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Danger! Wahhabis on the march in the Albanian lands
by Zekeria Idrizi
Koha Ditore [Kosova]
http://www.islamicpluralism.org/896/danger-wahhabis-on-the-march-in-the-albanian-lands
Prishtina, November 15, 2005
I have hesitated to approach the phenomenon of our Albanian "Wahhabism" and "Wahhabis" (if you can call them Albanians!), who, over the past 20 years, have sunk roots across our Illyrian-Dardanian-Albanian lands. I have hesitated for the simple fact that I thought that Washington, that is, the Bush administration, is currently dealing with this problem.
But, the phenomenon of "Wahhabism" has assumed wide and alarming proportions in all Albanian lands and in the Albanian diaspora in the West. They are visible everywhere with all their eccentricities – long beards, Asiatic costumes, short trousers, wives covered by black dresses (which remind you of Slav Orthodox nuns), and an extremely radical and vulgar vocabulary. God, they only need to bring camels from the deserts in order to conform completely – of course, according to them – to the "Sunnah" of the Prophet! For this reason, citizens of Shukp/Skopje [in Macedonia] call them "bearded men," "Selamalejkums," "mujahedin," "Taliban," and so on. Their eccentricity is really out of this world for our European environment and for our national traditions. Finally, their entire extreme and radical doctrine, ideology, and practice stands against our religious doctrine, which has been embedded in our tradition during the centuries since our forefathers embraced the Islamic faith. Our Wahhabis want, among other things, to uproot our traditional religious doctrine – the Hanafi madhdhab [school of Islamic law] – and replace it with the rigid doctrine of "Wahhabism." What an absurdity - they want to remove the extremely tolerant and rational teachings of our Hanafi madhdhab with the extreme, stale, infantile, and irrational teachings of Saudi Wahhabism! With their deranged views and propaganda, they have created indescribable confusion and chaos in our lands – in mosques, streets, homes, religious ceremonies and celebrations, electronic media and the press, Internet, and so on.
Praise be to God, why do we, Albanians, need Saudi Wahhabism, which, as a religious and ideological trend, opposes the study of general and Islamic philosophy in the universities of Saudi Arabia? Which denies rationalism, moderation, and human intellect? This is because, according to them, it is haram for a Muslim to think with his or her own head! Oh God, what misery! Why do we need the Afghan Taliban, who turned stadiums into criminal courts and places for the punishment of women, and who strictly forbade the use of radios, television sets, and computers in Muslim homes, as we enter the third millennium? Why do we need this sect, which has sown hatred, divisions, and fratricidal war everywhere? Why do we need this nihilistic religious philosophy that wants to uproot every trace of culture and civilization, this philosophy that denies every national value, and every historic treasure of our religious and national heritage?
The alarm bells are already ringing. In Kosova these Wahhabi bastards have started to desecrate our graves and our monuments "in the name of religion." This is really terrible and disturbing. If nothing is done to prevent these acts of vandalism, I fear that tomorrow it will be too late.
I think that there are many factors that stimulate the expansion of this Wahhabi ideology among Albanians. On this occasion, I will mention some of the main factors – of course, from my point of view.
First, it is the indolence, confusion, and at times extreme passivity and lack of unity among our Islamic theologians and leaders. This has created a large vacuum among us, which the Wahhabis have cleverly and quickly used to their advantage.
Second, it is the Albanian Muslims' very superficial knowledge of our Hanafi legal doctrine in particular (I am not even going to mention other religio-legal doctrines of the Islamic world: Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Maliki) and the Islamic religion in general. This is the main reason why the Wahhabi sect has been so successful in Albania, since the long period of atheism there had created fertile ground for their sophisticated propaganda.
Third, there is the lack of values in modern secular society, vulgar and extreme materialism, such as drug abuse, prostitution, pedophilia, the hippie movement, pornography, exhibitionism, and other pseudo-values that have led many of our young people into chaos and confusion, and to the abyss. They spend every day in search of a way out of this chaos. Strangely enough, many of them find salvation in religion. What religion is that? Of course, in that religion, or rather in that religious sect that has the most rigorous, most dogmatic, and most extreme rules.
Unfortunately, from the psychological viewpoint, the pathological cases in society in the past will remain such even when they embrace a religion, including Islam, or, in some cases, even if they promote "jihad" in the streets of Illyria, wearing all kinds of Arab-Asian dresses and using very coarse language. Moreover, this phenomenon is widespread not only in the Albanian world. This is a universal phenomenon. In the Western world, the number of satanic sects and their extreme members are continuously rising. We already know about collective suicides in religious temples and collective sexual orgies of "religious" hedonists.
And fourth, there is the social-economic factor. After the disintegration of the Socialist-Communist system, especially after the end of the wars in our ethnic lands, many Arab-Islamic charities have infiltrated the country and have been propagating sectarian ideas under the guise of humanitarian work, making their meagre assistance conditional on conversion to the "new religion." According to them, from a "deviant religion" (Hanafi madhdhab) into "genuine orthodox Islam" (Bin Ladin's Wahhabism)! In their efforts, they have opened hundreds of free Islamic schools for our young people. In this respect, they are having great success in spreading Bin Ladin's ideas among Albanian youth. In addition to this, there is also the miserable state of our Islamic religious administration and their professional staff (low salaries of imams, mujezins, and religious teachers).
Unfortunately, as a result of this situation, a considerable number of theologians and imams have fallen victim to Wahhabi propaganda. They get hefty salaries from Wahhabi centres in the Islamic world to spread their ideology in the Albanian world. These are not just empty phrases and unsubstantiated claims. They are well-documented facts. Many times I have said to ignorant Albanian Wahhabis (who think that they have become "Muslims" by growing a beard and by reading two or three religious brochures): "You are nothing but small fry in comparison with your mega-bosses, who are traitors of the religion of their forefathers and whom I blame the most. This is because they are the cause of all this chaos and drama in our universe."
The alarm bells are already ringing. Dozens of mosques in Illyrian lands have been usurped by the Wahhabis! Oh god, this is terrible! The monumental mosque in Shkup, Jahja Pasha Mosque, has fallen into their hands. The beautiful new mosque in the Dizhon neighbourhood [in Macedonia] started to stink of "Wahhabism" from the day it was opened. There are many other mosques, too.
Their goals do not end here. This is just part of the wider efforts to take over from within all Islamic fortresses, that is, all religious administrations in the [Balkan] Peninsula. There is already a danger of our religious community offices being turned into "boutiques" of Arab dresses and, god forbid, stables for camels. In this respect, our religious-Islamic establishments should show vigilance and a higher sense of responsibility in order not to fall prey to such perfidious traps.
As early as 1995, I was banned, as a result of strict censorship, from reading the presentation, "Religious Sectarianism Among Albanian Muslims Serving Pan-Slavic Ideology," which I had prepared, at the scientific seminar, "The Islamic Faith in Post-Communist Albania," in Durres, Albania.
I only realized why | |
reviewers' online, listing all 785 people who have reviewed for us in 2015. We just cannot achieve our high standards without you. Each reviewer is entitled to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points as a recompense for the time they spend helping us select only the very best papers.
Last year, we published a fantastic selection of 'Articles of the Month'. If you missed any, you can find them collected together in our free online virtual issue (https://bit.ly/ZrWA6q). The end of 2015 was dominated by falling PSA testing and prostate cancer detection rates, as highlighted in David Penson's editorial in JAMA [1]. In the UK and many other parts of the world we have already been through this. I remember during my training years that the majority of men presented with locally advanced or metastatic disease. And while we look towards 'smart' screening of high-risk groups, particularly those with a relevant family history of prostate and breast cancer, I urge you again to look at the summary table of our 'Guideline of Guidelines' by Loeb [2] on this thorny subject.
The BAUS has taken the lead on public reporting of surgical outcomes. The BJUI is proud to publish our nephrectomy audit [3], which has >6000 patients. Radical nephrectomy (RN) was performed mostly for T1b and partial nephrectomy (PN) for T1a tumours. Over 90% of RNs were minimally invasive – an established standard of care. Only 43% of PNs were minimally invasive of which one-third were robotic, with no obvious difference between the robotic and laparoscopic arms. As expected, the complication rates of PN were higher than RN. All of us as surgeons can learn a lot from large national datasets such as this and, more importantly, strive to improve continuously. I hope you enjoy reading this important paper and look forward to interacting with many of you in 2016.
1 Penson DF. The pendulum of prostate cancer screening. JAMA 2015; 314: 2031–3
2 Loeb S. Guideline of guidelines: prostate cancer screening. BJU Int 2014; 114: 323–5
3 Hadjipavlou M, Khan F, Fowler S et al. Partial vs radical nephrectomy for T1 renal tumours: an analysis from the British Association of Urological Surgeons Nephrectomy Audit. BJU Int 2015; 117: 62–71
Prokar Dasgupta, Editor-in-Chief, BJUI
King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK
What's the Diagnosis?
Taken from Aita et al. BJUI 2015.
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Article of the Week: Penile lengthening and widening without grafting according to a modified 'sliding' technique
Finally, the third post under the Article of the Week heading on the homepage will consist of additional material or media. This week we feature a video from Dr. Franklin Kuehhas, discussing his paper.
Penile lengthening and widening without grafting according to a modified 'sliding' technique
Paulo H. Egydio and Franklin E. Kuehhas*
Centre for Peyronie's Disease Reconstruction, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and *London Andrology Institute, Suite 7 Exhibition House, Addison Bridge Place, London, UK
To present the feasibility and safety of penile length and girth restoration based on a modified 'sliding' technique for patients with severe erectile dysfunction (ED) and significant penile shortening, with or without Peyronie's disease (PD).
Between January 2013 and January 2014, 143 patients underwent our modified 'sliding' technique for penile length and girth restoration and concomitant penile prosthesis implantation. It is based on three key elements: (i) the sliding manoeuvre for penile length restoration; (ii) potential complementary longitudinal ventral and/or dorsal tunical incisions for girth restoration; and (iii) closure of the newly created rectangular bow-shaped tunical defects with Buck's fascia only.
In all, 143 patients underwent the procedure. The causes of penile shortening and narrowing were: PD in 53.8%; severe ED with unsuccessful intracavernosal injection therapy in 21%; post-radical prostatectomy 14.7%; androgen-deprivation therapy, with or without brachytherapy or external radiotherapy, for prostate cancer in 7%; post-penile fracture in 2.1%; post-redo-hypospadias repair in 0.7%; and post-priapism in 0.7%. In patients with ED and PD, the mean (range) deviation of the penile axis was 45 (0‒100)°. The mean (range) subjective penile shortening reported by patients was 3.4 (1‒7) cm and shaft constriction was present in 53.8%. Malleable penile prostheses were used in 133 patients and inflatable penile prostheses were inserted in 10 patients. The median (range) follow-up was 9.7 (6‒18) months. The mean (range) penile length gain was 3.1 (2‒7) cm. No penile prosthesis infection caused device explantation. The average International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score increased from 24 points at baseline to 60 points at the 6-month follow-up.
Penile length and girth restoration based on our modified sliding technique is a safe and effective procedure. The elimination of grafting saves operative time and, consequently, decreases the infection risk and costs associated with surgery.
Editorial: Is the modified sliding technique the way forward in Peyronie's surgery?
December 16, 2015 /by Giulio Garaffa
The old goal of prosthetic surgery, which aimed to guarantee a hard and straight penis good enough for penetrative intercourse, is likely to have now become obsolete. Various authors have reported that patients with Peyronie's disease (PD) and severe corporal fibrosis who undergo penile prosthesis implantation tend to report the lowest satisfaction rates, mainly because of significant penile length loss [1, 2]. In particular, according to Kueronya et al. [3], ~80% of patients affected by PD perceive a degree of penile shortening before surgery, and any further loss of length attributable to the surgical correction leads to bother among all the affected patients. All attempts at penile length restoration during prosthetic surgery should therefore be welcomed in order to achieve higher patient satisfaction.
Initial attempts at penile length restoration involved a full disassembly of the penis and the use of a circumferential graft [4]. Then, in 2012, Rolle et al. [5] described the sliding technique, a modification of the circumferential graft that consists of a double dorsal-ventral patch and should therefore provide more stability to the corpora cavernosa than a circumferential graft.
The present series by Egydio et al. [6] describes a modified sliding technique without grafting the defect of the tunica albuginea. This reduces the operating time and theoretically infection rates should therefore be reduced.
Although leaving a defect in the tunica albuginea should, in theory, lead to a haematoma formation and potentially infection of the device, in the present series, no penile prosthesis infections were reported.
Although we believe that cutting corners in surgery is not the way forward, the authors of the present paper should be congratulated because the postoperative results in their series are very encouraging. In fact, the mean penile length gain in their series was 3.1 cm, with no reported infections requiring the explantation of the penile prosthesis and with an average increase in International Index of Erectile Function score of 36.
Certainly, if the results of the present series can be confirmed in the future, this technique will revolutionize the concept that any tunical defect >1 cm in size needs to be grafted to prevent aneurysmal dilatation of the cylinders of an inflatable penile prosthesis [7], as none of the inflatable cylinders in the series developed aneurysms.
Giulio Garaffa, and David J. Ralph
St Peter's Andrology and the Institute of Urology, University College London Hospitals, London, UK
1 Akin-Olugbade O, Parker M, Guhring P, Mulhall J. Determinants of patients satisfaction following penile prosthesis surgery. J Sex Med 2006; 3: 743–8
2 Zacharakis E, Garaffa G, Raheem AA, Christopher AN, Muneer A, Ralph DJ. Penile prosthesis insertion in patients with refractory ischemic priapism: early versus delayed insertion. BJU Int 2014; 114: 576–81
3 Kueronya V, Miernik A, Stupar S et al. International multicenter psychometric evaluation of patient reported outcome data for the treatment of Peyronie's disease. BJU Int 2015; 115: 822–8
4 Sansalone S , Garaffa G, Djinovic R et al. Simultaneous penile lengthening and penile prosthesis implantation in patients with Peyronie's | |
A Navy medical officer has been deployed on his first land-based operation, assigned as the Senior Medical Officer for the Australian Defence Force in the Middle East region.
An Air Force reservist from the Melbourne suburb of Berwick is combining his civilian and military logistic skills while deployed on Operation Okra.
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While Captain Peter Prendergast didn't win a flag playing for the Campbell's Creek AFL club, but now he's helping the Afghan Air Force kick goals with their helicopter maintenance during a deployment to the war-torn country.
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Self-confessed Star Wars fan and ex-Berwick local Army Private Samantha Bradbury has accepted she's going to miss this year's movie release due to her deployment on Operation HIGHROAD.
Swapping his swimmers for Army fatigues was an easy choice for former lifeguard and Greensborough College graduate Captain Braden Holmes who is currently deployed to Iraq on Operation Okra with the Australian Army.
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It's hard to draw a thread between running a promotional products business and advising a foreign military Colonel but Army Reservist Andrew Leong has found the transition pretty easy.
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Former Mornington Peninsula local and Australian Army soldier Private Anthony Russo has swapped Victorian beaches for sand of a different kind on a deployment to Iraq.
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It's amazing how childhood experiences can lead to significant adult career choices.
CPL Ben Hibbert is serving in Afghanistan as the Second in Command of the Up-Armoured SUV Drive Team in Kabul.
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ALTONA North local and Australian Army Trooper Alex Fairfield is keeping things moving in Afghanistan behind the wheel of a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle.
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Daniel Prowse of Selby will be representing Australia in an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.
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Air Force officer Dee Cherry has achieved a lifelong dream to deploy on operations and honour her | |
lit tunnels of the medical ward. The friendly scuff of nonslip shoes mixes with the steady beep of monitors. The noise is a pleasant change from the silence of the Fringe, but it looks too nice and orderly after everything I just experienced.
As we venture farther down the tunnel, the usual medical disinfectant smell mixes with the stench of vomit. That sets me on edge, and I try, unsuccessfully, to sit up.
I know I must look nuts, but the nurses we pass don't bat an eye at seeing a cadet strapped to a gurney. That's when I realize where we are: the postexposure wing.
One door we pass is wide open. In the sickly yellowish glow of florescent lighting, I catch a glimpse of an emaciated man about my age. His head looks too large for his body, as though the rest of him has wasted away from the radiation.
In that second, his eyes find mine. A shiver rolls through me when I realize that look is his way of saying, "You're next."
Sawyer wheels me into a private room and forces me to strip again. Once she's confident I'm free from radioactive dust, she gives me a shapeless gown to wear, takes my vital signs, and draws some blood in quiet, businesslike Sawyer fashion.
"How's Eli?" I ask.
"I don't know yet," she says, consulting her interface with a tense expression. "They're still working on him."
She removes the sensor from my arm and meets my gaze. "I have to go now. I'm sorry. You don't have any life-threatening injuries, so I have to let them debrief you."
"No! Don't go!"
I'm a little shocked by my own desperation, but being with Sawyer is the only thing holding me together.
"I have to," she says. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll come check on you. And I'll find out what's going on with Eli."
"Okay."
Sawyer leaves me alone in my room, and not a minute later, I hear another knock.
The visitors don't wait for me to answer before barging in. I'm not surprised to see Remy Chaplin again. As the undersecretary, he's tasked with making sure no Recon operatives spill the beans about what's really going on outside the compound.
But when I see Jayden skulking behind him, I shrink back into my pillows. She's wearing a familiar predatory expression that makes my stomach clench, and she's pissed.
"What's going on?" she yells as soon as the door swings closed.
"Eli's been shot," I blurt out. "And there's a drifter _inside_ the cleared zone."
Her face blanches. " _What_?"
"We just saw the one, but they are definitely performing some kind of drifter recon."
"Drifter re —" Jayden stops and shakes her head. "Start from the beginning, Riley. You aren't making any sense."
"They figured out how to remove our mines. They've repurposed them beyond the perimeter. They almost blew us up! They figured out how to deactivate the signals so they don't show up on the map. We can't even get a read on them once they've been transplanted."
Jayden and Remy exchange a knowing look that irritates me, but I keep going.
"I got a look at their tech setup, too. It's not very advanced, but they're definitely organizing."
I stop, remembering what Eli said about deciding what information we want to give away.
_What am I doing?_ I need to shut up until I talk to him because I am way too frantic to think clearly.
"Did you perform your assigned patrol, Cadet?" asks Jayden in her most patronizing tone.
"What? Um, yeah . . . We went to that town, like you said."
"And what is its status?"
I stare at her in disbelief.
Why the hell is she asking me about some stupid town when drifters are staking out the compound as we speak?
"Cleared," I lie, just trying to speed this part up. "But —"
"That will be all, Riley," she says, holding up a hand. "I've heard quite enough."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's clear you're suffering from severe stress — probably caused by leaving the compound for the first time."
" _What_?"
Yeah, I'm stressed. But since when has Jayden given a fuck about my well-being?
Then she turns her striking dark eyes on me in what I imagine is her most sympathetic expression. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Nervous breakdowns and hallucinations aren't uncommon among cadets who are deployed before they're ready. Just relax. We're going to see that you're under constant care until you feel better."
"Constant —"
"Supervision, Riley. Just until we can be sure you aren't a danger to yourself or to others."
"I'm not a danger to myself . . . and I'm not going to tell anybody. But you need to listen to me!"
"Don't worry," she says, and I'm positive I'm not imagining the tiny evil smirk twitching on her lips. "I'm sure the doctors can help you sort out what's real and what's . . . How should I put this? A figment of your imagination."
" _Are you serious?_ You're worried I'm going to tell the whole compound about the drifters, so you're going to lock me up so I seem _crazy_?"
I glance from Jayden to Remy, fury and disbelief fighting for dominance. She looks smug, but Remy's expression is grave.
He doesn't think I'm crazy. He's scared shitless.
"Please don't share these, uh, _hallucinations_ with anyone else, Riley," says Remy in a quiet voice. "We don't want to start a panic over nothing."
I open my mouth to retort, but Jayden cuts me off. "Rest up," she says, patting my leg. I want to smack her in the face. "We need you back at full strength for your next deployment."
_Next deployment?_ Eli was shot less than an hour ago, and Jayden's already thinking of our next mission. That's when it hits me: Constance never meant for us to come back. They were sure the drifters would finish us off for them.
Now that we've returned, they're not going to let that happen again. And Jayden's going to make damn sure I don't have the chance to tell anybody what we found.
They file out of my room, and I stare at the door for several seconds in shock.
Sawyer reappears a moment later, and I can tell by her expression that I'm not going to like what she has to say.
"What's going on?"
"He's stable," she says in a breathless voice. "They just moved him to his own room."
"I want to see him."
She shakes her head. "You can't. Nobody can see him until he's been debriefed. And anyway . . ." She trails off, and I can tell she's dreading whatever she has to say next.
"What is it?"
"I have to move you to the psych ward," she says, looking torn. "Head physician's orders. Jayden got to him."
" _For how long_?"
Sawyer takes a step toward me, eyebrows raised. "Until you take back whatever you _think_ you saw. Maybe not even then."
"They can't keep me there forever," I say indignantly.
"They can keep you there as long as they want — at least until they need you again." Sawyer's eyebrows creep impossibly higher. "I've seen it."
So this is what happens to Recon operatives they consider a risk to the compound: They lock them away until they're confident they won't tell anyone what they saw.
