two teams remaining. This season, that would mean Ohio State and Michigan make it into the playoff. Let's take a look at the past two seasons for further examples.
In 2015, the five conference champions were Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Stanford. The non-power five team would have been Houston. That would have left No. 5 Iowa and No. 7 Ohio State to squeeze their way into the playoff.
In 2014, Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State and Baylor were conference champions. Boise State would have been the non-power five representative. (The Broncos beat No. 10 Arizona, 38-30, in the Fiesta Bowl). TCU and Mississippi State would have been rewarded as the at-large teams.
Under this format, over the past three years, four Big Ten teams, one SEC and one Big 12 team would have been rewarded for their regular seasons. Four of the six teams would have qualified with just one loss.
Now, your first reaction should be, "Holy s***, could America handle the emotion of another Ohio State vs. Michigan game?
Alabama gets the mid-major representative, and Western Michigan really gets Bama like all those kids wanted in Kalamazoo. If the Broncos are for real, they might as well make noise right off the bat.
Clemson is rewarded for making its conference championship game and jumping Ohio State the final week to avoid Michigan. Penn State steers clear of Ohio State by winning that Big Ten title game and jumping Michigan to get Washington in Round 1.
Think about the March Madness comparison. A conference championship gets teams an automatic bid, but does not lift them to the top of the rankings. Penn State, Oklahoma and Western Michigan get in, but they still have to prove their worth.
What About The New Year's Six?
Bowl money is the biggest barrier to an eight-team playoff right now. Currently two of the New Year's Six bowls (Orange, Peach, Sugar, Cotton, Fiesta, Rose) operate as playoff semifinals on a rotating basis. Part of the initial creation of the College Football Playoff was a compromise as the Peach and Cotton Bowls were not part of the BCS.
Well, the good news is, an eight-team playoff system creates six major opportunities before the National Championship Game. That should satisfy everyone. Some bowl sponsors may be concerned moving the bowls away from New Year's Day, but as long as they hover around Christmas, holiday travel should be do-able for fans. The Rose Parade will resist, but honestly, it got a few extra decades of runway because a College Football Playoff should have been set up a long time ago.
I considered proposing the first round of playoff games be played on-campus with non-playoff teams going to New Year's Six Bowl as consolation prizes, but that would water down the energy and attendance for those bowls.
Again, money is a significant barrier. New Year's Six bowls are currently promised the hoopla surrounding New Year's Day, an especially easy time to travel. Bowl sponsors need to be convinced they will see a revenue drop by moving to a quarterfinal playoff game a week earlier. Considering Christmas is another holiday, and these playoff games would provide the legitimacy of a path to the National Championship Game, the games should drive equal or more revenue.
The other side involves scheduling and academics. There is a valid argument that an eight-team playoff would overwork student-athletes. Consider this: In 2001, Miami won a national championship with 12 games -- 11 in the regular season and one bowl. This season, assuming the national championship is not Ohio State, the winning team will have played 15: 12 in the regular season, one for conference championship and two playoff games. A 16th game can be seen as excessive for health reasons and scholarship reasons (see: Northwestern University football unionization). On top of that, students need to go to class and take finals.
But the fact of the matter is practices are still going to happen. This does not add any time to the season. Year after year, we have seen teams reach the national championship game or semifinal out of rhythm after being out of competition for a month. This season, the teams in the College Football Playoff will not play another meaningful game until Dec. 31. This keeps the flow of competition going while keeping teams focused, not adding length to the season.
In terms of academics, as long as these games are played around Christmastime, players should have their ability to takes finals before taking off for break anyway (a winter break that would still include practices for the College Football Playoff or a bowl game).
In short, an eight-team playoff can happen, as long as the money logistics are shifted. And no, it will not be perfect, but as least it will be (more) fair than a four-team playoff.
Then we can talk about a 16-team playoff.
| 2019-04-24T05:50:17 |
http://www.thepostgame.com/create-eight-team-college-football-playoff
|
0.998998 |
I’m a huge advocate of attending professional conferences of all types. If you are a writer, attend a writing conference. If you also blog, attend a blogging conference. If you write about your profession, attend conferences in your field. If you speak or want to become a speaker, attend conferences for speakers.
Ideas and inspiration: As you listen to expert speakers at conference you generate many new ideas for books, articles and essays, as well as ways to market them and make a living or career as a writer. You become inspired to take action. It can be hard to come up with ideas and feel inspired when you never get out and meet or listen to people who discuss their successes or concepts that are new to you.
Encouragement: It’s common to feel discouraged and to doubt yourself and your work, especially if you work alone most of the time. Getting out amongst other writers and experts offers you a chance to speak to them about your projects and to get encouragement. Hearing their success stories also fuels your desire to keep going.
Learning: No matter the length of the conference you attend (1 day or 5), you have the opportunity to learn from experts—or at least from those who know more than you. If you come home having gained even one piece of new knowledge you can apply that will help you succeed, this is worth the price of entry.
Trends: It’s important to keep up with new and developing trends in the publishing industry, which is changing a light speed. The best place to learn about this is at a conference where those who keep tabs on the industry come to report on the changes they see.
Tips and Techniques: Most conferences have many different sessions. In each one, an expert offers tips, techniques, advice, and resources. You become privy to this invaluable information and can go home and put it to use. Plus, you don’t have to look far and wide; a variety of information is provided for you in one place and during one short period of time.
Networking: At a conference you have the chance to meet fellow writers, bloggers and publishing professionals of all types, including literary agents and acquisitions editors. The contacts you make can prove invaluable. Meeting someone face-to-face that you might have connected to online can make a huge difference to your relationship, too.
Pitching: Many writers’ conference include pitch sessions or meet-the-editor sessions. This allows you to discuss your book project with an actual agent and editor, which can lead to literary representation or a book deal or both.
Feedback: At a writers’ conference you can meet with developmental editors, book doctors, line editors, and acquisitions editors. These publishing professionals will give you feedback on your book ideas, your book proposals, your manuscript, and your platform.
Professional Development: As you attend conferences, you become more educated as a writer. If you put what you learn to use, your career will advance. This is called professional development. You will be amazed at how many opportunities flow out of such efforts.
Fun: Attending conferences is enjoyable! Get out of your lonely writer’s garret and meet some people, learn something new and get inspired! Attend a party or luncheon. Hang out with other writers.
I got my start speaking at writing conferences after attending the San Francisco Writing Conference back in 2004. Two years later I became a conference volunteer, and two years after that I was asked to serve on a panel as a speaker. After my book, How to Blog a Book, was published, I became a full-fledged expert speaker at the conference with my own session. This year, I’ll have two traditionally published books to talk about when I present there in February. I wrote about how attending the San Francisco Writing Conference was the best thing I did for my writing career. You can find this piece, along with 20 other writers’ comments, in the September 2013 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine.
I’ll be speaking at a variety of conferences this fall—and I attend them all, which means I actually go to sessions when I’m not speaking. I love discovering what I can learn—and put to use. I never feel like I know everything there is to know about my industry.
Or join me at Author 101 University in Las Vegas, NV, on October 24 to 27, 2013. I’m actually planning on attending this event. I won’t be speaking there, though I hope to do so one day. Enroll now, and BRING A FRIEND FOR FREE! (In fact, I’m looking for a friend to go with me (to split the cost)! Leave me a comment and tell me how to contact you, if you are interested in attending as my “friend.”) Use coupon code “earlybird13” and get $200 off till Aug 31.
So, what are you waiting for? Register for a writers’ conference today—or at least a local workshop. And if you have more reasons to attend a writers’ conference to add to my list, leave me a comment below.
This is a great post, Nina. You’re right, too. Attending a writers conference is fun, exhilarating and can open new doors. At last year’s San Francisco Writers Conference, I met Susanne Lakin. She loved my book and continues to tweet about it all the time. I was an exhibitor last year and this year I’m handling the social media for SFWC and will teach one or two sessions. The connections that we make at conferences are invaluable.
| 2019-04-21T00:38:28 |
https://writenonfictionnow.com/11-reasons-to-attend-a-writers-conference/
|
0.999979 |
How many chicken thighs are in a pound, and how much should I figure on per person?
Chicken thighs can range in size, but for typical grocery store brands, figure that four bone-in, skin-on thighs will weigh about 1 ½ pounds. But each of those thighs will yield about 2 ½ to 3 ounces of meat (the rest of the weight is skin and bone). I generally figure on two thighs per person.
| 2019-04-26T10:41:18 |
https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/number-of-chicken-thighs-per-pound
|
0.999986 |
Double Mastectomy, The Right Choice?
It's been in the news lately about a famous actress who has recently had a double mastectomy.
She was reportedly concerned that she might come down with cancer because she was told her genes put her at high risk for cancer.
She is married to a famous actor.
She's been on TV after the operation, and in her dress, it's hard to tell that she's had the operation.
So, the matter has ended well, right? Actually, the matter hasn't necessarily ended yet. There is the possibility of further developments in this matter.
In this particular case, if that husband and wife talked it over and made their decision, it would be inappropriate for me to pass judgment on whether those two made the right choice.
Not just double mastectomies, but single mastectomies, and various other operations that people can choose to have that cut parts off of the body.
Sometimes people make such decisions without full knowledge of all that pertains.
If a woman has a husband, he has a right to be in on the decision as to whether his wife will have a mastectomy.
If the woman is single, is she really sure that she'll never marry in her future?
Because looking good on TV is one thing, but what about in the bedroom?
Not sure whether that movie was based on a true story, but such a thing could easily happen.
I am sure that if it had been my wife, I would have been opposed to mastectomy, and in favor of divine healing by faith, if a problem developed (which it may not have).
This could affect people's marriages and futures in ways that they didn't expect that it would.
The double mastectomy may very well have accomplished its purpose. A woman without breasts seems unlikely to come down with breast cancer.
But there are other kinds of cancer.
The fact is, you simply can't cut out of the body everything that could possibly come down with cancer.
My aunt died of a brain tumor. Can you cut out your brains so that you don't get cancer in the brain? No.
I had a good reason for not telling her. I didn't tell her because I couldn't tell her. I was ten years old, and I just didn't have the knowledge back then that I have now.
I was, however, a witness five years prior to that of a miraculous healing that had happened with my Grandmother.
At Grandmother's house, I saw the bandage being removed from her ankle. I saw a horrible sore on her ankle. It looked as though someone had taken a sharpened spoon and gouged out one cubic centimeter or more of her ankle.
A few days later, I saw the same ankle perfectly healthy after my Grandmother had been healed by the Lord.
I would like to suggest that just because there has been cancer in the family doesn't necessarily mean that the individual will come down with cancer. How about having some faith that God won't let cancer happen?
And there is another way to stave off cancer.
When we die, it's only the body that dies. Then you, the person who had been living in that body either go up to heaven, or down to a fiery hell.
To go to heaven, you must be born again, Jesus said in John chapter 3.
You get born again according to Romans 10:9,10, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you're saved. For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made for salvation."
So then, everyone needs Jesus, if for no other reason, to stay out of hell.
And there are many more promises on healing. For a list of them, please see my book, "Your Abundant Success Lasting Forever."
Unfortunately, not many Christians have been taught about right confessions, but I'll keep teaching that way. Dr. Norvel Hayes teaches that way. Charles Capps teaches that way.
No, you say, “God's not going to let me have cancer, or any other disease.” That's how faith talks.
A confession that I make is, "I will never die from cancer, or any disease, but like Smith Wigglesworth, or be raptured."
Smith Wigglesworth was a man of God who had no disease that killed him. It was just God's time to take him, and he died in good health.
The Rapture refers to the catching away of the church, the true believers, as in the book of 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 16.
But what if someone already has cancer?
If you have cancer, that's your mountain. Command it to go, in Jesus' name. As you do, believe that what you say will happen, and don't doubt in your heart.
There's more on this in my book, “The Cure for Every Disease,” available as a Kindle ebook from Amazon.com.
I've also seen Hayes on the GTV channel (God TV) on the Direct TV system.
To be rightly related to God, we must use faith in our daily lives. If something's wrong with your body, use your faith to get your healing from God. But first, become a Christian if you're not already.
God wants Christians to be baptized in water, and also he wants us to have the Baptism with the Holy Ghost with the Speaking in Unknown Tongues.
It's an unknown tongue (language) because the person speaking doesn't understand what he is saying. The Holy Ghost gives him the words to speak in the unknown tongue.
| 2019-04-26T12:40:04 |
http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm/6110394?articleid=6110394
|
0.999929 |
The Rafael Nadal's coach Francis Roig is confident ahead of the world No. 1's Wimbledon semifinals match against Novak Djokovic. Speaking to Spanish media on Thursday, Roig said Nadal is 'slightly favorite' for having won many matches recently.
'Winning a Grand Slam gives a lot to these players like (Roger) Federer or (Novak) Djokovic. Sometimes people are not aware about it, but winning the Roland Garros gives a lot to Rafa, winning Australian Open gives a lot to Federer.
This confidence lasts a while. They are obliged to win a Grand Slam every year, otherwise it's a failure. Winning gives calmness, a margin. It's not the same for Rafa to come here after winning in Paris than if he didn't.' On how Nadal recovered after the long match against Juan Martin del Potro, Roig said: 'He woke up well, a little bit tired.
On a physical level a two-hour and a half match would have been better, but you also need to look at the positive side. He played for a lot of time in tense situations, which helps.' About Djokovic, Roig finally said: 'He is getting to his level.
| 2019-04-19T10:59:14 |
https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Rafael_Nadal/57690/rafael-nadal-is-slightly-favorite-against-novak-djokovic-says-coach/
|
0.999204 |
Stefan Rahmstorf is Professor of Physics of the Oceans at Potsdam University and Department Head at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. His most recent book is The Climate Crisis.
Nov 9, 2015 Stefan Rahmstorf bemoans the lack of action on global warming since 1965, when scientists issued the first warning.
Sep 18, 2013 Stefan Rahmstorf on the strengthening scientific consensus on global warming.
<p>Stick to the facts: the IPCC does in fact give as its best estimate all of the warming since 1950 is caused by humans. The natural contributions are estimated to be about zero and constrained to be within -0.1 and +0.1 °C for both internal and externally forced natural variability. That is why the IPCC writes in the Summary for Policy Makers (available at www.ipcc.ch): "It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century."
Your claim is simply wrong. The IPCC does not claim that *all* warming is due to humans. They say it is above 50%. This is *exactly* why they say "human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century." (Dominant meaning more than half the cause.) If they believed that humans were the full reason, they would have written 'human influence is the only cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century.' Pls don't misrepresent the science.
If you want, you can read the IPCC summary, where they actually explain what they mean with 'dominant' in the very next sentence: "It is extremely likely that more than half of the observed increase in global average surface temperature from 1951 to 2010 was caused by the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas concentrations and other anthropogenic forcings together."
"More than half" -- not all of it. Or as I wrote: "humans have caused more than half of the global rise in temperature since 1950."
"For RCP8.5, the rise by the year 2100 is 0.52 to 0.98 m".
Dear Kir, we know that the anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is by far the dominant climate forcing over the last hundred years. The increase in CO2 to date causes a climate forcing of 2 Watts per square meter of Earth's surface. Compare this e.g. to solar variations, which have a peak forcing (difference between solar max and solar min) of only 0.2 Watts per square meter. (And this is a cycle, not a trend.) All forcings, natural and anthropogenic, are always compared in one of the very first diagrams in the IPCC reports - have a look at the upcoming one as soon it is published, or at the last one, you find them online at www.ipcc.ch.
There is probably no field of science were so many data (and computer codes for their analysis) are freely available to everyone as in climate research. (Or do economists lay open their data and model codes?) Don't get confused by the political propaganda found in some media. All the information you need is available freely from reputable scientific sources.
| 2019-04-20T04:39:25 |
https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/stefan-rahmstorf
|
0.999149 |
I'm doing research on the National Science Foundation. How do I query the database so I can get information about policy and the impact of the NSF on science research without pulling up every document that is funded by NSF?
I am sending your email to Linda Parker, the Public Administration librarian. She is out today and back tomorrow. She has more knowledge on NSF and is better able to answer your question. Her email: [email protected].
| 2019-04-24T21:54:56 |
https://libanswers.unomaha.edu/friendly.php?slug=faq/54854
|
0.999458 |
Karl Barth – teolog szwajcarski. Najbardziej wpływowy teolog ewangelicko-reformowany od czasów Kalwina.
W typowo protestancki sposób w każdej dziedzinie teologii podkreśla przewagę Boga i jego łaski nad działaniem ludzkim. Kalwinista, negujący jednak tzw. "predestynację podwójną". Zaprzeczył możliwości poznania Boga za pomocą rozumu, tym samym odrzucając teologię naturalną. Był czołowym twórcą teologii dialektycznej. W kontrowersyjny sposób przeciwstawia chrystocentryzm antropocentryzmowi. Przeciwstawia też religię wierze, opowiadając się po stronie ostatniej.
Context: He is the One who stands above us and also above our highest and deepest feelings, strivings, intuitions, above the products, even the most sublime, of the human spirit. God in the highest means first of all … He who is in no way established in us, in no way corresponds to a human disposition and possibility, but who is in every sense established simply in Himself and is real in that way; and who is manifest and made manifest to us men, not because of our seeking and finding, feeling and thinking, but again and again, only through Himself. It is this God in the highest who has turned as such to man, given Himself to man, made Himself knowable to him … God in the highest, in the sense of the Christian Confession, means He who from on high has condescended to us, has come to us, has become ours.<!-- p. 37 This is paraphrased in "Karl Barth's Conception of God" (1952) http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/primarydocuments/Vol2/520102BarthsConceptionOfGod.pdf by Martin Luther King, Jr.: God is the one who stands above our highest and deepest feelings, strivings and intuitions.
Context: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed!" This is the voice of our conscience, telling us of the righteousness of God. And since conscience is the perfect interpreter of life, what it tells us is no question, no riddle, no problem, but a fact — the deepest, innermost, surest fact of life: God is righteous. Our only question is what attitude toward the fact we ought to take. We shall hardly approach the fact with our critical reason. The reason sees the small and the larger but not the large. It sees the preliminary, but not the final, the derived but not the original, the complex but not the simple. It sees what is human but not what is divine. We shall hardly be taught this fact by men. "The Righteousness of God" (1916) in The Word of God and the Word of Man (1928) as translated by Douglas Horton; this passage begins with a quote of Isaiah 40:3-5; often quoted alone has been the phrase following it: "Conscience is the perfect interpreter of life."
Context: Man can certainly keep on lying (and he does so); but he cannot make truth falsehood. He can certainly rebel (he does so); but he can accomplish nothing which abolishes the choice of God. He can certainly flee from God (he does so); but he cannot escape Him. He can certainly hate God and be hateful to God (he does and is so); but he cannot change into its opposite the eternal love of God which triumphs even in His hate. He can certainly give himself to isolation (he does so — he thinks, wills and behaves godlessly, and is godless); but even in his isolation he must demonstrate that which he wishes to controvert — the impossibility of playing the "individual" over against God. He may let go of God, but God does not let go of him. 2:2 <!-- p. 317 --> Paraphrased variant: Man can certainly flee from God... but he cannot escape him. He can certainly hate God and be hateful to God … but he cannot change into its opposite the eternal love of God which triumphs even in his hate. Quoted in Simpson's Contemporary Quotations (1998) by James Beasley Simpson.
| 2019-04-25T14:20:02 |
https://slynne-cytaty.pl/autorzy/karl-barth/
|
0.999999 |
The plane has landed. We'll soon meet them.
Complete the sentences with past simple or present perfect simple.
1. Last summer I spent a nice afternoon with a friend; we (go) to the cinema, did some shopping and talked a lot.
2. I met my friend Jenny at university and we (remain) friends ever since.
3. It is late ! 11.00 pm !! By the way darling, I (buy) a new dress this morning.
4. Uncle Jimmy (come) to stay with us last month; it was very nice.
5. Look at that man! He can't stand up because he (drink) too much champagne.
6. I (study) Philosophy for a few years and I think it is a real advantage in life. I'm still learning Philosophy.
7. That poor old man (work) hard all his life (from 1953 to 1999). He feels miserable because he has no money left.
8. I have travelled a lot, but I (never/be) to the USA.
9. He has worked hard for 3 years and he is proud because he (pass) his exam.
| 2019-04-21T22:20:59 |
https://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-73643.php
|
0.999407 |
Facebook, Twitter, Google and others are worried about a proposed California law that would impose new privacy regulations on social networks, stop personal data from being displayed without your consent, and give new powers to parents over their kids' profiles. If social networks failed to live up to any of the bill's requirements, the companies would face a fine of up to $10,000 for each violation.
Needless to say, social networking companies that stand to be affected are not happy with the proposed legislation, dubbed the Social Networking Privacy Act. A coalition of 17 companies and trade groups that includes eHarmony, Facebook, Google, the Internet Alliance, Match.com, Skype, Twitter, Yahoo and Zynga have sent a letter to the bill's sponsor, State Senator Ellen Corbett, voicing their concerns over the new bill, according to All Things D.
The companies argue that to comply with California's proposed law, they would have to impose these regulations on all users worldwide. It would be impossible, the companies argue, to know for sure who is and who is not a California resident. The new law could also stifle innovation causing "significant damage to California's vibrant Internet commerce industry at a time when the state can least afford it," the companies say.
Are the service providers right? Is California about to ruin social networking online forever? Let's take a look at key components of the new bill as it stand right now, and what the industry has to say about it.
What the bill says: "(a) A social networking Internet website shall establish a default privacy setting for registered users of the site that prohibits the display, to the public or other registered users, of any information about a registered user, other than the user's name and city of residence, without the agreement of the user...(d) [these] provisions shall only apply to a text field specifically designated to display the registered user's home address or telephone number."
Translation: Social networks by default cannot display your home address or telephone number without your consent. Although the language does suggest this regulation could be interpreted as applying to almost all your profile data.
What the industry says: "By hiding from view of all existing users' information until they made a contrary choice," the State of California would be significantly limiting those users ability to "freely speak, write and publish his or her sentiments on all subjects."
Reality check: The industry's argument sounds like complete nonsense to me. You can still open up your profile information to others with just a few clicks in your privacy settings. Besides, it appears this regulation only applies to your home address and telephone number, although the wording of the bill is confusing.
What the bill says: "A social networking Internet website shall establish a process for new users to set their privacy settings as part of the registration process that explains privacy options in plain language ... privacy settings [must be] available to all users ... in a conspicuous place and an easy-to-use format."
Translation: New users have to configure their privacy settings before they can use the site, and privacy settings have to be simplified for all users.