Shocked into silence, I let Sawyer summon an electric wheelchair and steer me down the tunnel in my hospital gown toward a wing I've never visited before. It looks like all the others in the medical ward, except the walls aren't made of frosted glass. They're completely solid and only have a tiny window near the top of the heavy steel doors.
I shiver. It reminds me of the interrogation room Control tortured me in.
But when Sawyer swipes us in, I see that the inside is nearly identical to the other rooms. There are no | |
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The registrant had outstanding 36,433,655 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, as of April 30, 2017.
INFORMATION RELATING TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In addition to historical information, this Form 10-Q contains statements relating to our future results (including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events. Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "suggests", "appears", "seeks", "will", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following: our ability to attract and retain qualified nurses, physicians and other healthcare personnel, costs and availability of short-term housing for our travel healthcare professionals, demand for the healthcare services we provide, both nationally and in the regions in which we operate, the functioning of our information systems, the effect of cyber security risks and cyber incidents on our business, the effect of existing or future government regulation and federal and state legislative and enforcement initiatives on our business, our clients' ability to pay us for our services, our ability to successfully implement our acquisition and development strategies, including our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses and realize synergies from such acquisitions, the effect of liabilities and other claims asserted against us, the effect of competition in the markets we serve, our ability to successfully defend the Company, its subsidiaries, and its officers and directors on the merits of any lawsuit or determine its potential liability, if any, and other factors set forth in Item 1.A. "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, as filed and updated in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Although we believe that these statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we cannot guarantee future results and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's opinions only as of the date of this filing. There can be no assurance that (i) we have correctly measured or identified all of the factors affecting our business or the extent of these factors' likely impact, (ii) the available information with respect to these factors on which such analysis is based is complete or accurate, (iii) such analysis is correct or (iv) our strategy, which is based in part on this analysis, will be successful. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.
All references to "the Company", "we", "us", "our", or "Cross Country" in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q mean Cross Country Healthcare, Inc., and its consolidated subsidiaries.
PART I. – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1.
Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Unaudited)
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Controls and Procedures
PART II. – OTHER INFORMATION
Legal Proceedings
Item 1A.
ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited, amounts in thousands)
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $3,473 in 2017 and $3,245 in 2016
Insurance recovery receivable
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $44,178 in 2017 and $43,141 in 2016
Trade names, indefinite-lived
Other intangible assets, net
Other non-current assets
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Accrued compensation and benefits
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current portion
Non-current deferred tax liabilities
Long-term accrued claims
Contingent consideration
Commitments and contingencies
(1,207
(106,634
Total Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. stockholders' equity
Noncontrolling interest
Total stockholders' equity
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements
(Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except per share data)
Revenue from services
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Bad debt expense
Acquisition-related contingent consideration
Income from operations
Other expenses (income):
Gain on derivative liability
(16,436
Loss on early extinguishment of debt
Other income, net
(Loss) income before income taxes
Consolidated net (loss) income
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest in subsidiary
Net (loss) income attributable to common shareholders
Net (loss) income per share attributable to common shareholders - Basic
(0.06
Net (loss) income per share attributable to common shareholders - Diluted
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME
Other comprehensive income (loss), before income tax:
Unrealized foreign currency translation gain (loss)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
Comprehensive (loss) income
Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to common shareholders
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Cash flows from operating activities
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs
Provision for allowances
Deferred income tax expense
Equity compensation
Other non-cash costs
Prepaid expenses and other assets
(264
Other liabilities
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition-related settlements - Mediscan
Purchases of property and equipment
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayments of debt
Borrowings on debt
Extinguishment fees
Net cash used in financing activities
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
Change in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. and its direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the Company). The condensed consolidated financial statements include all assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses of InteliStaf of Oklahoma, LLC, which is controlled by the Company but not wholly-owned. The Company records the ownership interest of the noncontrolling shareholder as noncontrolling interest in subsidiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, all entries necessary for a fair presentation of such unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been included. These entries consisted of all normal recurring items.
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by | |
My life in comics (well some of it)
If people aren't taught the language of sound and images, shouldn't they be considered as illiterate as if they left college without being able to read or write? – George Lucas
I wasn't a great reader growing up as a kid. My parents never read and although I wasn't discouraged I wasn't really encouraged. My father was more tolerant of non-fiction – we had no less than three sets of encyclopaedias in the house and he had a fondness for self-help books like The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics – but I never saw either of them pick up a novel. How I became a writer is a complete mystery to me.
I did read a lot of comics growing up. British comics are not like their American cousins. They have more in common with the newspaper funnies than superhero comics. In fact they were printed on very poor quality paper and for a long time contained no interior colour at all. Also, whereas American comics would have glossy covers, what we Brits got were simply two strips in full colour on the front and back but on the same paper.
When I think of comics the first one that comes to my mind has to be The Beano. It was published by a Scottish firm, D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, but it was hugely popular throughout the UK. The 28-page paper was printed on the same letterpress machines which produced the company's newspapers and 4-colour was restricted to the covers with a few 2-colour pages inside. It was first published on 26th July 1938 and continues to this day. In September 2009 The Beano's 3500th issue was published. Needless to say the comic holds the world record for being the world's longest running weekly comic which is interesting because The Dandy (also published by D C Thomson) actually predated it, being first published on 4th December 1937.
These weren't the only comics D C Thomson produced. In addition to The Beano and The Dandy it's best known for producing Oor Wullie, The Broons (two very Scottish titles) and Commando comics. Here's a delightful wee animation someone's done of Wullie reciting 'A Man's a Man for aw that':
I also read The Dandy and occasionally two of its other comics the The Topper and The Beezer. These last two were a bit different in that they were tabloids (twice the size of the other comics on the market) and so felt even more like newspapers. The Topper ran from 7th February 1953 to 15th September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer (which had been on the go since 21st January 1956) and both comics were renamed as Beezer and Topper which ran until 1993. The merging of comics was a common practice in the UK.
In addition to the weekly comics there would also be an annual. These had hard-backed covers and so have lasted well and are quite collectable. Every Christmas you could expect two or three annuals. In addition to the regular annuals in time the most popular characters would get their own books: Dennis the Menace and The Bash Street Kids (Beano), Beryl the Peril (Topper) and Desperate Dan (Dandy).
The British Dennis first appeared on 17th March 1951. Coincidently the US Dennis appeared on 12th March 1951. Dennis Mitchell (US) is a precocious but lovable, freckle-faced five-and-a-half-year-old boy with a blond cowlick and a penchant for mischief; the British Dennis (surname unknown) is 10 years old (though at times he has been portrayed as slightly older again), he has dark spiky hair and an iconic black-and-red horizontal-striped jumper. Unlike the US Dennis, he is more actively malicious than merely mischievous.
Just as The Topper had developed a female version of Dennis (Beryl first appeared in print on 7th February 1953) so did The Beano: Minnie the Minx. She first popped up in issue 596, dated 19th December 1953. Like most DC Thomson characters, Minnie's parents are never mentioned by name; and are referred to simply as 'Min's dad' and 'Min's mum'.
Roger the Dodger was probably my personal favourite. He first appeared in The Beano issue 561, dated 18th April 1953, and is still on the go. His appearance is vaguely similar to that of Dennis the Menace: he wears a black and red chequered jumper, black trousers and takes better care of his hair; he also used to have a white tie but it seems to have disappeared over the years. What I liked about Roger was that he was thoughtful. It wasn't he was any more successful that Dennis and was often caught out but I liked his approach to being bad. Only Roger's motivation wasn't so much to be bad as to get out of doing things he didn't want to do. He would retreat to his room, consult his many books of dodges and come up with a plan.
DC Thomson had a style that remains essentially unchanged right down to today. Before them we had what we would think of as the weekly British adventure comics – story papers which had pages upon pages of text stories with a couple of spot illustrations per story and maybe a couple of pages of comic strip to break up the monotony of the solid text. All that changed with DC Thomson. The humour in all their comics was basic, cartoonish – the fun stemmed from the eccentric and often larger than life characters which were carefully designed to allow readers to relate to and sympathise with them and laugh at the ridiculous scrapes they got themselves into. Authority (generally parental, school or even the police) might be challenged in the strips but the establishment invariably won through in the end. Anthropomorphic animals were commonplace: the lead character on The Beano was, for many years, Biffo the Bear; Korky the Cat held the same position on The Dandy.
It was rare for any of strips to involve the real world. A rare exception was Billy the Cat who was something of a Robin character without any Batman. His costume consisted of a black leather cat suit, with black backpack attached by yellow straps. He wore a crash helmet, modified to look like a cat's face, to hide his identity. Later he was joined by his cousin, known as Katie the Cat, who dressed the same way. Each of them utilised a weighted nylon line to lasso things. The end of the line has claws on it for hooking objects at which it is thrown. Not only can it hold the weight of a child without breaking, but it is also strong enough to be used to tie up adult criminals.
I have two clear memories concerning The Beano. Do you remember the day you stopped calling you father 'Daddy' and he became 'Dad'? I do. I had gone out with my Beano and I was reading it on the kerb which is not nearly as comfortable as it looks in the comics. I noticed that Dennis and co called their parents 'Mum' and 'Dad' and so I determined to do likewise. My dad noticed when I did – I remember it registering on his face – but he never said a thing and he was 'Dad' from that day until the day he died.
The second memory was going to the corner shop with my mum and asking if I could have a different comic rather than The Beano. I was growing up. What I asked for (and got, as I recall) was The Victor. The first issue of The Victor appeared on 25th February 1961 and lasted for 1657 issues. It was also published by DC | |
the subgenus Cellia contain vectors of malarial protozoa and microfilariae.
Five species of anopheline mosquitoes (An. arabiensis, An. funestus, An. gambiae, An. moucheti, An. nili) all belonging to the subgenus Cellia are responsible for over 95% of total malaria transmission for Plasmodium falciparum in continental sub-Saharan Africa.
Anopheles sundaicus and An. subpictus are important vectors of Plasmodium vivax.
Species evolution
The Anopheles gambiae complex has a number of important malaria vectors. A chromosomal study suggests that An. merus is the basal member of this complex and is sister species to An. gambiae. The two species An. quadriannulatus A and An. quadriannulatus B - neither of whom are vectors for malaria - are derived from An. gambiae.
The subgenera Anopheles and Cellia appear to be sister clades as do Kerteszia and Nyssorhynchus.
Species listing
Species that have been shown to be vectors of human malaria are marked with a star (*) after the name.
Subgenus Anopheles
Anopheles anthropophagus Xu & Feng 1975
Anopheles confusa
Anopheles derooki Soesilo & Van Slooten 1931
Anopheles gracilis Theobald 1905
Anopheles hollandi Taylor 1934
Anopheles obscura Tenorio 1975
Anopheles papuae Swellengrebel & Swellengrebel de Graaf 1919
Anopheles simmondsi Tenorio 1977
Anopheles travestita Brug 1928
Section Angusticorn
Series Anopheles
Anopheles algeriensis Theobald 1903
Anopheles concolor Edwards 1938
Anopheles marteri
subspecies marteri
subspecies sogdianus Keshishian
Complex Claviger (Coluzzi et al. 1965)
Anopheles claviger* Meigen 1804
Anopheles petragnani Del Vecchio 1939
Group Aitkenii (Reid & Knight, 1961)
Anopheles aberrans Harrison & Scanlon 1975
Anopheles acaci Baisas 1946
Anopheles aitkenii James 1903
Anopheles bengalensis Puri 1930
Anopheles borneensis McArthur 1949
Anopheles fragilis Theobald 1903
Anopheles insulaeflorum Swellengrebel & Swellengrebel de Graaf 1919
Anopheles palmatus Rodenwaldt 1926
Anopheles peytoni Kulasekera Harrison & Amerasinghe 1989
Anopheles pilinotum Harrison & Scanlon 1974
Anopheles pinjaurensis Barraud 1932
Anopheles stricklandi Reid 1965
Anopheles tigertti Scanlon & Peyton 1967
Group Alongensis (Phan et al. 1991)
Anopheles alongensis Evenhuis 1940
Anopheles cucphuongensis Phan, Manh, Hinh & Vien 1991
Group Atratipes (Lee et al. 1987)
Anopheles atratipes Skuse 1889
Anopheles tasmaniensis Dobrowtorsky 1966
Group Culiciformis (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles culiciformis Cogill 1903
Anopheles sintoni Puri 1929
Anopheles sintonoides Ho 1938
Group Lindesayi (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles mengalengensis Ma 1981
Anopheles nilgiricus Christophers 1924
Anopheles wellingtonianus Alcock 1912
Complex Gigas (Harrison et al. 1991)
Anopheles baileyi Edwards 1923
Anopheles gigas Giles 1901
subspecies crockeri Colless
subspecies danaubento Mochtar & Walandouw
subspecies formosus Ludlow
subspecies gigas Giles
subspecies oedjalikalah Nainggolan
subspecies pantjarbatu Waktoedi
subspecies refutans Alcock
subspecies simlensis James
subspecies sumatrana Swellengrebel & Rodenwaldt
Complex Lindesayi (Harrison et al. 1991)
Anopheles lindesayi Giles 1900
subspecies benguetensis King
subspecies cameronensis Edwards
subspecies japonicus Yamada
subspecies lindesayi Giles
subspecies pleccau Koidzumi
Group Maculipennis (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles atropos Dyar & Knab 1906
Anopheles aztecus Hoffmann 1935
Anopheles lewisi Ludlow 1920
Anopheles walkeri
Complex Quadrimaculatus (Linton 2004)
Anopheles diluvialis Reinert 1997
Anopheles inundatus Reinert 1997
Anopheles maverlius Reinert 1997
Anopheles smaragdinus Reinert 1997
Anopheles quadrimaculatus* Say 1824
Subgroup Freeborni (Linton 2004)
Anopheles earlei Vargas 1943
Anopheles freeborni* Aitken 1939
Anopheles hermsi Barr & Guptavanij 1989
Subgroup Maculipennis (Linton 2004)
Anopheles artemievi Gordeyev, Zvantsov, Goryacheva, Shaikevich & Yezhov
Anopheles atroparvus* Van Thiel 1927
Anopheles beklemishevi Stegnii & Kabanova 1976
Anopheles daciae Linton, Nicolescu & Harbach 2004
Anopheles labranchiae* Falleroni 1926
Anopheles maculipennis
Anopheles martinius Shingarev 1926
Anopheles melanoon* Hackett 1934
Anopheles messeae* Falleroni 1926
Anopheles occidentalis Dyar & Knab 1906
Anopheles persiensis Linton, Sedaghat & Harbach 2003
Anopheles sacharovi* Favre 1903
Anopheles sicaulti Roubaud 1935
Anopheles subalpinus Hackett & Lewis 1935
Group Plumbeus (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles arboricola Zavortink 1970
Anopheles barberi Coquillett 1903
Anopheles barianensis James 1911
Anopheles fausti Vargas 1943
Anopheles judithae Zavortink 1969
Anopheles omorii Sakakibara 1959
Anopheles plumbeus* Stegnii & Kabanova 1828
Anopheles powderi Zavortink 1970
Anopheles xelajuensis De Leon 1938
Group Pseudopunctipennis (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles chiriquiensis Komp 1936
Anopheles franciscanus McCracken 1904
Anopheles hectoris Giaquinto-Mira 1931
Anopheles tibiamaculatus Neiva 1906
Anopheles eiseni Coquillett 1902
subspecies eiseni Coquillett
subspecies geometricus Corrêa
Anopheles parapunctipennis* Martini 1932
subspecies guatemalensis de Leon
subspecies parapunctipennis Martini
Anopheles pseudopunctipennis
subspecies levicastilloi Levi-Castillo
subspecies neghmei Mann
subspecies noei Mann
subspecies patersoni Alvarado & Heredia
subspecies pseudopunctipennis Theobald
subspecies rivadeneirai Levi-Castillo
Group Punctipennis (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles perplexens Ludlow 1907
Anopheles punctipennis Say 1823
Complex Crucians (Wilkerson et al. 2004)
Anopheles bradleyi King 1939
Anopheles crucians Wiedemann 1828
Anopheles georgianus King 1939
Group Stigmaticus (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles colledgei Marks 1956
Anopheles corethroides Theobald 1907
Anopheles papuensis Dobrowtorsky 1957
Anopheles powelli Lee 1944
Anopheles pseudostigmaticus Dobrowtorsky 1957
Anopheles stigmaticus Skuse 1889
Series Cycloleppteron (Edwards 1932)
Anopheles annulipalpis Lynch 1878
Anopheles grabhamii
Series Lophoscelomyia (Edwards 1932)
Anopheles bulkleyi Causey 1937
Group Asiaticus (Reid 1968)
Anopheles annandalei Prashad 1918
Anopheles noniae Reid 1963
Subgroup Asiaticus (Rattanarithikul et al. 2004)
Anopheles asiaticus Leicester 1903
Subgroup Interruptus (Rattanarithikul et al. 2004)
Anopheles interruptus Puri 1929
Section Laticorn (Reid & Knight 1961)
Series Arribalzagia (Root 1922)
Anopheles anchietai Correa & Ramalho 1968
Anopheles apicimacula Dyar & Knab 1906
Anopheles bustamentei Galvao 1955
Anopheles calderoni Wilkerson 1991
Anopheles costai Da Fonseca & Da Silva Ramos 1939
Anopheles evandroi Da Costa Lima 1937
Anopheles fluminensis Root 1927
Anopheles forattinii Wilkerson 1999
Anopheles gabaldoni Vargas 1941
Anopheles guarao Anduze & Capdevielle 1949
Anopheles intermedius* Peryassu 1908
Anopheles maculipes Theobald 1903
Anopheles malefactor Dyar & Knab 1907
Anopheles mattogrossensis Lutz & Neiva 1911
Anopheles mediopunctatus Lutz 1903
Anopheles minor Da Costa Lima 1929
Anopheles neomaculipalpis Curry 1931
Anopheles peryassui Dyar & Knab 1908
Anopheles pseudomaculipes Peryassu 1908
Anopheles punctimacula Dyar & Knab 1906
Anopheles mediopunctatus Lutz 1903
Anopheles rachoui Galvao 1952
Anopheles shannoni Davis 1931
Anopheles veruslanei Vargas 1979
Anopheles vestitipennis Dyar & Knab 1906
Series Christya (Christophers 1924)
Anopheles implexus Theobald 1903
Anopheles okuensis Brunhes, le Goff & Geoffroy 1997
Series Myzorhynchus (Edwards 1932)
Anopheles obscurus Grunberg 1905
Anopheles bancroftii Giles 1902
Anopheles barbirostris* Van der Wulp 1884
Anopheles pollicaris Reid 1962
Group Albotaeniatus (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles albotaeniatus Theobald 1903
Anopheles balerensis Mendoza 1947
Anopheles ejercitoi Mendoza 1947
Anopheles montanus Stanton & Hacker 1917
Anopheles saperoi Bohart & Ingram 1946
subspecies ohamai Ohama
subspecies saperoi Bohart & Ingram
Group Bancroftii (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles pseudobarbirostris Ludlow 1935
Anopheles bancroftii Giles 1902
subspecies bancroftii Giles
subspecies barbiventris Brug
Group Barbirostris (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles freyi Meng 1957
Anopheles koreicus Yamada & Watanabe 1918
Subgroup Barbirostris (Reid 1968)
Anopheles barbirostris van der Wulp 1884
Anopheles campestris Reid 1962
Anopheles donaldi Reid 1962
Anopheles franciscoi Reid 1962
Anopheles hodgkini Reid 1962
Anopheles pollicaris Reid 1962
Subgroup Vanus (Reid 1968)
Anopheles ahomi Chowdhury 1929
Anopheles barbumbrosus Strickland & Chowdhury 1927
Anopheles manalangi Mendoza 1940
Anopheles reidi Harrison 1973
Anopheles vanus Walker 1859
Group Coustani (Reid & Knight 1961)
Anopheles caliginosus De Meillon 1943
Anopheles coustani Laveran 1900
Anopheles crypticus Coetzee 1994
Anopheles fuscicolor Van Someren 1947
Anopheles namibiensis Coetzee 1984
Anopheles paludis Theobald 1900
Anopheles symesi Edwards 1928
Anopheles tenebrosus Donitz 1902
Anopheles ziemanni Grunberg 1902
Group Hyrcanus (Reid 1953)
Anopheles anthropophagus Xu and Feng 1975
Anopheles argyropus Swellengrebel 1914
Anopheles belenrae Rueda 2005
Anopheles changfus Ma 1981
Anopheles chodukini Martini 1929
Anopheles dazhaius Ma 1981
Anopheles engarensis Kanda & Oguma 1978
Anopheles hailarensis Xu JinJiang & Luo XinFu 1998
Anopheles heiheensis Ma 1981
Anopheles hyrcanus* Pallas 1771
Anopheles junlianensis Lei 1996
Anopheles kiangsuensis Xu and Feng 1975
Anopheles kleini Rueda 2005
Anopheles kummingensis Dong & Wang 1985
Anopheles kweiyangensis Yao & Wu 1944
Anopheles liangshanensis Kang Tan Cao Cheng Yang & Huang 1984
Anopheles nimpe Nguyen, Tran & Harbach
Anopheles pseudopictus Graham 1899
Anopheles pullus Yamada 1937
Anopheles sinensis* Wiedemann 1828
Anopheles sineroides Yamada 1924
Anopheles xiaokuanus Ma 1981
Anopheles xui Dong, Zhou, Dong & Mao 2007
Anopheles yatsushiroensis Miyazaki 1951
Subgroup Lesteri (Harrison 1972)
Anopheles crawfordi Reid 1953
Anopheles kiangsuensis Xu & Feng 1975
Anopheles lesteri de Meillon 1931
Anopheles paraliae Sandosham 1959
Anopheles peditaeniatus Leicester 1908
Anopheles vietnamensis Manh Hinh & Vien 1993
Subgroup Nigerrimus (Harrison 1972)
Anopheles nigerrimus* Giles 1900
Anopheles nitidus Harrison, Scanlon & Reid 1973
Anopheles pseudosinensis Baisas 1935
Anopheles pursati Laveran 1902
Group Umbrosus (Reid 1950)
Anopheles brevipalpis Roper 1914
Anopheles brevirostris Reid 1950
Anopheles hunteri Strickland 1916
Anopheles samarensis Rozeboom 1951
Anopheles similissimus Strickland & Chowdhury 1927
Subgroup Baezai (Rattanarithikul et al. 2004)
Anopheles baezai Gater 1934
Subgroup Letifer (Reid 1968)
Anopheles collessi Reid 1963
Anopheles letifer* Sandosham 1944
Anopheles roperi Reid 1950
Anopheles whartoni Reid 1963
Subgroup Separatus (Rattanarithikul et al. 2004)
Anopheles separatus Leicester 1908
Subgroup Umbrosus (Rattanarithikul et al. 2004)
Anopheles umbrosus Theobald 1903
Subgenus Baimaia
Anopheles kyondawensisAbraham 1947
Subgenus Cellia
Anopheles rageaui Mattingly and Adam
Series Cellia (Christophers 1924)
Anopheles argenteolobatus Gough 1910
Anopheles brumpti Hamon & Rickenbach 1955
Anopheles carnevalei Brunhes le Goff & Geoffroy 1999
Anopheles cristipalpis Service 1977
Anopheles murphyi Gillies 1968
Anopheles pharoensis Theobald 1901
Anopheles swahilicus Gillies 1964
Group Squamosus (Grjebine 1966)
Anopheles cydippis de Meillon 1931
Anopheles squamosusTheobald 1901
Series Myzomyia
Anopheles apoci Marsh 1933
Anopheles azaniae Bailly-Choumara 1960
Anopheles barberellus Evans 1932
Anopheles brunnipes Theobald 1910
Anopheles domicola Edwards 1916
Anopheles dthali Patton 1905
Anopheles erythraeus Corradetti 1939
Anopheles ethiopicus Gillies & Coetzee 1987
Anopheles flavicosta Edwards 1911
Anopheles fontinalis Gillies 1968
Anopheles majidi Young & Majid 1928
Anopheles moucheti* Evans 1925
subspecies bervoetsi D'Haenans 1961
subspecies moucheti Evans 1925
subspecies nigeriensis
Anopheles schwetzi Evans 1934
Anopheles tchekedii de Meillon & Leeson 1940
Anopheles walravensi Edwards 1930
Group Demeilloni (Gillies & De Meillon 1962)
Anopheles carteri Evans & de Meillon 1933
Anopheles demeilloni Evans 1933
Anopheles freetownensis Evans 1925
Anopheles garnhami Edwards 1930
Anopheles keniensis Evans 1931
Anopheles lloreti Gil Collado 1936
Anopheles sergentii* Theobald 1907
subspecies macmahoni Evans 1936
subspecies sergentii Theobald 1907
Group Funestus (Garros et al 2004)
Anopheles jeyporiensis James 1902
Subgroup Aconitus (Chen et al. | |
compatriots. THB was a science fiction series set on Mars that explored the adventures of teenage heiress H.R. Watson. The setting gave Pope a massive canvas for world-building where he could freely mesh influences ranging from comics to pulp fiction to economics in a holistic and adventurous way...
Paul Pope is the award winning writer/artist of Batman: Year 100, THB, Heavy Liquid, 100% and Battling Boy. Charles Brownstein is the Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organisation protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics field.
Labels: Paul Pope, Self-Publishing
Just A Job?
Cerebus #269 (August 2001)
(from The Craft Behind Cerebus, TCJ.com, February 2011)
...It was always treated like a job. In a lot of respects Dave treated it that way too. Although Dave lived and breathed this book - he was always writing and he was always thinking about it. But for me I would go in every day and it was a 9-to-5 thing. I would try to get so much done before lunch, and try to get my page and a half done by 5-6 o'clock, pack up and go home. So in a lot of respects it was a job from day one. But - especially early on - it was a learning thing and very exciting and challenging in that way. But by the time we were at Guys, at least for me, the important thing was to get the pages done by the end of the day. At the same time I had to be happy with or at least accepting of how the pages turned out. And some of the days were better than others. One of the nice things was we always had twenty nails in the wall with clips on them and when the pages were done they would go up on the wall, and you could stand back and look at what you had done that day or that week or that month. The depressing part was taking them all down and having a wall to fill up again... But like I said, some days are better than others. That early stuff. But you have to consider the time constraints. I look back on it now and look at the stack of artwork that we've got, you know, it's 6,000 pages. Who in the hell does 6,000 pages? Who were those guys? How did we ever manage to do that?...
Labels: Gerhard, The Three Stooges
"The Sacred Wars Are Over!"
Amazing Heroes Preview Special #4 (Fantagraphics, 1986)
Art by Sergio Aargones, Dave Sim & Gerhard
(from Amazing Heroes Previews Special #4, Fantagraphics, 1986)
"The Sacred Wars are over," announces Dave Sim. "It's like it's down to the final two combatants. We've eliminated Nazi Germany, but that still leaves the US and USSR, who are Cerebus and Astoria."
Indeed, Book V of Church & State finds Astoria and Cerebus both trying to stake a claim to being the true Messiah. This will involve several issues of long conversations between the two, which Sim predicts will leave fans just as disgruntled as ever.
"This will be the next time that everybody decides I don't know what I'm doing - when I have four or five issues of Astoria and Cerebus talking - but I already know they're really good, so I'm not concerned. I would say, at this point, climatic events are building up towards #100, probably not specifically in #100, probably in #99 or #101, but probably around there."
The book may continue on the somewhat erratic schedule that it's had of late, or it may not. Sim admits to being a bit disheartened at the state of comics these days. "The fanzines and everything are so full of the same crap. It's getting kind of disheartening to go on. It's all this Dark Knight and Superman and revitalised super-heroes and five-issue this and six-issue that. You feel after a while that everything's passed you by. I'm going to keep going, but there's no real impetus to keep to a schedule or anything, because it's largely just this sniping sort of 'we all like to say that we know Dave Sim but we all like to cut him down' sort of thing. These people want more mutants and funny animal parodies of Frank Miller, so there's certainly enough of those to keep them going. The only thing they can count on is that, five years from now, they'll be reading Cerebus #150, but they're not smart enough to figure that out."
No signs of Cerebus Jam #2 at this point. "I don't push creative people for the sake of reviewers," is Sim's only comment. There are also many interesting projects on tap from Aardvark One International, but expect these to suddenly appear, without warning. Fans are advised to stay alert.
Labels: Art and Illustration, Reviews
Jaka Laid To Rest
Laid To Rest (2010)
by Paul Sloboda
(from Cerebus The Newsletter #18)
Dave Sim: "My Neil Gaiman Story"
My Neil Gaiman Story
from Guest Of Honor: Neil Gaiman
(Moondog's Inc, 1993)
Labels: Neil Gaiman, Other Comics
Weekly Update #9: 'Cerebus' & 'High Society' Reprinting
It turned out that George WASN'T able to get the last few digital files last weekend because of a greater than usual amount of work he had to do in his regular job (all of George's work is volunteer and pro bono).
He's hoping that he will get to the files this weekend and be able to e-mail them to Lebonfon on Sunday.
Betrayals, Disappointments & Deaths
Cerebus #278 (May 2002)
ALLEN RUBINSTEIN:
(from a comment posted at TCJ.com, 24 June 2011)
The Three Stooges material is one of the high points of Cerebus. It starts as a "wacky" treatment of the Stooges as we all know them, in character, and slowly evolves into a telling of their later lives, betrayals, disappointments and deaths. It's really quite moving, brilliantly told and even Uncle Miltie shows up! If you take this section and the Mary Hemingway diary issues, you've got a master class in comics storytelling. I've said it before, and I will again - Cerebus contains some of the all-time best and some of the all-time worst comics I've ever read in thirty years. Nobody, but nobody is making comics today the way he has. I expect this statement to continue to be true in my lifetime.
Labels: Reviews, The Three Stooges
Slap Shtick
(from Notes On Latter Days, Cerebus Vol 15: Latter Days, 2003)
...What is interesting is that the [Three Stooges] shorts, themselves are, indeed, not very good. I mean, as entertainment, if you're talking about the writing and acting - apart from the Stooges themselves who are beautifully crafted "shorthand" personalities - the shorts are terrible. The actresses especially all have that look about them: immaculate babes who are just not actresses. The Stooges shorts scream "casting couch", even for a time when all movie acting was pretty broad and pretty unrealistic. There's something "off" about each of the actresses: too tall, voice to nasal, nose tilted wrong, eyes uneven, bad posture. Amazing "casting couch" material but, I mean, Lucille Ball comes off like Katherine Hepburn in this crowd. They seem "foisted" onto the Stooges machine, as does the writing.
And machine it was. 97 shorts in thirteen year, until Curly had his stroke in the middle of filming Half-Wits Holiday in '47. And they finished the day's work without him and then brought Shemp back for Fright Night. Amazing work ethic.
I would maintain that the success of the Stooges' shorts - and unbeknownst to them, Columbia was using the shorts as leverage to get the movie houses to show Columbia's films they weren't really interested in showing, that's how wide and deep the Stooges' popularity was - was attributable to that timing, that razor sharpness and the personalities that they developed in interacting with each other. As | |
the Biblical portrayals on what is and may be happening in your near future.
This Biblical portrayal includes Prophecies that the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel are about to return to the Land of their Biblical Inheritance. This is Divine Destiny in living reality as the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel return to their Homelands first in Shomron (Samaria), Israel.
For inquiries about the Kol Ha Tor Vision for the Lost Tribes of Israel,
They also offer – "a Spiritual Retreat and Guest House in Samaria that hosts Shomron (Samaria) Tours to reacquaint the Returning Lost Tribers of the House of Israel to their chosen destiny. For details refer to Shomron Lives!",
DISCLAIMER - Kol Ha Tor is an independent commentator and may or may not agree with the contents, the views, interpretations and opinions as expressed by the independent theological and/or political views of Destination Yisrael
Jewish women pray at Jerusalem holy site, angering rabbi
The Qumran Essene Traditions of Enoch and Metatron as King Messiah
Separated at birth, Democratic party edition....
Women of the Wall eschew priestly blessing at Western Wall holiday services
Tens of thousands hear priestly blessing at Western Wall
VIDEO: 'Tens of thousands' attend priestly blessing at Western Wall
The Kidnapping of Three Israeli Teens harbingers bad Omens for Jews and Lost Israelites in Europe and America
Blood Moon Tetrads, Obama's Genocidal Gift to Persia-Iran and the Final Apocalyps
The Modern Samaritans from the Tribe of Ephraim are the Fruit Fruits of the Return of the Lost Ten Tribes of the House of Israel.
Posted at 05:55 PM in Aliyah, Returning to the Land of Israel, American Israelite Nation, Arabs and the Jews, Christianity and Israel, Coming of the Messiah, Current Affairs in Israel, Economic World Collapse, Festivals of the Lord, Global America, Global Europe, Global Israel, History of the Jews, History of the Lost Tribes of Israel, Holocaust of the Jews, Illuminati, Masons and Secret Orders, Iran and the Jews, Israel and Global World Order, Israeli Settlements and the Homeland for the Lost Tribes of Israel, Jerusalem and the Middle East, Jewish Anti-Semitism, Jewish Nazarenes, Judaism's Covenant, Labor Zionism, Land of Israel, Messiah Millennial State of Israel, Messianic Israel, Mystical Judaism and the Zohar, New World Order, Orthodox Jewish Life, Palestinian State and Israel, Redemption of Israel, Return of the Lost Tribes of Israel, Returning to Judaism, Rome and the Jews, Rome and the Lost Tribes of Israel, Rome and the Vatican, Sabbatean Jewish Anti-Jew, Sages of Israel, Samaria and Judea, Time of the End, War against Israel, Zionist State of Israel | Permalink | Comments (0)
Shout for Joy: the Times of the Messiah is Here! Before the Era of the Messiah begins: Israel must Build, Build, and Build.
Redemption will be Delayed and Come with Harsh Catastrophes and Destruction unless the State of Israel begins a Building Program in the Settlements of Shomron and Judea for the Jews in the Diaspora and the Mega Return of the 2-3 Billion of the Lost Ten Tribes of the House of Israel.
An illustration of Israel's new city of Harish's main boulevard as it may look in the future. (Image courtesy of Hanan Mor)
Song of Songs 2:12 – "The blossoms have appeared in the land; the time of singing has arrived and the call of the turtledove is heard in our land."
There is no doubt that the most authoritative Rabbi in the last 250 years was the esteemed rabbi of Vilnius, Lithuania; Rabbi Eliyahu Shlomo Zalman, called the Vilna Gaon. Without the vision of the mission and persistence of the Genius of Vilnius, most spiritual visionaries of the future would still be in the dark ages of the future messianic consciousness.
Was it not he, the Holy Gaon, who was instrumental in creating the atmosphere for the ingathering of the Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe to settle in Jerusalem and the region of Galilee? This sacred mission started the Jewish settlement movement in the early 1800s.
The Gaon passed away in the year 1797, in which he himself never would see the Land of Israel in his lifetime. Yet, it was his disciples and the doctrine of Vilna Gaon that gave his disciples the courage to endanger their lives on the long and perilous journey to the Holy Land. There under many trials and tribulations, the resettling and rebuilding of a poverty stricken and desolate land began.
It was in the year of 1808 that the first caravan with 70 people including 14 of the personal disciples of the Vilna Gaon arrived in the Land of Israel on the 5th of Elul 5509 (September 1809).
During the same era at the end of the 18th century, the spark of messianic enlightenment brought numerous of the disciples of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, who himself like the Vilna Gaon were unsuccessful of entering the Land of Promise. Yet the disciples of the Gaon began the "settlement movement" along the Sea of Galilee at Tzafat, Tiberius and further south into Hebron.
Scottish artist David Roberts depicts the Desolation of Jerusalem in the skyline painting of "Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives" (color lithograph; London: Day & Son, 1855).
In the year of 1812, another seven of the Gaon's disciples led by Rabbi Hillel departed from Byela-Russia for Jerusalem to begin its settlement of the Jewish people in G-d's Zion in Jerusalem. Upon their arrival they found only twenty Sephardic Jews and nine Ashkenazi Jews living in Jerusalem among the non-Jewish population. As Rabbi Joel David Bakst wrote in his seminal book titled, "The Secret Doctrine of the Vilna Gaon, Volume 1", we read:
Rabbi Joel David Bakst- "On their arrival they found only twenty Sephardic and nine Ashkenazi Jews living among the non-Jewish population. R. Hillel and his comrades immediately set about establishing the necessary institutions vital to Jewish communal life – charity funds, a hospital, a yeshiva and a civil guard unit. The tests that awaited them were enormous.
They suffered from severe food shortages, roving bands of marauder, diseases and plagues, and libelous defamation from their non-Jewish neighbors.
In addition, communication with the Diaspora was extremely difficult. This meant that they were almost totally isolated from the rest of world Jewry, which was their one source of financial support. It was only the Gaon's powerful vision of the messianic destiny of their mission that gave this first group of pioneers the strength to persist and overcome, against all odds.
Finally when word reached home that R. Hillel and a handful of men had succeeded in resettling Jerusalem, a great fervor was generated that led many Russian Jews to attempt further immigration to the Holy Land. R. Hillel passed away in 1838 at the age of eighty. To world Jewry, he left a well-established Jerusalem community. To his family he entrusted the collection of writings that constituted the doctrine of the Kol Ha Tor."
It would be over a century later before the Balford Agreement in 1917 started the international process of providing a Nation-state for the Jewish people as their homeland in the land of Israel. In this era, the Rothschilds were the primary benefactors in the "settlement movement."
It would be 140 years later in 1948, after the first of disciples of the Vilna Gaon immigrated to Israel in 1808 when the State of Israel declared its "Declaration of Independence" on May 14, 1948. On May 11, 1949, the General Assembly of the United Nations approved by a two-thirds majority the application to admit Israel to the United Nations under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273.
Jewish Biblical Year 5000 was the Year of 1240 CE when the Roman Catholic Christian Crusaders were driven from the Holy Land
The Roman Catholic Christian Crusades against the Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem and the Holy Land of Israel in ancient Judea
One of the amazing concepts | |
adolescents with type one diabetes and 24 non-diabetic controls using MRI of the ascending and descending aorta, as well as assessment of carotid intima-medial thickness by ultrasound, brachial distance ability by DynaPulse, fat and lean mass by DXA, fasting labs following overnight glycemic control, and insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. The adolescents with type one diabetes were randomized one as to one to three months of 2000 milligrams metformin or placebo daily, after which the baseline measures were repeated.
The authors detected early signs of cardiovascular disease with MRI in these adolescents with type one diabetes compared to controls. They further found that three months of metformin therapy improved insulin sensitivity as assessed by gold standard hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, both in normal weight and obese adolescents with type one diabetes. Moreover, metformin improved carotid intima-medial thickness and aortic wall shear stress and stiffness. Thus, metformin may hold promise as a cardioprotective intervention in type one diabetes.
What are the clinical genetic and environmental determinants of varicose vein formation? Co-first authors Drs Fukaya and Flores, corresponding author Dr Leeper from Stanford University, and colleagues applied machine learning to agnostically search for risk factors of varicose veins in nearly half a million individuals in the UK bio bank. They found that greater height appeared as a novel predictor of varicose vein disease in machine learning analyses, and was independently associated in multi-variable adjusted Cox regression. Using Mendelian randomization, they demonstrated that greater height had a causal role in varicose vein development. A genome-wide association study identified 30 new genome-wide significant loci, identifying pathways involved in vascular development, and skeletal/limb biology, and discovering a strong genetic correlation between varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis. The knowledge greatly expands our understanding of disease pathophysiology, and may help future improvements in the management of varicose veins and their associated complications.
The final original paper describes the effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide on cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality in patients with type two diabetes and chronic kidney disease. First and corresponding author Dr Mann from Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen in Germany and their colleagues performed a post hoc analysis of the LEADER trial comparing the liraglutide's treatment effects in patients with and without kidney disease.
As a reminder, LEADER was designed to recruit a subgroup of at least 660 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR, less than 60, approximately 220 patients with severe renal impairment, eGFR less than 30, and at least 440 patients with moderate renal impairment with an eGFR of 30 to 60. The authors found that the liraglutide reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality compared with placebo in patients with chronic kidney disease defined as an eGFR less than 60, and also in patients with albuminuria defined as a urinary albumin to creatinine ratio above 30.
The overall risk of adverse events did not differ between the liraglutide and placebo treated patients either with or without chronic kidney disease in the LEADER trial. In summary, these results show that liraglutide added to standard of care reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in patients with type two diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Furthermore, these results appear to apply across the chronic kidney disease spectrum that was enrolled.
And that brings us to the end of our summaries. Now for this week's feature discussion.
Cardiovascular outcome trials have transformed the world of treating patients with diabetes. And for our feature discussion today, we're going to be talking about a new analysis from a very important trial, the LEADER trial of GLP-1 receptor agonists, and that's the liraglutide. I'm very proud to have the corresponding author of this paper with us, Dr Subodh Verma, and he's from St Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto, and our senior associate editor, Dr Gabriel Steg, from University of Paris. Actually, Gabriel, I'm actually going to start with you for once because I recall perhaps something you may have written about cardiovascular outcome trials.
Dr Gabriel Steg: Yeah, it's really funny. I'll try to take it graciously. You know, I wrote a frame of reference in Circulation a few years ago, wondering whether we were doing good by doing all these large outcome trials for safety with new anti-diabetic drugs, because there had been not one but two, three, four, five, six trials that were essentially neutral, enrolling more than 107 patients and participants at the expense of millions of dollars, and not much came out of it. And this was published in circulation. I was very happy until the next trial comes up, and this is EMPA-REG. And the next one is LEADER. And we have two trials that literally transform our vision of anti-diabetic agents as major agents for cardiovascular prevention. The trial we're going to discuss today, which you wrote about, is one of these trials. And I think I have to revisit my own writings and probably eat my hat.
Dr Carolyn Lam: So indeed, that's a great segue. Thank you, Gabriel. And Subodh, tell us then, what did you look at this time in LEADER? And maybe start by saying a little bit about LEADER, and the rationale for doing this particular sub analysis.
Dr Subodh Verma: Right. So, as Dr Steg mentioned, these were FDA-mandated studies to look at safety and potential efficacy of newer antihyperglycemic agents. The entire premise was that cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists were not really getting that excited about antihyperglycemic therapies in people with diabetes, because there was no data that they did much. And as Dr Steg mentioned, even the data leading up to some of these trials were disappointing, suggesting that they're safe, but they neither reduce nor increase events.