What the industry says: "[The bill would] force users to make decisions about privacy and visibility of all of their information well before they have ever used the service. ... A description of all availability [sic] privacy and visibility options to a consumer who has never used the service in question could take thousands of words and up to half an hour to read."
Reality check: Making privacy settings simpler would be a great thing, especially for Facebook users. But the industry makes an interesting point. How do you know how private you want a service to be if you've never used it and don't know what it will be like? Twitter, for example, works best as a completely public network, while Facebook is designed to share information with your friends. Perhaps a better solution would be to require users to go through a privacy settings wizard within the first week they use a new service. That said, I doubt it would take "thousands of words and up to a half-hour to read" to explain privacy settings to a new user.
| 2019-04-19T00:50:40 |
https://www.pcworld.com/article/228038/Californias_Proposed_Online_Privacy_Act_Faces_Stiff_Opposition.html
|
0.998412 |
An elderly gentleman spends the final years of his life in a nursing home. In his will, which was drafted shortly before his death, he left a significant bequest to a member of the staff that cared for him during his final days. His family was, naturally quite upset, and suspected that the staff member had abused their position of power and influence over the increasingly feeble patient. What are the Halachic factors involved in asserting claims of undue influence?
There are two halchic concepts that may play a role in such litigation: Shoteh/mental capacity, and Oness/Duress.
A Shoteh that lacks mental capacity cannot transact. The Gemara Chagiga defines a shoteh as one who sleeps in a cemetery and engages in similar abnormal activity. Rambam explains that although this person can carry on normal rational conversation, nevertheless his behavior classifies him as a shoteh. The Rambam adds that a person that is especially foolish and cannot grasp when things contradict each other, and does not have a normal understanding of the world, is also classified as a shoteh.
Maharit (Even Haezer 16) writes that this added requirement of the Rambam is required only when determining the fitness to testify; a person that does not have a clear grasp of the world around him cannot be relied upon in his testimony. In other matters, such as the ability to transact, as long as he understands the transaction he is entering into, he is bound to his actions. However, many Poskim disagree and disqualify people with a subnormal grasp of the world around them from binding themselves in any transaction. Nevertheless, while this interpretation of the Rambam may disqualify the actions of a patient with some form of dementia, a feeble patient who has a clear grasp of the world would certainly not be classified as a shoteh, regardless of his vulnerability.
Under most circumstances, a sale for appropriate consideration is halachically valid even if a party only agreed under duress. A classic example of this concept is the idea of תלוהו וזבין זביניה זביני, if one was literally hung in order to be coerced into entering a sale, the sale is valid. The rationale is that since the seller received full consideration for the sale, his agreement to sell is valid. While he certainly would not have entered into the transaction if he was not coerced, when he has the misfortune of being faced with the choice of either confronting the duress by selling the item to rescue himself, he has full intent to consummate the sale. While the buyer certainly violates lo sachmod for forcing the sale, he is not a gazlan and he acquires valid halachic ownership of the item.
What emerges is that if at the time of the transaction the coerced person has conscious and deliberate intent to sell an item, the sale is valid even if it arose out of duress. In contrast, if the seller did not have true intent to sell, or if he did not receive appropriate consideration, he may challenge the validity of the transfer.
In the case at hand, if the testator believed that by providing the staff member with a bequest he would obtain better quality service, he is essentially buying himself service, and the bequest would be valid.
What emerges is that undue influence is a very weak halachic argument. In contrast, there are very significant legal protections concerning undue influence, and it is a very prominent aspect of many will contests. The reason for this disparity of treatment arises from the very basis of choshen mishpat versus civil law. Civil law incorporates values- to the extent that it seems unfair to allow a person with a position of power to wield that power for their personal benefit over those that are helpless to resist, civil law creates limits and protections to prevent such scenarios. In contrast, Choshen Mishpat focuses on strict rights and obligations, without incorporating outside factors and considerations. While there is certainly a concept of acting Lifnim Meshuras Hadin that requires us to act in a fair and equitable manner, the actual halachos that define people’s rights are narrowly constructed. The parties, and to a limited extent Bais Din, should add these yashrus considerations to their behaviors, but the fundamental rights and obligations are generally unchanged by the ethical considerations.
| 2019-04-18T18:29:55 |
https://businesshalacha.com/en/article/undue-influence-halacha
|
0.999892 |
A TCP server port, listening for connections.
When a connection is accepted, this will call a factory's buildProtocol with the incoming address as an argument, according to the specification described in twisted.internet.interfaces.IProtocolFactory.
If you wish to change the sort of transport that will be used, the transport attribute will be called with the signature expected for Server.__init__, so it can be replaced.
Method __init__ Initialize with a numeric port to listen on.
Method startListening Create and bind my socket, and begin listening on it.
Method doRead Called when my socket is ready for reading.
Method loseConnection Stop accepting connections on this port.
Method connectionLost Cleans up the socket.
Method logPrefix Returns the name of my class, to prefix log entries with.
Method getHost Return an IPv4Address or IPv6Address indicating the listening address of this port.
Instance Variable _type A string describing the connections which will be created by this port. Normally this is "TCP", since this is a TCP port, but when the TLS implementation re-uses this class it overrides the value with "TLS". Only used for logging.
Instance Variable _preexistingSocket If not None, a socket.socket instance which was created and initialized outside of the reactor and will be used to listen for connections (instead of a new socket being created by this Port).
Class Method _fromListeningDescriptor Create a new Port based on an existing listening SOCK_STREAM socket.
Method writeSomeData Write as much as possible of the given data, immediately.
Method fileno File Descriptor number for select().
Method _isSendBufferFull Determine whether the user-space send buffer for this transport is full or not.
Method _maybePauseProducer Possibly pause a producer, if there is one and the send buffer is full.
A string describing the connections which will be created by this port. Normally this is "TCP", since this is a TCP port, but when the TLS implementation re-uses this class it overrides the value with "TLS". Only used for logging.
If not None, a socket.socket instance which was created and initialized outside of the reactor and will be used to listen for connections (instead of a new socket being created by this Port).
Initialize with a numeric port to listen on.
Create a new Port based on an existing listening SOCK_STREAM socket.
Arguments are the same as to Port.__init__, except where noted.
Parameters fd An integer file descriptor associated with a listening socket. The socket must be in non-blocking mode. Any additional attributes desired, such as FD_CLOEXEC, must also be set already.
addressFamily The address family (sometimes called domain) of the existing socket. For example, socket.AF_INET.
Returns A new instance of cls wrapping the socket given by fd.
Create and bind my socket, and begin listening on it.
This is called on unserialization, and must be called after creating a server to begin listening on the specified port.
Called when my socket is ready for reading.
This accepts a connection and calls self.protocol() to handle the wire-level protocol.
Stop accepting connections on this port.
This will shut down the socket and call self.connectionLost(). It returns a deferred which will fire successfully when the port is actually closed, or with a failure if an error occurs shutting down.
Returns the name of my class, to prefix log entries with.
Return an IPv4Address or IPv6Address indicating the listening address of this port.
| 2019-04-26T13:48:22 |
https://twistedmatrix.com/documents/12.2.0/api/twisted.internet.tcp.Port.html
|
0.999957 |
The Cultural Site Exhibit, a reconstructed prehistoric house with interpretive displays, is a short walk from the Brooks Camp visitor center. The current structure is built in the footprint of an actual prehistoric house excavated in the 1960s.
Reconstruction built for NPS by: Dr. Don Dumond of the University of Oregon and his archeological field crew.
Site dates: The house was about 650 years old, and earlier deposits beneath it were nearly 4,500 years old.
Artifacts: From this house and the one adjacent (also excavated), archeologists recovered 563 stone, 136 ceramic, and 5 organic artifacts, as well as 36 animal bones.
1. How did archeologists know there was a site here?
The deep depressions in the ground indicate that there were once semi-subterranean houses here.
The older deposits were discovered while archeologists were digging drainage ditches for the reconstructed house, which kept filling up with water after a heavy rain. The original prehistoric house didn't fill up with water because the terrace in front of it, which now traps the water, had not formed yet. It was probably formed by storm surges on the lake when the mouth of the river had a different configuration.
2. How did they know how to build the reconstruction?
Details in the reconstruction, such as the construction of the entryway and the location of the hearth, were copied from the prehistoric house that was excavated. The post holes found in the prehistoric house were clues to where the upright posts should be, and the jumble of fallen planks was carefully mapped and the walls and roof reconstructed.
Native Alaskans lived at the site. They were probably the ancestors of the modern Native Alaskans of this area, many of whom now live in South Naknek, Naknek, King Salmon, and elsewhere in Alaska. The people who lived here probably used these houses only part of each year, and traveled seasonally to the coast and elsewhere.
4. Did the people who lived here come across the land bridge?
The oldest occupation of this particular site was 9,000 years after the land bridge closed, and 4,000 years after the first evidence of people at Brooks. By this time this house was occupied, there had probably been dozens or even hundreds of small migrations across the land bridge and later, the Bering Strait. There were thousands of villages across Alaska. It's hard to reconstruct how many groups of people entered the new world, and where they and their descendents moved.
5. Where did the people who lived here go?
They had villages at Brooks until about 200 years ago. Around 1800, there was significant population movement around southwest Alaska. This may have made Brooks a less desirable location for a permanent village, and instead people lived at Old Savonoski. They still used Brooks seasonally for a fish camp until increasing NPS presence and tourism discouraged them in the 1960s.
6. What kind of artifacts were in the house?
The variety of artifacts shows the complexity of this culture and the skills of the craftspeople. Artifacts found at the site include ground blades and "arrowheads" for hunting, ground slate ulus for processing salmon, stone adzes for woodworking, chipped stone scrapers for processing hides, oil lamps, and sewing awls. Many other kinds of tools were probably used but do not preserve in the acidic soils here, including grass and bark baskets, rope made of fiber or hair, wooden tools and containers, and other organic artifacts.
7. Where are the artifacts from this site now? Where can I go to see them?
Most are on loan to the Museum of Natural and Cultural History at the University of Oregon, where Dr. Dumond continues to study them. Others are in the Katmai National Park and Preserve curatorial facility, which is secure, climate-controlled, and open to scholars and other interested people. Artifacts from elsewhere in the Brooks River National Historic Landmark and the Katmai area in general are on display at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art and the Alutiiq Museum and Archeological Repository in Kodiak.
8. Did the archeologists find any human bones?
No burials were found at the site, but they have been found elsewhere along the Brooks River. The discovery of human remains is a sensitive issue of great concern to the descendents of people who lived at Brooks camp. NPS archeologists and ethnographers work with Alaska Native people with ties to the Brooks area to resolve issues relating to the discovery of human remains.
9. Were these people hunters? What did they hunt?
The people who lived in this house made use of all the land had to offer. They knew where to find game, fish, plants, and raw materials for tool manufacture. Hunting and trapping were probably the primary winter and spring activities. In summer and fall, communities were likely occupied with fishing and plant gathering. Animal bones found in sites of this time include caribou, fox, porcupine, beaver, bear, wolf, dog, hare, ground squirrel, duck, goose, swan, eagle, gull, seal, salmon, char, and trout. These animals were not necessarily all food sources. Birds may have been hunted for their feathers, which were used for clothing and decorative items, dogs were probably kept for transportation, and bears and wolves may have been killed for safety reasons. Seals were probably taken at the coast during seasonal trips there, and only certain pieces preserved and brought to Brooks.
10. How do you know how old the site is?
Charcoal from the hearth was radiocarbon dated.
11. What was the roof made out of?
The frame of the house was probably covered with sod. Sod blocks would have been stacked up alongside the walls and on the roof. There may have been grass mats between the frame and the sod, but these have not preserved.
12. Were houses like these warm in the winter?
Several methods were used to keep houses warm. The entrances were dug a bit below the level of the house, trapping warm air in. Hides or mats were probably hung at the inner door to conserve the heat generated by burning oil lamps. Early European explorers noted that the houses were quite warm and people wore little clothing inside.
13. How many people would have lived in a house like this?
It's possible that some houses contained as few as 4 or 5 people (adults and children), and others had 8 or 9. Later houses have multiple rooms, probably for housing an extended family, so these one-room houses may have been used by a nuclear family. A house could last several generations if well-maintained.
14. How many people lived in the whole village?
This is difficult to estimate. The houses may not have all been occupied at the same time, and there are likely houses at the site that are not visible on the surface (repeated digging of new houses creates backdirt piles that obscure house outlines). If six houses were occupied at once, the village would have held 35 to 50 people.
| 2019-04-19T08:56:31 |
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/historyculture/cultural-site-exhibit.htm
|
0.999999 |
I live near a major sporting stadium: can I make money by installing an independent cash machine in my garage?
I live near a major sporting stadium in London. It is a part of town which still suffers from a chronic lack of cash machines and there are always long queues for them on match days.
Could I install one in my garage or hallway and earn a little commission off it? I believe there would be a huge demand for it.
If so, do I need a licence, how much could I expect to make and how would I get it restocked?
Money on my mind: I live near a major sporting stadium which suffers from a chronic shortage of cash machines. Can I install one?
Lee Boyce, banking correspondent at This is Money, replies: There are now more cash machines in Britain than ever before, thanks largely to a boom in independent cash machines springing up in airports, newsagents and other retailers – but not, I'd imagine, in garages.
In 2003, there were 32,025 cash machines in bank and building society branches, compared to 14,436 independent machines.
Now, there are nearly as many independent machines as bank ones, 34,683 vs 33,280 – a record total of 68,630. Of these, 72 per cent do not carry a charge for withdrawals.
However, there are always pockets of the country where there is a lack of cash machines and small shops are among those to have capitalised with freestanding machines that bring extra custom through the door, and sometimes a cut of each withdrawal.
But how easy it would be to get one installed in your residential premises?
Link, a scheme which provides independent machines, says there isn't a straightforward answer your question.
A Link spokesman said: Any cash machine location would need to fulfil a series of security and other requirements set out by the ATM operator.
If the ATM operator is 'happy' with the location, there would be no reason why it couldn't or wouldn't be possible.
That said, you may need planning permission if the cash machine fronts directly onto the pavement.
Operators generally have requirements about the space where the ATM is to go, depending on the type of machine. These are generally around safety of the cash machine and power supplies.
The easiest way to get a cash machine installed is by contacting an operator. They would come out to have a look at the proposed location and draw up a commercial agreement between the shop owner [or in your case homeowner] and themselves.
There are different price structures in place, depending on footfall and who fills the ATMs - some ATMs can be stocked from notes from the till by the shop owner, some would be filled by the ATM deployer. It also depends on the ATM model and a few other factors.
The benefits for a shop owner are increased footfall and customer loyalty. Some stores may get a percentage or small amount per transaction.
It depends on the agreement between operator and venue - they vary too greatly to give you an answer.
The costs of running the ATM and installing it are also part of the agreement. Whatever the cost, it will be shared in some shape or another between the operator and the person or venue providing the space.
A spokesman from Note Machine, an independent cash machine operator, said: We accept applications on a case-by-case basis. Security is the biggest factor when deciding if a premises can have an independent cash machine – it has to be bolted onto the floor. It also needs a line of communication, via an ADSL cable.
In terms of how much money is made by having one of our machines in a shop for example, much depends on how many transactions we expect it to have.
It is always remains our asset and we pay a site rental depending on how many transactions happen. We also load the machines and maintain them.
Lee Boyce adds: The best way to find out if you can get a cash machine installed is by discussing your plans with one of the leading independent operators.
According to Link, the independent operators with the most independent machines, in order, are; Cardtronics UK, NoteMachine, DC Payments, YourCash and PayPoint. You can see a full list on the Link website.
Can I install a cash machine in my home to make money?
| 2019-04-25T19:42:38 |
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2831453/Can-install-cash-machine-home-make-money.html
|
0.999879 |
about the legality of his actions.
considered highly addictive and often smoked as basuco or pitillo.
world, and perhaps even an illegal act by a very public head of state.
Venezuela,” said Hernán Maldonado, a Bolivian analyst living in Miami.
supplies of coca leaf that wind up being refined into cocaine.
high Andes mountains but illegal in Venezuela, according to experts.
National Council Against the Illicit Use of Drugs. “On the list . . .
food and medicinal products on an industrial scale.
Bolivian College of Biochemistry and Pharmacy, wrote in a a recent report.
<p class="post_excerpt"><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/">The Miami Herald</a> Sun, Jan. 20, 2008 By: Casto Ocando </p> <span id="more-2084"></span> Venezuela's controversial President Hugo Chávez has revealed that he regularly consumes coca -- the source of cocaine -- raising questions about the legality of his actions. Chávez's comments on coca initially went almost unnoticed, coming amid a four-hour speech to the National Assembly during which he made international headlines by calling on other countries to stop branding two leftist Colombian guerrilla groups as terrorists and instead recognize them as ``armies.'' ''I chew coca every day in the morning . . . and look how I am,'' he is seen saying on a video of the speech, as he shows his biceps to the audience. Chávez, who does not drink alcohol, added that just as Fidel Castro ''sends me Coppelia ice cream and a lot of other things that regularly reach me from Havana,'' Bolivian President Evo Morales ``sends me coca paste . . . I recommend it to you.'' It was not clear what Chávez meant. Indigenous Bolivians and Peruvians can legally chew coca leaves as a mild stimulant and to kill hunger. But coca paste is a semi-refined product -- between leaves and cocaine -- considered highly addictive and often smoked as basuco or pitillo. ''It is another symptom that [Chávez] has totally lost the concept of limits,'' said Aníbal Romero, a political scientist with the Caracas Metropolitan University. ``It shows Chávez is a man out of control.'' More seriously, Venezuelan and Bolivian analysts said Chávez's comments amount to a dangerous endorsement of a substance controlled around the world, and perhaps even an illegal act by a very public head of state. ''If he is affirming that he consumes coca paste, he is admitting that he is consuming a substance that is illegal in Bolivia as well as Venezuela,'' said Hernán Maldonado, a Bolivian analyst living in Miami. ''Plus, it's an accusation that Evo Morales is a narco-trafficker'' for sending him the paste. Morales is the longtime head of a Bolivian coca-growers' union and is known to chew coca in public, even during cabinet meetings, since he took office. Bolivia limits the coca acreage in an effort to control supplies of coca leaf that wind up being refined into cocaine. Most likely, however, it seems Chávez was referring to chewing coca leaves, a traditional and legal practice among indigenous groups in the high Andes mountains but illegal in Venezuela, according to experts. ''Venezuela signed the Vienna Convention of 1961, which regulates everything that has to do with narcotics,'' said Mildred Camero, former president of the government's main counter-narcotics agency, the National Council Against the Illicit Use of Drugs. ``On the list . . . the coca leaf was prohibited.'' Although the growing and chewing of coca leaf is legal in Bolivia, Morales ''should explain the shipments he sends to Chávez,'' said Carlos Sánchez-Berzaín, a Morales critic and former Bolivian interior minister now living in Miami. ''The [Bolivian] government should declare how it sends the coca, how much it sends, with what frequency, the weight, in what type of container, because it is a controlled substance and the government must be monitored,'' Sánchez-Berzaín said. This is not the first time that the president praised the properties of coca leaves. During a visit to a communal kitchen in western Caracas in early 2006, with Uruguayan President Tabaré Vásquez, Chávez suggested using the kitchen's ovens to bake bread made from a special coca-based flour. ''We could try that here, as part of that effort to de-Satanize a product that our indigenous people have been producing for centuries,'' he said. In early 2007, Venezuela signed an agreement to buy 4,000 tons of coca leaf from Bolivia in what it said was an effort to diminish the supply available for refining paste and cocaine and launch the manufacture of food and medicinal products on an industrial scale. Caracas made the first payment of $500,000, but the project remains frozen, in large part because of the legal implications of shipping the leaves across borders. Although coca leaves have nutritional and medical characteristics, ''the principal component is an alkaloid, cocaine,'' that can be ''harmful'' if it's made part of a daily diet, Nancy Siles, a biochemist with the Bolivian College of Biochemistry and Pharmacy, wrote in a a recent report.
| 2019-04-24T08:58:16 |
https://www.encod.org/de/aktuell/2008/hugo-chavez-chews-coca-leaves-daily/
|
1 |
Change the following into reported speech. Choose the correct answer from the given options.
He told me where I was going.
He greeted me and asked where I was going.
He wanted to know where I was going.
2. ‘Do you know when she will return?’ he asked.
He asked when she would return.
He asked me if I knew when she will return.
He asked me if I knew when she would return.
He said that we / they should go for a drive.
He suggested that we / they should go for a drive.
4. ‘Hurrah! We have won!’ said the boys.
The boys said that they had won.
The boys said that they have won.
The boys exclaimed that they had won.
5. ‘Do what I say,’ said the old man to his sons.
The old man asked his sons to do what he said.
The old man asked his sons that they should do what he said.
The old man said to his sons that they should do what he said.
1. He greeted me and asked where I was going.
2. He asked me if I knew when she would return.
3. He suggested that we should go for a drive.
4. The boys exclaimed that they had won.
5. The old man asked his sons to do what he said.
| 2019-04-22T14:31:06 |
https://www.englishgrammar.org/reported-speech-exercise-4/
|
0.999999 |
How does one become a Research Scientist?
My actual plan is to make it through the Biology program at Case (Western Reserve University) and then be accepted into their Genetics Graduate program.
Just in case that doesn't work, my back-up plan is a research Scientist in Biology. Problem is, I'm not sure how to become one! I'd appreciate some insight. Anything and everything is welcome.
If you want to do research, the PhD is the way to go. Getting a PhD consists primarily of doing research, and is the prerequisite for doing a postdoctoral fellowship, a faculty position, and many industry research positions.
I would recommend looking at PhD programs at a few schools--you'll want to apply to a few, and sometimes going to a different graduate institution can help expose you to new mentors and ideas--and seeing which programs and faculty members you'd like to work with.
You can also talk to professors or graduate students at Case about their research. They will also know professors at other institutions who do similar work. I would very highly recommend trying to do a research project with a professor or graduate student at Case, as this will be very good preparation for a PhD program.
Thanks so much, that's great advice!
You already got some excellent advice, but I think you need to consider what specifically you like about genetics and research. You may have limited information and experience on the day to day activities. Do you like thinking about these topics (theory) and preparing reports or presentations? Do you like lab work? A Master's degree may be sufficient if you want to be a bench scientist. For me, a bench scientist is often someone who has input into the experimental design, gathers data, does some data analysis and synthesis, but does not necessarily have the responsibility of running a lab. A Ph.D. brings the responsibility of writing grant proposals, mentoring or counseling, experimental design, budgeting, etc.
You have not specified your organism(s) of interest. I imagine the job opportunities for a human geneticist are very different from a career in other subfields.