So, I think EMPA-REG and LEADER really changed the calculus in many ways of how we look at cardiovascular risk reduction with antihyperglycemic agents. LEADER was a trial that was 9,340 patients. These are patients that were at high cardiovascular risk, but unlike EMPA-REG that only enrolled people with prior to ischemic cardiovascular events ICAD, PAD, and CVD, LEADER took a position of enriching the population with this spectrum of patients with cardiovascular disease and risk factors.
So, some were in so-called high risk primary prevention who had not had established ASCVD, but had multiple risk factors such as uncontrolled hypertension or chronic kidney disease. Some had evidence of ASCVD, but had not had a prior myocardial infarction. And some, in fact, had had a prior MI stroke or PAD. So, it was a broad population of patients that was enrolled. And the primary result, again, for the primary outcome of MACE, demonstrated a significant reduction in favor of liraglutide versus placebo. And then for the individual components of that primary outcome, they were all statistically significant, or at least went in the right direction. Importantly, CV death was reduced by 22% with liraglutide versus placebo.
I would like to emphasize that in this day and age, and Dr Steg has nicely set the stage, we have started thinking about how do we think about cardiovascular phenotypes of patients. You know, is a drug more likely to reduce heart failure? More likely to reduce ischemic events? And with LEADER, we found that in fact the trial actually reduced mostly ischemic events, and was really not that beneficial on heart failure related outcomes.
So, that was the broad positive outcome from LEADER. They've led to guideline changes worldwide that patients with diabetes should be prioritized to receive an agent that has shown benefit, particularly if they have cardiovascular disease. And one of those agents was empagliflozin. The other was liraglutide. But, secondary prevention is a pretty crowded space, and not everybody can get everything, and not everybody | |
promotional exercise. "They said they'd love to invite me over again to talk to the press about our latest game, which was PowerMonger," he remembers. "They'd also held a national competition to try and find the best Populous player, and as part of that competition, the winner could play the creator of the game – that would be a brilliant finale. I glibly agreed, thinking that it would be in a meeting room somewhere. Instead, when I actually got there, it was in this huge theatre which must have easily sat 2,000 people. It was completely full, and this Japanese bloke came out with an incredibly serious look on his face and wearing one of those Japanese bandanas, and he bowed – he took it all amazingly seriously."
Surely the man who helped craft this amazing game could deal with such pressure? "I hadn't played Populous for probably about nine months," Molyneux replies, chuckling to himself. "I was developing a new game, so I just hadn't had the time. I wouldn't have said I was particularly good at it even with practice, but I felt OK because I knew that there was secret cheat mode available. If I could press this certain key combination and put the mouse into the top-left hand corner of the screen, it would give my game a boost; I thought to myself, 'I could always do that'. But unfortunately, as part of the presentation, the screen showed my face in full, my screen in full, and it had a camera pointing down at my hands to show what they were doing. So I couldn't activate the cheat!" It's unlikely that Molyneux would have had time to successfully exploit the hack anyway, due to the potency of his Japanese rival. "They'd scheduled this to go on for an hour and it took the bloke three minutes to totally defeat me," he says with a laugh. "It was the most humiliating moment in my life. I felt somewhat scarred after that!"
Still, onwards and upwards. Despite his mauling in Japan, Molyneux was in good standing with Imagineer and the publisher was keen to continue the relationship. Given that the console versions of Populous – and indeed, most other notable ports from this period – were at least a year behind the home computer originals, Imagineer had a good idea of what it could ask Bullfrog for next. Both PowerMonger and Populous II would be published in the region by the company, but Molyneux struggles to recall these events due to the understandably hectic nature of this period of his life.
"I'll be absolutely honest with you, the whole period is kind of blurred into one kind of crazy, crazy, crazy time," he sighs. "I can remember feeling an enormous amount of pressure to get PowerMonger out, an enormous amount of pressure to get Populous II out – and while that was all going on, I was doing my first real press interviews, and then people realised that I didn't mind talking to the press and quite enjoyed it, so there was a huge number of those. Then having to do the coding on PowerMonger and Populous II… it was just adrenaline-fuelled craziness. It was 24/7, full-on, all the time."
The last Populous game arrived on the Nintendo DS way back in 2007; development was handled by Japanese studio Genki and Molyneux was not involved
PowerMonger was initially pitched as being an evolution of Populous; while it lacked the 'God Sim' aspect and was more tactical in nature, it promised a living, breathing world in which each character would have allegiances and even memories, so your actions could potentially come back to haunt you. The game was fantastic, but much of the truly groundbreaking stuff that the infectiously affable Molyneux spoke about in early interviews ended up hitting the cutting room floor, and the designer has struggled to shake off this reputation of over-promising ever since. It's at this point in our discussion that he dips into his seemingly bottomless collection of wonderful anecdotes to pull out a tale that you could argue goes some way to explaining why, as a developer, he has always bravely aimed for the stars – even when the goal is clearly unobtainable.
"There were two big things about PowerMonger – the first is that it was started literally after Populous was launched. The next day, we started on PowerMonger. The second thing was an unfortunate event which happened about halfway through development. I went to this drinks thing which was organised by Gary Whitta, who is now a successful Hollywood scriptwriter with movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Book of Eli to his name. He was this cheeky kid of a journalist at the time, and he managed to bully me into this meeting between David Braben (Elite), Jez San (Starglider, Star Fox) and Archer Maclean (Dropzone) down the pub." You'd assume that Molyneux felt he was amongst equals, but that wasn't the case.
"These guys were the top of the games industry and hyper-intelligent human beings, and then there was me!" he laughs. "During that meeting down the pub, they were all talking about developing games – 6502 Assembly and x86 and all that advanced stuff – and I was just sitting in the corner, and said 'Well, actually my game was developed in C', and there was this stunned silence. I could just see them all just giggling and saying, 'That's not a proper game developer!' So I went back to the office that afternoon, tanked up on several pints of bitter, and I threw all of the floppy discs which held the code in the bin and I taught myself Assembly. There was this incredible pressure to do that, and I did that only because I wanted to be one of the smart boys rather than a stupid kid in the class."
Molyneux has revisited the God Sim genre at his new studio 22cans, via PC and smartphone title Godus
It might seem like hyperbole, but that fateful night in a Guildford pub had a transformative effect on the previously shy and retiring Molyneux, and came at a time when his company – and his life – were swept away in what must have felt like an uncontrollable tide of relentless progress. "I'd gone from being someone who rarely ventured away from my computer and barely socialised at all into doing all of this press and all of that stuff," he explains. "I'll be honest, I don't really remember the distinction between Populous, PowerMonger, or Populous II. We're only talking about a span of two or so years. In that time, Bullfrog had to be expanded, we had to launch games in a variety of countries, we had to service Electronic Arts, and we had to author two new games. It was insane, and I don't know how that worked."
But it did work, and since then, Molyneux's career has spanned several million-selling video games (including Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate, Black & White and Magic Carpet), the formation of a new company in the guise of now-defunct Lionhead, a lead role at Microsoft and – more recently – a return to humbler roots via 22cans, his current studio. Despite the whirlwind nature of his working life, Molyneux has an understandable soft spot for the game that made it all possible in the first place; 22cans' Godus is arguably a riff on Populous, but Molyneux feels there's ample room for a proper revival to take place (the series has been dormant since the release of the Genki-developed Populous DS in 2007).
"I think there's something innately interesting about allowing people to create a world and compete in | |
challenging after graduating, either, he added.
"When you want to be a performer, everyone tells you it's hard, and that kind of goes without saying because it is hard, and you always want to retreat to that more stable job because you get rejected, and rejected, and rejected," he said.
Even the process of becoming eligible to work in another country can be what McGowan describes as "somewhat traumatizing," because "your career, your life's work and your validity to stay in their economy and industry" is being judged.
How did he overcome those hurdles?
"Endurance is key if this is what you really want to do," McGowan said. "You just have to keep going and things will eventually start to fall into place. If you keep showing up, they are going to see you have the drive and eventually pick you up."
In addition to his most recent role, McGowan has also appeared in several theatrical productions and in venues such as Feinstein's/54 Below, The West End and The Green Room 42 while working in New York.
With a mounting body of work under his belt, McGowan is now looking toward the future and taking on his next challenge.
"I'd like to branch into film and television more, that's the next thing I have my eye on," he said.
And while he wants to give it a few more years in New York, he plans to return to Canada someday.
"Just not quite yet; I'm not quite done with New York," he said.
The Big Bang Theory: A Pop-Rock Musical Parody is scheduled for an open-ended run and is currently playing at the Anne Bernstein Theatre (The Theater Center) in New York City. Tickets are available online.
Tags: alumni relations, Department of Dramatic Arts, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, John McGowan, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, off-Broadway The Big Bang Theory: A Pop-Rock Musical Parody, shelley huxley
Categories: Alumni, News
Drama students to tackle tough topics in Sunday on the Rocks
Friday, March 29, 2019 | Posted by Brock University
Brock dramatic arts students and cast members Catherine Tait, left, and Kristina Ojaperv rehearse for their upcoming production of Sunday on the Rocks. Produced by dramatic arts students under the company name OverHead Theatre, the show is being staged at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts from Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14. Photo courtesy of OverHead Theatre.
(From The Brock News, Friday, March 29, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)
Brock Dramatic Arts students are bringing the work of Broadway heavyweight Theresa Rebeck to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) this April with their production of Sunday on the Rocks.
The show is produced by students in the University's DART 4F56 class, under the company name Over Head Theatre, and is the follow-up to their successful first production A History of Everything.
It opens at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre on Friday, April 12 and runs until Sunday, April 14.
Set in 1994, Sunday on the Rocks is a comedic drama about four roommates stepping into adulthood and struggling with issues of harassment, sexual assault and abortion.
It features the talents of fourth-year Dramatic Arts students Adria Dearden, Kristina Ojaperv, Tsipporah Shendroff and Catherine Tait as the cast, and is being staged by the production team comprised of Alicia Bender, Whitney Braybrook-Byl, Leah Eichler, Juan-Carlos Figueroa, Heather Janser, Holly Kurelek, Ryan Mahon, Emma McCormick, Mae Smith and Geoff Turner.
Director and course instructor Neil Silcox said he was drawn to this play because of the rich and complex characters.
"Living in 1994, they are struggling with all the same issues that women face today, but without the short-hand to talk about it that we've developed in the past 25 years with the rise of the #MeToo movement."
Assistant Director Colin Williams added: "Theresa Rebeck's writing never shies away from difficult and sensitive subjects, is never preachy and is, above all, funny."
Rebeck, who has four plays under her belt, was presented the PEN/Laura Pels Award in 2010 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. Her other notable plays include Seminar, starring Alan Rickman, Dead Accounts, starring Katie Holmes, and most recently, the 2018 Broadway hit Bernhardt/Hamlet, starring Janet McTeer.
Sunday on the Rocks runs from Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre of the MIWSFPA, located at 15 Artists' Common in downtown St. Catharines. Tickets are $5 (plus taxes and fees) and are available for purchase through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre online box office or by phone at 905-688-0722.
For more information and showtimes visit the DART web page. Limited parking is available on site.
Tags: A History of Everything, DART 4F56, Department of Dramatic Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA, Sunday on the Rocks
Categories: Current Students, Events, News, Performance Season, Plays
Community discussion to focus on King Ubu's relevance to today
Thursday, February 28, 2019 | Posted by Brock University
Brock's Department of Dramatic Arts is excited to bring King Ubu to the mainstage this weekend at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines. The show runs from Friday, March 1 to Saturday, March 9. Cast member Emma McCormick (centre) was interviewed during last week's media call.
(From The Brock News, February 28, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)
St. Catharines city councillor Karrie Porter will join a group of Brock Dramatic Arts (DART) students and Brock faculty members next week in a roundtable discussion on the relevance of King Ubu to today's political climate.
The free, public event, "Folly, feces and fake news: King Ubu, then and now," will be held in the Scotiabank Atrium in the Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Research Complex on Wednesday, March 6 from 10 to 11 a.m.
"We're really happy to have Karrie's participation," said Director and DART Associate Professor David Fancy. "She has a rich background in social justice, community engagement and lived experience of being a woman in politics in the age of social media."
Students in Brock's Department of Dramatic Arts are excited to bring King Ubu to the mainstage this weekend at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre in downtown St. Catharines. The show runs from Friday, March 1 to Saturday, March 9.
The plot follows Pa Ubu (a patriarchal, racist, megalomaniac who constantly talks about poop, loves himself a lot and kills everybody around him) and his wife, Ma Ubu (who pushes her husband to increasing feats of violence and narcissism), as they go on a bloodthirsty quest to take over the world.Brock's Department of Dramatic Arts is staging the classic French production in a run from March 1 to 9.
Fancy said he is looking forward to generating discussions on the work's timeless themes at the upcoming roundtable.
"Whenever we're programming productions, we attempt to provide students and the department, and by extension the wider community, the opportunity to work through a set of themes that resonate with what is going on with the world," Fancy said. "Given this is about a person who is obsessed with their own power, King Ubu seemed like a good fit, thematically."
The controversy surrounding the play's opening run is also going to be discussed. Panelists will debate whether King Ubu opened and closed in a single night because of its controversial content, or, whether the hubbub was an example of 19th century "fake news," intentionally manufactured and exaggerated to promote the production.
Panelists will also explore Fancy's adaptation of the play and the queering of main character Pa Ubu (who will be played by female cast member Emma McCormick in the Brock production).
In addition to Fancy and Porter, panelists will include Professors Leah Bradshaw (Political Science), Tim Conley (English) and Karen Fricker (Dramatic Arts), and DART students McCormick, Kristina Ojaperv (Assistant Director), Mae Smith and Catherine Tait.
Marilyn I. | |
he began streaming Dark Souls challenge runs back in early 2013. He attributes the audience spike to the fact that he got in at the right time. Since the game only had a cult following at that point, he was one of the only streamers challenge-running Dark Souls. All of a sudden the Souls community had a court jester a la Johnny Knoxville. If completing the game normally equated to pedalling a bike up the side of Mount Everest, here was somebody who'd already reached the summit and was determined to go back down...butt-naked in a shopping trolley with a snarling Rottweiler inside. No brakes or crash helmet required.
Lobos gave Demon's Souls a shot but had tossed it back in the pile after 2 ½ hours. "This game is garbage," he recalls thinking at the time, "I'm out! This isn't fair!" Later when Dark Souls came out, however, his friends staged an intervention and sat him down, forcing him to play it while they offered hints on how to survive. Those friends probably deserve a cut of his streaming royalties; thanks in part to the success he's found streaming Dark Souls, he was able to quit his day job at BioWare performing quality assurance on Star Wars: The Old Republic to begin streaming full-time. He's already built a dedicated audience of 341,000 subscribers on YouTube and nearly 348,000 followers on Twitch, the latter of which he's affectionately dubbed 'The Wolfpack'.
In addition to the Gwyn bareknuckle takedown, he's completed Dark Souls in a myriad of dementedly difficult ways. During our interview I ran down a non-exhaustive list of my favourite Lobos Jr. Dark Souls challenge runs and asked him to offer his abiding impression of each in lightning-round succession. If you want to experience the most profound suffering that Dark Souls has to offer, feel free to take notes. Off we go...
Complete game solely dealing damage by rolling into enemies while wearing Kirk, Knight of Thorns' armour set.
Lobos: "Didn't kill Four Kings [with rolling], every other boss was doable but not Four Kings."
Complete game with 1 stamina point, no spells.
Lobos: "Lots of dying."
Complete game using bow only, no lock-on.
Lobos: "Miserable. Basically I had to aim my neck area at characters to kill them, that's how you aim without locking on."
Complete game using only consumable items to inflict damage.
Lobos: "Manus took two hours."
Complete speedrun of the entire game in under an hour.
Lobos: "Satisfying."
Complete speedrun with no healing, bonfires, attuning or leveling.
Lobos: "The run [from Firelink] to Nito is the most exciting part."
Speedrun to acquire The Dark Soul 100% achievement.
Lobos: "Didn't really care about it. I'm not an achievement hunter. Someone came up with a speedrun route for it and said, let's race this, and I was like, alright, cool. It took a long time and I did it, but I probably wouldn't do it again.
Complete game while switching to each successive weapon you find in a new chest or gain via loot drop (a.k.a. the 'Use What You See' challenge).
Lobos: "Surprising. I could plan it out to a certain extent in terms of, 'Oh I need to go pick up this weapon', but occasionally an enemy would drop a weapon and all of a sudden I have to drop my good weapon and switch to this crappy weapon."
Complete Dark Souls blindfolded with friend offering seeing-eye dog directives (a.k.a. 'In The Dark Souls').
Lobos: "Tedious, very tedious. We got all the way to Anor Londo. We got through Sen's Fortress, that felt like a victory there almost. But yeah, it's not that we really gave up or anything, we just didn't return to it."
Complete game using only weapons which you don't have sufficient stats to wield (a.k.a. 'the bouncy-sword run').
Lobos: "Very slow, very slow."
Shield-only speedrun.
Lobos: "Fun but grindy. The best shield to go for is the Bonewheel Shield, but it's got a very low drop-rate so the very first part of the run, which I had to do over and over and over, involves trying to get that shield to drop while not dying to Bonewheel Skeletons.
Reach 1,000,000 souls held, can only spend souls from items.
Lobos: "All I remember is losing like 700K souls at some point and having to start over, so: heartbreaking."
Complete the game by summoning in viewers to kill everything on your behalf.
Lobos: "Unique."
Kill Gwyn in a boxing duel.
Lobos: "Endurance test. Gruelling."
The more I hear Lobos talk about the unique sort of enjoyment he gets out of challenge-running Dark Souls, the more his interaction with the game starts sounding like an extension of his previous gig working in video-game quality assurance. He's naturally drawn to the ethic of playing games in ways that were never intended, and gets a bird-hunting thrill out of spotting a rare animation or AI glitch during his escapades.
"Even before I worked in QA," he tells me, "that is what I loved to do with games. Also, I love how speedrunners will find certain glitches that you can exploit to get through the games faster. I'm just so interested in the mechanics of games. Once I went into QA I got to harness that and use it in an actual professional setting, and now when I stream, sometimes I have to stop myself because people don't want to watch me jump at this corner for an hour [trying to find a sequence break in the map].
"If a game is very well polished, that's great. If a game is horrendously broken, that's almost better. Because I'm just in love with mechanics and how they break. When stuff breaks, my mind goes crazy thinking, 'OK, here's the logic for why this is happening'. And Dark Souls being broken makes me love it even more. Every time somebody asks me who on
the development team I would love to talk to, everybody expects Miyazaki, but no, I would like to have a conversation with one of the QA guys and be like, 'Did you guys know about this?!'"
To date, he's never gotten any indication from the Souls developer that they've discovered and patched a bug based on his stream, but there are some choice Dark Souls bugs still in existence that can be exploited, he assures me. His favourite glitch, which he used just the other day, is known as 'tumble-buffing'. By casting a buff such as Magic Weapon in the middle of a roll, it will send the command into a queue to be executed the moment you come out of the roll. However, if you quickly swap the weapon out for a different one mid-roll, the Magic Weapon buff will automatically be applied to whatever weapon you've subbed in, even if it can't normally receive the buff. This allows you to cast a Magic Weapon buff onto a bow or a shield, or even your bare fists.
"I did a run with my bare fists," says Lobos, "which revolves around using Magic Weapon and levelling intelligence just to buff your fists. It does enough damage where you can get through the game that way."
If you're wondering how many hours it takes to get as good at Dark Souls as Lobos, you might want to pack a lunch for the journey. He does most of his challenge runs offline, and Steam doesn't track offline hours, but he's been keeping a mental tally over the years and he estimates the total amount of playtime to be somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000 hours. He's completed the game 300-400 times in that span. "It sounds ridiculous," he says, "but they say it takes 10,000 hours to master something, and I've been [playing Dark Souls] as a full-time job for a year and pretty much full-time as a hobby for years before that."
I'd like to | |
~ ~ let ~ $\purestate{\psi_i}= \Lambda_A[\rho_i]$ ~ and ~ choose ~
$\sin\varphi= \td{\Lambda_B[\rho_1]}{\Lambda_B[\rho_2]}$.
Then, up to a global unitary transformation, $\Lambda_B[\rho_i]=
(\Omega_{\varphi;\ket{\psi_1},\ket{\psi_2}}\circ \Lambda_A)[\rho_i]$ holds.
Since we can mimic the action of $\Lambda_B$ on $\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$ by using
the map $\Lambda_A$, we would always prefer $\Lambda_A$ in favor of
$\Lambda_B$.
Thus among all purifying processes of two states we are most interested in
those which maximize the trace distance of the corresponding output states.
This trace distance of the output of a purifying map $\Lambda$ is upper bounded
by a geometric quantity depending on $\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$, namely by the
worst case distinguishability $\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$ \cite{Kleinmann:2006PRA},
\begin{equation}\label{e20664}
\td{\Lambda[\rho_1]}{\Lambda[\rho_2]}\le \wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}.
\end{equation}
We now want to give a physical interpretation of this inequality:
In quantum mechanics, an ensemble of pure states $\purestate{\phi_j}$ with
probabilities $p_j> 0$ (where $\sum_j p_j=1$) is described by the mixed state
$\rho= \sum_j p_j \purestate{\phi_j}$.
In general, many different ensembles lead to the same density operator $\rho$,
and it is a prediction of quantum mechanics that it is impossible to
physically distinguish between such different ensembles.
Having said that, for a given mixed state $\rho$, a pure state $\purestate\phi$
may physically appear if and only if $\purestate\phi$ can be part of an
ensemble that is represented by $\rho$, i.e., if and only if a positive number
$p$ exists, such that $\rho- p\purestate\phi$ is positive semidefinite.
Let us denote the collection of all such pure states $\purestate\phi$ by
\begin{equation}\begin{split}
\mathcal Q_\rho
&= \{ \purestate\phi \mid \exists p>0\colon \rho-p \purestate\phi \ge 0 \}\\
&\equiv \{ \purestate\phi \mid \ket\phi\in \supp\rho \},
\end{split}\end{equation}
where $\supp\rho$ is the support of $\rho$, i.e., the orthocomplement of the
kernel of $\rho$.
The worst-case distinguishability is now defined as
\begin{equation}\begin{split}
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}&= \inf_{\purestate{\phi_i}\in \mathcal Q_{\rho_i}}
\td{\purestate{\phi_1}}{\purestate{\phi_2}} \\
&\equiv \min_k(\sin\vartheta_k),
\end{split}\end{equation}
where $\vartheta_k$ denote the Jordan angles \cite{Stewart:1990} between
$\supp\rho_1$ and $\supp\rho_2$.
Let ~ us ~ continue ~ the ~ physical ~ motivation ~ of ~ Eq.~\eqref{e20664}.
The maximal success probability for distinguishing two mixed states via a
measurement (``minimum error discrimination'') is given by
\cite{Helstrom:1976,Herzog:2004PRA}
\begin{equation}
P_\mathrm{MED}(\rho_1,\rho_2)= (1+\td{\rho_1}{\rho_2})/2,
\end{equation}
where we assumed that both states have equal a priori probabilities.
Hence $P_\mathrm{MED}$ is the {\em average} success probability for
distinguishing the ensemble of pure states denoted by $\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$.
In a physical experiment, each single measurement is performed on a pure state
out of the ensembles, i.e., the task of the discrimination measurement is to
distinguish between a state in $\mathcal Q_{\rho_1}$ and a state in $\mathcal
Q_{\rho_2}$.
The optimal success probability to distinguish between such two pure states in
the {\em worst} case is given by
\begin{equation}\begin{split}
P_\mathrm{WCD}&=
\inf_{\purestate{\phi_i}\in \mathcal Q_{\rho_i}}
P_\mathrm{MED}(\purestate{\phi_1},\purestate{\phi_2})\\
&\equiv (1+ \wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2})/2.
\end{split}\end{equation}
Since no deterministic process can increase the trace distance between two
states \cite{Nielsen:2000}, a purifying process of $\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$ must
not deterministically increase the distance between any pair of pure states
$\purestate{\phi_1}\in \mathcal Q_{\rho_1}$ and $\purestate{\phi_2}\in
\mathcal Q_{\rho_2}$.
This may serve as a physical motivation for the inequality in
Eq.~\eqref{e20664}.
Can the bound in Eq.~\eqref{e20664} always be achieved by some purifying
process $\Lambda$?
The answer is affirmative, but in order to verify this to a satisfactory level
there is no way to avoid the awkwardness of an explicit construction of a map
which reaches equality in Eq.~\eqref{e20664}:
Let us first briefly recall the concept of Jordan bases and Jordan angles
(sometimes also called canonical bases and canonical angles)
\cite{Stewart:1990,Rudolph:2003PRA} of two subspaces $\mathcal A_1\subset
{\mathcal H}$ and $\mathcal A_2\subset {\mathcal H}$:
Orthonormal bases $\ket{\psi_1^k}$ of $\mathcal A_1$ and $\ket{\psi_2^k}$ of
$\mathcal A_2$ are called Jordan bases, if
\begin{subequations}
\begin{align}
\bracket{\psi_1^k}{\psi_2^l}&= 0 &&\text{for $k\ne l$,}\\
\bracket{\psi_1^k}{\psi_2^k}&=\cos\vartheta_k &&\text{for $k\le\min_i\dim
\mathcal A_i$}.
\end{align}
\end{subequations}
Such bases always exist and $\vartheta_k$ are called the Jordan angles between
$\mathcal A_1$ and $\mathcal A_2$.
The first step in the construction of the purifying map is to apply the
distance-decreasing map $\Omega_\varphi$ defined in
Eqns.~\eqref{e1373a}-\eqref{e1373d} on each pair of Jordan vectors
$\ket{\psi^k_1}\in \supp\rho_1$ and $\ket{\psi^k_2}\in \supp\rho_2$, such that
the ~ distance ~ is ~ reduced ~ to ~ $\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$:
We define the Kraus operators ~ $A_1^k$ ~ and ~ $A_2^k$ ~ for ~ $k\le
\min_i\rank \rho_i$ analogously to Eqns.~\eqref{e1373b} and \eqref{e1373c} and
choose $\sin\varphi_k= \wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$.
In order to complete the set of Kraus operators, we in addition define the
projector $A_3= {\mathbbm 1} -\sum_{k} A_1^{k\dag} A_1^k- \sum_{k} A_2^{k\dag} A_2^k$
and write
\begin{equation}\begin{split}
\tilde\Omega&\colon
\LinearOpSpace{{\mathcal H}_\mathrm{in}}\rightarrow
\LinearOpSpace{{\mathcal H}_\mathrm{in}}\\&\colon
{\chi}\mapsto \sum_{k} A_1^k{\chi} A_1^{k\dag}+
\sum_{k} A_2^k{\chi} A_2^{k\dag}+A_3{\chi} A_3^\dag,
\end{split}\end{equation}
Let $\purestate{\nu_i}$ be an arbitrary pure state in $\mathcal Q_{\rho_i}$.
One finds that
\begin{multline}
\tilde\Omega[\purestate{\nu_i}]=
\sum_k \tr(\purestate{\psi_i^k}\purestate{\nu_i})
\tilde\Omega[\purestate{\psi_i^k}]\\+ A_3\purestate{\nu_i}A_3^\dag.
\end{multline}
By ~ construction, ~ $\purestate{\tilde\psi_i^k}=
\tilde\Omega[\purestate{\psi_i^k}]$ ~ is again ~ pure with
$\bracket{\tilde\psi_i^k}{\tilde\psi_j^l}= 0$ for $k\ne l$ and
$\td{\purestate{\tilde\psi_1^k}}{\purestate{\tilde\psi_2^k}}=
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$.
Furthermore $A_3\purestate{\nu_i}A_3^\dag\ne 0$ only if
$\rank\rho_i>\rank\rho_j$ for $j\ne i$.
Using the above properties of $\tilde\Omega$, it is straightforward to find a
CPTP map $\tilde E\colon {\mathcal H}_\mathrm{in}\rightarrow {\mathcal H}_\mathrm{in}\otimes {\Hilbert_\mathrm{aux}}$,
such ~ that ~ the ~ vectors ~ $\ket k\ket{\phi_1}$ ~ diagonalize ~ $(\tilde
E\circ \tilde\Omega)[\rho_1]$ ~ and ~ the ~ vectors ~ $\ket k\ket{\phi_2}$ ~
diagonalize ~ $(\tilde E\circ \tilde\Omega)[\rho_2]$, ~ where ~ $\bracket kl=
\delta_{kl}$ ~ and ~ $\td{\purestate{\phi_1}}{\purestate{\phi_2}}=
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$.
Thus the map $\tr_\mathrm{in} \circ \tilde E\circ \tilde\Omega$ is a map which reaches
the bound in Eq.~\eqref{e20664}, i.e.,
\begin{equation}\label{e20866}
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}= \max_\Lambda \td{\Lambda[\rho_1]}{\Lambda[\rho_2]},
\end{equation}
where the maximum is taken over all CPTP maps $\Lambda$ satisfying
$\{\rho_1,\rho_2\} \subset \Pur(\Lambda)$.
Furthermore, as already discussed in advance, due to Eq.~\eqref{e20866}, the
maximizing map $\tr_\mathrm{in}\circ \tilde E\circ \tilde\Omega$ together with the
distance-decreasing map $\Omega_\varphi$ allows to mimic the action of any
purifying map of the states $\rho_1$ and $\rho_2$.
This result characterizes the output of any process, which maps two input
states to pure output states.
For example one immediately finds that two states with overlapping support have
a vanishing worst-case distinguishability and thus such states only can be
mapped to {\em identical} pure states by a purifying process.
In \cite{Kleinmann:2006PRA} the problem was investigated, how close the pure
output states of a purifying map can get to a purification
\cite{Hughston:1993PLA,Bassi:2003PLA} of the input states.
The deviation from the optimal quality of such a purifying map was found to be
limited by the difference $\td{\rho_1}{\rho_2}- \wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$.
Furthermore the result in Eq.~\eqref{e20866} turned out to be the key for the
analysis of sets which can be mapped perfectly to their purifications
\cite{Kleinmann:2006PRA}.
In addition, the result in Eq.~\eqref{e20866} can also be used as a general
tool in quantum information theory, since results for pure states often are
much simpler to obtain than results for mixed states.
As an example, we provide a lower bound on the trace distance of any two
product states $\rho_1\otimes \sigma_1$ and $\rho_2\otimes \sigma_2$:
\begin{multline}\label{e16420}
\td{\rho_1\otimes \sigma_1}{\rho_2\otimes \sigma_2}^2 \ge \\
1-(1- \wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}^2)(1- \td{\sigma_1}{\sigma_2}^2).
\end{multline}
(From this inequality in particular $\td{\rho_1}{\rho_2}\ge
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$ follows by setting $\sigma_1= \sigma_2$.)
This inequality follows by applying a map for which
\begin{align}
\rho_1\otimes \sigma_1&\mapsto \purestate{\phi_1}\otimes
(q_1\purestate 0+(1-q_1)\purestate 1),\\
\rho_2\otimes \sigma_2&\mapsto \purestate{\phi_2}\otimes
((1-q_2)\purestate 0+q_2\purestate 1).
\end{align}
Such a mapping can be implemented by a CPTP map for appropriate $q_1$, $q_2$
satisfying $q_1+q_2= 1+\td{\sigma_1}{\sigma_2}$ and $\purestate{\phi_i}$
satisfying $\td{\purestate{\phi_1}}{\purestate{\phi_2}}=
\wcd{\rho_1}{\rho_2}$, since then for the first system one applies the
purifying map $\tr_\mathrm{in}\circ \tilde E\circ \tilde\Omega$ and for the second
system one applies a minimum error discrimination of $\sigma_1$ and
$\sigma_2$.
Now using the fact that a CPTP map cannot increase the trace distance, it is
straightforward to obtain Eq.~\eqref{e16420}.
\section{Probabilistic Purifying Processes}\label{s18042}
Although we want to concentrate on deterministic processes, in this section we
wish to briefly discuss the properties of probabilistic purifying processes.
We exclude probabilistic processes $\bar\Lambda$ from our considerations, for
which $\tr\bar\Lambda[\rho]= 0$ for some $\rho\in {\mathcal M}$, i.e., we call a process
probabilistic on ${\mathcal M}$, only if for {\em any} state | |
but unsubstantial, "Strategy Plan" as well as their association with PR firm Kearns and West, appears designed to manipulate the public and marginalize the opposition to the Salazar Plan for wild horses and burros. The plan calls for the purchase of Eastern and Midwestern "preserves" populated by sterilized wild horses, captured from their Western ranges.
"This is ALL about manipulating public opinion. And ramming ONE thing – Salazar's Plan – through" states author R.T. Fitch.
The Kearns and West Salazar Plan Executive Summary states, 'The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution ('Institute') is assisting BLM in assessing stakeholder interests and developing an effective stakeholder engagement plan for the Strategy.' Disturbingly, BLM often does not include the public as a stakeholder in their planning documents regarding the management of wild horses and burros.
"Who is the biggest stakeholder in the discussion of the public's land and its wild horses if not the public?" asks Terri Farley, author of the Phantom Stallion series, adding "A public agency must represent the public and utilize taxpayer dollars responsibly—not spend excessively on another private contractor."
According to their website, Kearns and West offers their clients (in this case the BLM) 'A compelling credible, resonant case. True, high-impact support for your position.' Advocates support a new direction that abandons the endless, expensive cycle of roundup, removal, and warehousing. BLM must adopt a far less expensive path that is kinder to the land and the wild horses legally living there, one that contains truly transparent solutions, not a slick, taxpayer-funded PR campaign.
"By hiring a high powered PR and Public Affairs firm, it seems that BLM is aiming to extinguish the opposition rather than solve the controversy over their management of our wild herds," explains Ginger Kathrens, Volunteer Executive Director of the Cloud Foundation. "The public by the thousands has shared their opposition to the Salazar Plan. I hope we can sit down at this public forum and seriously talk about a moratorium on roundups while we work to reinstate protections that are consistent with the intent of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act."
According to The Holmes Report, "Kearns & West recognizes the important value of collaborating both with our clients and their stakeholders. For more than 20 years, the firm has employed its unique brand of stakeholder-centric strategic communications and collaboration processes to design innovative, but pragmatic programs, achieving superior results for clients in the federal, state and local government, private and nonprofit sectors. Kearns & West works with tough issues and big ideas."
Besides specializing in 'accomplishing policy and regulatory goals' Kearns and West also represents PG&E—a primary customer in the Ruby Pipeline natural gas project threatening public lands and five public herds with environmental devastation from Wyoming to Oregon. Kearns and West also represents Duke Energy, the Association of Western Governors and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, among others.
While Secretary Salazar vowed to restore the Interior Department's 'respect for scientific integrity' he has failed to consider science, reason, or even the law when it comes to managing our wild herds. Kearns and West has been known to gather scientific experts and build a movement of common interest "stakeholders" to crush public outcry and true environmentalism. Wild horse advocates feel the Kearns and West prepared Salazar report for Congress will be biased in favor of big energy ties with DOI at the expense of federally protected wild horses who somehow are in the way of 'The New Energy Frontier'.
"We hope Monday's workshop will be a productive one rather than a demonstration of BLM's inability to change," concludes Kathrens.
Who is really dictating wild horse roundups and removals and why are they zeroing them out? Protect Mustangs invites you to research the subject and post what you find in the comments below. This is also a welcome forum for you to politely voice your outrage at wild horse removals.
Protect Mustangs is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization where the wild horses come first! We are not paying big bucks on marketing campaigns. The majority of our donations go towards feeding and caring for rescued wild horses.
Links of interest™:
Legislators join wild horse conversation: http://bit.ly/1p9D2kq
Wyoming LNG Roadmap (April 2014): http://www.gladstein.org/pdfs/GNA_Wyoming_LNG_Roadmap.pdf
Gladstein, Neandross & Associates: http://www.gladstein.org
Leading environmental consulting firm for emission reduction, energy and transportation policy, and market development for alternative fuel vehicles.
The Pickens Plan: http://www.pickensplan.com
BLM tried to blame wild horse advocates for taking 1/3 more wild horses during contested roundup: https://www.facebook.com/BLMWyoming
United States Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives Multi-Stakeholder Group Advisory Committee Meeting Draft Summary of Proceedings (2014): http://on.doi.gov/1w5aaOj Kearns & West
Indybay report, Kearns and West: Corporate Criminals: https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/10/18715106.php
Western Governors' Association Transportation Fuels for the Future A Roadmap for the West: http://bit.ly/1o9hqtn
Western Governors Association and the Right of Way agenda: http://bit.ly/1EUj1IK
Western Renewable Energy Zones-Phase 1 Report: http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/WREZ_Report.pdf
List of Registrants – Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (2013): http://bit.ly/1z7Vofh
Data removed: http://www.recovery.gov/arra/News/featured/Pages/Some-Recipient-Data-Being-Removed.aspx "The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board will sunset on September 30, 2015 and has decided for its last year not to renew the licensing agreement that allows for the display of certain recipient-related data. As of October 1, 2014, maps, charts, and graphs on the site will no longer reflect this information. This change will also include the removal of the recipient profiles as well as the cumulative national download file.
Kearns & West
Kearns & West is a woman-owned collaboration and strategic communications firm founded in 1984. Our high-stakes projects include work at local, state, regional, and national levels and cover a variety of sectors including energy, water, marine resources, land use and natural resources, government, business and academia, and technology and Internet.
Kearns & West understands the special requirements of working with stakeholders to achieve an organization's goals. We have a proven record of success thanks to our stakeholder-centric approach of providing robust collaboration and strategic communications services. Our commitment to positive, mutually beneficial results has helped us maintain long-term relationships with the people and organizations we assist.
Oscar nominated GASLAND 1 and GASLAND 2: www.GASLANDmovie.com
The WY14, National Treasures Saved from Slaughterhouse: http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/28702
10 year Moratorium Petition: https://www.change.org/p/sally-jewell-urgent-grant-a-10-year-moratorium-on-wild-horse-roundups-for-recovery-and-studies
Don't Frack Wild Horse Land Petition: https://www.change.org/p/sen-dianne-feinstein-don-t-frack-wild-horse-land
Petition to Defund and Stop the Roundups http://www.change.org/p/defund-and-stop-the-wild-horse-burro-roundups
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BLM, Cloud Foundation, energy, fracking, Gasland, Gladstein, Governor Mead, Kearns and West, Liquid Natural Gas, LNG, Mustang, natural gas, Neandross & Associates, News, petition, Protect mustangs, roundup, wild horses, Wyoming | 12 Replies
Australian pro-kill article spins brumby massacre despite livestock damaging the land and plans for Fracking
Posted on November 4, 2013 by Protect Mustangs
When will Australia come clean with the real reason they want to kill off the brumbies? Read the biased spin piece (below) that doesn't mention the other side of the debate. Why isn't ABC including brumby advocates in this article?
Cross-posted from ABC
Feral horse cull commences in the central Kimberley
WA Country Hour
By Belinda Varischetti and Babs McHugh
Updated Thu 31 Oct 2013, 1:47pm AEDT
PHOTO: An aerial cull of feral horses in the Kimberley has begun.( Photo by Central Land Council shows dead horses found near Docker River in the Northern Territory)
AUDIO: Aboriginal Lands Trust approvals feral horse cull(ABC Rural)
AUDIO: President of the Kimberley division of the PGA Peter Camp (ABC Rural)
MAP: Perth 6000
An aerial cull of thousands of feral horses has started on two Indigenous pastoral leases in the central Kimberley.
The Kimberley Rangeland Biosecurity Group says there are about 6,000 feral horses on Lake Gregory and Billiluna stations. However, the Pastoralists and Graziers Association believes the number is closer to 9,000.
The Aboriginal Lands Trust says the horses must be removed to protect the local environment, to comply with legal obligations and to mitigate animal welfare and public health issues.
The RSPCA is also supporting the aerial cull.
Clinton Wolf is the chair of the Aboriginal Lands Trust.
"What I am firm on is the number in relation to the aerial count and that was 6,000 horses," he said.
"The logistics | |
itself, its time derivative (\ref{eq:heisenberg}) is zero and it is thus the same time independent object in both pictures.
\par
In our classical calculation we assumed that the current flowing through the antenna was somehow fixed, ignoring the influence of the emitted field on the current. Although in our quantum mechanical calculation we shall also assume the field does not significantly perturb the atom, we shall now calculate the dynamics of both the atom and the field. The simplest model of an atom (sketched in Fig~\ref{fig:cartoon-emission}), assumes there are only two possible energy levels $E_{\rm at}=\pm\hbar\omega/2$, corresponding to a ground state $|0\rangle_{\rm at}$ and an excited state $|1\rangle_{\rm at}$. We write the Hamiltonian of such a model atom as
\begin{equation}
\hat{H}_{\rm atom}=\frac{\hbar\omega}{2}\hat{s}_{z}\qquad\text{[H]}.\label{eq:H_atom}
\end{equation}
where $\hat{s}_{z}$ is a time dependent operator with eigenvalues, $\pm1$. In the Schr\"odinger picture $\hat{s}_{z}$ becomes time independent and can be represented by the Pauli matrix $\sigma_{z}={\rm diag}[1,-1]$. Given that any Hermitian operator acting on a two level system can be represented as a combination of the three Pauli matrices $\sigma_{x}$, $\sigma_{y}$ and $\sigma_{z}$, and the identity $\boldsymbol{1}_{2}$, we introduce two more operators, $\hat{s}_{x}$ and $\hat{s}_{y}$, which satisfy the commutation relations
\begin{equation}
[\hat{s}_{i},\hat{s}_{j}]=2{\rm i}\hat{s}_{k},\label{eq:pauli_commutation}
\end{equation}
where $(i,j,k)$ are $(x,y,z)$, $(y,z,x)$, or $(z,x,y)$. As with $\hat{s}_{z}$, the two operators $\hat{s}_{x}$ and $\hat{s}_{y}$ are respectively given by the Pauli matrices $\sigma_{x}$ and $\sigma_{y}$ in the Schr\"odinger picture.