Yeah I haven't actually gotten too deep into what I hope to do - I'm still exploring, I guess you could say. Thank you so much for the answer!
If you don't know what exactly it is you want to pursue a career in, how exactly do you pick a major for college/university?
How difficult would it be to create a dissertation for a PHD? Does difficulty depend on field of study?
| 2019-04-25T07:50:21 |
https://www.careervillage.org/questions/50297/how-does-one-become-a-research-scientist
|
0.997346 |
Wedge offers cost-conscious businesses the NDP-1038 appliance designed to address the growing malware threat facing businesses.
Network-based Web security solutions firm Wedge Networks announced an addition to its Wedge BeSecure appliance lineup, the NDP-1038, designed to address three major market trends: an increase in malware/blended threats, escalating bandwidth requirements of organizations and the need for optimal network security at affordable price points.
Wedge Networks President and CEO Hongwen Zhang said security providers must no longer focus on where the network capacity is today, but where it will be in terms of potential enterprise growth and scalability in the future.
"By leveraging our Network Data Processing technology for real-time deep content inspection, the NDP-1038 is the best-in-class for providing the performance capacities required to ensure networks are fully protected from malicious attacks," he said. "Furthermore, this new appliance offers consolidated services, network integration options, expanded storage and processing power for networks with thousands concurrent users."
The NDP-1038 is designed to be user-friendly with its Web-based point and click interface and is intended to adapt to the constant transformations in Web security infrastructure, according to Zhang.
The product is also built on Wedge's security features-including out-of-band management, industry-standard SNMP monitoring and e-mail based alerts-helping ensuring bottlenecks no longer occur in the daily business of midmarket companies. "We are committed to continually innovating and introducing top-of-the-line products, like the NDP-1038, that set performance benchmarks," Zhang said.
The company said the NDP-1038 is designed at accommodate the resources needed to combat the increase in malware attacks against the IT infrastructure in enterprises and data centers with larger RAM capacity and multicore central processing units; provide gigabit-rated fiber and copper ports to help consolidate gateways and reduce overall costs through enterprises and international data corporations; and present a larger event logging capacity than similar products, with 500GB worth of log data, to generate comprehensive regulatory reports at the lowest price-to-function cost.
With budget cuts hampering small-business IT departments and malware increasing 295 percent over the past 12 months, Wedge argues small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are seeking cost-effective IT security solutions. Zhang said one distinctive trend is to implement security at larger aggregation points on the network where enterprises are protecting a growing number of endpoints against Web attacks using network-based security solutions.
Another manifestation of the trend, he pointed out, is the fact that network-based security solutions are planned for even more complex aggregation points, typically at network trunks where traffic volumes are multiplied.
| 2019-04-22T18:00:04 |
https://www.eweek.com/small-business/wedge-networks-adds-ndp-1038-besecure-appliance
|
0.955432 |
The Little Prince (French: Le Petit Prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's most famous novella, which he wrote in the United States while renting The Bevin House in Asharoken, New York, on Long Island. The novella includes a number of drawings by Saint-Exupéry himself, which are reproduced in most versions.
The book has been translated into more than 180 languages and sold more than 80 million copies making it one of the best-selling books ever. It has been adapted into a movie musical by Lerner and Loewe, two different operas, as well as into an animated series. It is often used as a beginner's book for French language students.
Each of these translators do their best to approach the essence of the original, each with their own style and focuses.
Though ostensibly a children's book, The Little Prince makes several profound and idealistic points about life and human nature. Saint-Exupéry tells of meeting a young prince in the middle of the Sahara. The essence of the book is contained in the famous lines uttered by the fox to the Little Prince: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (One cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes). Other key thematic messages are articulated by the fox, such as: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" and "It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important."
Interleaved in the first nine chapters the narration's point of view changes from third person to first person. In the first eight days of the narrator being stranded in the desert, the Prince has been telling these stories to the narrator.
The Prince asks the narrator to draw a sheep. Not knowing how to draw a sheep, the narrator draws what he knows, a boa with an elephant in its stomach, a drawing which previous viewers mistook for a hat. "No! No!", exclaims the Prince. "I don't want a boa with an elephant inside! I want a sheep...". He tries a few sheep drawings, which the Prince rejects. Finally he draws a box, which he explains has the sheep inside. The Prince, who can see the sheep inside the box just as well as he can see the elephant in the boa, says "That's perfect".
The home asteroid or "planet" of the Little Prince is introduced. His asteroid (planet) is house-sized and named, B612, which has three volcanoes (two active, and one dormant) and a rose among various other objects. The actual naming of the asteroid B612 is an important concept in the book that illustrates the fact that adults will only believe a scientist who is dressed or acts the same way as they do. According to the book, the asteroid was sighted by a Turkish astronomer in 1909 who had then made a formal demonstration of asteroid B-612 to the International Astronomical Congress . "No one had believed him on the count of the way he was dressed." Then, he and his people dressed like Europeans and went again to present asteroid B-612 to the International Astronomical Congress and they fully believed him and credited him with the work this time.
The King who can "control" the stars by ordering them to do what they would anyway. He then relates this to human subjects; it is the citizen's duty to obey, but only if the king's demands are reasonable. He orders the Prince to leave as his ambassador.
The Conceited Man who wants to be admired by everyone, but lives alone on his planet. He cannot hear anything that is not a compliment.
The Drunkard/Tippler who drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking.
The Businessman who is constantly busy counting the stars he thinks he owns. He wishes to use them to buy more stars. The Prince then goes on to define property. The Prince owns the flower and volcanoes on his planet because he cares for them and they care for him. Because one cannot maintain the stars, he argues, the Businessman cannot own them.
The Lamplighter who lives on an asteroid which rotates once a minute. Long ago, he was charged with the task of lighting the lamp at night and extinguishing it in the morning. At that point, the asteroid revolved at a reasonable rate, and he had time to rest. As time went on, the rotation sped up. Refusing to turn his back on his work, he now lights and extinguishes the lamp once a minute, getting no rest. The Prince actually empathizes with the Lamplighter, who is the only adult to care about something other than himself.
The Geographer who spends all of his time making maps, but never leaves his desk to explore (even his own planet), going on the pretext that it is the job of an explorer to do so. Even if an explorer were to visit the Geographer, the Geographer is very doubting of any explorer's character and would most likely disregard the report. He does not trust things he has not seen with his own eyes, yet will not leave his desk. Out of professional interest, the geographer asks the Prince to describe his asteroid. The Prince describes the volcanoes and the rose. "We don't record flowers", says the geographer, because they are only ephemeral. The Prince is shocked and hurt to learn that his flower will someday be gone. The geographer then recommends that he visit the Earth.
Chapter 16 begins: "So then the seventh planet was the Earth". On the Earth, he starts out in the desert and meets a snake that claims to have the power to return him to his home planet (A clever way to say that he can kill people, thus "Sending anyone he wishes back to the land from whence he came.") The Prince meets a desert-flower who, having seen a caravan pass by, tells him that there are only a handful of men on earth and that they have no roots, which lets the wind blow them around making life hard on them. The little prince climbs the highest mountain he has ever seen. From the top of the mountain, he hopes he will see the whole planet and find people, but he sees only a desolate, craggy landscape. When the prince calls out, his echo answers him, and he mistakes it for the voices of humans. He thinks Earth is unnecessarily sharp and hard, and he finds it odd that the people of Earth only repeat what he says to them. The Prince sees a whole row of rosebushes, and is downcast because he thought that his was the only one in the whole universe. He begins to feel that he is not a great prince at all, as his planet contains only three tiny volcanoes and a flower he now thinks of as common. He lies down in the grass and weeps. Chapter 21 is the author's statement about human love in that the Prince then meets and tames a fox, who explains to the Prince that his rose is unique and special, because she is the one that he loves. The Prince then meets a railway switchman and a merchant who are as non-self-aware and non-philosophical as the other adults encountered earlier. In Chapter 24, the narrator's point of view changes again from third person to first person, as the narrator is dying of thirst, but then they find a well. After some thought, the Prince bids an emotional farewell to the narrator, explaining to him that while it will look as though he has died, he has not, but rather that his body is too heavy to take with him to his planet. He tells the narrator that it was wrong of the narrator to come and watch, as it will make him sad. The Prince then allows the snake to bite him. The next morning when the narrator looks for the Prince, he finds his body has disappeared. The story ends with a portrait of the landscape where the meeting of the Prince and the narrator took place and where the snake took the Prince's life. The narrator also makes a plea that anyone encountering a strange child in that area who refuses to answer questions to contact the narrator immediately. The Little Prince is represented as having been on Earth for one year, and the narrator ends the story six years after he is rescued from the desert.
In The Little Prince, Saint-Exupéry talks about being marooned in the desert in a damaged aircraft. Without doubt, this account was drawn from his own experience in the Sahara. He also writes about this ordeal, in detail, in his book Wind, Sand and Stars.
On December 30, 1935 at 14:45, after an 18 hour and 36 minute flight, Saint-Exupéry, along with his navigator André Prévot, crashed in the Libyan Sahara desert en route to Saigon. They were attempting to fly from Paris to Saigon faster than anyone before them ever had; and all for a prize of 150,000 francs. Their plane was a Caudron C-600 Simoun n° 7042 (serial F-ANRY). Supposedly, the crash site is located in the Wadi Natrum. Both of them had survived the crash, but they were then faced with rapid dehydration in the Sahara. Their maps were primitive and ambiguous. Lost in the desert with a few grapes, a single orange, and some wine, the duo had only one day's worth of liquids. After that day, they had nothing. Both men began to see mirages, which were quickly followed by more vivid hallucinations. Sometime between the second and the third day, the two were so dehydrated that they stopped sweating altogether. Finally, on the fourth day, a Bedouin on a camel discovered them and administered native dehydration treatment that saved Saint-Exupéry and Prévot's lives.
In the desert, Saint-Exupéry had met a fennec (desert sand fox), which had most likely inspired him to create the fox character in the book. In a 1918 letter that he had written to his sister Didi from Cape Juby, he tells her about raising a fennec that he adored.
Antoine may have drawn inspiration for the Little Prince's appearance from himself as a youth. Friends and family would call him "le Roi-Soleil" ("Sun King"), due to his golden curly hair.
The Little Prince's reassurance to the Pilot that his dying body is only an empty shell resembles the words of Antoine's younger brother François's last words: "Don't worry. I'm all right. I can't help it. It's my body" (Airman's Odyssey).
In 2003, a small asteroid moon, Petit-Prince (discovered in 1998), was named after the Little Prince.
There is an asteroid called 46610 Bésixdouze, which is French for "B-six-twelve". B612 was the name given the asteroid which the Little Prince lived on. In addition, the asteroid's number, 46610, is written B612 in hexadecimal notation.
In addition, asteroid 2578 Saint-Exupéry was named after the author of The Little Prince.
With a need for holding six digits of information in five digit fields for the number of real asteroids, it is now possible to have an actual asteroid designated similarly to B612: B0612. The asteroid (110612) 2001 TA142 is listed as (B0612) 2001 TA142 in the compacted lists that use A=10, B=11, etc. to extend the existing five-digit fields in many asteroid software databases.
| 2019-04-24T05:59:24 |
http://petitprince.fragomeni.it/principestory.php?lang=en
|
0.999732 |
Actor Oliver Platt, age 55, hopes to retire early and travel around the world with his wife??
Decorated American actor Oliver Platt, who has been a Golden Globe and Emmy award winner, hopes to retire early from acting so he can travel the world with his wife, Mary Camilia Bonsal Campbell.
Oliver while talking to our sources has said that he hopes he can retire as early as his sixties and travel the world with his wife and children. He has said that he wants to travel the whole world, starting with South America, sources claim.
He has also said that he wants to visit as many countries as he can and is especially excited about visiting South Asian countries, claim our sources. He has three children, two daughter’s Lily and Claire and a son George.
Oliver has also hinted at his dissatisfaction with his hectic schedule which does not give him sufficient time to take holidays with his family, according to our sources. Sources said that Oliver is always looking forward to the family holidays as he loves spending time with his family.
He has also allegedly said that at the end of the year, he will be taking an extended holiday with his family. However, they have not decided on their destination yet. But, he reportedly wants to go to southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Oliver and his wife Mary were married in 1992 on September 12. Earlier to his marriage, Oliver was a theater actor. But after marriage, to meet the household expenses, he began focusing on TV and movie roles, where he seemed to be more talented and on demand as an artist than in the theater.
Oliver also hinted that his children and his wife have been asking him to take some time off so they can spend some quality time together as a family. But he has been very busy last year with his commitments to various TV shows.
He was cast as a series regular on Chicago Med, and The Good Wife. He also was seen making cameo appearances on shows like “Modern Family”, ”Chicago Fire” and “American Experience”. He also starred in the TV movie “Bessie”.
This year, Oliver is going to be making his presence felt in the movies. He has four films which are scheduled to release this year. In the first movie, “Frank and Cindy”, he is portraying the main role of Frank Garcia.
He is currently filming “The 9th Life of Louis Drax” and “Shut In”. Both movies are scheduled to release within this year. His other movie “When I Live My Life Over Again” is currently under Post-Production and is set for a summer release.
Oliver is fifty –five years of age and stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches. Oliver’s net worth is estimated to be around $4 million dollars.
| 2019-04-26T02:08:54 |
https://hitberry.com/actor-oliver-platt-age-55-hopes-to-retire-early-and-travel-around-the-world-with-his-wife
|
0.999441 |
This exercise is an advanced level multiple choice test with multiple choice questions on gerunds including the topics below.
The problem of ____ the machine respond to the presence of objects in different places has already been solved.
Although the word linguist is sometimes used to refer to a person who speaks several languages, the modern scientific linguist is not particularly interested in actually ____ languages for communication.
In games, for example, the ____ boards, cards, dice, and other equipment are merely objects.
By ____ into general linguistic theory a set of linguistic universals, an insistence on naturalness, and the necessity for generalizations, linguists attempt to characterize all human languages.
The wealthier ones took rubber tubing to make catapults and to repair bicycles, and helped themselves to chemicals for ____ photographic films.
I felt sorry for ____ them that he was a liar.
Would you mind my ____ here?
However, he kept ____ into the jungle as if there was no danger.
They thought of ____ to the cinema, but I refused because the weather was very beautiful.
I don't think the film is worth ____ .
He is the kind of man who doesn't do even a simple favour without ____ .
"Hey, mummy. Have you seen my ____ shoes?"
I am looking forward ____ my brother. He has been abroad for three years.
What is the point of ____ him in the middle of the night? We can call him in the morning.
Nothing can prevent you from ____ . You are mortal, like everyone in the world.
According to reports, most wives don't mind their husbands ____ World Cup. They even like to watch with them.
Please stop ____ in the back. If you do , not want to listen to the lesson, I don't mind your ____ out of the classroom.
A- What about ____ the Titanic? B- No, I can't stand ____ a film for more than three hours.
| 2019-04-19T13:08:11 |
https://www.englishtestsonline.com/gerunds-test-exercises-multiple-choice-questions-with-answers-advanced-level-29/?shared=email&msg=fail
|
0.999764 |
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S DAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1894.
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, JULY 15, 1888.
"Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look, one upon another? And he said,Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get down there, and buy for us there; that we may live, and not die." Genesis 42:1,2.
JACOB had reached an age in which natural vigor had gone out of him. He was getting very old and was worn and weary, yet herehe seems to lead the way in providing for his family. It was he who spoke to the younger men, his sons, and urged them togo down into Egypt to buy food. Jacob was of a timorous disposition in his latter days-he had an old man's fear of that whichis high and the grasshopper had become a burden to him-yet he proposed to his sons that they should make a venturesome journeyinto Egypt! It was a great undertaking for them, for they were stay-at-homes, and not travelers. They were shepherds, whosetime was occupied in looking after the welfare of their flocks, and not in roaming over foreign countries. They thought itwould be a burdensome responsibility and a perilous risk to cross the desert and go down into Egypt, yet Jacob proposed thisto them as the only way of escape from famine and death. Here is an instance in which an aged father woke up his sons to actionby telling them good news and by chiding them because of their despairing looks and words.
I am going to use the passage in this way. There are many persons who are sitting down in a kind of stupor. They have no hopeand, therefore, they are doing nothing at all. They need to be told the good and blessed tidings concerning salvation andto be urged to make a right use of that news and to avail themselves of the provision of which they are informed. I shallgive myself, under the Holy Spirit's guidance, to the happy task of following out that line of thought under these three heads.First, despair is useless. "Why do you look, one upon another?" Secondly, hope is well-grounded. "I have heard that thereis corn in Egypt." Thirdly, action is reasonable. "Get you down there, and buy for us there; that we may live, and not die."
I. First, DESPAIR IS USELESS.
I have never heard, yet, of anybody who derived any good from despair. Let me correct myself, there is a kind of despair whichis the work of the Spirit of God. I wish that you all felt it-a despair of self-salvation, a despair of washing away yourown sin, despair of obtaining any merit of your own by which you can become acceptable in the sight of God-but men never cometo it unless the Spirit of God brings them. We are always ready to hope in ourselves with that self-conceited hope which isabhorrent to God. And it is a great mercy when, at last, the Spirit of God, like the hot blast of the Sirocco, passes overthe green field and every flower therein is withered! What said the Prophet? "All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness,thereof, is as the flower of the field: the grass withers, the flower fades: because the Spirit of the Lord blows upon it:surely the people is grass." That is a blessed kind of despair! But of any other sort of despair, in reference to eternalthings, I cannot say anything that is good. I believe that Giant Despair has his dungeons full of the skeletons of men-heis a giant and devours those who come in his way-and he never helped a pilgrim on the road to the Celestial City. He neverworked any good to any soul that came under his power. I cannot set you free from his grasp, but I can and do pray that theSpirit of God may deliver you out of his clutches!
but grim sadness sat on every countenance, and all their faces gathered blackness. One looked at his brother and saw thathe was sad. And that brother looked at the next one and perceived that he was mournful and gloomy. The light of a man's countenanceis often like the shining of the sun-one bright face will make another full of joy and gladness-but when all the sons of Jacobwere sad, their sadness was increased as they looked, one upon another. Now, when a man knows that he has no hope. When hefeels that he cannot save himself. When he hungers for the Bread of Life and yet has none of it-when he looks to others whoare in same case, and they only reply, "It is even so. We are also starving. We are lost"-well, then, it is a sad, sad businessaltogether.
Next, their faces expressed inability. Judah looked on Reuben and Reuben stared back at his brother, as much as to say, "Donot gaze at me, Judah, for I cannot do anything! I have emptied my last sack of corn." Then Reuben looked across to Simeonand Simeon turned to Zebulon-and they all shook their heads and each one said-"It is no use looking to me. I cannot relieveyou in this time of famine, even in the slightest degree. I have more than I can do to take care of my own wife and children."So is it when one sinner looks upon another sinner. If really awakened to a true sense of his condition in the sight of God,each one says, "I cannot help you. I cannot even help myself." There are a number of foolish virgins with their lamps allgone out, and they have not a drop of oil between them and, therefore, not one of them can help another. So, sadness and inabilityare both implied in old Jacob's question to his sons, "Why do you look, one upon another?"
"Nor can I hope relief to find But in Your boundless Grace."
Such a man might say, "If all in this world who love me were to conspire together to assist me out of the deep pit of sininto which I have fallen, they could not lift me a single inch!" Bewilderment, then, was upon the faces of the 12 sons ofJacob.
Their looks also expressed apprehension. As they looked on each other, their faces wan, their persons gaunt, each one seemedto say to his brother, "I dare not tell you what I think." And the other would reply, "I knew what you meant before the dreadfulwords came from your lips, for what can this long famine bring but absolute starvation? We shall see our poor old father die,or, perhaps, we shall, ourselves, perish, and all our children with us before the old man passes away. Anyway, we are doomed.We cannot eat the grass. We cannot devour what the birds of Heaven might live upon- there is nothing for us to do but to die.There is no corn in the land. There is universal famine-grim death will soon overtake us." So they looked at one another everyday with more and more of anxious foreboding, for the famine was in the land of Canaan as well as in all the other parts ofthe earth.
you. God help you to shake yourself clear of it even now! There is a lie at the bottom of your despair-there is hope- thereis hope for the very chief of sinners! Do not believe what Satan tells you, that you must sit still and die.
The waiting time of the sons of Jacob was wasting time. If they had started earlier, they might have reached Egypt and, perhaps,have been back, again, with the corn which they had bought. But now the weary hours which brought them no hope were deprivingthem of the possibility of deliverance. So, dear Hearers, you have waited because you did not think that there was a possibilityof your being saved-and all this waiting time has been wasted! Would God that you had been converted when you were a boy!Would God that you had known my Lord when you were a young man and started out in business! Oh, that you had known Him evenin middle life! But now you are growing gray. Surely, the time past suffices to have been wasted. May God help you to begin,tonight, to obtain that heavenly bread, that true corn upon which your soul may feed!
These sons of Jacob had waited so long that if they delayed much longer, they could never go, for they would all be dead.Did not their old father hint at that when he said to them, "Get you down there, and buy for us there; that we may live, andnot die"? Death seemed waiting for them outside the door and if bread did not soon come in, they would all have to be carriedout as corpses. So, Sinner, you have waited long enough, and far too long! You have tarried so long that if you wait muchlonger, the great knell of your soul will toll out with that most dismal sound, "Lost, lost, lost, and lost forever!" Godgrant that this may not come to pass, but may the Word of the Lord, which I am declaring in my Master's name, lead you toanother course of action than that of sitting still and looking, one upon another! I repeat what I said before, despair isuseless! I think that you who have tried it are quite convinced that it is so-you cannot squeeze any juice out of this flint!You can dig nothing that will help you out of this barren soil!
II. But now, secondly, HOPE, as we preach it to the very chief of sinners, IS WELL-GROUNDED.
In the story before us, old Jacob said to his sons, "Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt." Good news had beenheard. Did you notice that the first verse put it rather differently-"Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt"? Thereis a good old proverb, quaint but true, "Faith sees with its ears." It is a new use for ears, according to some people's notions.My own opinion is that there is no organ that we have with which we can see so well as we can with our ears if we use themaright. In spiritual things, "faith comes by hearing," and that faith becomes the sight of things hoped for! Good old Jacobsaw that there was corn in Egypt and he heard that there was corn in Egypt. That is to say, he heard it upon such good evidencethat the old gentleman seemed to see it! He had questioned some passing travelers, some Ishmaelites, some wandering Bedouins,who had answered him, "Oh, yes, there is corn in Egypt! We have been down there-we have bought sacks full of it! We have broughtit away with us. We know it is so, for here it is." And Jacob, though yet very timorous, weighed the evidence, and judgedall about the matter, and he said to himself, "Oh, yes! It is quite clear, I see that there is corn in Egypt."
Well now, dear Friends, the most of you now present and, I should think, all of you who have come through the rain this wetnight, have heard this good news! "Heard it?" you say, "we have heard it times out of mind." I wonder how many times you haveheard it? It would be worthwhile to sit down and figure away, to see if you could calculate how many times you have heardthe Gospel. You know, when a boy has a father who is what a father ought to be, he says to him, "Do not let me have to speakto you twice, Sir." If he does speak to him twice, he says, "Do you think I am going to speak to you three times? Listen,I shall not stop at speaking if you do not listen pretty soon!" Would you kindly set down on a sheet of paper, not perhapson a slate, for you might wipe it off, there-write down how many times God has spoken to you, distinctly, in the preachingof the Word? I will not ask you to reckon up how many times He has spoken to you in private, on your bed and so on. Some ofyou have heard thousands of sermons, but they have done you no good. I am afraid that you are like Bunyan's Slough of Despond.Many thousands of tons of the best road making material had been poured into that slough and it took it all in-and it wasas bad a slough as ever! And is it not so with some of you?
preaching to people like that? Am I to go on perpetually washing Blackamoors who will never be a bit the whiter? God havemercy upon you and upon me, too, and grant that I may not labor in vain towards you, lest in the end your guilt should beincreased by the rejection of His Truth!
The good news has been heard by all of you. Whatever may be the destiny of the heathen, they can, at the last, say, "We neverheard of Christ. We were never bid to come and put our trust in Him. We never knew the story of the Cross and all the loveof God in Christ Jesus." You cannot say that, but you will have to confess, some of you, in that Great Day, that you closedyour ears to it all and would have none of it. The Lord prevent it, by His mercy!
Well, the good news has been heard, dear Friends, and, by many of us, the good news has been believed. I believe with Jacobthat there is corn in Egypt, that is to say, I believe that there is salvation in Christ Jesus, that it has, "pleased theFather that in Him should all fullness dwell." There are many here who believe that Truth of God with me. There are myriads,all over the world, who believe this and who have seen it for themselves-there is pardon for sin! There is renewal of nature!There is every blessing that is needed, stored up in Jesus Christ! The good news has been heard and the good news has beenbelieved! If I were to ask you to stand up and give your testimony after the manner of the Salvation Army, very many herewould do so, each one saying, "I believe it. It is even so. I have proved it to be true."
Further, the good news conveyed to you is to the point. Suppose that Jacob had said to his sons, "I believe that there isgold in Egypt," they might have asked him, "What has that to do with us?" Suppose he had said, "I believe that there is finelinen in Egypt." They did not need fine linen. Suppose he had said, "I believe that there are chariots in Egypt, and horses,"for there were such in abundance. Solomon was known, in later days, to bring them out of Egypt. Yet Jacob's sons would havesaid, "Dear Father, we do not need horses. We do not want chariots. What we need is bread, for we are dying, or soon shalldie, of hunger." Well now, my dear Hearers, there is, in Christ Jesus, exactly what you need! If you are guilty, there ispardon! If you are weak, there is strength! If you are foul, there is cleansing! If you are naked, there is clothing! If youare dead, there is life! In fact, there is, in Christ, all that you can possibly need! Christ is as much fitted for you asa glove is for a hand and He is exactly fitted for you, Mary, Thomas, or whoever you are-even as when I came to Him, I foundHim to be exactly fitted for me! He is the very Savior for such a sinner as you!
Well now, this is good news concerning an available blessing. Supposing Jacob had said, "Dear sons, there is plenty of cornin Egypt, but you cannot have any of it. If you go down there, they will not sell any corn to you." Now, we who believe inthe Doctrine of Election are supposed to say to some men, "It is of no use for you to believe-you will not have the blessing."I never said-I never thought such a thing-nor did any other preacher of the Doctrine of Election! We have freely declaredto every man that whoever believes in Christ Jesus has everlasting life! And though we believe that God knows who will haveit, even as God knew who would go down into Egypt, yet that does not in the least affect the freeness of the preaching ofthe Gospel! Let those who hear us bear witness to the fact. There was never a man, or woman, or child, yet, who applied toGod through Jesus Christ for mercy, who was refused. "Him that comes to Me," says Christ, "I will in no wise cast out." Ifyou believe, you live. If you believe, you are saved. We have eternal life when we come and trust in Jesus. Believe and receiveit at the hands of Christ. "He that believes on the Son has everlasting life." Let that bell ring round the Tabernacle! "Hethat believes on the Son has everlasting life." If you believe, eternal life is yours. So, this good news is concerning anavailable blessing.
"There is life for a look at the Crucified One! There is life at this moment for you!"
I do not know how to preach more plainly and simply to you. The last thing that crosses my mind is to try and make "a finediscourse." All I want to do is to talk right to your hearts about the way to Heaven-and not to let you go until you havecome to Jesus and have trusted in Him.
would all come and try, and see for yourselves, for we have not preached to you cunningly-devised fables, but the most sureWord of God, which we have tasted and handled for ourselves!
III. So I shall close with my third division-ACTION IS REASONABLE.
my dear despairing Hearer, I say again that I do not know who you may be, but I know that I am sent to you, tonight, witha message! I wish that I knew you, so that I could take you by the hand and have you here on this very platform, and lookinto your eyes with my eyes. But as I cannot do that, I will speak to you as if I were doing it.
"I can but perish if I go; I am resolved to try! For if I stay away, I know I must forever die."
1 will here bring up Giant Despair if I can, in the rear, that he may howl a little at you, and set your feet in motion. Thereis no hope for you unless you go to the Savior, even to Jesus Christ. You must die if you do not go to Him.
It was very reasonable that Jacob's sons should go down to Egypt, for evidently others had gone there and had found corn.O man, would to God that you would repent and leave your sins, and come to Christ, for others have done so, and they havefound eternal life! There never was, there never will be, there cannot be one who ever obeyed the Gospel call and yet wasdisappointed! I challenge the depths of Hades and the deep abyss of Hell, itself, to display a single soul that truly soughtthe Lord and was refused! No, if you come to Him by Jesus Christ, He must receive you. Therefore, you who feel your need ofChrist, I beseech you to awaken yourselves and seek Him now!
Further, these sons of Jacob got what they went for. They went to buy corn, and corn they bought, and plenty of it. And youmay fare better than they did. It is not half such a task for you to go to Jesus as it was for them to go to Egypt. You canget to Christ in the twinkling of an eye! Behold, He comes flying to your relief. One look of faith and you are at His feet!Trust is the great railway that will bear you to the blessed terminal of salvation!
The sons of Jacob found in Egypt what they went for and they found it on better terms than they supposed. Jacob said, "Buyfor us there," but they had their money put back in the mouth of their sacks! Joseph did not want their money-he would notsell anything to his own brothers, he would give them whatever they needed! The Lord Jesus Christ does not need your money.He does not even need your repentance and your faith as the purchase-price of salvation. "The wages of sin is death, but thegift of God is eternal life." It is a free gift to you who are poor as beggary itself. Do but come and you shall find howfree are the gifts of Sovereign Grace!
"His worth, if all the nations knew for Sure, the whole world would love Him, too," and if they did but know what He gives,they would hold out both hands and take from Him, now, all that He delights to bestow upon those who trust Him!
I have finished my discourse to the despairing when I have made just two or three concluding remarks.
These sons of Jacob went down into Egypt and they did well. Right reasoning led them to go when they heard that there wascorn there and knew that they needed it. But they were never invited to go there. Joseph did not send an invitation to Jacob,Reuben, Judah and Simeon, saying, "Come down into Egypt." Up to the moment when he revealed himself, they did not know thathe was there. They were never invited and yet they went. Is there anybody here who says, "I do not think I am invited in theBible to trust Christ"? Then come to Him whether you are invited or not! Do as these men did-they were not invited, but theywent! The feasts of God are of this kind, "Whoever will, let him come." There are no tickets demanded at God's gate of mercy.If you come, you would not have come if He had not drawn you, for no man can come to Christ unless the Father, who sent HisSon, draws him, and, "Him that comes to Me," says Christ, "I will in no wise cast out." You are the right man if you but come,for the wrong man never came, never can come and never thinks of coming! You are the man to be saved if you but trust Christ!
But I must remind you that there are many of you who have been invited, pressed, urged, entreated with tears to come to Christ.I will not say anything about the many times that I have tried to press those things upon you, for I feel my feebleness, and,if you refuse me, I do not wonder. But still, if I knew how to put eternal things before you better than I do, how earnestlywould I labor for the salvation of your souls! Sometimes, when I am at home, I say to myself, "That is it. I think I see,now, how to put the Truth of God to the people." But when I get here, I do not feel that I can speak as I desire. What moreis a man to say than to tell you that you are in danger, that you will perish if you despair of hope, that there is good groundfor hope and, that if you come to your God, trusting in Jesus as your Savior, He will never cast you away? Therefore, come,and come at once! Come even now, while sitting in those pews! What more can I say? Spirit of God, You say whatever more isneeded and make what is said to go home to the hearts of the hearers!
Now, note again, that you are in a better state than the sons of Jacob, for you are invited, and next, you have no journeyto make. How far is it to Christ? Well, there is no distance! If you believe, He is there. Our railway people, as a rule,in making railways to a certain town, do not make the railway to the town, but within a half-mile, or a mile, or two miles,so that you must have an omnibus or a cab to get into the town. And there is far too much Gospel preaching that is like that.It is so far before you get to Christ and when you do get to Him, it needs another journey in your own omnibus to finish upthe work!
But I believe that the railway to Heaven for you starts just there, in that pew where you are sitting, and that it goes allthe way, and that if you enter the glorious Free-Grace train, it will carry you to the terminal! And if you take a ticket,tonight, with a simple trust in the Lord Jesus, you will not need any new ticket, but it will take you all the way through!Oh, I would to God that by faith you would take that ticket right now! There is a journey to get to Heaven, but there is nojourney to get to Christ, for He is here! You need a Mediator between your souls and God, but you do not need a Mediator betweenyour souls and Christ! You must be prepared to see God in Heaven, but you need not be prepared to see Christ on earth! Youmay come to Him just as you are! Here He is, look at Him by faith and the great transaction is done!
Last of all, you are informed, as these sons of Jacob were not informed, that no payment is required. Jacob said to his sons,"Take money in your hand," and when they went the next time, he said, "Take double money in your hand." That was very honeston his part, to send money to make up for what had been put back in the sacks, as well as the double price, for the wheatwould have risen since the last time, and old Jacob also said, "Take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carrydown the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds." That is just what humannature says, "Take Christ a present. Carry something with you." Now, I would advise you to drop that present into the sea!Do not take anything with you to Christ except your emptiness. That is all He wants- take your emptiness, and He will fillit! Take your sin, and He will wash it away!
When persons advertise that they clean garments-(you see their notices everywhere, nowadays, a wonderful trade it must be)-dothey expect that when you send a coat to be cleaned, you are to put a guinea in the pocket? Oh, dear no! You send the garmentto be cleaned-you will have to pay for the work, one of these days, but you need not put sovereigns in the pocket! Just takeyour soul to Christ to be cleansed, with nothing but the spot, and the stain, and the filth- and He will make it whiter thanthe driven snow!
longer, one upon another, but up and away to the Christ who has a superabundance of everything you need! Freely He invitesyou-gladly go to Him! Spirit of God, compel them to do so, by Your sweet love, for Jesus' sake! Amen.
HYMNS FROM "OUR OWN HYMN BOOK"- 531, 375, 435.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: Isaiah 48.
Verse 1. Hear you this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters ofJudah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.There were always false professors and, I suppose, there always will be till Christ comes. A Judas was among the 12 Apostlesand we cannot wonder that we find such in every Church-but what a dreadful thing it is to wear the name of God and yet notreally to serve Him-to be called Christians and yet not to be like Christ! It must be a very God-provoking thing to be calledby His name and then insult it by not being true to it.
2. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of Hosts is His name. Theyprofess to trust Him, but they do not love Him-"they call themselves of the holy city," but they certainly are not holy citizens.Ah me, that God should have to speak to men upon such a matter as this! It is self-evidently wicked, but they will not seeit.
3. I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them; I did themsuddenly, and they came to pass. There is no better proof that God is God than that His prophecies have been fulfilled. Onlythe eternal can see into the future. He has done so and every Word of His has either been fulfilled, or will yet be fulfilled.
4. 5. Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass; I have even from the beginningdeclared it to you: before it came to pass I showed it you: lest you should say, My idol has done them, and my graven image,and my molten image has commanded them. See the care of God towards the most obstinate of men! He knows that they will pervertthings, so He prevents them as far as it is possible to do so! He tells them what is to happen, that they may not, afterwards,say that their idol gods have done it. Ah, dear Friends, God has taken great interest in many of us! He has, as it were, laidHis plans to keep us out of sin and yet we have often broken out, and have gone over hedge and ditch in the ways of sin. Wehave seemed resolved to do evil-we have been desperately set on mischief- therefore He speaks of us as being "obstinate.""Your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass." Will God ever speak in mercy to such people as these? We shall see as weread on.
6-8. You have heard, see all this; and will not you declare it? I have showed you new things from this time, even hidden things,and you did not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when you heard them not;lest you should say, Behold, I knew them. Yes, you heard not; yes, you knew not; yes, from that time that your ear was notopened: for I knew that you would deal very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb. What a description!Treacherous, false, yes, very treacherous-beyond the usual degree of treachery! Transgressors from our very birth-born insin. The very heart is wrong and all that comes out of us is, therefore, wrong. And now, what follows?
9. For My name's sake will I defer My anger, and for My praise will I refrain for you, that I cut you not off. "I cannot spareyou for your own sake; but I will spare you for My name's sake. I cannot spare you because of anything good in you; but Iwill spare you because of good in Myself." If God can glorify Himself by your salvation, He finds a blessed motive for savingyou, and, since there is no good in you, He will fall back upon His own Glory and save you for His own name's sake!
10. Behold, I have refined you, but not with silver; I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction. You sinful one, yet oneof His own children, He will refine you again and again, and He will glorify Himself by saving you.
11. For My own sake, even for My own sake, will I do it: for how should My name be polluted? And I will not give My Gloryunto another. This verse ought to ring like music in the ears of one who is seeking mercy and who cannot find out how mercycan come to him.
12, 13. Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, My called; I am He; I am the First, I also am the Last. My hand also has laidthe foundation of the earth, and My right hand has spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. Whata great God is He whose right hand spanned the heavens, making the arch of the sky, as it were, with the span of His hand!
14. All you, assemble yourselves, and hear, which among them has declared these things? He still dwells upon prophecy. Godclaims that He is God because He foretold all that happened, which the idol gods could not do.
14-18. The LORD has loved him: He will do His pleasure on Babylon, and His arm shall be on the Chaldeans. I, even I, havespoken; yes, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come you near unto Me, hear youthis, I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and HisSpirit, has sent me. Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I am the Lord your God which teaches you toprofit, which leads you by the way that you should go. O that you had listened to My Commandments! God again breaks out inlamentations over His wandering people! Not only is He ready to forgive them, but He grieves to think that they should havebrought so much sorrow on themselves.
18, 19. Then had your peace been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea: your seed also had been as thesand, and the offspring of your heart like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from beforeMe. All manner of possible good would have been yours had you not rebelled against God. And as you have lost it, God grievesthat it should be so.
20. Go you forth of Babylon, flee you from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare you, tell this, utter it even tothe end of the earth, say you, The LORD has redeemed His servant, Jacob. What a grand message for anyone to tell! Tell it,tell it, tell it everywhere, that Jehovah has redeemed His people!
21. And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts. Neither shall you thirst, O redeemed one, when you are inthe desert!
21. He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them. Most unlikely places shall yield you succor.
22. There is no peace, says the LORD, unto the wicked. O God, have mercy upon us, and let us not be numbered with them!
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https://liveprayer.com/spurgeon-sermons-reference.cfm?s=189049
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How is a SPECT Scan Used to Diagnose a Brain Injury?
Diagnosing a Brain Injury with a SPECT Scan When someone has a brain injury and the CT scan or an MRI come back normal a doctor might order a SPECT scan to see what areas of the brain have been damaged.
It's not all that uncommon when someone does suffer a brain injury where the CT scan and the MRI scan come back normal. You go to the doctor and the doctor has diagnosed that you are having problems with motor function, speech function, memory or whatever area of the brain that has been affected is showing up in your life but not on the imaging tests. So what does the doctor do to try and locate the injury? They can use what is known as a SPECT scan.
A SPECT scan is about as expensive as an MRI but they produce a much more detailed look of how the fluid or blood moves or accumulates within the brain. When the doctor orders a SPECT scan of the brain, areas of the brain that have been damaged will show up a different color because damaged tissue doesn't have the same blood flow as healthy tissue. So it's going to look different on the SPECT scan. Then the doctor knows what you are complaining of in terms of your symptoms, what they call the "clinical symptoms", and they want to match up the loss of blood flow to that area of the brain that has been affected as confirmation or proof that that has been caused by damage to the neurons or brain tissue in that area of your brain.
| 2019-04-21T10:31:21 |
https://www.jimdodsonlaw.com/video/diagnosing-a-brain-injury-with-a-spect-scan.cfm
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My first syptom was optic neuritis. It was only in one eye...sort of like looking at a TV screen with "snoy" reception. This was in Dec. 1998 (around my son's first birthday and 1 month before I had to give a new English/Language Arts state test to my students.) The second time it happened in the other eye...April 1999 ( 1 month before I had to give my students a new Math state test) I think I have only had it one other time since then- very minor. Steroids always cleared it up pretty quickly.
Well, my first relapse was optic neuritis. Then I had another one again a year later in the same eye. They say its not common...yeah right bull crap...Anyway, now when i get hot or stressed I lose the vision again for a short period of time. My other eye has been causing me some problems now too. You know how it starts, the pain and pressure.
It's amageable, just make sure you know your surroundings. Meaning, if you get double vision, you don't fall. Mine is like looking through celephane.
I wonder about this too Carol. My optic neuritis hit right after (or along with) my first attack. I was in the middle of getting my steriods when it began. It has not gotten better. (Its been roughly two months) in fact, its a bit worse. Mine is like looking through dirty glasses, smudged and blurry. It is also in just one eye (but in the last week I have noticed some blurred vision in the other one too). One thing though, I have noticed that it gets worse with fatigue and heat as well, is this normal?
My first sign of MS was with optic neuritis in my right eye in 1984. I got it again in the same eye in 1990. Then again in 2000 in the other eye. My vision in my right eye is still not great and I cannot see through binoculars or anything that splits the vision. I remember the fear of the optic neuritis coming back. Every headache that has that feeling, every little blur in the eye. I find that the best thing to do with this disease is to just enjoy every day that you feel good, and not think about the days when you might feel bad again. Katydid17, yes the heat and fatigue will make things worse, but it is temporary. Have you seen a neuro-opthamologist? They have a somewhat different treatment for optic neuritis than a general flare-up.
I experienced optic neuritis (left eye) as ONE of my first signs before dx in 2005. I'm currently experiencing it again, same eye.
(1)I also have amblyopia (lazy eye) in my left eye so the doctor sometimes has a hard time distinguishing the difference between it and optic neuritis.
(2) I DO NOT handle the steroids very well. Last time I didn't sleep for 2 weeks and constantly felt like I was having a heart attack. So, do I have to pick between optic neuritis and the effects of steroids? How do I decide which is best?
| 2019-04-21T06:37:11 |
https://www.dailystrength.org/group/multiple-sclerosis-ms/discussion/optic-neurit_1
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0.999997 |
According to several news publications, in his possession, Stephen Paddock had 42 guns, lots of explosives and "several thousand rounds of ammunition." With some of these weapons, Paddock mortally wounded 59 people and severely injured more than 500.
However, as heinous as his crime was, it earned him the labels "lunatic," "psychopath," "crazed," "evil," "the gunman," "lone gunman," "desperate," a "lone-wolf," and many other woe-is-me type names. Also, pictures of Paddock and his family and girlfriend depict...a victim. Yet, unequivocally, not one media outlet will call him what he truly was: a terrorist.
Facts: all over social media, many people are expressing anger about the delicacy with which Paddock is being portrayed because they believe that had he been black or brown, the worst depictions of him would have been plastered all over social and traditional media within minutes of the massacre. They believe news stories would have ended with, "We'll update this story as more information becomes available," not waiting to report what's factual versus the character they want to present.
Something is seriously wrong in this country. And lately, with peaceful protests being defined as disrespectful, mothers being called SOBs by the free-world's leader, and racial injustice at its peak, America's makeup is starting to run and no one seems to know what to do about it. Do you?
Comment on the following prompt: How does the media's portrayal of cultural representations and practices influence society's behavior?
As a society, we, the people rely on media to obtain information. As a result, the general population may be easily influenced by the media. Regardless of what media an individual relies on, there will always be bias and in some cases derogatory commentary. The way media presents information can change the perspective of the situation. Hypothetically, the media is one of society’s largest influences due to its large role in every day life.
I concur with the statement you made, the press has grown its effectiveness towards the public thanks to social media. If people just get one side of the story, they will go on believing that is all there is to it.
I have to agree with you Ms.Dawson because society is influenced by media. We as young adults we prefer to go look in some media because we don't really go and watch the news. If we could spend time looking at different articles we could understand deeper on what we see.
I agree, media does have a large role in our everyday lives and that's why we are so influenced. Most news reports bandwagon so we only see what they want us to see not what is true. America has to look good so we aren't allowed to see the truth all the time.
I strongly agree with your statement because I feel like society depends on the media and almost believes anything they put out there. The media is basically the main source of real life information and situations. And as in real life not always fair and balanced. But we do need the media and we need to make them accountable for all of their information. As a civilized society we can come together and make this happen.
This story is really close to home for me because I claim Vegas as my home town but also because I had a friend that was there when it happened. It disgusts me that he’s not being called the thing he is , a terrorist . He killed innocent people but because his skin isn’t darker he’s a victim . If it would have been a Muslim or black person everyone would have been quick to say it was a terrorist attack or was gang related . I just saw a recent story about him falling in 2011 . I didn’t read the article I only read the headline but the instant thought of what was the reason to go back that far . I’m sick of seeing white people that do this being labeled as victim and troubled that the news would go so far back to show you how troubled they were . I’m glad people are standing up and saying something about the labeling .
Your statement is true in my perspective because the media (and everyone else) always want to have a reason to justify why someone who appeared to be good committed a sinful crime, not even considering they were just evil.