To specify the interaction Hamiltonian $\hat{H}_{\rm int}$ we need to introduce the dipole moment operator $\hat{d}$, which is the means by which the atom couples to the electromagnetic field. As we just discussed, in general this operator can be expressed as a combination of $\hat{s}_{x}$, $\hat{s}_{y}$, $\hat{s}_{z}$ and $\boldsymbol{1}_{2}$. However, both $\hat{s}_{z}$ and $\boldsymbol{1}_{2}$ commute with the atomic part of the Hamiltonian (\ref{eq:H_atom}) and thus these parts of $\hat{d}$ cannot lead to any atomic transitions. Because we are interested in the emission of radiation from the atom, we therefore neglect these contributions, which is physically equivalent to saying that there is no permanent dipole moment associated with either energy level. We thus write the dipole moment operator in the following form
\begin{equation}
\hat{d}={\rm Re}[\mathcal{P}]\hat{s}_x+{\rm Im}[\mathcal{P}]\hat{s}_y,\label{eq:dipole_operator2}\qquad\text{[H]}
\end{equation}
As the calculation will make clear, the complex number $\mathcal{P}$ (known as the \emph{transition dipole moment}) plays the same role as the complex classical dipole moment $\tilde{d}$ introduced in Eq. (\ref{eq:monochromatic_dipole}), \textit{i.e.}, it's amplitude and phase represent the amplitude and phase of the oscillating atomic dipole moment. Strictly speaking it is $\mathcal{P}/\sqrt{2}$ that plays the role of $\tilde{d}$. We shall return to this factor of $\sqrt{2}$ in Sec.~\ref{sec:the_difference}.
\par
As we saw in our discussion of the classical antenna (\ref{eq:driven_oscillator}), the electromagnetic field behaves as a collection of simple harmonic oscillators, one for every mode of the system. We can write the electric field in exactly the same form as (\ref{eq:potentials}) and (\ref{eq:field_expansion})
\begin{align}
\hat{\boldsymbol{A}}(\boldsymbol{r},t)&=\sum_{n}\hat{c}_{n}(t)\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r})\nonumber\\
\hat{\boldsymbol{E}}(\boldsymbol{r},t)&=-\sum_{n}\frac{d\hat{c}_{n}}{dt}\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r})-\boldsymbol{\nabla}\phi(\boldsymbol{r},t).\label{eq:quantum_field_expansion}
\end{align}
where, for the sake of simplicity, we have taken the field modes $\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}$ as real functions of position. The expansion coefficients $c_{n}$ for the classical antenna have now become operators $\hat{c}_{n}$, which we again interpret as the amplitudes of a set of simple harmonic oscillators. In the absence of any interaction with matter, each of these simple harmonic oscillators has the Hamiltonian (\ref{eq:lone_oscillator}) and the operators $\hat{c}_{n}$ and $\hat{\pi}_{n}$ obey the equations of motion (\ref{eq:eqm_example}).
\par
In order to deduce the Hamiltonian operator for the field plus the atom--field interaction, we first deduce the corresponding classical Hamiltonian. The collection of oscillators representing the electromagnetic field is driven by the time variation of the dipole moment according to the classical equation of motion Eq. (\ref{eq:driven_oscillator}). This classical equation of motion can also be written in the form of Hamilton's equations of motion
\begin{align}
\frac{d c_{n}}{d t}&=\frac{1}{\epsilon_{0}}\left(\pi_{n}+d(t)\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}\right)=\frac{\partial H}{\partial\pi_{n}}\nonumber\\
\frac{d\pi_{n}}{d t}&=-\epsilon_0\omega_{n}^{2}c_{n}=-\frac{\partial H}{\partial c_{n}}\label{eq:classical_Hamiltonian}.
\end{align}
where $\pi_{n}$ is the momentum variable conjugate to the oscillator amplitude $c_{n}$. After a little thought one can see that a suitable classical Hamiltonian is given by
\begin{equation}
H=\frac{1}{2\epsilon_0}\sum_{n}\left[\left(\pi_{n}+d(t)\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0})\right)^{2}+\epsilon_0^{2}\omega_{n}^{2}c_{n}^{2}\right].
\end{equation}
Therefore the corresponding quantum mechanical Hamiltonian describing the field plus interaction energy is
\begin{align}
\hat{H}_{\rm field}+\hat{H}_{\rm int}=\frac{1}{2}\sum_{n}\left[\epsilon_0^{-1}\left(\hat{\pi}_{n}+\hat{d}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0})\right)^{2}+\epsilon_0\omega_{n}^{2}\hat{c}_{n}^{2}\right]\label{eq:field_interaction_hamiltonian}
\end{align}
which in the limit $\mathcal{P}\to0$ reduces to a sum over the Hamiltonians (\ref{eq:lone_oscillator}) for the free electromagnetic field. Using the Heisenberg equations of motion (\ref{eq:heisenberg}), we find again that the operators obey the classical equations of motion
\begin{align}
\frac{d\hat{c}_{n}}{dt}&=\epsilon_{0}^{-1}\left(\hat{\pi}_{n}+\hat{d}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}\right)\nonumber\\
\frac{d\hat{\pi}_{n}}{dt}&=-\epsilon_{0}\omega_{n}^{2}\hat{c}_{n}\label{eq:quantum_first_order}
\end{align}
which when combined together yield a single second-order equation for the oscillator amplitude $\hat{c}_{n}$
\begin{equation}
\frac{d^{2}\hat{c}_{n}}{d t^{2}}+\omega_{n}^{2}\hat{c}_{n}=\frac{1}{\epsilon_{0}}\frac{d\hat{d}}{d t}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0}).\label{eq:quantum_eqn_motion}
\end{equation}
As emphasized in our discussion surrounding equations (\ref{eq:lone_oscillator}--\ref{eq:eqm_example2}), the operator equation of motion (\ref{eq:quantum_eqn_motion}) is formally identical to the classical equation (\ref{eq:driven_oscillator}). We take the sum of (\ref{eq:H_atom}) and (\ref{eq:field_interaction_hamiltonian}) as the full Hamiltonian of our system.
Before moving on we remind the reader that, inherent in this Hamiltonian is the same dipole approximation we made for the classical antenna: we are assuming that, relative to the wavelength of the emitted radiation, the electron only moves a small amount within the atom.
\subsection{An approximate solution to the operator equations of motion}
\par
Having specified all the terms within the Hamiltonian of our system (\ref{eq:full_hamiltonian}), we now look to solve the equations of motion for the field operators $\hat{c}_{n}$ and the dipole moment $\hat{d}$.
It is difficult to do this exactly, so we shall make an approximation.
We assume that the coupling between the atom and the field is weak, expanding the solution in powers of the dipole strength $\mathcal{P}$, and dropping any terms higher than first-order.
The physical meaning of this approximation is that the oscillation of the atomic dipole moment is not significantly altered by the electromagnetic field.
\par
In the Heisenberg picture the field amplitude operators $\hat{c}_{n}$ and $\hat{\pi}_{n}$ are functions of time, as are the atomic operators $\hat{s}_{x}$, $\hat{s}_{y}$, $\hat{s}_{z}$ and $\hat{d}$.
We already have the equations of motion for the field operators $\hat{c}_{n}$ and $\hat{\pi}_{n}$ in equations (\ref{eq:quantum_first_order}), and the time evolution of $\hat{d}$ is fixed by that of $\hat{s}_{x}$ and $\hat{s}_{y}$ via (\ref{eq:dipole_operator2}).
The equations of motion for these atomic operators follows from the Heisenberg equation of motion (\ref{eq:heisenberg}), combined with the commutation relations (\ref{eq:pauli_commutation}),
\begin{align}
\frac{d\hat{s}_x}{dt}&=\frac{{\rm i}}{\hbar}\left[\hat{H},\hat{s}_{x}\right]=-\omega\hat{s}_{y}+\frac{2{\rm Im}[\mathcal{P}]}{\hbar\epsilon_0}\sum_n\hat{\pi}_n\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_n(\boldsymbol{r}_0)\hat{s}_{z},\nonumber\\
\frac{d\hat{s}_y}{dt}&=\frac{{\rm i}}{\hbar}\left[\hat{H},\hat{s}_{y}\right]=\omega\hat{s}_{x}-\frac{2{\rm Re}[\mathcal{P}]}{\hbar\epsilon_0}\sum_n\hat{\pi}_n\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_n(\boldsymbol{r}_0)\hat{s}_{z},\nonumber\\
\frac{d\hat{s}_z}{dt}&=\frac{{\rm i}}{\hbar}\left[\hat{H},\hat{s}_{z}\right]=\frac{2}{\hbar\epsilon_0}\sum_n\hat{\pi}_n\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_n(\boldsymbol{r}_0)\left({\rm Re}[\mathcal{P}]\hat{s}_{y}-{\rm Im}[\mathcal{P}]\hat{s}_{x}\right).\label{eq:spin_eqm}
\end{align}
We can solve these equations of motion to successive orders in $\mathcal{P}$, in this case stopping at the first-order. To zeroth-order $\hat{s}_{z}$ is constant and can thus be represented as the Pauli spin matrix $\sigma_{z}$
\begin{equation}
\hat{s}_{z}^{(0)}=\sigma_{z}.
\end{equation}
Meanwhile to this order $\hat{s}_{x}$ and $\hat{s}_{y}$ obey the coupled first-order equations
\begin{align}
\frac{d\hat{s}_{x}^{(0)}}{dt}&=-\omega\hat{s}_{y}^{(0)}\nonumber\\
\frac{d\hat{s}_{y}^{(0)}}{dt}&=\omega\hat{s}_{x}^{(0)}
\end{align}
which---assuming that at $t=0$, $\hat{s}_{x,y}=\sigma_{x,y}$---have the solution
\begin{align}
\hat{s}_{x}^{(0)}(t)&=\sigma_{x}\cos(\omega t)-\sigma_{y}\sin(\omega t)\nonumber\\
\hat{s}_{y}^{(0)}(t)&=\sigma_{y}\cos(\omega t)+\sigma_{x}\sin(\omega t)
\end{align}
Substituting these expressions into our definition of the dipole moment operator (\ref{eq:dipole_operator2}), we have to zeroth-order electric dipole operator
\begin{equation}
\hat{d}^{(0)}=\left(\begin{matrix}0&\mathcal{P}^{\star}{\rm e}^{{\rm i}\omega t}\\\mathcal{P}{\rm e}^{-{\rm i}\omega t}&0\end{matrix}\right)\label{eq:dipole0}.
\end{equation}
This illustrates that in the absence of interaction with the electromagnetic field, the dipole moment of the atom is oscillating with frequency $\omega$. This is the analogue of the classical current (\ref{eq:monochromatic_dipole}), and will lead to radiation at the next order, when we include the coupling to the field. To zeroth-order in the interaction, the electromagnetic field is represented by a set of undriven simple harmonic oscillators with amplitudes $\hat{c}_{n}^{(0)}$ and momenta $\hat{\pi}_{n}^{(0)}$. To this order the operator equations of motion (\ref{eq:quantum_first_order}) reduce to the usual equations of motion for a simple harmonic oscillator, Eq. (\ref{eq:eqm_example}). The solutions are sums of complex exponentials
\begin{align}
\hat{c}^{(0)}_{n}&=\sqrt{\frac{\hbar}{2\omega_{n}\epsilon_0}}\left[\hat{a}_{n}{\rm e}^{-{\rm i}\omega_{n} t}+\hat{a}_{n}^{\dagger}{\rm e}^{{\rm i}\omega_{n} t}\right]\nonumber\\
\hat{\pi}^{(0)}_{n}&=-{\rm i}\sqrt{\frac{\hbar\omega_{n}\epsilon_0}{2}}\left[\hat{a}_{n}{\rm e}^{-{\rm i}\omega_{n} t}-\hat{a}_{n}^{\dagger}{\rm e}^{{\rm i}\omega_{n} t}\right]
\label{eq:field0},
\end{align}
where the prefactors of e.g. $\sqrt{\hbar/2\omega_n\epsilon_0}$ are chosen so that the operators $\hat{a}_{n}$ and $\hat{a}_{n}^{\dagger}$ obey the usual commutation relations for the raising and lowering operators of a simple harmonic oscillator,
\begin{equation}
[\hat{a}_{n},\hat{a}_{m}^{\dagger}]=\delta_{nm}.
\end{equation}
We have thus solved the system to zeroth-order. Now for the inclusion of the interaction. Differentiating the first two of equations (\ref{eq:spin_eqm}) with respect to time and substituting for $d\hat{s}_{x,y}/dt$ we find that to first-order the dipole moment operator $\hat{d}$ (\ref{eq:dipole_operator2}) obeys the equation of motion for a driven harmonic oscillator,
\begin{align}
\frac{d^{2}\hat{d}^{(1)}}{d t^{2}}+\omega^{2}\hat{d}^{(1)}&=\frac{2\omega|\mathcal{P}|^{2}}{\hbar\epsilon_0}\sum_{n}\hat{\pi}_{n}^{(0)}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0})\hat{s}_{z}^{(0)}\nonumber\\
&=\frac{2\omega|\mathcal{P}|^{2}}{\hbar\epsilon_0}\sum_{n}\hat{\pi}_{n}^{(0)}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0})\sigma_{z}\label{eq:quantum_dipole_evolution}
\end{align}
To this order the oscillators comprising the electromagnetic field similarly obey
\begin{equation}
\frac{d^{2}\hat{c}_{n}^{(1)}}{d t^{2}}+\omega_{n}^{2}\hat{c}_{n}^{(1)}=\frac{1}{\epsilon_{0}}\frac{d\hat{d}^{(0)}}{d t}\boldsymbol{e}_{d}\cdot\boldsymbol{\mathcal{E}}_{n}(\boldsymbol{r}_{0}).\label{eq:field_oscillators_first_order}
\end{equation}
Both the field modes $\hat{c}_n$ and the dipole moment therefore satisfy Eqns. (\ref{eq:quantum_dipole_evolution}) and (\ref{eq:field_oscillators_first_order}) which are differential equations of exactly the same form. Moreover, we've already solved | |
What is the philosopher's stone made from?
November 5, 2017 by alchemy934, posted in alchemical gold, alchemical gold making?, alchemical transmutation, alchemy, alchemy books, alchemy definition, alchemy film, alchemy formulas, alchemy green lion, alchemy potion transmutation elixir, alchemy transmutation chemistry explained, ancient science, foundry crucible alchemy, gold of a thousand mornings, lead into gold?, philosopher's stone, philosopher's stone alchemy, philosopher's stone uk, science and technology, science project ideas, steven school, Steven School Alchemy Store, sulfur of the sun, the alchemical black stage, The book of aquarius, the philosopher's stone, the philosopher's stone alchemy, the philosopher's stone uk, the tree of life, to live forever, tree of life beauty, what is alchemy, what is the philosopher's stone?
Alchemy And The Prima Materia
DVD by Steven School. Click here to see Alchemy and the Prima Materia DVD amazon sales page
This video is an instruction on the prima materia of the ancient sages. It has been described as being everywhere, cast out into the street and trodden under the feet of men. It has been said to be of little value or little worth, little esteemed. most everyone has seen it but yet few know it for what it is, the stone which the builders rejected, the blessed corner stone. disclaimer, this video is intended for informational purposes only, no warranty is expressed or implied as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this video.
http://www.howtomakethephilosophersstone.com
Format: NTSC
Region: All Regions
DVD Release Date: November 1, 2017
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ancient plant medicines, alchemy
October 27, 2017 by alchemy934, posted in alchemy, the tree of life
Most people know that plants have been used for medicinal purposes since as far back as life began. Even the animals use vegetation for medicine as did tribal healers from the rain forest to the American Indian. Primitive doctors used what was called four thieves vinegar to combat the plague which was basically a simple mixture of vinegar, garlic, onions, and oregano. I believe the true power of medicine lies within the garden which God created for us. Hence the fact that eternal life has often been associated with the garden of Eden which is said to contain the tree of life as well as the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Deep within the realm of ancient plant medicine or even herbal remedies lies the holy grail of the foundation of science as we know it today, and that is a certain portion of alchemy called spagyrics which entails the extraction of plant essences as well as the calcination of the left over plant material or caput mortuary as it were, followed by the recombination of alchemical elements, circulations, exaltations and even the extraction of plant oils through complex alchemical processes such as steam distillation. However one modern little gem has come to my attention recently, whispered into my ear from a friend as it were, about a modern device which greatly speeds and simplifies the extraction of oils from those items harvested of the garden, and that is the herb press. A royal diadem as it were to add to my proverbial arsenal of alchemical laboratory apparatuses. Oh yeah baby, natures power of healing runs deep in this neck of the woods. Click here to see the herb press on amazon. Article written by Steven School.
The Philosopher's Stone Book. Alchemy, by Steven School.
TitanOwl
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It can be heated, use a thin coat of Olive oil before each use to get the finest result
The Philosopher's Stone Book, Alchemy by Steven School.
Throughout time, people have pondered the biblical secret of eternal life. This book represents my quest, and my journey to find the tree of life. The greatest secret locked within the pages of the bible. That eternal spring from which those who drink shall never thirst. John 4:14 KJV. But whosoever drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Mathew 5:13 KJV. Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? Mathew 7:7 KJV. Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. a sample page from within this alchemical tract. CONTENTS Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 Ancient Medicines 3 The Secret Fire 4 The Philosopher's Stone 5 The Gualdus Wet Path 6 The Sendivogius Method 7 The Flamel Dry Path 8 Metallic Transmutation 9 Alchemical Gemstones 10 Theory Of Time Travel the philosopher's stone was sought after by such famous alchemist's as Nicholas flamel, Edward Kelly, Michael sendivogius, alexander seton, Isaac newton, hollandus and others who believed in restoration of youth, immortality, transmutation of base metals into gold, and a universal medicine called the elixir of life or the golden soma said to be a universal medicine or elixir associated with eternal life and the fountain of youth. keyword phrases about Nicholas flamel and the philosopher's stone, is the philosopher's stone real, philosopher's stone book, philosopher's stone terraria, philosopher's stone wow, philosopher's stone symbol, what is the philosopher's stone made from, how is the philosopher's stone made, how to make the philosopher's stone dot com, alchemy study, alchemy forums, alchemy blog, alchemy of steven school. #alchemy #ThePhilosophersStoneBook #tHEpHILOSOPHERSsTONE #ThePhilosophersStone #StevenSchool #AlchemyBlog #school
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Now that the smoke around the Fallout 4 and Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition release is starting to settle, we want to take a look a look at some of the most important things you need to know as you try and decide which version of Fallout 4 to buy ahead of the game's release in November.
In June, Bethesda took the stage at E3 2015 in Los Angeles and announced Dishonored 2, a new Doom title, and Fallout 4. The biggest announcement was obviously the follow-up to 2008's Fallout 3 and 2010's Fallout New Vegas. Fallout 4 has been years in the making and it's going to hit shelves a lot sooner than you think.
The Fallout 4 release date is confirmed for November 10th and Bethesda and its retail partners are taking pre-orders for the regular version of the game and a collectors edition called the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition. Both have been extremely popular in the weeks after the company's announcement and the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition is already difficult to find. In July.
Pip-Boy Replica, Stand and Capsule Case. This wearable device faithfully replicates the in-game model and comes complete with RobCo Industries stand, custom-printed capsule, adjustable foam cuff, rotating knobs and lights. Designed to accommodate a variety of smartphone devices* with customizable foam inserts, the Pip-Boy is the ultimate accessory for the official Pip-Boy companion mobile app that allows players to manage their in-game inventory, perks, holotapes, and more.
We, like many of you, have struggled with the Fallout 4 vs. Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition. Buy the regular version or pay the extra money (and deal with the potential hassle) of buying the collectors edition.
Today, we want to compare the two in the hopes that a lightbulb goes off above your head. This Fallout 4 vs. Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition comparison will tell you what you need to know about the buying process and more ahead of their release later on this year.
The first thing you need to know is that you don't have to pre-order the regular version of Fallout 4. It, unlike the Pip Boy Edition, will not sell out and that provides you with a few advantages.
If you're new to the series, you can wait for reviews before buying into the hype. Remember, these games aren't coming out until November. And while Fallout 4 will likely be a solid game, there's a chance that it won't meet your standards or suit your video game tastes. This could save you some money.
If you are tempted by the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition, know that finding it won't be easy. You're going to have to invest a ton of energy, and perhaps a ton of money, into your search so you'd be better be prepared for that.
The Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition was available for a few days after Bethesda's announcement before stock started drying up. Rapidly.
We're now at a point where the game is completely sold out in the United States and close to sold out in Europe. Some stock will go on sale tomorrow but we expect it to be scooped up the second it goes on sale. This game is a hot commodity and you'll need to be quick on your feet if you want to find it in stock for a reasonable price between now and November.
Most people probably won't want to commit that amount of time and effort to a gadget they haven't been able to use and a game they haven't been able to play.
Even if you don't buy the official Pip Boy from Bethesda, you'll still be able to use the Fallout 4 companion application in conjunction with the game. You'll also be able to buy your very own working Pip Boy.
Earlier this week, we discovered some awesome looking Pip Boy Edition alternatives that will put a working Pip Boy in your hands for $100 or so. They're a tad expensive but they're an excellent alternative to the product that Bethesda is putting out. They also work with many popular phones.
There are several Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition alternatives available.
So, if you fail to secure a Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition or you want something that arguably looks better than Bethesda's model, you have that option now and you will likely have that option after the game's release.
Unless something changes, the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition will not be bundled with Fallout 3 for Xbox 360.