I have to agree with you, this man IS a terrorist. The media will portray him as the victim because sadly, white supremacy still has a significant role in the United States. Different complexions are nothing more than different amounts of melanin...people are finally realizing that ALL human beings are equal. Yet, white folks continue to get away with terrorism while POC are shot for breathing.
I agree that in some cases the card is in effect, but that’s always going to be a factor that everyone’s going to have to face time after time.
I feel some empathy towards you; what happened was an atrocity and there are no excuses. This was terrorism and it should be treated as such. And most of all, it was fueled by racism and spite. There was no mental illness involved because a mentally ill person doesn’t plan that carefully.
This makes me wonder what counts as terrorism or violence to this country - is it only applicable to people of color and Muslims when they commit crimes? Are white people not capable of being violent?
The only positive representation people of color receive is in pamphlets for colleges or corporations to show how “diverse” and “inclusive they are. Majority of the portrayals in Hollywood of minorities are predominantly stereotypes, this will also include media outlets. Unlike Hollywood depictions gleaming with misconceptions, the media cunningly inputs negative connotations of POC. These recent events demonstrate the difference of treatment between minorities and caucasian people. The intentionally make Stephen Paddock look like a victim instead of the culprit. Oppose to Mark Hughes, the man who was wrongfully accused of the 2016 police shooting in a Black Lives Matter rally. The media quickly jumped to conclusion that he was the shooter and spread this false new to millions of people leaving them with a incorrect facts. Ultimately, movies, tv shows, and news we listen to all alter our perception of other people, it also take up a huge role into our decision making how we are going to interact with people who are distinctive from us.
What you just described is reality. POC do not have the correct representation unless it is convenient for Caucasian people. The way the media portrays any POC shapes a persons mentality and how he/she perceives different people. The constant degrading of POC makes freedom something that is only available to those with lighter complexions.
I agree with you 100% , wish I could use the clapping emoji to express my emotion towards your comment .
I agree with your comment because people of color are only seen by white people as proof to support their claim of not being racist and therefore regressive, even if they’re stereotypes. To put it simply, the majority of white people dont care about black, Latino or other nonwhite people unless they can gain benefits from them.
Had this man been nonwhite, he wouldn’t have been excused for his crimes and would receive worst treatment. I’m sure he would have actually been convicted as a criminal as soon as it occurred and wouldn’t have been able to murder people.
I believe your statement is true because whites don't care about blacks and any other race unless their gaining something from them like you stated . This just shows how blacks get treated differently from whites which is a shame and racist .
I believe your statement is true because the media just jumped to conclusions going off of what they heard or read not knowing if it's the correct information or not . Then it's leads to a whole lot of incorrect information .
I agree with you, Diana. People of color tend to be represented in a negative way in the media, and this affects how they are treated in the real world unfortunately. In order for a change, people should realize that stereotypes are just stereotypes. We shouldn't base a certain group of people off of them just of because of what we see in the media.
What you are saying is absolutely true. The way the media describe a POC has or mind brainwashed and not thinking for ourselves.
. If this man were to be any other color besides white he would be instantly labeled but because he is white he is victim and not the suspect.
The media tends to be the most reliable source in today's world. When it comes to cultural representation they give many culture negative potrayals which makes society create and believe these false stories and stereotypes. For example, in the media being black, heavy set, woman automatically labels you as an angry person. Another example is white people being the victims when they committed a terrible crime. However, if your of color you are labeled as a terrorist or monster, and you are trashed in the media. Theoretically, the media has one job...to give you news, however it does not prohibit them from how they give the news, one bad article can give a bad name to a group of people.
I agree , I believe that if people didn't relie on media so much than we wouldn't have preconceived ideas in our heads .
I agree, because if social media was not created, us Young adults wouldnt know much about whats going on on earth.
But if the media does their job right and stop making stories up there wouldn't be any "labels", I'm not saying the medias a bad place I'm just saying the media does this because it gets so much attention ,if people could stop giving it so much attention then made the label of a black, heavy set, woman as a angry person could stop.
The world often gives stereotypes to every race..... except whites.
I disagree, whites have many stereotypes. We think they're weird, too sensitive, and don't understand how the real world works. Every culture has a stereotype a part of it. The difference is that white stereotypes don't affect how they life.
With all honesty, media does tend to be the source, we humans depend on for news. As a matter of fact, this is why a lot of minorities, are killed by the Anglo police officers and by Anglo people and some not. First of all, that is so crazy to judge someone because of appearance, because that person could be the nicest person, they would ever meet. Not only do they treat them as victims, but also give them the chance to go to a asylum, for special help, but however, if a minority was to do the same crime, they would go straight to jail. With all honesty, that is so sad that they think that type of stuff about people of color, just because we look different from them. Lastly, the media does have one job and that is to give us news, but if they do write something bad about a group, it can change their life, for the worst.
I have to disagree with your statement; simply because you contradicted yourself by only portraying one perspective of media. You must be aware of the danger of a single story.
I agree with you, Zion. Since the media can be very influential, people can have certain views on a group of people, a culture, or even a place, just from what they see/hear.
The media indeed does misinterpreted a whole culture from a few representatives we didn’t ask for but is it really our color their against? Or is it our ethnicity that their in such a rage about ?
I agree, the media is where we get our news and we'd have no idea what's going on in our world without it.
I'd like to disagree and agree all at once, the media can be bias depending on the location from which we are receiving it from. Yes it can provide us information, but if you simply just rely on the facts given by one media outlet then you are basically still clueless.
Your opinion is correct however the way that they deliver the news makes the media look bad.
I strongly agree with your statement. Many people are saying that social media isn't reliable, however, social media is more than Instagram and Snapchat. When you we hear about something crazy that happened, what is the first thing we do? We look it up. We shouldn't even try to lie to ourselves and call media inaccurate, because we use it for everything.
Just because we use it for most things doesn't mean it's accurate. We base our opinions based off the facts, and when we use media we do that before we look at the opinion based articles. We don't lie to ourselves, because we already know what's really going on.
So you are saying that because we use it for everything it is correct? In reality how are you so sure what you have seen or heard is correct? Even with knowledge that we think we know about such as religion, there are always loopholes and contradictions that make us question such intrinsic knowledge.
You are not understanding what the prompt is asking because if you did you would have noticed that we are talking about why all the negative thing such as the Las Vegas Terrorist is being called something he is not.
The media is doing their job by portraying this maniac terrorist as just a mentally ill man who could help his actions ? The media is doing their job by not showing us real news when it comes to what’s happening everyday to our young people ? Or is real news to you about Trump and every stupid move he makes? It’s all in how you perceive it but the media doesn’t get out what we need to know they give us what seems hot at the moment.
For some reason those on social media(Whites) would sometimes or most of the time will think of guns, fights, or violence in general to be black people. I can understand why, but before shifting the blame on a certain race because of things that are known to be done by the race, the person posting the so called "facts", they should get the actual facts. This man has made a name for himself by killing and injuring innocent people. Me personally i don't watch the news so i would have never found out about it without social media. While receiving the information from social media it could have been inaccurate knowing that people like to lie and stretch the story to make it seem way bigger than it was.
I agree, people on social media just rely on stereotypes and don't try to get actual facts.
Social media is where we get most of our news, however the news cam go in one ear and out the other one.
I totally concur with the comment, also to add people tend to only hear what they want to hear. “That’s facts”!
Society is effected by the media because that's where we get information. The media is what puts news out there, good or mad. Society depends on media, because that's where we get our information about our world. Also, media can twist up stories, and they can make society believe anything. We need to stop depending on the media because it's easy to twist up stories and make us believe things that aren't true.
As young adults , we always rely on social media to obtain information for whats going on in the U.S or in another country.
Over half of the people in this country rely on social media to know about stuff like this, not a lot of people get up and check the news for things that have happened they get up and check there phones, computers, tablets etc. People don't look up actual "facts" about things anymore they look and see what social media says an since social media has so much of an influence on them they believe it, but maybe if they actually look up the facts they wouldn't think that. As for the man, he killed so many innocent people for no particular reason at all and people aren't calling him a terrorist is absorb to me. Our country has a lot of things to work on and this just adds to the list.
Yes many people tend to gather their information from social media. But what makes you think that everything said where you supposedly find the "facts" is true? They may also alter, and become a tad bit biased with what is being presented. This is why it is not always in the best interest to rely on one news source.
I agree, i think that it is because of the big influence the media has in our everyday lives, that we believe most if not all of the things that we see. I also think that because so many people are busy, they only get to hear or read headlines, which many times they are biased and misleading.
The media is powerful, no... media is some people's reality. My own mother firmly believes that if it is broadcasted on TV it is true. The media is her reality and I believe that it is plenty of others reality as well. So when the media dodges and dips around the blatantly obvious topics and phrases such as calling this man what he is, a terrorist, then people who accept these medias as their reality also follow suite. If it is broadcasted on television to millions of people and nobody, who 'matters', is saying anything then society clearly will see that it is OK to think that way and show that they think that way.
This Is complete racial injustice. That man was a terrorist but the people of America refuse to call him one because he is white and not brown. They call him names like "lone wolf", however if he was Arabic the first thing we would have called him was a terrorist. The medias portral of cultural representation and practices influences societies behavior by giving white people a pass. It gives them a pass that excludes them from reality. If it were somebody black up there what do you think they would have called him? My guess is a thug.
Its clear that racial injustice is a huge part of what makes up our society. Media's portrayal of cultural representation is a harsh one. People of color are often not portrayed as successful, or things of that nature. Because of this, society behaves in a way that is chaotic physically and verbally. What i mean is, i feel that many (but not all) Caucasian people take advantage of their race and use it to commit heinous acts of crime and racial violence. So, media's portrayal of cultural representations very heavily influence the way society behaves by allowing people to take advantage of the fact that they aren't colored.
I agree with your statement, because the media never talks about how black people influence alot of people through music and how they start trends. They always display black people as criminals and don't ever talk about the success of a black person, without some kind of accusation or conspiracy behind their success.
The affect that the media has on cultural depictions of minorities is very influential and can lead to misconceptions of a specific race. As the media provides us with information, we has the listeners take in what they say and use that to determine life choices. This can affect how people see minorities in the sense that, if the media portrays all black people as criminals and puts up statistics about how blacks commit a lot of crime but completely ignoring all the bad stuff that all races and instead making a perception of a group of people causes problems. This causes the effect in which minorities are looked upon as a nuisance instead of actual people, all because the media portrays them as criminals, when in fact any race can be criminals. The media is used as a platform that can spread hate if not discussed or talked about in the right way, thereby discrediting or misrepresenting a cultural minority group by grouping them all in the criminal category. The media's display of culture can be twisted, which causes all the stereotypes about a group of people and a twisted representation of their culture.
I have to agree with you Victor. Minorities can been seen as less because that's what media portray. We as society discriminate other races because we are treated like that, therefore media can change the perspective that other have in different cultures.
I also think it is because of the huge impact the media has come to have with us, that it is capable of affecting the way people are perceived.
Media is used to spread information and entertainment. When people see something presented as fact, they usually believe it and incorporate it into their lives. Portraying minorities a certain way can be harmful (or beneficial) and can result in real world issues. An example is how Latinas are shown as being sultry and sexual so many people see them as being promiscuous and unfaithful to men. Another real world issue is how trans women are only shown in negative lights, such as being confused gay men or sexual predators, which contributes to them being murdered and having laws created against them.
Representation is always important and can influence people.
Media is just people saying what they want to say and saying false information that they heard or read not knowing if the information is true or false. Its just a a lot of judging and racists people talking just to talk . Social media always points out what blacks are doing wrong or what blacks did but when it comes down to a white person it's sympathy for them because they are white which is wrong . I'm not saying all white People do this but it's a hand full of them and it's just wrong and racists it seem like they don't even see us blacks as a human just like they are .
All that glitters is not gold. You often hear the phrase “I’ll believe it when I see it”. But what happens when what you see is a lie? Media broadcasting networks keep societies informed. However, they have fuled the fire of tension and separation for years with cultural appropriation and false prejudice. Overall, Their negative connotation and discriminative portrayal of specific cultures determines the way in which members of society interact with other cultures.
I agree, the media does do false judgement and we do believe what we see even if it's a lie. We as people are so gullible in society that we can't even process that their portraying false judgement.
If we didn't have social media we would know so much about the world.
The way that the media tells it is what society believes. This is because society is too gullible. So this means media’s perspective is too credited. Not everything that is written or on the internet is true and that’s what people have to start figuring out.
With all honesty, I think media's portrayal of cultural representations, greatly influences society's behavior. Also, media can really give minorities a bad representation, in the eyes of society, but white men, except Donald Trump. For example, they make some Anglos scared to be around black men, who are in suits coming out of a downtown federal building, thinking the black man( who they think is a thug) will steal their money, because of the media showing, only a small percent of black robberies. Another example, is how people of all races, are terrified to be next to a Muslim man/or women, thinking they might blow or shoot up a place.But for some reason, all the most evil crimes done in America (past and present), were done by all white men and some white women, who just got called notorious criminals, crazy, insane, and who needed help, on media websites,but if a minority does anything crazy, they are quick to try to commend the whole race and put us in jail and not asylums.
With all honesty, I think media's portrayal of cultural representations, greatly influences society's behavior. Also, media can really give minorities a bad representation, in the eyes of society, but white men, except Donald Trump. For example, they make some Anglos scared to be around black men, who are in suits coming out of a downtown federal building, thinking the black man( who they think is a thug) will steal their money, because of the media showing, only a small percent of black robberies. Another example, is how people of all races, are terrified to be next to a Muslim man/or women, thinking they might blow or shoot up a place.But for some reason, all the most evil crimes done in America (past and present), were done by all white men and some white women, who just got called notorious criminals, crazy, insane, and who needed help, on media websites,but if a minority does anything crazy, they are quick to try to condemn the whole race and put us in jail and not asylums.
Social media does not always depict what needs to be shown. If a black man was to re-enact this same event he would have been noticed as a terrorist but because this man was white he was labelled as sick and psychopath. Race always plays a big part in situations such as this one. Why is it that a country who seen as the place to be can not live up to it? The media is full of everything negative like the president who acted a plum fool when visiting a country that is considered apart of this country. And as a society we condone some of these actions and sometimes we do not. At this point as a generation who is watching this go down all around us we want better and we intend to do better.
Media is the most reliable medium that we have in society, because nowadays people do not find out the whole truth by watching the news. Caucasians are always the victims regardless of what they do. But If a terrible event had been done by someone of color it would have been a terrorist attack. The way media portrays the information can be interpreted in many different ways. This event was a terrorist attack no matter what other people say. He injured more than 500 people and killed 59 others. Just because he is white does not mean that it's okay and that he cannot be called a terrorist or psychopath. Media has a big impact in society because it's something that we use everyday 24/7.
With all honesty, media is the most reliable medium for us to use in today's world and sometimes it can also have its problems, when people watch it, for news. They also get the chance to go to asylums, to work out their issues, due to them being the victim and not the people they killed or hurt. With all honesty, that is so sad that they would call out an event, that a person of color did, faster than they would call it out for a white person. This makes the media a scary thing, because they can give us what they want us to know. In like manner, it was a terrorist attack, because he took some many lives and injured a lot of people. In agreement, it does not justify a white person to do evil, because they are white and he should be given another name, than the ones stated. In conclusion, media has impacted our world, because it is something that can get our hands on easily,and something that cannot be taken away, nor destroyed.
I too agree Mr.Grant. If it was a black guy, he would be deemed all over channel 5.
All that glitters is not gold. You often hear the phrase “I’ll believe it when I see it”. But what happens when what you see is a lie? Media broadcasting networks keep societies informed. However, they have fuled the fire of tension and separation for years with cultural appropriation and false prejudice.
The media tends to create a single depiction towards a certain group of people, and when society is being told this over and over, people will eventually have only that one view. For example, a lot of terrorists are seen to be Muslims because of 9/11, and that creates the single story that all Muslims are terrorists. Nowadays, the media is seen as the truth, and when people see something presented as a fact, they will usually have it incorporated into their mindset. This is why we have certain perceptions of people, or even places, before we’ve even seen what it’s like. In my opinion, it’s important to remember that representation is essential, especially in the media, in terms of changing how people will react to certain situations (like avoiding calling Stephen Paddock what he is—a terrorist).
The media's portrayal of cultural representations and practices have influenced society's behavior for many decades now. Something's have changed and something's have stayed the same. The media will have different points of view from all of society. Overall, I believe the media tries to do a fair and balanced job. The media is part of our Constitution and we all can benefit from the media. We just need to continue to work together in harmony. Finally, I believe that this man was a terrorist as is all people of color who commit these heinous crime.
As a society, we rely heavily on the information given to us through the various digital media. The writers and editors of these medias control what they want us to see and can evoke different emotions in us. These evoked emotions can trigger different reactions towards a race or cultural group that might be responsible for that news. The media most definitely influences our behaviors by portrayal of cultural representations. The media creates most of the stereotypes we see and conform to because of how they portray it. For example, when we see the commercials about the starving children of africa, it evokes the emotion of generosity, and makes us want to donate everything we own. It also adds to the stereotype that all of Africa is impoverished and starving.
We all count on the news to update us on what's happening around the world, so the way they display it that's the way we see it. We don't get to witness every event or just simply be part of the lives affected by these situations so we wouldn't really know details. Media makes us see the way they want us to view it by using certain words or jumping into conclusions for us. It's hard to judge things on our own because our minds are already made up for us and we're so use to it that we don't see it anymore. By doing this they show us what "good" and what's "bad" therefore they influence society's behavior.
Social media is a powerful subject and we teenagers and adults rely on it to know whats going on in this world. Its probably true that if Stephen was a black man we all would be over this case because majority believes black lives matter more. Also people see blacks as '' always in the wrong/trouble makers''. So majority did not know about this case because maybe he wasn't black or had others...that wrong terribly hurt and were black.
As a society, we rely on the information we receive from social media outlets. We are heavily influenced by the media because it covers things on a day to day basis. The media can alter details in certain situations to get us to see one thing and not the other. The things the media wants us to see negatively about a certain thing affects us because we thinks it all true meanwhile some things are false.
As a generation derived from 21st century knowledge, we live for social media. Individuals are allowed to be displayed, examined, and dissected as a specimen through social media. Social media is a make or break and how ever you’re portrayed, you are judged upon that or when ignorance is present you’re judged based upon the knowledge of the examiner of your assumed culture. With white supremacy circulating globally, other cultures are always criticized more intensely due to white people being superior in the eyes of their own. Minorities are irrelevant in the US and we have allowed that mindset to leak and start to poison our global economy.
Being in the 21st century, everything now revolves around the media. The media can alter or add information that may not be factual and even biased. According to a recent tweet from Donald Trump he claims that “some news coverage is fake” when it comes to the Puerto Rican incident in which he is seen throwing napkins at an audience. Many rely on media to gain information of what is going on around the world. With the media justifying people’s actions depending on the color of your skin lets others feel that they are allowed to do the exact same. Media also influences the way you view things because it is place that people seek to find your sources.
Ever since the first form of media emerged, it has served the purpose of informing millions of people about current events happening all over the world. Because of its prominence among these millions, some forms of media such as the news developed a credibility. They use this to exhibit propaganda and allow them to affect public opinion. That is for example, if a news channel that is widely supported and credited, displays a headline that is biased, it would lead people who follow that channel to be in agreement with them.
For example, there have been several police brutality incidents within the past 3 years, & social media has made it to where only blacks are the ones being harmed in it. In this case, stephen would be predicted as an American Terrorist, for the weapons he was carrying & for the number of people murdered. The media deems too much of the crimes, problems, and incidents that we have goin on in the United States.
| 2019-04-18T18:18:07 |
https://www.englishfury.com/mixedink/call-a-spade-adiamond
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This is somehow odd as nobody apart from me has had access to the PC and not only that I am the only person who knows the password in my Barking workplace.
I seriously really want the assistance of Private Investigators Barking simply because I am not a professional in technologies.
I've heard that people in Barking can get digital forensic services from Private Investigators Barking.
My computer is logged in on a friend's Facebook page, and I keep getting his notifications after here used it in Barking.
I use my personal Laptop computer to work on some work documents at home within Barking and I have learned the virus might be hampering my working.
A sister of mine based in Barking attempted to check it but I am concerned that she may have made things even worst.
I was lucky to have uncovered that the problem could be solved through digital forensics by Private Investigators Barking.
How Will Private Investigators Barking Aid With Digital Phone Forensics In Barking, Greater Barking?
How Can Private Investigators Barking Help Me Catch an Email Scammer In Barking, Greater Barking?
How Do Private Investigators Barking Sweep For Bugs In Barking, Greater Barking?
| 2019-04-26T12:16:30 |
https://privateinvestigators-barking.co.uk/digital-forensics-in-barking/personal-computer-digital-forensics-in-barking/
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Does LENR produce harmful radiations?
- one of the observations is that there were no track on DVDs wrapped in the aluminum foil.
They should have checked the aluminum foil of course!..
Or may be our explanation of positroniums being a part of the story would also explain this behavior.
Thanks for that Max - actually I think the 'thermal waves' are actually magnetic - inductive coupling at a distance. Maybe?
About this effect being magnetic - I have my doubts. The propagation characteristics and effects of magnetic fields (particularly when the distance from the source is much larger than the size of the source) are pretty well known.
Since the exact nature of these waves is not well understood, it would make sense to double-check some properties experimentally.
To distinguish 3. (specifically) from 1. or 2.: Ultrasound and thermal waves require a material, therefore cannot propagate in vacuum. A dewar connected to a vacuum pump and a gas inlet (to selectively evacuate the space between source and detector without changing the construction and geometry of the overall experiment) would make the propagation vs. non-propagation of an unknown radiation type in vacuum relatively easy to test. Note however that shockwave like phenomena can refract and reflect off surfaces (and even material density gradients), to there may still be some propagation paths elsewhere around an evacuated dewar.
To distinguish 1. from anything else: Use shields of a dense material (like lead). Large corpuscular objects do not pass through dense material, so a comparison of penetration through a light vs. a dense material should provide an indication of whether there are large corpuscular particles involved. If the unknown radiation passes through lead and through low density plastic with a similar penetration ability, it is unlikely to consist of large matter particles. The difference in mass ratio between an unknown large particle and a lead atom vs. the same particle and a carbon atom would make for distinguishable propagation characteristics.
To distinguish charged vs. neutral particles: A cloud chamber with a magnet (or a pair of electrodes) will do just fine. A classic test, well known since a century.
To distinguish an electromagnetic vs. a shockwave-like interaction of an unknown emission with materials in the environment: use many-layered shields with different types of layer structures.
- An electromagnetic type interaction will be strongest with a multi-layer structure when the layers have different electrical (conductor vs. isolator) or magnetic (ferromagnetic vs. diamagnetic) properties even when the layers all share similar densities and similar sound and shockwave propagation characteristics.
- A shockwave type interaction will be strongest with a multi-layer structure when the layers have different densities and therefore reflect shockwaves on internal surfaces, even when the layers all share similar electrical characteristics.
- In addition, electromagnetic and shock waves can each be absorbed by dissipative materials and it's possible to make materials that are to one type much more dissipative than to the other. Loose layers of paper or thin films can be strongly dissipative to acoustic and shockwave type effects while not doing much at all against electromagnetism, while a dense structure of strongly bonded alternating layers of different conductivities or different characteristic impedances will have effects on anything charged or electromagnetic, while it may pass sound and shock waves as well as any similar homogenous solid material would pass them.
Thank you for a very informative post, and a clear description of the possibilities.
We attach great importance to the study of "strange radiation" (microplasmoids) in view of the possible harmful effects on organisms. We have a special research program. In addition to us, in Russia the effects caused by strange radiation are investigated in Dubna.
Sources of strange radiation in our researches are nickel-hydrogen reactors, similar to those of Rossi, and electric plasma in water.
For microplasmoids registration, we use not only photographic film, but also mica, glass, and plastic, which have a smooth surface. We observe and count tracks formed on the surface.
We found that the tracks are formed at a distance of no more than 30 cm from the reactors.
We found that with the same operating mode of the reactors, the number of formed tracks is very variable, both in time and in space.
Tracks are appearing near the reactor and when the reactor is turned off after its working.
There is a “natural background” of strange radiation: tracks are formed with low intensity at a great distance from the reactors.
I think that if you do not come into close contact with the reactors, their radiation does not pose a great danger. I have been working with powerful devices for many years and regularly examined by doctors. There are no critical changes in my body, except for the ailments characteristic of older age (I am 74 years old).
Hi Alan, during the last few month I have been working together with other individuals. We have also been investigating theories on how to deal with SR. One idea was a technique of active cancelation of SR instead of passive shielding. At the moment it is a theory, but it would be interesting to get a second opinion. After confirming with my partner I could provide a concept paper.
Alan, you may also send me a private message.
You will create antistrange Radiation to annihilate it? That is the strangest idea of all.
We have already derived a concrete concept on how to apply above idea on a Ni-Li lattice reactor type and are open for cooperation. Anybody interested may send me an Email or private message on LENR forum.
A friend sent me this fresh translation (from Russian to English) of a work by Zhighalov, Parkhomov et al on Strange Radiation observed close to LENR systems.
This strange radiation has been micro photographed and studied.
Just a random thought on the subject. I find curious or "strange" that the existence of "strange" particles (i.e. radiation) is already acknowledged in mainstream science. Incidentally, in one theory related with LENR observations (which I won't mention here but you can easily guess what it is) the reaction does initially emit "strange" neutral particles. Given that certain neutral particles are known to oscillate in space and time with their antiparticles, I'm wondering if this could be in part responsible for the segmented tracks on witness solid materials as reported by some researchers (apparently mainly Russian).
Was the choice of the term "strange" coincidental and originally just to refer to some unexplained phenomenon?
Just a random thought on the subject. I find curious or "strange" that the existence of "strange" particles (i.e. radiation) is already acknowledged in mainstream science.
I might be wrong but I don't think "strange radiation" (context LENR) has anything to do with "Strange quarks".
Have low energy neutrons been excluded as a source of this strange radiation? If they lack the atom-smashing, deep penetrating, tissue damaging radiological effects of their high energy counterparts might such a simple explanation have been overlooked?
Cold neutrons are readily detected with the right equipment. If you want to know a little more about plasmoids AKA charge clusters and other things I suggest you read this summary of the work of the late great curmudgeon Ken Shoulders.
Thanks Alan I've read some of Ken Shoulder's work before - but I don't think he specifically made any connection between his bizarre electron observations and cold fusion. The clustering of electrons to form EVO's or plasmoids he observed is very hard to either understand in physical terms or explain other than saying 'we know nothing' about the forces or energies behind it. I mean how do you confine 6.23 . 10power 23 electrons in a single cluster when each electron is fighting to find free space from its buddies via Coulombic repulsion? The same unknown force that also allows proton fusion in LENR? Means we all have a long way to go before we fully understand any of this - only scratching the surface so far.
I think EVOs are critical to understanding many forms of LENR in addition to understanding other anomalous phenomena such as the exotic aircraft that various committees in the US Senate and Congress have been briefed on recently.
The W and Z bosons are carrier particles that mediate the weak nuclear force, much as the photon is the carrier particle for the electromagnetic force. So how do electrons transform into bosons and then don't they have a very brief half-life and revert back to leptons (electrons)?
Axil - electrons bound to holes in a lattice together with photons (think of it loosely as electrons orbiting holes) can become polaritons. You don't get holes without a sea of bound valence electrons and hence a lattice. The density of polaritons is thus limited - in fact to less than the number of valence electrons because adjacent polaritons interfere with each other.
However that mechanism pretty obviously does not allow an ultra-high density of electrons because that would require a lattice with a correspondingly high number of valence electrons.
The same thing (finite density of holes) applies in quantum wells.
PS - however I'ne reason to think EVOs have ultra-high electron density? As all plasmas the electron charge is balanced by ions and it works like a gas but where thermal energies are higher than valence binding energies.
Post by Dr Richard ( Wednesday, 12:46 pm ).
This post was deleted by the author themselves ( Wednesday, 2:44 pm ).
| 2019-04-20T20:52:08 |
https://www.lenr-forum.com/forum/thread/5775-does-lenr-produce-harmful-radiations/?postID=109144
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Do banks have a widow's cruse?
James Tobin wrote a paper back in 1963 called Commercial Banks as Creators of Money in which he pointed out that banks don't possess a widow's cruse. There has been a bit of a blog uproar over Tobin's paper (See Paul Krugman, Winterspeak, JKH, L. Randall Wray, Nick Rowe, Cullen Roche, Ramanan, Roger Sparks, and Steve Randy Waldman). My two bits will hone in on the widow's cruse aspect of the debate.
The phrase widow's cruse is defined as "an inexhaustible supply of something," which in turn is a reference to an obscure Bible story. Flip to I Kings 17:7–16 and there is a short passage in which the prophet Elijah asks a destitute widow to make him a loaf of bread. The Lord blesses the widow saying that the "jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land."
What Tobin was referring to in his paper is that unlike the widow and her jug of oil, commercial banks aren't blessed with the ability to expand their liabilities indefinitely. When it comes to bank deposits, there is an "economic mechanism of extinction as well as creation, contraction as well as expansion."
Modern central bank's, on the other hand, do have such a cruse. Once central bank liabilities are created, there is no way for the economy to get rid of the excess. The hot potato analogy "truly applies", noted Tobin, because central bank money cannot be extinguished.
We know that the actions of any institution in possession of a widow's cruse will have major macroeconomic effects. With its cruse, a central bank can create excess media of exchange which, as it is passes from hand to hand, pushes up nominal income. An increase in quantities and/or prices is the only release valve for unwanted exchange media. A commercial bank, which has no cruse, might create an excess of deposits but this will not have any lasting influence on nominal income. After all, if the public doesn't desire new deposits, this excess will either quickly reflux back to the issuer, or it will displace competing deposits created by another bank and these deposits will reflux. To keep its deposits suspended in the economy will require a commitment of resources (say a superior interest rate). But resources are finite, unlike the widow's cruse.
Central banks didn't always have cruse. As David Glasner reminds us, when a central bank's liabilities, say those of the Bank of England, were convertible into gold, the Bank couldn't issue in excess of the public's desire for central bank notes. Unwanted notes would quickly return back to the Bank, inhibiting the Bank from having any macroeconomically important effects. The Bank of England, much like a modern commercial bank, could affect neither prices nor quantities via excess note issuance.
So what are the sufficient conditions for having a cruse? Consider that there are all sorts of financial instruments that can be expanded indefinitely. A company can continue issuing corporate stock, for instance, as long as it wants. To crib from Tobin, any expansion of corporate assets will generate a corresponding expansion of corporate liabilities, or in this case, equity. The mechanism for the creation of stock does not have an equivalent mechanism for the extinction and contraction of said stock. Without an instant-convertibility clause, stock is a perpetual instrument, much like modern central bank money. [For more along this line, see Money: is it immortal or does it die young?].
Despite its perpetual nature, I don't think that a stock-issuing company is blessed with a widow's cruse. An exogenous increase in the quantity of an individual company's stock will only affect relative asset prices; it won't change an economy's nominal income. To paraphrase Tobin, the burden of adaptation to an increase in the quantity of a corporate stock is not placed on the entire economy. This is because prices in an economy are not denominated in units of a given corporate stock, but in dollars, pounds, or whatever. Central bank money, on the other hand, is the economy's unit of account. The entire economy is burdened by the necessity of adapting to an increase in its supply.
So what does it take to have a widow's cruse? Two things. The liabilities of the issuer must be perpetual and non-convertible upon demand. Secondly, shops and markets must use those liabilities as a unit of account. Only when these two conditions will a widow's cruse have emerged. Commercial banks pass the latter but fail the former. Stock-issuing non-financial corporations pass the former but fail the latter. Only modern central bank money is both.
The lever on which a central bank pushes or pulls in order to keep its target variable (say inflation) on track is commonly referred to as the central bank's policy instrument. The policy instrument is the variable that is under the direct control of a central banker. The classic story is that the pre-2008 Fed conducted monetary policy via its policy instrument of choice—the federal funds rate. By pushing the fed funds lever up or down, the Fed could change the entire spectrum of market interest rates.
I think this is wrong. The fed funds rate was never the Fed's actual policy instrument. Now this isn't a novel claim. Market monetarists tend to say the same thing. According to folks like Nick Rowe, the quantity of money has always been the Fed's true policy instrument. The fed funds rate was little more than a useful shortcut (a communications device) adopted by the Fed to convey to the public what it intended to do.
I'm sympathetic to the market monetarist's position, although I'm not entirely in the same corner. I agree that the Fed's policy instrument was never the fed funds rate. But I'm going to go one further than the market monetarists and say that the Fed's real policy instrument prior to 2008 was always the non-pecuniary return on reserves.
What do I mean by non-pecuniary return? All assets are expected to provide a sufficient return to their holder. This expected return can be decomposed into a pecuniary and a non-pecuniary component. Financial assets, for instance, tend to provide only pecuniary returns. These come in the form of expected interest payments, dividends, and capital appreciation. Non financial assets like couches, books, and cutlery tend to provide only non-pecuniary returns. These non-pecuniary returns come in the form of future consumption (dated consumption claims), protection from uncertainty, status, etc. Complex assets like houses provide both pecuniary and non-pecuniary returns. We expect to enjoy the shelter provided by our house, and we simultaneously expect it to provide a capital gain when we sell it.
Note that another word for non-pecuniary return is convenience yield. I'll use the two interchangeably from here on in.
In well-functioning markets, all assets provide the same total expected return. If some asset begins to throw off excess returns, people will buy it up till its price has risen to the point that the cost of acquiring that asset offsets its superior return. Vice versa with an asset that begins to throw off deficient returns.
Central bank reserves are like any other asset. They provide an expected return that can be decomposed into pecuniary and non-pecuniary components. Perhaps somewhat oddly for a financial asset, reserves have never provided a pecuniary return, at least not before 2008. This is because reserves failed to pay interest. (In fact, reserves have always provided a slightly negative pecuniary return. They are generally expected to fall in price, burdening holders with a negative capital gain).
Reserves, therefore, are only held because their non-pecuniary return, or convenience yield, is sufficiently large to compensate their owners for a lack of a pecuniary return. [From here on in, it goes without saying that I am talking about the pre-2008 Fed]. What is the nature of this yield? Reserves are the main instrument used for interbank payments and settlement. Should an emergency arise necessitating an immediate payment, a banker can always put his or her inventory of reserves to use. If a banker foregos holding an inventory of reserves, he or she will have to bear the risk of not being able to quickly obtain sufficient reserves for potential unforeseen payments requirements. Reserves are to a banker what a fire alarm is to a household— while neither provides an explicit pecuniary benefit, both assets provide their owners with ongoing protection from the uncertainty of future events. Bankers and households alike expect to "consume" this convenience over the life of the asset, earning the same total return they would on their other assets.
It is the convenience yield on reserves, and not the fed funds rate, that serves as the Fed's policy instrument. By manipulating the convenience yield—the non-pecuniary return provided by reserves—the Fed exercises monetary policy. When the Fed improves the convenience yield on reserves, reserves will provide a superior expected return relative to all other assets in an economy. Rational agents will bid the price of reserves up, and the price level down. When it hurts the convenience yield, reserves will provide an inferior expected return relative to all other assets in an economy. Rational agents will now cry the price of reserves down, and the price level up.
One way to alter the convenience yield on reserves is to change their quantity via open market operations. As the supply of reserves shrinks via open market sales, the marginal reserve provides an ever improving convenience yield. Rational agents will seek to earn an excess return on their portfolios by buying superior-yielding reserves and selling other assets. This causes a fall in the price level until reserves no longer provide superior returns. Conversely, as the supply of reserves is increased via open market purchases, the marginal reserve provides an ever shrinking convenience yield. Rational agents will try to rid themselves of inferior-yielding reserves, causing a decline in the price of reserves, the mirror image of which is a rise in the price level.
There's a second way to change the convenience yield on reserves. Keep the quantity fixed, but make reserves more convenient! Just like an auto manufacturer can improve the expected convenience yield of a car by adding more features—cup holders, AWD, safety air bags, inboard TV, you name it—the Fed can also improve the expected convenience yield on reserves by souping them up. One popular add-on has always been the required reserve stipulation. As a condition of participation in the payments system, a central bank may require member banks to hold a certain quantity of reserves contingent on the number of deposits that each member has issued to the public. Where before central bank reserves were valued primarily for their role in settlement, now reserves can also be held to fulfill the reserve requirement, enabling the bank to continue as a payments system member in good standing. Voilà, reserves are now doubly-convenient since they can perform two roles, not just one. Henceforth, any increase in reserve requirements improves the convenience yield on reserves and any decrease will hurt their convenience yield.
If the Fed's monetary policy instrument has always been the convenience yield on reserves and not short term interest rates, as is commonly supposed, why all the hoopla about the federal funds rate? Why do central banks talk so much about manipulating overnight interest rates?
The problem with doing monetary policy in terms of convenience yields is that convenience yields are not directly visible. We know that they exist, but we can't really see them. This leaves the Fed in a conundrum, because if it tries to communicate about monetary policy, it can only talk about raising or lowering the hidden convenience yield on reserves, but it can't go into any numeric depth on the issue.
But wait! There are indirect ways to measure convenience yields. One way is to ask people how much money they expect to earn if they forgo the convenience of some asset for a duration of time. The rent they expect to earn in compensation should "shadow" the convenience yield. The more convenient an asset becomes, the higher the rent the asset holder expects to be compensated with if they are to do without that asset for a period of time. The less convenient, the lower the rent.
The federal funds market is the rental market for reserves. Banks can either hold reserves and enjoy their convenience, or they can rent their reserves out to other banks, foregoing the convenience of reserves for a period of time but earning compensatory payments. These payments are the rental value of reserves, or the fed funds rate. The fed funds rate is driven by the convenience yield on reserves. So when reserves are made more convenient by the Fed, banks will expect to earn a higher fed funds rate as compensation from borrowers. When the fed funds rate falls, that means that reserves have been made less convenient.
So the fed funds market provides a numeric manifestation of the unobservable convenience yield on reserves. The Fed can use this manifestation as a stand-in for communicating with the public, describing monetary policy as-if it was directly manipulating the fed funds rate whereas in actuality the convenience yield is the Fed's true policy instrument. In the 1990s and 2000s, when the Fed announced changes in the fed funds rate target, it was doing nothing more than describing to the public how a change in the underlying convenience yield would appear to the superficial observer. As Nick Rowe says, interest rate targeting is not reality, its a way of framing reality.
The fed funds rate also serves the Fed's Open Market Committee as a useful sign post, or indicator, that provides information on the way to hitting its final price target. For each modification it makes in the convenience yield, the FOMC can measure how successful it has been by referring to how far the fed funds rate has moved in response. Alternatively, the FOMC can use the fed funds rate as a guide for stabilizing what would otherwise be an invisible and difficult to manage convenience yield. In general, the Fed has tried to keep the convenience yield on reserves flat for extended periods of time between meetings. Whenever the fed funds market blips up or down in the interim, the Fed can use these blips as indicators that it is not keeping the underlying convenience yield steady. Action, either OMOs or reserve requirement changes, will be used to bring the convenience yield on reserves back into its holding pattern.
But the key point here is that the federal funds rate is NOT doing the heavy lifting in monetary policy. The federal funds rate only responds passively to changes in the Fed's true policy instrument—the convenience yield on reserves. Fed-induced changes in the convenience yield create an instantaneous and simultaneous reaction in all markets, including the fed funds market, bond markets, stock markets, labour markets, goods markets, and commodity markets. The fed funds rate isn't the first price to react, nor is it the pivot around which the full network of other market rates move. That we use the fed funds market to measure the reaction of the economy to a change in the policy instrument rather than using, say, commodity markets, is merely for the sake of ease. The funds rate just happens to be the one that provides the most noise-free signal for how much the convenience yield has been manipulated.
...but not a perfect noise-free signal. The fed funds rate's ability to act at a good reflection of the underlying convenience yield comes to an end when it gets too low. Even as the Fed continues to reduce the convenience yield, the fed funds rate falls to 0% from where it refuses to budge, conveying the impression—an improper one—that the Fed's policy instrument is powerless. But further reductions in the convenience yield, and a higher price level, ARE still possible.
My point here is very similar to the one that Nick Rowe makes when he says that interest rates "go mute" at zero. This is an important point I never grasped intuitively till I began to think of Fed policy as the manipulation of convenience yields. The main difference between the two of us is that Nick takes the "money" view, which looks at absolute quantities of money, while I take a "moneyness view", which means I'm interested in monetary convenience yields [on money vs. moneyness]. We arrive at the same final destination, though, albeit by different roads.
Plenty of things changed after October 2008. I suppose I could go into this in more detail, but this post is already too long. Suffice it to say that reserves ceased offering a present non-pecuniary return and began offering a pecuniary return. The latter is IOR (interest-on-reserves). The non-pecuniary return has shrunk because there is currently such a glut of reserves in the system that the marginal reserve no longer offers its owner a present convenience yield. All of these changes complicate the picture.
There's plenty more to say on all this stuff, but this post is heavy enough. Just keep in mind that thinking in terms of convenience yields and not the federal funds rate opens up a whole new world. The idea that the funds rate was ever the policy instrument should be confined to the trash bin. More later.
Scott Sumner ignores banks, so what?
In response to a recent comment by Cullen Roche, Scott Sumner wrote that "I have no interest in banking or bookkeeping. My interest is monetary policy."
Now this is a point that Sumner has made before. For instance, he wrote an old post back in January entitled Keeping Banks out of Macro, in which he claimed that bank lending "is not a causal factor—it mostly reflects the growth rate of NGDP."
To Minskyites and Post Keynesians like Cullen, who put a lot of importance on the banking system and the financial instability that results from bank failures, this claim is blasphemous. But given the side of the field from which Sumner comes from, I think he makes a lot of sense. As Sumner points out in his comment, his main interest is monetary policy, and Sumnerian monetary policy boils down to exercising control over NGDP. Sumner usually explains this by reference to the medium of account role of money, and though I think his terminology is a bit buggy, I agree with him.* By wielding its control over base money, or what Sumner calls the medium of account, the Fed can push up the price level, and therefore NGDP, to whatever heights it wants to.
This relates back to my previous post in which I made the analogy of a central bank's power to Archimedes's boast that he could move the world. Give a central banker a long enough lever and a fulcrum on which to place it, and he'll move prices and therefore NGDP as high as he wishes.
Whether there is a banking system or not in the picture will interfere in no way with a central banker's Archimedean lever. Here's a very short explanation for why banks don't change anything. Think of a private bank deposit as a call option on central bank base money. Any bank that holds another bank's deposits can "put them back" to the issuer whenever they wish in return for an equivalent amount of central bank deposits or notes. Similarly, a consumer or business holding a bank deposit can always convert them into an identical quantity of central bank cash. This one-to-one correspondence between underlying central bank money and bank deposits, enforced by the option to convert, means that if the purchasing power of base money declines, then so must the purchasing power of a bank deposit.
The correspondence between option and underlying is fairly non-controversial. If Apple's stock price falls, then options to buy Apple will fall too. If the options fail to fall in sync with the underlying stock, arbitrageurs will sell options and buy Apple until the gap has disappeared. Just so, if a central bank drives down the purchasing power of base money, a failure of bank deposits to corroborate the fall of the underlying will be exploited by arbitrageurs until that failure has disappeared. Of course in practice we almost never see a difference between the price of central bank money and bank deposits. The process is so automatic that we never think about it.
it is convenient to view the value of money as being determined by the supply of and the demand for base money, which then determines the value of inside money via the arbitrage opportunities created by the convertibility of inside into outside money.
In David's quote, inside money is bank deposits, and outside money is central bank notes and deposits.
So to sum up, since a central banker has precise control of the purchasing power of the liabilities that it issues (explained in my previous post), it will automatically exercise that same control over the purchasing power of the liabilities of the entire banking system, insofar as private banking deposits function as call options on underlying central bank liabilities. Should Ben Bernanke desire to push up NGDP by 10%, he need only hurt the purchasing power of his own liabilities, and this will be immediately reflected in a fall in the purchasing power of all derivative US dollar bank deposits. In a world without banks, Bernanke would exercise just as much control over the price level. Given the observational equivalence of a world with banking and one without, I don't think Sumner, who is primarily interested in manipulating NGDP, is off base in his lack of interest in banking.
Of course, Sumner may have an entirely different reason for ignoring banking than the explanation I've put forward. As for banking in general, I do I think it is important to understand it since there is more to understanding economies than the range of issues that interest Sumner.
*I think the unit of account role is a more accurate word to use than medium of account. Shops post prices in terms of the unit of account, not the medium of account.
Update: Cullen Roche adds a response.
I'm running into a lot of central bank doubt lately. Mike Sax and Unlearning Economics, for instance, both question the ability of the Federal Reserve to create inflation and therefore set NGDP. The title of my post borrows from Archimedes. Give any central banker full reign and they'll be able to increase NGDP by whatever amount they desire. But if rules prevent a central banker from building a sufficiently long lever, or choosing the right spot to place the fulcrum, then their ability to go about the task of pushing up NGDP will be difficult. It is laws, not nature, that impinge on a central bankers ability to hit higher NGDP targets.