Yesterday, Microsoft started taking digital pre-orders for Fallout 4 on Xbox One. And for a limited time, the company will be including a copy of Fallout 3 with any pre-order of Fallout 4 at no additional cost. That's absolutely huge for those of you who haven't played the game and those that want to revisit Bethesda's classic ahead of the Fallout 4 release.
Fallout 3 isn't expensive on Amazon but by picking up Microsoft's bundle, you could save yourself some money and get access to Fallout 3 on Xbox One the second it becomes available.
Bethesda and its partners haven't announced any plans to offer Fallout 4 digitally to those that pre-ordered the Pip Boy Edition. The Pip Boy Edition will come with a physical version of Fallout 4. And, as some of you might know, that comes with some disadvantages.
If you buy Fallout 4 digitally, you'll cut down clutter. You'll also protect the game against potential harm. If you live in a house with roommates or children, the disc could become damaged or worse, lost. Buying digitally ensures that you'll never run into these problems.
It also means that you won't have to constantly open up a CD sleeve to pop the game in, it'll be front and center on your dashboard. And it also means that you should be able to pre-load the game ahead of its release date so that you can play right at midnight on November 10th.
Those with the physical copy will likely have to wait until the next day or later to get started. Many of you won't care about this but those who have been waiting until 2008 will.
If you don't want to put a hurt on your wallet and bank account, you probably want to opt for the regular version of the game.
Fallout 4 is $60 as opposed to $120 for the Fallout 4 Pip Boy Edition. And while the regular version's price will stay the same, the price of the Pip Boy Edition will only get more expensive.
We're already seeing absurd prices on resellers like eBay and we expect those prices to get worse as time goes on. We also don't expect the price of the game to get any lower once the release date comes and goes. The game is sold out and Bethesda says it's not making anymore. That's going to keep the price high.
As for the regular version, we'll likely see some deals in the buildup to the release and we're guaranteed to see some deals arrive in the weeks and months after its arrival. Something to think about if you don't want to shell out for a game that you may or may not like or want.
There are a few reasons to consider the Pip Boy Edition of Fallout 4. However, most people probably don't want or need the Pip Boy Edition of the game.
We've put together a list of reasons why you probably don't want or need the collectors edition. Most of you are going to be find with the regular version of the game.
We suggest taking a look at those reasons before you make up your mind on which version of Bethesda's Fallout 4 you want. Good luck.
The most important thing that you need to know, as a prospective buyer | |
Obama was a true gentleman
by Cheryl E Preston 4 days ago in politicians
In spite of the birtherism lie, number 44 treated number 45 with the same respect he was given by George W Bush.
A picture worth a thousand words
Donald J Trump spent practically the entirety of Barak Obama's presidency pushing the lie that the first man of color to lead the free world was not born in the United States. To this day there are Trump supporters who say that Obama is a Muslim and was not qualified for the highest office in the land. Barak Obama was born in Hawaii and even if he were Muslim, religious beliefs should have no bearing on the ability to carry out the job of president. In spite of the constant barrage of attacks coming from the man who succeeded him, Obama remained a gentleman.
Number 44 welcomed number 45 during a peaceful transition of power. This is how we do it in America. Like his predecessors before him, Barak Obama welcomed the man who was to take his place. Now, 4 years later, Donald Trump has set in place the perfect storm so he does not have to do the same. No matter what any previous president in recent decades truly felt about the man who succeeded him, he treated him with the utmost respect. That, dear reader, is the mark of a true gentleman. Like presidents George W Bush, George HW Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton before him, Barak Obama played by the rules.
The 5 presidents in the photo all adhered to a peaceful transition of power and although they are 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans, they got together more than once, putting their political differences aside. The four remaining were in attendance at the funeral of George HW Bush. During that service, George W Bush gave candy to Michelle Obama, who later said the two are good friends. This is not about politics or policies but about treating others as you would want to be treated. This is not about party affiliation because Government officials, Democrats, and Republicans, make choices that many Americans disagree with.
There will be no lasting friendships once the Trump administration has come to a close. President number 45 has burned all bridges, even turning on his VP Mike Pence. Trump has said that he will not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden., which shows he does not have the capability to be graceful as Obama was with him. In the cover photo, you can see the strain on both men's faces. One man, because he is trying his best to be civil to someone he knows will ruin the nation and who has done everything to make his presidency seem illegitimate. The other because he simply is incapable of being kind and is filled with vitriol and hate.
Obama rose above the lies that Donald Trump fed his base and did what true presidents do. He congratulated the man who would take over his office, just as his predecessors did for their successors. Obama offered his expertise, although it was rejected. Now 4 years later all of that has changed. Donald Trump is a sore loser who continues to lie that he won a second term and say it was stolen from him. He stands with a face spreading this untruth which indicates that he has done this many times before. Once Trump began his campaign in June to discredit a Biden win, sensible Americans saw right through it but 71 million voted for him anyway.
Congress refused to impeach him and perpetuated his voter fraud lie, and now there are 5 people dead because they allowed Donald Trump to remain in power. President number 45 has shown himself to be the deceitful businessman that he is by begging everyone around him to "find" the evidence he needs to overturn the election. He began saying in the summer of 2020 that the only way he would lose re-election was if there were widespread voter fraud. Immediately, every American should have recognized this for what it was. he was setting things up so he could cause a revolt when he lost, and now he has done just that.
As I have stated in previous articles, Donald J Trump did not win the popular American vote in 2016. or 2020, case closed. The American people did not overwhelmingly vote for him in either election. He will be leaving the White House in the same manner in which he arrived as there has been no change during his 4 years in office. Donald Trump is incapable of showing kindness unless someone has expressed unwavering loyalty to him. You may not have agreed with the politics of George W and George H W Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barak Obama but they all left the Oval Office on a good note.
Obama had the most difficult exit of all because he had to make nice to a man who questioned his birthplace and had made disparaging remarks about women, disabled individuals, immigrants, and people of color. Barak Obama had to keep a smile on his face as he handed the reigns of the nation and the nuclear codes over to a madman. He may not have wanted to do it but he followed the protocol of past presidents and was gracious to Donald Trump. This makes him a true gentleman while the man who came after him cannot even accept that he lost and refuses to concede. What a difference 4 years make. We can only hope that Biden's time in office will bring about something better 4 years from now.
Cheryl E Preston
Read next: New Mexico—It's like a State, like All the Others!
Cheryl is a poet, freelance writer, published author and former Newspaper columnist. She has degrees in Psycology and Biblical studies. She enjoys sharing natural cures, and Nostalgia related info. Tips are greatly appreciated.
See all posts by Cheryl E Preston →
It's NOT systemic racism.
Allison Phillips
The way our government assistance programs are designed counter rather support a persons efforts to better themselves. These democratic programs are, I believe, intended to do just that. On the surface, the programs are altruistic and most decent human beings agree that we, as a society, should help those less fortunate than us — especially children and disabled individuals. But beneath the surface, a much more sinister plot exists.
Genocide Is a Cheese Sandwich
Grant Patterson
Genocide. The word is loaded with portent, carries tremendous emotional weight, and, the way it is bandied about now, has become almost meaningless.
Defending the Postal Service
Paul Levinson
It seems strange to have to write in defense of the U. S. Postal Service, but it's a measure of the depravity of the man in the White House, and how far he's willing to go in his flailing attempt to win another term in office. Removing sorting machines, removing mailboxes, doing whatever he can to gum up the works of a service that everyone loves and has never been more essential in this our age of the COVID-19 pandemic and the upcoming Presidential election. An election which could well determine the fate and future of democracy in this country. An election which the person now in office will do anything to win,
Our House is On Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis
Alana Boyles
Recently I finished reading the Ernman-Thunberg (as in Greta Thunberg) family's memoir and wow... It was a total doozy. Our House is On Fire tells the story of the events that led up to Greta Thunberg's school strike for the climate on August 20th, 2018. As hard as it would be to cover any four years in just 222 pages, the four years in question | |
The U.S. Supreme Court began the day with 19 argued cases yet to be decided. This included two of the most highly anticipated cases of this term involving political gerrymandering, Gil v. Whitford (Wisconsin) and Benisek v. Lamone (Maryland).
Today the U.S. Supreme Court disappointed everyone by punting on these two cases. It was an anticlimactic end to these gerrymandering cases, which are likely to return in the future with additional cases moving through the appellate courts pipeline.
The right to vote is "individual and personal in nature," Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U. S. 533, 561, and "voters who allege facts showing disad- vantage to themselves as individuals have standing to sue" to remedy that disadvantage, Baker, 369 U. S., at 206. The plaintiffs here al- leged that they suffered such injury from partisan gerrymandering, which works through the "cracking" and "packing" of voters. To the extent that the plaintiffs' alleged harm is the dilution of their votes, that injury is district specific. An individual voter in Wisconsin is placed in a single district. He votes for a single representative. The boundaries of the district, and the composition of its voters, deter- mine whether and to what extent a particular voter is packed or cracked. A plaintiff who complains of gerrymandering, but who does not live in a gerrymandered district, "assert[s] only a generalized grievance against governmental conduct of which he or she does not approve." United States v. Hays, 515 U. S. 737, 745.
Here, the plaintiffs' claims turn on allegations that their votes have been diluted. Because that harm arises from the particular composition of the voter's own dis- trict, remedying the harm does not necessarily require restructuring all of the State's legislative districts. It requires revising only such districts as are necessary to reshape the voter's district. This fits the rule that a "remedy must of course be limited to the inadequacy that produced the injury in fact that the plaintiff has established." Lewis v. Casey, 518 U. S. 343, 357.
The plaintiffs argue that their legal injury also extends to the statewide harm to their interest "in their collective representation in the legislature," and in influencing the legislature's overall "composition and policymaking." Brief for Appellees 31. To date, however, the Court has not found that this presents an individual and personal injury of the kind required for Article III standing. A citizen's inter- est in the overall composition of the legislature is embodied in his right to vote for his representative. The harm asserted by the plaintiffs in this case is best understood as arising from a burden on their own votes. Pp. 12–17.
Normally this would result in a dismissal of the case, but not here.
Where a plaintiff has failed to demonstrate standing, this Court usually directs dismissal. See, e.g., DaimlerChrysler Corp. v. Cuno, 547 U. S. 332, 354. Here, however, where the case concerns an un- settled kind of claim that the Court has not agreed upon, the contours and justiciability of which are unresolved, the case is remanded to the District Court to give the plaintiffs an opportunity to prove concrete and particularized injuries using evidence that would tend to demonstrate a burden on their individual votes. Cf. Alabama Leg- islative Black Caucus v. Alabama, 575 U. S. ___, ___. Pp. 21–22.
We express no view on the merits of the plaintiffs' case. We caution, however, that "standing is not dis pensed in gross": A plaintiff 's remedy must be tailored to redress the plaintiff 's particular injury. Cuno, 547 U. S., at 353.
Justice Kagan wrote a concurring opinion joined by Justices Breyer, Ginsburg and Sotomayor which is a "how to" guide for the plaintiffs to establish standing and to get their case back in front of the Court.
And at some points in this litigation, the plaintiffs complained of a different injury — an infringement of their First Amend ment right of association. The Court rightly does not address that alternative argument: The plaintiffs did not advance it with sufficient clarity or concreteness to make it a real part of the case. But because on remand they may well develop the associational theory, I address the standing requirement that would then apply.
[P]artisan gerrymanders inflict other kinds of constitutional harm as well. Among those injuries, partisan gerrymanders may infringe the First Amendment rights of association held by parties, other political organizations, and their members. The plaintiffs here have sometimes pointed to that kind of harm. To the extent they meant to do so, and choose to do so on remand, their associational claim would occasion a different stand ing inquiry than the one in the Court's opinion.
By placing a state party at an enduring electoral disadvantage, the gerrymander weakens its capacity to perform all its functions.
And if that is the essence of the harm alleged, then the standing analysis should differ from the one the Court applies. Standing, we have long held, "turns on the nature and source of the claim asserted." Warth v. Seldin, 422 U. S. 490, 500 (1975). Indeed, that idea lies at the root of today's opinion. It is because the Court views the harm alleged as vote dilution that it (rightly) insists that each plaintiff show packing or cracking in her own district to establish her standing. See ante, at 14–17; supra, at 3–4. But when the harm alleged is not district specific, the proof needed for standing should not be district specific either. And the associational injury flowing from a statewide partisan gerrymander, whether alleged by a party member or the party itself, has nothing to do with the packing or cracking of any single district's lines. The complaint in such a case is instead that the gerrymander has burdened the ability of like-minded people across the State to affiliate in a political party and carry out that organization's activities and objects. See supra, at 8–9. Because a plaintiff can have that complaint without living in a packed or cracked district, she need not show what the Court demands today for a vote dilution claim. Or said otherwise: Because on this alternative theory, the valued association and the injury to it are statewide, so too is the relevant standing requirement.
But nothing in the Court's opinion prevents the plaintiffs on remand from pursuing an associational claim, or from satisfying the different standing requirement that theory would entail. The Court's opinion is about a suit challenging a partisan gerrymander on a particular ground—that it dilutes the votes of individual citizens. That opinion "leave[s] for another day consideration of other possible theories of harm not presented here and whether those theories might present justiciable claims giving rise to statewide remedies." Ante, at 16. And in particular, it leaves for another day the theory of harm advanced by JUSTICE KENNEDY in Vieth: that a partisan gerrymander interferes with the vital "ability of citizens to band together" to further their political beliefs. 541 U. S., at 314 (quoting California Democratic Party, 530 U. S., at 574). Nothing about that injury is "generalized" or "abstract," as the Court says is true of the plaintiffs' dissatis faction with the "overall composition of the legislature." Ante, at 16. A suit raising an associational theory complains of concrete "burdens on a disfavored party" and its members as they pursue their political interests and goals. Vieth, 541 U. S., at 315 (opinion of KENNEDY, J.); see supra, at 8–9. And when the suit alleges that a gerrymander has imposed those burdens on a statewide basis, then its litigation should be statewide too — as to standing, liability, and remedy alike.
Courts have a critical role to play in curbing partisan gerrymandering. Over fifty years ago, we committed to providing judicial review in the redistricting arena, | |
What kind of employment is allowed while I am on my initial 12-months of OPT?
While on the first 12-months of approved OPT, a student may work as a paid regular employee, a paid employee under a short-term contract, a paid employee working through a temp staffing agency or consultancy, or a contractor under Form 1099 for services provided, a self-employed business owner with proper licenses, an unpaid intern, or a volunteer. The student may also work for multiple employers at the same time. However, in each case the employment must be clearly documented, follow all relevant labor laws, be reported to the university, and be related to the student's field of study.
What kind of employment is allowed when I am applying for or working during a STEM Extension?
When applying for a STEM Extension or working on an approved STEM Extension, a student may work as a paid employee with an E-Verify employer under a regular, contract, or Form 1099 employment. However, a volunteer position, unpaid internship, self-employed business owner, or employment through a temp staffing agency or consultancy is not supported for a 24-month STEM Extension. Students who are already approved for a 17-month STEM extension and are a self-employed business owner or working through a temp staffing agency or consultancy are permitted to continue that employment for the remainder of that 17-month period if the E-Verify requirement has otherwise been met. The student may also work for multiple employers at the same time if they meet these conditions. In each case, the employment must be clearly documented, follow all relevant labor laws, be reported to the university, and be related to the student's field of study.
How many hours a week must I be employed for OPT?
To meet USCIS requirements for OPT or STEM Extension employment, a position must be at least 20 hours per week.
Can I travel abroad while on OPT or STEM Extension?
Yes, F-1 students can travel abroad during either period. In such cases, students bring the same documents as they would during any other trip (i.e., passport, valid/unexpired visa, transcripts, verification of financial resources, and an I-20 recently endorsed on the back page by a DSO). In addition to these documents, they would also bring the EAD card and a letter from their employer confirming they have ongoing employment to return to. Such letters are to be signed and printed on the employer's official stationary. Students should also make sure that their I-20 has been endorsed on the back page by the DSO within the last 6-months. Students who do have a pending application or who no longer have an employer should contact the ISO for advising before making such a trip.
What happens if the OPT start date I chose was the day after graduation, but my application is still pending with USCIS at that time?
An F-1 student visa holder can request a start date as late as 60-days after the end of the academic program, although we recommend a date that is a few days earlier to avoid possible confusion. Many students chose the later date to ensure the maximum time possible for USCIS processing. However, if a student's requested start date has passed, the student must wait until receiving approval and the EAD card before employment can begin. Start dates are generally shifted forward by USCIS if approval is delayed past the requested start date, but dates will not be set later than 60-days after the end of the academic program. This can lead to the OPT period being shortened.
I am on the initial 12 months of OPT and I have already filed my STEM application, but the STEM application is still pending. Is it true that I can continue working while I wait for the decision by USCIS?
Yes, as noted on the USCIS website a student who has filed a STEM Extension application with USCIS before the current OPT period ends are allowed up to 180-days of additional work authorization beyond the EAD card end date. However, if the STEM extension is denied then the student may no longer use that provision.
What information should be in my OPT employment reporting letter?
In addition to normal terms and conditions of employment printed and signed on the company's letterhead or stationary, USCIS recommends that standard OPT employment offer letters include the following information: the title and duties of the position offered, the duration of the employment period, a statement explaining how the position relates to the student's field of study in their academic program commensurate with the student's education level, and the contact information of the student's supervisor or manager.
What is a Form I-983 training plan and what do I do with it?
The Form I-983 training plan is a new part of the requirements for a 24-month STEM Extension. It is a 7-page document that the student completes with the STEM Extension employer to show the relationship between the training opportunity and the student's growth in the field of study. Students applying to USCIS for a 24-month STEM Extension or who have been awarded a 24-month STEM Extension and are reporting a new STEM Extension employer must submit a completed and signed copy of this plan to the university. This document is retained by the university and does not need to be included with the STEM application that is sent to USCIS. Students on a 17-month STEM Extension are not required to submit this training plan.
Who do I send my Form I-983 training plan to?
The Form I-983 training plan was added to the STEM Extension application process in 2016. The training plan is completed by the student and the proposed STEM Extension employer and is submitted to the university when completing the STEM Extension Request Form. You do not need to submit the Form I-983 training plan with your application sent to USCIS, but the document will be retained by the university and made available to USCIS if requested.
Can I begin working if I have received an approval notice, but not the EAD card?
No. An F-1 student must wait until an Employment Authorization Document (i.e., an EAD card) arrives. Employment may only begin on or after the start date on that EAD card.
Can I apply for OPT if I have already been approved for it before?
An F-1 student visa holder cannot receive another 12-months of OPT authorization from USCIS at the same degree level. If you have completed a master's degree prior to attending ITU and received 12-months of OPT authorization for that degree program, you would only be eligible for more OPT after completing a new education level (e.g., a doctoral program). This is also true for students who received 12-months of OPT authorization from USCIS, but did not use all of it. However, if your prior degree and OPT authorization were issued at the bachelor's degree level only, then you would be eligible to apply for OPT authorization again at the master's level.
Is it true that taking more than 12-months of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) at the same degree level will make me ineligible to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT)?
Yes, that is true. A student who completes a total of 365 days or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) at the same degree level, even if done with different schools, will lose eligibility to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) at that level. However, part-time CPT would not count towards this limit.
Can I still seek a STEM Extension if I previously took OPT at the masters level?
An F-1 student visa holder can only request a STEM Extension during a period of OPT. Once the OPT period has ended, the student is no longer eligible to request a STEM Extension at that level.
Can | |
to concur; there won't be time for a conference committee. The House may try to pass some of its own bills, which would be one way of resurrecting the 20-week prohibition, but with the session ending Tuesday and the rules requiring a 24-hour wait before the Senate could take up any such bills, Democrats would have a good chance to kill them via filibuster, to run out the clock. Of course, there could then be a second special session. We won't know what happens until very late, so I'll update this after I wake up and see what ultimately transpired. Assuming they're finished by the, of course. BOR and RH Reality Check have more.
UPDATE: Sometime around 3:30 AM, SB5 was brought to a vote and passed. From TrailBlazers:
With a sweeping 97-33, the House voted to tentatively pass the Senate's catch-all abortion bill largely along party lines after 13.5 hours of debates, parliamentary inquiries and stalling. Instant cheers and jeers exploded on the floor and in the gallery where people have been waiting for a vote since 2 p.m.
While applause rang out among conservatives, the shouts of "Shame" were much louder and many in the gallery were escorted out. In her speech, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, said the war on women was alive and called SB 5 the second missile fired by Gov. Rick Perry this year.
Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, brought up at 2 a.m. a motion to halt the overall debate on SB 5. It required 25 signatures — he had 40. About 16 amendments went unheard because of the motion.
"Anyone who has been here for the last several hours would not describe this as being rushed by any means," Hughes said. "The people of Texas expect us to take a position on this bill, pro or con. We're still miles before we sleep."
Many Democrats were missing from the chamber when the House moved on to debate the juvenile justice bill.
Outside the doors, Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, commanded a stairwell full of opponents to the bill.
"Your being here says that the people who come to Austin who are elected officials have to be held accountable and I know you will hold people accountable in the next election,"Turner said "I've never ever seen this kind of outpouring on a Sunday afternoon, Sunday night, early Monday morning in late June."
It now requires a final vote from the House before going over to the Senate, which will more than likely accept the 20-week ban provision and put it up for a vote. Senate Democrats have said they are ready to use whatever tools they can under the law to prevent the bill's passage.