Sax and Unlearning give market monetarists like Scott Sumner, king of NGDP targeting, a hard time for not explaining the "hot potato" transmission mechanism by which an increase in the money supply causes higher NGDP. I'm sympathetic to their criticisms. I've never entirely understood the precise market monetarist process for getting from A to B to C. Nick Rowe would probably call me out as one of the people of the concrete steppes, and no doubt I'd be guilty as charged. But I've always enjoyed looking under the hood of central banking in an effort to figure out how all the gears interact.
Given the opacity of the market monetarist mechanism, here's my own explanation for how central banks can jack up the price level to whatever height they desire.
The central bank's Archimedean lever is their ability to degrade, or lower the return, on the dollar liabilities it issues. Any degradation in central bank liabilities must ignite a "musical chairs" effect as the banks holding these now inferior liabilities madly seek to sell them. Their value will fall to a lower level (ie the price level will rise) until the market is once again satisfied with the expected return from holding them… at least until the central bank starts to degrade their return again. Because an uninhibited central bank can perpetually hurt the quality of its issued liabilities, it can perpetually create higher inflation and NGDP. It only hits a limit when it has degraded the quality of its liabilities to the point of worthlessness. When that happens the price level ceases to exist.
Let's get more specific on how a central bank degrades the return on its liabilities.
Any central bank that pays interest on deposits can degrade their return by pushing interest rates down. From an original position in which all asset returns are equal, a decline in rates suddenly makes central bank deposits worse off than all other competing assets. Profit-seeking banks will simultaneously try to offload their deposits in order to restore the expected return on their portfolios. But not every bank can sell at the same time, so the price of deposits must drop. Put differently, inflation occurs. Once deposits have fallen low enough, or alternatively, once the price level has inflated high enough, the expected return on deposits will once again be competitive with the return on other assets. Voilà, NGDP is at a new and higher plateau.
Just as a central bank can degrade the pecuniary interest return on deposits, it can degrade their non-pecuniary return. It does so by injecting ever more deposits into the system. With each injection , the marginal deposit provides a steadily deteriorating non-pecuniary benefit to its holder. The bigger the glut of deposits, the worse their return relative to all other assets in the economy. Banks, anxious to earn a competitive return, will race to sell their deposit holdings. The price of deposits will drop to a sufficiently low enough level to coax the market to once again hold them. This is inflation.
But what if a central bank needs to degrade its assets even more than this in order to get NGDP to rise? Can it inject more deposits? This will achieve little because once deposits are plentiful, their non-pecuniary benefit hits zero. When there is no non-pecuniary return left for a central bank to reduce, successive injections will be irrelevant with regards to the price level. More on this later.
Can it reduce interest rates below zero? We know this will pose a problem because if the central bank embarks into negative territory, it risks having all of its negative yielding deposits being converted into 0% yielding cash. And when this happens the central banks loses its interest rate lever altogether. This is the so-called zero-lower bound.
But let's say Miles's option is off the table. A second approach is the New Keynesian one. Even if a central bank can't make their depositors worse off today -- they already pay the minimum 0%, after all, and can't go lower -- a central banker can promise to make depositors worse off tomorrow by maintaining rates at 0% for longer than they otherwise should. To avoid being hurt tomorrow, depositors will simultaneously try to offload the central bank's liabilities today until their price reaches a level low enough to compensate the market. Thus a promise to degrade in the future creates present inflation and higher NGDP.
QE is another oft-mentioned approach for increasing NGPD, but it won't be very effective. If deposits on the margin have already ceased providing non-pecuniary returns, introducing more of them makes little difference. As I noted in these two posts, large purchase will only have an effect if they were carried out at the wrong prices. Here, the Fed would be effectively "printing" new liabilities and purchasing an insufficient amount of earnings-generating assets to support those liabilities. As long as the market doesn't expect the government to bail out the irresponsible central bank by immediately topping it up with new assets, central bank liabilities will be forthwith flagged as being more risky. This means that relative to other assets, the return on deposits is now insufficiently low. Only a fall in their price, or inflation and higher NGDP, will coax investors to hold deposits again.
The above is a very Sproulian way of hitting higher NGDP targets.
Because modern-day QE has been carried out at market rates in big, liquid markets, and not at the wrong prices, central banks doing QE have amassed a sufficient amount of earnings-generating assets to support their liabilities, and therefore fail to compromise their underlying quality. QE is a poor lever for increasing inflation and hitting higher NGDP.
Here is the last Archimedean lever for degrading central bank liabilities and pushing up NGDP. As I've already pointed out, the New Keynesians want to reduce the present interest return on deposits by attacking future returns. We can appropriate this forward-looking strategy and use it to attack the future non-pecuniary returns provided by deposits.
Say that a central bank promises to put off making deposits scarce again in the future. Put differently, it says that it won't mop up excess deposits with open market sales till well-after the expected date. This means that the future reversion of deposits to their special status as 'rare settlement asset' will have been pushed down the road. As long as this commitment is credible, then the market's assessment of the future marginal non-pecuniary return thrown off by a deposit -- a function of their rarity -- will be reduced. Today's deposit holders, conscious of not just present but future returns, will now be holding a worse asset than they were before the announcement. They will simultaneously try to sell deposits until their price has fallen to a low enough level to bribe the market into once again owning deposits . Once again, we've created inflation and higher NGDP.
This last lever seems to me to be a decent market monetarist transmission mechanism. You'll notice that it is similar to the New Keynesian lever in that it endeavors to reduce the present return on deposits by promising to attack their future return. Maybe that's why I've had so many difficulties dehomogenizing Krugman and Sumner -- they both want to attack future returns. Where the argument between them gets heated concerns the specific return each group wants to attack: New Keynesians want to push down future interest rates, whereas Market Monetarists absolutely despise talking in terms of interest rates.
From a concrete steppes person to any market monetarists who may be reading this: what do you have to say about the above transmission mechanism? In emphasizing the importance of the quantity of money and expectations, aren't market monetarists really just proposing to attack the future non-pecuniary return on deposits? Aren't they guaranteeing to put off sucking out excess deposits till well after they responsibly should?
Now some of these techniques are legal and some aren't. The most direct ones are not, namely Miles's negative interest rates and open market operations at silly prices. I call these the most direct strategies because their success doesn't depend on long range commitments to attack future returns. The problem with commitments to reduce future returns, i.e. numbers 3 and 4, or the "Krugmnerian" position, is that they require future central bankers (and their political masters) to uphold their end of the bargain. If the market has little confidence in the wherewithal of future central bankers to carry through on their predecessor's promises, then a central bank will not be able to reduce present returns by attacking future returns. Positions 1 and 2, on the other hand, directly reduce today's returns on deposits and therefore are less dependent on the future actions of others.
So to sum up, to doubt that a central bank can drive up NGDP is to doubt that the central bank can manipulate their omnipotent Archimidean lever, namely their ability to degrade its own liabilities. Certain laws might prevent degradation. So do frictions put up by the politically-linked nature of central bank policy. But as long as these impediments are removed, then nothing can prevent a central bank from pushing up NGDP.
You can accept all of these points and still believe in so-called "endogenous money". It doesn't change anything.
* For now I'm agnostic about the last bit of Scott's phrase, namely "impact the business cycle". In this post I've worked purely with the price side of things. The careful reader may notice that Scott's quote is a working-over of an old Rothschild quote: "Give me control of a nations money supply, and I care not who makes it’s laws."
** Another word for non-pecuniary return is convenience yield. When writing in a purely monetary context, I've referred to the specific non-pecuniary return provided by exchange media is their monetary optionality, or their moneyness.
*** One other lever for degrading is a policy of randomly freezing deposits. I've written about this here. Say that deposits are plentiful such that the marginal deposit no longer yields a non-pecuniary return. It's still possible to decrease this return even further. Say banks face the possibility that the central bank might randomly block their access to deposits for a period of time. Central bank liabilities, once excellent settlement media, are no longer as effective due to potential embargoes preventing them from serving that purpose. Their non-pecuniary return now less than before, banks will hastily try to sell deposit holdings in order to maintain the expected return of their portfolios. Prices rise, as does NGDP. Like negative interest rates, at some onerous rate of embargoing deposits, depositors will flee into non-embargoed 0% cash. So some scheme like Miles Kimball's floating exchange rate between cash and deposits is necessary to prevent mass conversion into paper.
****I'm not saying Mike Sproul necessarily advocates this policy, but if he did need to jack up inflation, I think it might be one of his go-to options since it is entirely consistent with his "backing" theory.
Market monetarists and "buying up everything"
Market monetarists have a reductio ad absurdum that they like to throw in the face of anyone who doubts the ability of central banks to create inflation. It goes like this; "So, buddy, you deny that central bank purchases can have an affect on the price level? What if a central bank were to buy up every asset in the world? Wouldn't that create inflation?" Since it would be absurd to disagree with their point, the buying up everything gambit usually carries the day.
In this post I'll bite. I'm going to show how a money issuer can buy up all of an economy's assets without having much of an effect on the price level.
Let's return to my Google parable from last week. You don't have to read it, but you should. If you don't have the time, here's a brief summary. In an alternate world, Google stock has become the world's most popular exchange media and all prices are expressed in terms of Google shares. Google conducts monetary policy by changing the return it offers shareholders, thereby ensuring the price level is stable. The reason I'm using a Google monetary world rather than our own is that it cuts through all the accumulated baggage associated with our central bank-dominated monetary discussion. A new set of lenses may let us see a bit more clearly.
Say that financial assets trade at or near fundamental value, where fundamental value is the present value of returns to which assets are a claim. Deviations from fundamental value are fleeting since investors will either buy undervalued assets or short overvalued ones.
Google starts printing huge amounts of new shares and injecting them into the economy by buying stocks, bonds, commercial paper, derivatives, and whatnot. Their wallets flush with new Google cash, individuals start to spend away unneeded cash balances, putting downward pressure on Google's share price, and upward pressure on prices. Google's mandated doubling of the price level seems well on its way to being fulfilled.
But something halts the decline. The moment that anxious sellers push Google shares below fundamental value, investors step in and buy all shares offered. No matter how long Google's buying rampage continues, and how large the supply of Google cash in the economy, these investors mop up all unwanted shares. This has the effect of putting a floor under the price of the stock, and vice versa places a ceiling on the amount of inflation that can be created. Thanks to the investment demand for its shares, Google can buy up all the world's assets while hardly causing an increase in the price level.
The reason that investors willingly set a floor beneath Google's stock price is that Google is buying up assets at market prices, as stipulated by its charter. In buying at these prices, Google's fundamental value will never change, no matter how many shares it prints. Say that equity in our Google universe tends to trade at a risk-adjusted multiple of 10x earnings (i.e. a share is worth ten times current per-share earnings). Since Google is prohibited from paying more than 10x risk-adjusted earnings for the assets it acquires, and is itself valued at the same 10x earnings multiple, its fundamental value after each acquisition remains the same. In other words, Google has the same per-share earnings throughout its purchasing campaign. When anxious transactors try to rid their wallets of the excess exchange media created by Google "printing", -- say they drive Google shares towards 9x earnings -- savvy investors will immediately jump in and buy the undervalued stock, enjoying a free lunch until they've pushed Google's price back up to its fundamental value of 10x earnings.
So contra the market monetarist claim, the economy's reigning monetary superpower can print and buy up all the world's financial assets -- yet not cause inflation.
There are a few simplifications I've made here. Acquirers incur transaction costs. Commissions must be paid to investment bankers, for one. Secondly, there really is no such thing as "one market price". Financial assets trade in a range called the bid-ask spread. If Google always buys at the higher ask price rather than patiently waiting to be filled at the lower bid price, then it will consistently lose small amounts on each transaction. This means that after each acquisition, Google's fundamental value will have declined by a few beeps, and investors will bid Google shares down a bit. But this transaction effect is small, nor is it equivalent to the effect that market monetarists are talking about when they refer to central bank power over the price level.
Now back to the real world. Whatever general rules of finance that apply to Google's highly liquid financial media apply just as ably to the Fed's highly liquid financial media. See my previous post on this. So take out every mention of Google share in the above text and substitute it with Fed deposit and the same conclusions can be drawn.
Lastly, just like Google's charter prevents it from overpaying, the Federal Reserve Act specifies that the Fed must buy all assets in the open and liquid market, effectively preventing the Fed from overpaying for assets. So our analogy is more appropriate than one might initially assume.
PS. I'm not saying that central banks can never push up the price level via mass purchases. I'm saying that given a certain set of constraints, a central banker can buy up every single asset in the economy without having much of an effect on the price level. It is interesting that this constraint, embodied in our hypothetical Google's charter, approximates to the rules that actually govern the Fed and other central banks -- namely that assets must be bought at market prices. Remove this constraint and it would be very easy for either Google or a central bank to push up the price level, as my previous post showed.
In trying to understand how modern monetary policy works, I find it useful to create parables, or alternate monetary worlds, and put them through the wringer. Hopefully I can learn a bit about our own world via these bizarro universes.
Let's say that in an alternate universe, people have decided to use Google stock (in bearer and digital form) as way to conduct most transactions. To top it off, all prices are set in fractions of a Google share. Shares get issued into the economy when Google pays employees with stock, makes corporate acquisitions, or purchases things from suppliers. Shares are removed when Google does buybacks.
In our alternate universe, people hold Google shares in bearer format in their wallets, or they own shares as electronic entries in a centralized database. Should you walk into a store to buy cigarettes, the sticker price might be 0.3 Googles. You can either hand over 3 Google bearer shares, each equal to 1/10th of a full share, or you might electronically debit your Google share account for the full amount.
Like any other share, a Google share is also a claim on the cash flows of the underlying business. Say that a week has passed and Google's shares have exploded in value due to higher margins announced at their quarterly earnings call. Now when you go to the store to buy cigarettes, they cost only 0.1 Googles. Alternatively, Google's prospects take a turn for the worse when it is sued for massive copyright infringement. Now when you go to buy cigarettes, a pack costs you 0.8 Googles. You get the point. A Google price level would be highly volatile, with all the thorny macroeconomic implications that such instability brings with it.
Google has come to recognize the public service that Google shares provide as both a medium of exchange and a unit in which other people post prices. It decides to take steps to ensure that Google shares neither rise too fast nor fall too much, or, put differently, that the general price level should be stable.
One way Google can go about managing the price level is by varying the returns that shareholders enjoy. If the general price level is falling too fast, or, put differently, if Google shares are in a bull trend, CEO Larry Page may choose to suddenly announce that going forward, less earnings will flow to shareholders. By increasing the interest coupon on all Google-issued bonds, a larger share of profits will be diverted from the equity class to bondholders. In reaction to this announcement, Google's share price fall and, conversely, the price level begins to rise. This only makes sense. After all, in one fell swoop the present value of future Google shareholder income, often called fundamental value, has been reduced.
On the other hand, if inflation is the problem (i.e.if Google shares are collapsing), Larry Page might announce that henceforth bond coupons are to be cut, thus diverting more of the firm's profits back to shareholders. The share price will pull out of its bear trend -- after all, shareholders can expect a greater discounted flow of income than before -- and conversely, the price level will cease bounding upwards.
Larry Page has thus emerged as the economy's price-level setter. By either diverting profits away from or sluicing profits towards shareholders, Page holds the general price-level steady.
What do Google open market purchases do?
You'll note that I haven't mentioned money supply changes (ie. Google share supply changes) as the driver of the price level. Changes in the quality of Google shares -- their fundamental value -- and not the quantity of shares have been driving the price level up till now.
In fact, the classical example of an increase in the quantity of money -- broad open market purchases of assets -- needn't make much of a difference to our Google-determined price level. As long as Google consistently buys liquid and quality earning assets with newly printed shares and/or invests in decent projects that are neither over- nor underpriced, then all shareholders will retain the same claim on earnings that they did prior to the open market operations being conducted. Fundamental value remaining constant upon the completion of open market purchases, Google's share price will remain unchanged, as will the economy-wide price level.
This isn't to say that open market purchases are always neutral. One way for Google to use open market operations to affect the price level would be to issue new shares in such a way that upon completion, Google's per share earnings will have declined. We can call these sorts of transactions dilutive acquisitions. The best way to make a dilutive acquisition is to overpay for assets or buy worthless assets. Put in a bid for a collection of awful paintings, offer to pay a 50% premium to take out a company that already trades at fair value, or purchase a rail car full of carrots set to go bad the next day. Each of these transactions will permanently impair Google's per-share earnings base and destroy fundamental value. Google's share price will plummet to a new and lower floor as a result, the mirror image of which is a jump in the economy's price level.
On the flip side, Google can fight inflation by making a series of stock-financed accretive acquisitions. Buy up companies trading at undervalued prices and/or invest in projects with superior risk-adjusted yields. As a result of an accretive open market purchase, Google shareholders will enjoy an increase in per-share earnings. Should Google shares be in the midst of a bear trend (ie. inflation), a series of these accretive acquisitions will halt the bear and stabilize the price level.
There is a lack of symmetry between overpaying to stop a deflation in the Google price level and underpaying to stop an inflation. One is easier to do than the other. To overpay for something, just go to any store and offer twice the sticker price for an item. No store owner will try to dissuade you. Google could offer to buy a few million shares of Microsoft at 20% above market value. They'd have no shortage of investors willing to take them up on that offer. On the other hand, try walking into the same store and offering to pay half the indicated sticker price, or watch Google try to wade into the market for Microsoft shares only to bid 20% under the current price. You're not going to be able to buy anything at the store, nor will Google get any offers for Microsoft.
The upshot of this asymmetry is that it's far easier for Google to stop a deflation with open market purchases than to stop an inflation with open market purchases.
If Google announced its own version of QE or QE2, say $500 billion in upcoming treasury bond purchases, neither the announcement nor the actual purchases would be likely to affect the price level much. This is because the markets in which Google is buying assets are very deep and the announced purchases are being conducted at market prices. Google's risk-adjusted per share earnings, or fundamental value, will be the same both before and after QE.
In order to get the price level to rise or, equivalently, the value of Google shares to fall, rather than announcing QE of $x billion, Google should announce purchases of $x billion at a y% premium to the last market price. The losses incurred upon acquiring these assets at non-market prices would immediately drive the value of Google shares down, and the price level up. So the way to give QE bite is to be irresponsible and conduct purchases at silly prices.
Having just said that Google open market purchases are irrelevant if they target assets trading at market values, I'm going to backtrack a bit. This isn't entirely correct, because we need to include the idea of a Google liquidity premium.
Before Google shares ever became popular as exchange media, they were valued as mere equity claims. Rational traders would have ensured that the price of shares did not fluctuate far from their fundamental value, or the risk-adjusted net present value of cash flows thrown off by Google's underlying business. In this respect, Google stock was like any other stock, whether it be Apple, Cisco, or Exxon.
As Google shares became more widely used as exchange media, their price would have risen above fundamental value by a thin sliver called a liquidity premium. In essence, where before a Google share threw off a single pecuniary stream of cash flows, that same share now throws off not only the pecuniary stream but also a stream of non-pecuniary services related to its liquidity. All things staying the same, the addition of this extra non-pecuniary stream of services would have put a Google shareholder at an advantage relative to shareholders in other companies. After all, the quality of being moneylike, or having what I like to call "moneyness", is a desirable property in an asset. These excess returns would not have lasted long. The market would quickly bid up the price of Google stock until it offered a return commensurate with all other assets. The amount by which Google's price would have been bid up is what we call the liquidity premium.
The general price level thus contains within it two components. The first and original component is explained by Google's fundamental value. The rest of the price level is related to Google's liquidity, or a liquidity premium.
As already noted, QE, or open market operations at market prices, can't affect the first component. Both before and after QE, Google's per-share cashflow stay the same. But QE can affect the latter component, the liquidity premium. The increase in the supply of shares brought about by QE means that the marginal owner of Google exchange media finds their demand for liquidity satiated. What follows is the hot potato effect that market monetarists so dearly cherish. Those with an excess supply of Google exchange media will sell whatever shares (ie. cash) they no longer need, putting downward pressure on the price of shares and upward pressure on the price level. This is the classical quantity theory of money, in which an increase in the supply of media of exchange pushes the price level higher.
But the hot potato effect will not cause shares to fall by more than the value of their liquidity premium. If they fall by more, then share's will effectively be worth less than their fundamental value, a situation that won't last long as rational investors bid share prices back up. There is a floor below which more QE simply has no effect.
The depths to which Google's price falls because of QE depends on the size of the liquidity premium relative to fundamental value. The larger the liquidity premium, the more there is for QE to shrink, and the greater the price-level effect. I doubt that Google's liquidity premia will be very large, especially in open and competitive markets, so I don't think QE will push the shares down much or bring prices up too high. To get a massive rise in the price level, better for Google to announce QE at non-market prices. The effect would be a double whammy: not only would Google's liquidity premium shrink via the classical hot potato effect, but its fundamental value would deteriorate too.
Having explored our Google monetary universe, let's transfer what we've learnt to our own universe in which central banks such as the Federal Reserve are monetary dominant.
Just as Google varies the price level by fiddling with the return on Google stock, the Fed can vary the price level by toying with the return that investors expect to enjoy on Fed-issued financial instruments. One obvious difference is that Google issues stock whereas the Fed issues deposits. But this is a difference of degree, not of kind. Both a deposit and a stock are instruments that provide a claim on their issuer. A deposit provides a safer fixed claim whereas a stock provides a riskier floating claim, but at the end of the day both instruments derive their value from their ability to act as titles to underlying businesses. The better the underlying business, the more valuable each respective claim will be.
If inflation is moving up too fast, the Fed can divert extra income towards depositors by increasing the interest rate it offers on deposits. This notching up of the interest rate enhances the life-time value of cash flows thrown off to owners of central bank deposits relative to other assets. This excess return will be quickly arbitraged away as investors compete to buy deposits, pushing their price up until they offer the same return as all other assets. This brings the general price level down, nipping inflation in the bud.
Vice versa, if the price level is deflating too fast (ie. if deposits are rising in value), the Fed can reduce the interest rate on deposits. This lowers the return on deposits relative to all other assets in the economy. Investors sell deposits until their price has fallen to a low enough level that they once again offer a competitive return. Thus the Fed terminates an incipient deflation.
Large open market purchases at market prices bring in a sufficient amount of earning assets to ensure that depositors will always receive the same risk-adjusted return that they enjoyed prior to the open market operations. There is thus no reason for the market to bid the price of deposits down when the Fed announces open market operations. Deposits are just as fundamentally sound as they were before.
On the other hand, if the Fed creates new deposits to purchase a collection of awful paintings, or offers to pay a 50% premium to take out a company already trading at fair value, or buys a rail car full of almost rotten carrots, the value of deposits will fall and the price level rise. This is because the Fed now owns less income-generating assets than before, thereby rendering it more difficult to make future interest payments to depositors. The risk-adjusted return on deposits -- their fundamental value -- has deteriorated. Investors will quickly bid down the price of Fed deposits until they once again offer a sufficient return to compete with other assets. A series of these dilutive purchases, much like Google's dilutive purchases, will put a halt to any deflation.
As in Google's case, open market purchases at market prices can't hurt the underlying fundamental value of Fed-issued deposits. But purchases will still have a bite on the price level by reducing the liquidity premium on Fed deposits.
I'll hazard a guess that the liquidity premium on Fed deposits is normally much higher than what Google would enjoy in our Google monetary universe. This is because unlike Google, the Fed can force banks to use deposits as an interbank settlement medium. By limiting the amount of deposits it issues and inhibiting the ability of competitors to provide alternatives, the Fed ensures that its deposits command a higher liquidity premium than they would in a free market. Thus, open market purchases and sales, even at market rates, will typically have significant effects on prices since a proportionally larger part of the price level is explained by deposit liquidity premia. In other words, the monetarist hot potato effect is large.
This has all changed since 2008. The Federal Reserve operates with a massive amount of excess deposits, or reserves. The supply of deposits is no longer special, artificially limited, or difficult to acquire. This means that the liquidity premium on deposits is probably much lower than before. So while open market purchases at market rates may have some effect on reducing prices, they can only narrow what was already a very thin liquidity premium. In other words, today's hot potato effect set off by QE is a feeble version of what it was before 2008.
The Google price level is determined by two elements: the underlying earnings power of Google's business as well as a liquidity premium arising from the superior ease of transacting with Google shares. Google monetary operations can change the price level by working on either of these two elements. I've hypothesized that the same rules apply to the Fed.
If we can take one lesson from our Google monetary universe, it's that mass open market purchasing schemes like QE probably have little bite because they don't change the fundamental value of Google or the Fed. QE has been conducted at close-to-market prices, and therefore brings an appropriate amount of assets onto the Fed's balance sheet to support the deposits created.
Nor do mass open market operations affect the liquidity premium much, since the current glut of Fed-issued deposits means that their liquidity premium is probably very small. In order for QE to significantly push down the return provided by deposits, and drive up prices, the Fed needs to do more than announce large asset purchases -- it also needs to announce that it will buy at wrong prices.
This blog post is pretty much a mashup of everything I've read over the last few years from Nick Rowe, champion of the hot-potato effect, Mike Sproul, defender of the fundamental/backing theory of money, Stephen Williamson, who likes to talk about liquidity premia, and Miles Kimball, who introduced the blogosphere to Wallace Neutrality.
Everything I've said about Google open market purchases is just as applicable to open market sales. The classical quantity theory of money story is that open market sales reduce the supply of money, therefore causing deflation, or a fall in the price level. But if asset sales are conducted at the going market rate, then in Google's case, expected per-share earnings stays exactly the same as before and there is no reason to expect Google's share price to improve.
Google can use open market sales to affect the price level only if it sells assets at non-market prices. For instance, Google might conduct share buy backs when it perceives that its shares are underpriced. If Google execs have evaluated the situation correctly, then each open market sale will improve Google's financial situation and cause the share price to jump. On the other hand, Google can purposefully sell assets held in its portfolio at below-market prices in order to hurt fundamental value and cause inflation.
03.08.2013 - Changed "advantage relative to other shareholders" to "would have put a Google shareholder at an advantage relative to shareholders in other companies"
03.08.2013 - Added "moneyness" link.
21.08.2013 - "open market purchases at market prices can't hurt the underlying financial viability" ... financial viability changed to fundamental value.
| 2019-04-26T14:09:48 |
http://jpkoning.blogspot.com/2013/08/
|
0.999995 |
"This is a tour," said Megadeth front man and the conceptualist of Gigantour, Dave Mustaine, "for people who love the guitar solo."
As is this musical conglomeration of highlights of 2005's Gigantour, one of the top music tours last year. This two-disc DVD is a loud, in-your-face, and yet lighthearted showcase of not only Megadeth, but all the diverse bands Mustaine invited to join him for his metal festival.
Segments between each group show band members talking about how they came to be on the tour, and Mustaine also elaborates on how he came to choose the bands. Bobaflex, for example, was chosen partly because Mustaine's son is a fan of the group.
Mustaine not only comes across as the metal-head Megadeth fans know and love, but also the well spoken and intelligent man who brainstormed his project, and is so much more than just the long haired guy sneering over his guitar.
Bobaflex performing 'Better For Me' A nice blend of harmonies combined with a raw, crushing power. Bobaflex is also as entertaining to watch as they are to listen to, as each member gives a unique and colorful performance.
Nevermore doing 'Born' Overflowing with a heady dose of top-notch metal guitar licks. And during 'Enemies' there are several shots of the feral mosh pit.
Symphony X's Russel Allen remarked about Gigantour: "We just knew we need to do this." 'Inferno' and 'Sins And Shadows' showcased the bands Yngwie-ish guitar and keyboard parts, and put on a show of solid, traditional metal.
Life Of Agony really shows that they've got the goods. 'Day He Died' with it's concise grooves and modern sound. And during 'Love To Let You Down,' Life Of Agony's vocalist, Keith Caputo , is practically crawling out of his skin on stage, but there's no doubt this guy is going to take this band to the top.
Video game superstars - Fear Factory - doing 'Transgression' and 'Archetype,' and pounding out the metal with authoritative aggression.
Dream Theater's 'Glass Prison' and 'Panic Attack.' What can possibly be said about Dream Theater that's never been said before? Their performance, as per the norm for this band, is the culmination of a group of musicians each on top of their game, all working in unison and running like a high performance hot rod whilst never coming up for air.
Disc Two is loaded with interviews, back stage footage, and practical jokes. There's also an informal Pyro 101 course with the pyrotechnics dude, tours of the band's buses, and a tribute to Dimebag Darrell. Scenes from the Gigantour softball game critiqued by Major League Baseball hottie Mike Piazza which resulted in the auctioning off of the uniforms to benefit The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, an organization which supports music education.
There are also snippets of the Anthrax guys on and back stage, and giving Mustaine a personal performance in his dressing room in honor of his birthday. Sadly, there are no full-length songs by Anthrax included on the DVD.
Saying this DVD is a must for any metal music fan is a bit cliché, but it's also a huge understatement.
| 2019-04-19T14:52:15 |
http://www.unratedmagazine.com/Document.cfm?Page=CDReviews/index.cfm&CD_Review_ID=111
|
0.998566 |
Ask a statistician: What is the calorific cost of McDonald's revenue growth?
Robin Bray-Hurren, a calligrapher and printmaker from South London, asks: "In order for McDonald’s to attain its projected sales growth, how many extra calories would each person in the UK and the USA have to consume?"
Is the Sage of Omaha an investment genius, or just incredibly lucky? In this winning article from the 2015 Young Statisticians Writing Competition, James Skeffington considers whether chance has played a hand in Warren Buffett’s success.
A few years ago, former World Bank president Robert Zoellick pointed out that: "In physics, Nobel prizes are awarded for being correct while in economics they are often awarded for being brilliant." Economist Angus Deaton noted that contrast and pondered how interesting it might be to classify economics laureates into Zoellick’s two boxes. Yesterday Deaton himself won the Nobel prize for economic sciences. He clearly belongs in both boxes.
Government statistical agencies often report official economic statistics as point estimates. Buried within the documents describing their data and methods, there may be an acknowledgment that these are in fact estimates subject to error, but they typically don’t quantify the size of these errors. News releases in turn then present the official estimates with little if any mention of potential error. But I think their failure to communicate this uncertainty gives an incomplete view of the statistics. In my opinion, agencies need to measure and report this more prominently in their news releases and technical publications.
There has been a great deal of attention given to the development of the 'sharing economy' in recent years. It’s the latest in a series of labels trying to sum up the increasing use of digital online platforms which bring customers and providers of goods and services together to bargain directly. The best known examples are Uber and Airbnb, although the definition can stretch to cover eBay, a range of social and community enterprises and non-market transactions such as charity donations.
| 2019-04-21T16:40:48 |
https://www.statslife.org.uk/economics-and-business
|
0.998261 |
Ayes - Representatives Allen, August, Ballweg, Bernier, Born, Brandtjen, E. Brooks, R. Brooks, Duchow, Edming, Felzkowski, Gundrum, Horlacher, Hutton, Jacque, Jagler, Jarchow, Katsma, Kerkman, Kitchens, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kooyenga, Krug, Kuglitsch, Loudenbeck, Macco, Mursau, Nerison, Neylon, Nygren, Ott, Petersen, Petryk, Pronschinske, Quinn, Rodriguez, Rohrkaste, Sanfelippo, Schraa, Skowronski, Snyder, Spiros, Stafsholt, Steffen, Steineke, Summerfield, Swearingen, Tauchen, Thiesfeldt, Tittl, Tranel, Tusler, VanderMeer, Vorpagel, Weatherston, Wichgers and Speaker Vos - 58.
Noes - Representatives Anderson, Barca, Berceau, Billings, Bowen, Brostoff, Considine, Crowley, Doyle, Fields, Genrich, Goyke, Hebl, Hesselbein, Hintz, Kessler, Meyers, Milroy, Neubauer, Novak, Ohnstad, Pope, Riemer, Sargent, Shankland, Sinicki, Spreitzer, Stuck, Subeck, C. Taylor, Vruwink, Wachs, Young, Zamarripa and Zepnick - 35.
hist90279Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Senate Bill 466 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90281The question was: Shall Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be adopted?
hist89844Assembly Amendment 2 to Assembly Joint Resolution 93 offered by Representative Duchow.
hist90282The question was: Shall Assembly Amendment 2 to Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be adopted?
hist89845Assembly Amendment 3 to Assembly Joint Resolution 93 offered by Representative Duchow.
hist90283The question was: Shall Assembly Amendment 3 to Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be adopted?
hist90284The question was: Shall Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be ordered engrossed and read a third time?
hist90285Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be given a third reading. Granted.
The question was: Assembly Joint Resolution 93 having been read three times, shall the joint resolution be passed?
Ayes - Representatives Allen, Ballweg, Barca, Berceau, Bernier, Born, Brandtjen, E. Brooks, R. Brooks, Doyle, Duchow, Edming, Felzkowski, Genrich, Gundrum, Hintz, Horlacher, Hutton, Jacque, Jagler, Jarchow, Katsma, Kerkman, Kitchens, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kooyenga, Krug, Kuglitsch, Loudenbeck, Macco, Meyers, Milroy, Mursau, Nerison, Neylon, Novak, Nygren, Ott, Petersen, Petryk, Pronschinske, Quinn, Rodriguez, Rohrkaste, Sanfelippo, Shankland, Skowronski, Snyder, Spiros, Stafsholt, Steffen, Steineke, Stuck, Subeck, Summerfield, Swearingen, Tauchen, Thiesfeldt, Tittl, Tranel, Tusler, VanderMeer, Vorpagel, Vruwink, Wachs, Weatherston, Wichgers and Zepnick - 69.
Noes - Representatives Anderson, August, Billings, Bowen, Brostoff, Considine, Crowley, Fields, Goyke, Hebl, Hesselbein, Kessler, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Pope, Riemer, Sargent, Schraa, Sinicki, Spreitzer, C. Taylor, Young, Zamarripa and Speaker Vos - 24.
hist90294Representative R. Brooks asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Joint Resolution 93 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90296The question was: Shall Assembly Bill 823 be ordered engrossed and read a third time?
hist90297Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill 823 be given a third reading. Granted.
hist90298The question was: Assembly Bill 823 having been read three times, shall the bill be passed?
hist90299Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill 823 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90304The question was: Shall Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 935 be adopted?
hist90305The question was: Shall Assembly Bill 935 be ordered engrossed and read a third time?
hist90306Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill 935 be given a third reading. Granted.
hist90307The question was: Assembly Bill 935 having been read three times, shall the bill be passed?
hist90308Representative R. Brooks asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill 935 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90310The question was: Shall Senate Bill 61 be ordered to a third reading?
hist90311Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Senate Bill 61 be given a third reading. Granted.
hist90312The question was: Senate Bill 61 having been read three times, shall the bill be concurred in?
hist90313Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Senate Bill 61 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90315The question was: Shall Senate Bill 84 be ordered to a third reading?
hist90316Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Senate Bill 84 be given a third reading. Granted.
hist90317The question was: Senate Bill 84 having been read three times, shall the bill be concurred in?
hist90318Representative Steineke asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Senate Bill 84 be immediately messaged to the Senate. Granted.
hist90320The question was: Shall Senate Bill 415 be ordered to a third reading?
| 2019-04-25T22:49:47 |
https://docs-preview.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/related/journals/assembly/20180222/_1220
|
0.998819 |
Practice the questions provided in the worksheet on pipes and water tank.
We know, a water tank or a cistern is connected with two types of pipes to fill and empty it i.e. inlet and outlet. Work done by inlet is positive and work done by outlet is negative.
1. A pipe can fill the cistern in 7 hours. Due to a leakage in cistern it is filled in 8 hours. After the cistern is full, in how much time will it be emptied due to leakage?
2. A cistern can be filled by a tap in 5 hours and emptied by an outlet pipe in 6 hours. How long will it take to fill the cistern if both the taps and pipe are opened together?
3. A tank can be filled by one tap in 8 hours and by another in 12 hours. How long will it take to fill if both the taps are opened simultaneously?
4. A pipe can fill the tank in 4 hours. Due to leakage at the bottom it is filled in 5 hours. When the tank is full, in how much time will it be emptied by the leak?
5. A water tank can be filled by two taps A and B in 5 hours and 8 hours respectively. The full tank can be emptied by the third tap in 6 hours. If all the taps be opened at the same time, in how much time will the empty tank be filled up completely?
Answers for the worksheet on pipes and cistern or water tank are given below to check the exact answers of the above questions.
| 2019-04-22T15:59:14 |
https://www.math-only-math.com/worksheet-on-pipes-and-water-tank.html
|
0.997336 |
A protracted grassroots campaign of protest and sometimes violent resistance against perceived oppression or military occupation, especially either of two uprisings among Palestinian Arabs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the first beginning in 1987 and the second in 2000, in protest against Israeli occupation of these territories.
(sometimes cap.) a revolt begun in December 1987 by Palestinian Arabs to protest Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
1. An Arabic word meaning uprising, used to mean the Palestinian uprising against Israel beginning in 1987.
2. The Arab name for the uprising against Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Noun 1. intifada - an uprising by Palestinian Arabs (in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank) against Israel in the late 1980s and again in 2000; "the first intifada ended when Israel granted limited autonomy to the Palestine National Authority in 1993"
Still the most prominent judgments offered about the effects of the intifada on Israel are consistent with images of the Jewish state as at least sluggishly adaptive.
Quotation]"The announcement from Honda that the motor race it sponsors will no longer take place in an illegal Israeli settlement shows the BDS movement's growing impact on international corporations that are complicit in Israel's regime of occupation, colonization, and apartheid," Jamal Juma, a member of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), told The Electronic Intifada.
The Hamas movement has called on the Palestinian people to face the Israeli occupation and adopt the blessed intifada option against it and against the American decision on Jerusalem," Abdullatif Al Qanoua said in an interview with RT on Wednesday.
Hamas has announced the beginning of the third intifada six days after US President Donald Trump announced the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Sputnik International reported.
In the meantime, Palestinian officials have called for a new popular Intifada (uprising) against Israel on Friday, the same day the first Intifada erupted three decades ago.
They carried Palestinian flags and chanted for the intifada and the long-coveted freedom.
The 'last martyr' -- who killed Kamal Al-Assar?
ISLAMABAD -- A youth was killed after Indian Police subjected peaceful protesters to brute force in Badgam district, raising the death toll in the ongoing Kashmir Intifada to 111.
Srinagar -- In occupied Kashmir, a youth was killed after Indian police subjected peaceful protesters to brute force in Badgam district, raising the death toll in the ongoing Kashmir Intifada to 111.
WEST BANK/PNN/ Islamic resistant MovementHamas in the West Bank has called Wednesday for a Friday of anger marking the first anniversary of Jerusalem Intifada.
Associating the ongoing Palestinian intifada (uprising) with the number of stabbings or alleged stabbings carried out by Palestinian youths was a mistake from the start.
Fathali said "each Intifada martyr's family in Jerusalem will be receiving an amount of USD 7000, while USD 30000 will be provided to every family whose home had been destroyed in this Intifada.
| 2019-04-24T22:46:25 |
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/intifada
|
0.999998 |
Caroline: Daddy, what if a bear ate me?
Caroline: What if a bear ate me, but then I just got caught in its throat.
Caroline: What if a bear ate me, and I got stuck in his throat, but there was a latch on his mouth.
Caroline: What if a bear ate me, and I got stuck in his throat, but there was a latch with a lock on it.
| 2019-04-19T10:14:35 |
http://helpychalk.blogspot.com/2006/08/worries-of-three-year-old.html
|
0.999032 |
Given both the quality and quantity of top-class football on offer, the first half of 2013 will be hard to top for many fans across the globe. From Brazil's triumph on home soil at the FIFA Confederations Cup, to Bayern Munich's remarkable treble and France's success at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013, the most prestigious youth tournament in the world, there were no shortage of unforgettable highlights.
Yet any thoughts of the footballing calendar running out of steam in the second half of the year are wide of the mark.
Kick-off is fast approaching in Europe's top leagues and the spotlight will inevitably fall on several high-profile coaches attempting to make their presence felt at new clubs, with Gerardo Martino at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, Laurent Blanc at Paris Saint-Germain and David Moyes at Manchester United chief among them. The progress of some of the summer's biggest transfers, such as Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Mario Gotze, will also be fascinating to observe.
Even before a ball rolls in France, England, Spain, Italy and Germany, a trio of titles will be awarded in the coming days. On Wednesday, Olimpia Asuncion (Paraguay) and Atletico Mineiro (Brazil) will battle for the Copa Libertadores crown in South America, with the Paraguayans boasting a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at home. At the weekend, the title deciders will be played both at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the UEFA Women's EURO 2013.
From there the action leaps to Tahiti, where the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 will be held between 18 and 28 September. The islanders' maiden turn at hosting a FIFA tournament comes hot on the heels of their encouraging performances at the Festival of Champions in Brazil.
Between 6 and 10 September, just a few days before Tahiti 2013 gets underway, the race to join Japan, Australia, Iran, Korea Republic and hosts Brazil at FIFA's flagship tournament next year will intensify during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ qualifiers. The two final qualifying dates (11-15 October and 15-19 November) will determine the conclusive list of participants.
The world's elite young players will jostle for supremacy in between times, hoping to succeed Mexico as FIFA U-17 World Cup winners in the United Arab Emirates. The group draw for the competition will take place in Abu Dhabi on 26 August.
One of the most eagerly-awaited dates in any football fan's diary arrives on 6 December, when the draw for the Brazil 2014 group stages will be made in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), allowing the 32 participating teams to begin their preparations in earnest ahead of the global showdown.
There is one final treat on offer before the majority of the football world winds down for a Christmas break. The FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013 will round off the year in style as seven teams vie for the honour of calling themselves the best on the planet.
2014 also promises a feast for fans everywhere. The FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be the highlight of the year, while the FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cups are sure to linger long in the memory too. With such a jam-packed schedule in the coming months, even the largest of footballing appetites will be satisfied.
| 2019-04-22T11:02:25 |
http://www.africansportsmonthly.com/news/plenty-still-to-come-in-action-packed-2013
|
0.999999 |
What exactly is the time constant of an ion channel gating?
Let's take a channel that does not get inactivated, but is only in open and closed states. I understand what m (activation variable) represents. It's the fraction of the gates open.
But what does $\tau$ (tau) , the time constant represent? Does it mean the time taken to open the gate? If tau is higher then it mean more time taken to open the gate?
Although the membrane time constant is very important in neuroscience, the time constant described in the original question is about ion channel gating rather than the rate of change of membrane voltage.
The "tau" when referring to ion channel gating is indeed referring to how long it takes to open/close.
When the membrane voltage changes, there is a new equilibrium value for the probability of the channel to be open versus closed (note: there can be other states for channels too, but for this explanation I will stick to open/closed). The rate at which this equilibrium is approached from the previous open probability is described by an exponential function, with "tau" as the time constant of that approach. A small value of tau means that the new equilibrium is reached very quickly. This site has a good explanation of the terminology and gating process, as do many others.
Time constants are involved in any system described by an exponential (these are called "linear time invariant" processes), whether decay or increase, and it is equal to the time it takes to progress approximately 63.2% of the way to the equilibrium. The cool thing about time constants (and linear time invariant processes in general) is that it doesn't matter what your starting point is or how far into the process you are, the time constant stays constant and every time "tau" passes you are now 63.2% closer to equilibrium than you were at time t-tau.
In physics and engineering, the time constant, usually denoted by the Greek letter τ (tau), is the parameter characterizing the response to a step input of a first-order, linear time-invariant (LTI) system.
where r$_m$ and c$_m$ are the resistance and capacitance, respectively, of the plasma membrane.
Note: the time constant is a "passive property" of membranes because they are intrinsic properties of all biological membranes. [Source].
My guess is that you are referring to some equation reference from Hodgkin-Huxley Model for the Generation of Action Potentials, but without further information about your specific equation, I cannot comment about Tau's specific role in your equation.
where voltage is in millivolts, time is in seconds, and $\tau$ is in seconds.
You can read more about the mathematics behind this and passive membrane properties in general here and here.
The larger a time constant is, the slower the rise or fall of the potential of a neuron. A long time constant can result in temporal summation, or the algebraic summation of repeated potentials. A short time constant rather produces a coincidence detector through spatial summation.
I Understand that you are referring to the 2-state model of ion channels. In this case, the transition from one steady-state to another is modeled as an exponential decay. $$ \tau * dm/dt = (m_\inf - m) $$ The so called "fast" channels have $\tau$ of a few milliseconds, "slow" ion channels have time constants of hundreds of milliseconds or more.
Of course, the 2-state model is a simplified mathematical model of ion channels, but for many phenomenological purposes, it is good enough.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged neuroscience neurophysiology biophysics or ask your own question.
| 2019-04-20T06:51:33 |
https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/46047/what-exactly-is-the-time-constant-of-an-ion-channel-gating
|
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