"If this issue was so important, then it deserves the right — when people come from across this state when they sign up — for every one of them to be heard, to have their say, to stay all night and listen to everyone of our constituents from across the state," said Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, to loud applause from the 100 or so orange shirts still in the gallery.
"All of a sudden to make somebody else's agenda, we're doing everything we can to rush through this process," he said. "If one has the majority that doesn't mean they should exercise the majority with an arrogance of power."
The House sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, who had been missing from the front microphone since around 11:50 p.m., came up around 3:20 a.m. to close on her bill. By not debating and instead asking the chair to make motions to table amendments, Republicans saved about 10 minutes per amendment.
The House is in recess until 6:46 AM, which is the earliest that it can reconvene after adjourning at 4:46, at which point it will need to pass SB5 on third reading. Once that has been done, it must go back to the Senate for a vote to accept the 20-week "fetal pain" provision. From the Trib:
To reach the Governor before the special ends, the House must approve SB 5 on third reading on Monday, as the Senate must wait 24 hours to layout the legislation and confirm the changes to the legislation approved by the House. The longer the bill has in the Senate, the longer a Democratic senator would have to filibuster the bill to prevent its passage.
So there's still some hope, but remember that a second special session is always an option. Just as was the case with putting this crap on the call for this session, it's entirely up to Rick Perry. I have a hard time believing he will allow this to fail by missing the deadline. My deep appreciation to everyone who showed up to fight against this atrocity, even if you did make poor widdle Rep. Jonathan Stickland wet his pants with fear at having to face people who don't agree with him. Now let's channel this energy into 2014. PDiddie, who stayed awake till the bitter end, has more.
UPDATE: There was actually one more thing accomplished last night. From the Trib, same link as before:
With a vote of 86-17 and two present not voting, the House tentatively approved Senate Joint Resolution 2, which would ask voters to approve amending the state constitution to divert half of the oil and gas severance taxes currently earmarked for the Rainy Day Fund to the State Highway Fund. It is estimated to raise close $1 billion a year for road construction and maintenance.
"This will not solve the problem, this is a start to solve the problem," said state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, the sponsor of SJR 2.
Perry added transportation funding to the special session call after efforts to find extra money for the Texas Department of Transportation failed in the regular session. TxDOT has said it needs an additional $4 billion a year just to maintain current congestion levels.
An amendment by state Rep. Linda Harper Brown, R-Irving, was added to the bill. It would devote one-third of the growth in motor vehicle sales taxes to the transportation fund.
Critics of the measure have noted, among other things, that the revenue will dry up whenever the current oil drilling boom ends. Phillips added a "perfecting amendment" to ensure the money was not used for toll roads and to make the balance needed in the Rainy Day Fund a floating target instead of a fixed $6 billion.
I presume this has to go back to the Senate as well, so unless it is taken up before SB5, it too would be vulnerable to a filibuster.
UPDATE: Via Michael Li on Facebook, a reminder that to the likes of Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, "pro-life" means what she says it means, no more, no less.
A priceless exchange occurred between Harper-Brown cohort Jodie Laubenberg of Rockwall and Dallas Dem Rafael Anchia. Laubenberg proposed to enforce a three-month waiting period before expectant mothers could begin receiving prenatal and perinatal care under CHIP. Anchia pointed out that the eligibility change would kick nearly 100,000 children out of the CHIP program. "That is absolutely untrue!" Laubenberg shot back, proving her point by waving a sheet of paper. Then again, "That is absolutely untrue!"
"You know," Anchia replied, "I can hear you yelling, but just because you yelled, it doesn't make it true." Anchía pointed out the consequences of denying health care to the unborn. "You do know, don't you, that these are U.S. citizens?"
"But they're not born yet," Laubenberg, a "family values" conservative, retorted. Dukes, standing behind Anchia at the back mic, whipped her head around in a shocked double take. Anchia, smelling blood, observed, "You have an anti-life amendment," which set Laubenberg off on a loud tirade in which she claimed to be the most pro-life member of the House.
Patrick | |
The eagle waits at the edge of its nest for the winds of the storm to gain velocity. Once the storm is strong enough, it spreads its magnificent wings, and allows the storm to carry it where it wills.
By waiting for the wind to gain velocity before it flies, "it can run and not be weary, walk, and not be faint." It wastes not an ounce of energy.
I think we can avoid much wasted effort if we do not act until the winds of the Spirit are strong, until we are sure we are flying with the wind of the Spirit, not without it, or, heaven forbid, against it.
And this is a learned skill.
I have been impulsive and impressionable for much of my life, and this does not make me rejoice. I look back on wasted efforts; projects committed to impulsively and later abandoned; or grimly seen through but without much fruit. Things done that came to nothing.
It is perhaps the story of many lives, but it does not have to be.
I have noticed the enormous difference even in small things– like deciding if and where to go on holiday, and what to do there—when I pray about it, and wait for guidance. It leaves me quite disinclined to commit to things, if I have not heard God's guidance on whether I should be doing them. I now do not like to go through a weekend, or a vacation day without checking with God to see what ideas he may have for my day!
"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor and the enemy of the people," Ann Lamott says. I have, for decades, allowed my writing life to be poisoned by the stress and sadness of perfectionism.
"What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent," C.S. Lewis wrote.
So, I am trying to lower the bar–which is the best way to write well.
Apart from "little books,"–and I have just finished one which is with editors–I am trying to discipline myself to write more "little blogs," 400-500 words (rather than my normal 800-1200 word blogs)– a single thought, a single insight, a single blessing, slight perhaps. I will write these on the off-chance that what spoke to me might speak to others.
Christian bloggers can play a prophetic role if they record what they hear the Lord saying to them. For He might be saying the same thing to others too, and perhaps our little blog is one way in which he will speak to our readers. Perhaps. God willing!
BTW, your blog officially rocks! The whole subscription thing is sweet!! Thank you both for your hard work in moving this over to the new system!!
Thanks so much for your encouragement, LA!
One for the wish list….generally, when you read a post, you want to comment after you've read it, but there is no "leave a comment" link at the end, you have to scroll back up to the top. If Mr. Roy could add the link at the bottom, it would be awesome!
Overall, I like your WordPress better. I love how the comments remember my name and email from last time. I also love how I don't lose all my comment work every time I go to another tab in safari to look something up. (Blogger kept reloading the comment page).
I like the fact that you will blog when the spirit moves you to…but I want to say that the 30 months you spent blogging each day was not wasted effort. It set up good habits. Good writing habits. Mr. Covey says that you have to do something for a while to develop good habits…and I know from experience that he's right. But now that the habit is established, you can let go and allow a more natural rhythm to emerge. My one worry is that you will refrain from blogging when the spirit moves you…even if the spirit is moving you to write two entries a day.
And I personally like the longer, meatier format of your blog. I've moved from reading a variety down to you, the Beaker Folk (even though they won't let me comment anymore without a troublesome login), and a few others that I check into less regularly. The meatier posts are vastly superior to my reading tastes then the simple one-trick-ponies other bloggers write. I think we have, in our culture, moved way too far into the sound byte world. Unable to hold our attention too long in one spot, we bounce from idea to idea without digging into the meat. I call it "sitcom syndrome" or "fast food thinking" where we expect everything to be solved in 30minutes minus commercials or get our information in a Big Mac time frame. I like how when I read your blogs you take the time necessary to build an idea…to formulate it slowly without rush. Like the difference between eating at MacDonalds or eating at La Scala. I savor each morsel of thought without rush…and am all the richer for it. Please don't yield to any pressure to shorten your posts: they are the length they need to be to satisfy your writing style-and it is a style many appreciate, I'm sure.
I have a friend who is an incredible musician. She has a style all her own and really moves the people who appreciate her style. Her Joanie Mitchel-eske style is not for everyone and she laments constantly about not getting crowds at her recitals. But the following she does have is extraordinarily moved and filled with God by what she does. She feels like she needs to be all things to all people in order to get more butts-in-seats for her recitals but then her music is watered down with styles that she doesn't "own" and she is no longer answering to her higher calling. As a friend once told me…"say what is in your heart…God has always placed someone out there who needs to hear exactly what you have to say". Numbers aren't the key…it's reaching the people God has placed in your path to hear exactly what you have to say.
Hi LA, I think we have fixed that comment thingie. Thanks for pointing it out.
I really should read Covey's book. I am sure I will love it.
Yes, I should make sure I do blog when the spirit is moving. Putting things off for later, or because they appear insignificant at first glance can lead to blogger's block. Often, it appears insignificant because just the first or final thought in a sequence has popped into consciousness. As you writes, you realize why the idea was nudging you.
Thank you so much for your feedback on the length of the posts. It is true that I naturally think in 800-1200 words, and the recommended blog length is 500-800!
"As a friend once told me…"say what is in your heart…God has always placed someone out there who needs to hear exactly what you have to say". Numbers aren't the key…it's reaching the people God has placed in your path to hear exactly what you have to say." Wow, love that. Thanks for your encouragement!!
Dear Anita, I especially liked this comment on your blog post, "I think we can avoid much wasted effort if we do not act until the winds of the Spirit are strong, until we are sure we are flying with the wind of the Spirit, not without it, or, heaven forbid, against it." It give me lots to think about. I, too, like to ask God's advice, but I'ven never thought about it in this way before.
Thanks for sharing all your recent decisions. As a fellow blogger, | |
Home BOAT TESTS Jeanneau Leader 30
October 2, 2017 Michaela Montgomery-Swan 0
October 2, 2017 Michaela Montgomery-Swan
It manages to pack a lot of recreational usability into its open deck, without critically compromising the performance.
It handles well, and although its top speed is modest, the manner in which it gets there is commendable.
For a fully featured cruising machine, the Leader 30 offers a remarkably rewarding drive.
Alex Smith investigates the new entry point to Jeanneau's family cruiser line.
Jeanneau's established Leader line of inboard family cruisers was designed to combine clever layouts and bright spaces with a useful dose of sporting ability. Until the end of 2016, there were just three boats in that fleet – the 36, the 40 and the 46 – but they have now been joined by a pair of new models in the form of the 30 and the 33. And what is particularly interesting about the 30 is that, while it obeys the established blueprint in a great many ways, this smallest Leader is in fact the only open craft in the line.
Open-Air Priorities
As you would expect, Jeanneau have tried to make the very best use of the 30's open configuration with a cockpit that plays to its unique strengths. A starboard walkway leads you from the big aft swim platform into a cockpit dominated by an enormous dining station that runs all the way along the port side, from the aft bench to the navigator's seat. The navigator's position itself is also neatly arranged for al fresco duties. It uses a pair of seats, one facing permanently aft with its backrest mounted against the console mouldings, and the other with a swinging backrest, enabling you either to join the rest of the diners or to face forward and join the skipper.
It's a very effective solution, but the table stanchion on the test boat, which is angled to help avoid knocking into your knees, is a rigid one-dimensional affair, capable of nothing beyond its basic job. You can't lower it to slot the table into the gap and you can't remove it because it's screwed down to the deck. As a result, what ought to be a convertible space with a sunbathing area covering perhaps 60% of the cockpit is nothing more or less than a place to eat and drink. However, I am assured that a telescopic table leg is available – and it's certainly an option you should take. With that in place, you can either convert the whole space into a lounging platform or you can fold the two aft backrests out to create a smaller sun pad, without unduly disrupting any of the diners.
Further aft, the big swim platform is the best part of 4 feet long, and you can also take advantage of that with an optional barbecue to help generate another open-air entertainment option. And the practicalities are well handled too. The storage beneath the aft bench is large enough for a compact dinghy and is accessible both from the swim platform and from the cockpit; and there's also ample space in the locker beneath the table brace for a generator.
It's not perfect, of course. The step to take you up onto the port walkway is a tiny device, recessed into a precipitous moulding – and if the bimini happens to be erected, one of the supporting straps is tethered to a steel D-ring, directly in your path. But there's no doubt that, with the telescopic table leg and the aft barbecue in place, the Leader 30 does a very adept job of maximising its own fair-weather potential.
Lofty, Bright and Great Value
Step down below and you find yourself at the hub of a three-section layout. Ahead of you, in the V of the bow, is a dining area that converts into the main double berth. This can be cordoned off by means of a curtain from the central area, where an enclosed heads and shower compartment to starboard leaves plenty of space for a port galley and access to the cockpit steps. The third section, accessed via a full-height door on the port side, is the guest double. This runs transversely beneath the cockpit sole and offers a useful changing area, plus a bench and storage spaces, beneath the swollen mouldings on the cockpit's port side.
It's a very efficient arrangement for a boat of this size, but what's really striking down here is the vertical space and the amount of natural light. There is easy standing headroom both in the heads compartment and in the galley area; and the integration of flush overhead glass panels in the navigator's console, allied to additional windows running fore and aft above the shelving units and work surfaces, means light bounces off the pale woods and the pearly white cupboard doors in almost omnidirectional fashion.
The absence of a bulkhead to divide off the forward space from the galley is also quite helpful in this regard. And while 'open plan' is not for everyone on a family cruiser, it's not a problem here. On the contrary, it helps improve integration between the lower deck's communal areas during the day – and when the time comes to bed down, the use of the dividing curtain, the guest door and the physical partition of the central galley area creates a very decent level of privacy when your kids or a second couple are staying on board.
However, there are a few design issues that compromise the excellence of this space. In the main dinette, for instance, the seat bases are too deep and the backrests are too low, too soft and too distant. It makes it very difficult to lounge down here in comfort, particularly as the optional overhead lockers, which orbit the space, have a habit of digging you in the back of the neck with their lower edge. The lockers themselves also open the wrong way, with lids that hinge down rather than up, which makes them more prone to collaborating with gravity on a lumpy passage and falling open. The finish also feels a bit careless in parts – and while the guest double is neatly arranged, with a compact fore-and-aft settee and room to get changed without smacking your elbows on bulkheads and getting trapped in your own jumper, there's no doubt that it would benefit from a hull window at the head of the bed. There's plenty of space to insert one, so I can only imagine it's one of those areas where budgetary constraints have compelled the builder to stop short.
Wind in the Hair (Whether You Like It or Not)
The Leader 30 uses a very low screen. It's possible that the designers have again chosen this route in a bid to maximise the boat's appeal as an open platform – and in some respects, it works well. It makes the boat look a little more dynamic, it gives you the 'wind-in-the-hair' experience of an authentic open boat and, for those over 5 foot 10, it provides great visibility all round. But for use in northern European waters, that persistent blast of sea air in the face, whether seated, leaning against the bolster or standing, would become quite tiresome over time. If you're between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 10, that low rim also invades the eyeline, hovering on or around the horizon – and because there's no height adjustability on the seat, there's no easy way to dial that out.
Even so, the helm position is very well arranged, with plenty of support and an ergonomically satisfying arrangement of controls. And, while the seas off Cannes were almost mirror calm during our test, the handling also felt very well sorted. The transition to the plane | |
is making headlines across the country. and this morning, friends and family killed. 14 others were hurt in a kansas shooting rampage. 10news reporter emerald morrow is live in the newsroom. emerald, officials say most of the shootings happened at the suspect's job. how common are these types of crimes? the numbers might shock you. the bureau of labor statistics did a study, and their latest numbers show that from 2006 to 2010...an average of about 550 workers per year died in work-related homicides. a large majority of these were shootings. unfortunately, what happened in hesston, kansas adds to the list. ford...who also has a record in florida...is responsible for killing three people and hurting more than a dozen others by police. there were multiple crime scenes, but the biggest was at excel ford worked. thing to have something like this happen in the workplace where you should feel safe... but the department of labor says nearly americans experience some type of workplace violence e
i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. for the second time in less than a week...a mass shooting is making headlines across the country. and this morning, friends and family killed. 14 others were hurt in a kansas shooting rampage. 10news reporter emerald morrow is live in the newsroom. emerald, officials say most of the shootings happened at the suspect's job. how common are these types of crimes? the numbers might shock you. the bureau of labor statistics did a study, and their latest numbers...
sentence. good morning and welcome to "10 news early morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby the zika virus is spreading explosively. there's a new case right here in tampa bay. and we now know it can be transmitted through sex. to give you an idea how fast it's spreading: last may the first alert went out for a confirmed case in brazil. now there are more than a million cases there, and 28 countries and territories are dealing with a zika crisis. just on tuesday, there were six new cases in florida. 10news reporter courtney robinson has more on the new concerns and how bug spray won't protect you. two confirmed cases of zika virus in hillsborough county. 30 in the entire country and until now all had been infected while zika infected countries. -- "this particular person, resident of dallas county had not traveled out of the country or the county for that matter, was exposed to someone that had in the tropical regions where the virus is circulating." -- so if they hadn't left dallas, texas -- how did they get zika? sex. -- -- cut down bite
sentence. good morning and welcome to "10 news early morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby the zika virus is spreading explosively. there's a new case right here in tampa bay. and we now know it can be transmitted through sex. to give you an idea how fast it's spreading: last may the first alert went out for a confirmed case in brazil. now there are more than a million cases there, and 28 countries and territories are dealing with a zika...
CBS Morning News : WTSP : February 17, 2016 4:00am-4:30am EST
morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby
good morning, it's i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. front runners donald trump and bernie sanders have won new hampshire. vote tallies are still trickling in this morning, but our florida politicians are going to have to dig deep to stay in the race. 10news reporter sarah hollenbeck is in the newsroom. sarah, marco rubio is sweating this morning after a suprisingly bad 5th place finish. no doubt his performance at saturday's gop debate hurt him...bad. now the question is what can he and will he do next heading into nevada and south carolina. pretty confident going into the poll before these votes were tallied. donors rallied around rubio after his third-place victory in the iowa caucuses, we'll have to see if those donors back off after last night's 5th place finish. i'm told it was a really tense environment at a manchester watch party for rubio last night, where supporters stared blankly at the watching their candidate fall in the ranking. here's what i'm working on for 6-- using social media to express their feelings. what they're tweeting out for all of us to see this
good morning, it's i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. front runners donald trump and bernie sanders have won new hampshire. vote tallies are still trickling in this morning, but our florida politicians are going to have to dig deep to stay in the race. 10news reporter sarah hollenbeck is in the newsroom. sarah, marco rubio is sweating this morning after a suprisingly bad 5th place finish. no doubt his performance at saturday's gop debate hurt him...bad. now the question is what can he and...
to "10 news early morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby despite the rain and cooler weather, clearwater beach is a hot place to be. companies are paying big bucks to buy-out and build high-end hotels. 10news reporter kendra conlon shows why getting in the game is paying off for beach-bound businesess. the skyline is changing on clearwater beach... new yorkers scott and roxanne murphy.. see why... plenty are rolling the dice along gulfview boulevard... in a one mile stretch, close to half a billion in sales and construction. and they all hope taking the chance the number of rooms to 181 at its location.. guest house is adding 155 rooms.. for nearly 20-million dollars. opal sands is set to open later this month -- 50 million in construction there.. hyatt just sold for 120 million.. the wyndam grand, when complete will be the largest on the island with 450 rooms, 175 million in construction.. at the famous pier 60.. a half million dollar renovation is almost finished. right now, there are 925 hotel rooms under construction... it's not j
to "10 news early morning." i'm allison kropff. lets get a look at #10weather with meteorologist bobby despite the rain and cooler weather, clearwater beach is a hot place to be. companies are paying big bucks to buy-out and build high-end hotels. 10news reporter kendra conlon shows why getting in the game is paying off for beach-bound businesess. the skyline is changing on clearwater beach... new yorkers scott and roxanne murphy.. see why... plenty are rolling the dice along...
good morning, it's good morning, it's i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. happening today...thousands of cases of bottled water will leave michigan. it's part of an effort by two men to make sure the people of flint have clean water to drink. they wanted to make city's water supply had been contaminated by lead. 10news reporter emerald morrow is live at the tampa truck stop where they'll be leaving from today. emerald...one of the men behind this effort is actually from flint. so far it has been a violent start to some mardi gras in mississippi there was a shooting after a mardi gras parade that left two people dead and four others hurt. police say the shooting began as a fight that ended in gunfire. the search is on now for the person responsible. mardi gras parade route in new orleans, but no one was hurt. developing this morning out of taiwan, survivors are still being pulled from buildings two days after an earthquake hit the region. crews were able to rescue a man and woman this morning. the six-point-four magnitude earthquake hit saturday during a celebration of the
good morning, it's | |
tries to kill you because of your blessing. You see, Satan doesn't have any new tricks. All he has is old tricks. And if you live long enough, you start to notice, "I've seen this before". The names have changed, but this is is that same old devil I had to fight ten years ago. Because the devil is not a creator. He is an imitator.
Jacob is wrestling with God, and God is visiting. He can't stay, 'cause he hasn't been born of a woman. And he says, "Let me go, for the day breaketh". And Jacob says, "I won't let you go until you bless me". Wait a minute, you already blessed. You already have the birthright. Do you know you can be blessed and not know that the enemy can make you feel in such a way that you don't really know that you have what you got? Listen at the schizophrenia of their conversation. Jacob wrestles with the angel, but when the angel sees that the day breaketh, the angel now says to him, "Let me go, for the day breaketh," and Jacob says, "I won't let you go until you bless me". The angel says, "What is your name"? Who wrote this? What is my name? We in a fight. We're in a fight. Me and Beanie in a fight, and we rollin' all over the pulpit, and I stopped in the middle of the fight, and say, What is your name?
Wouldn't you think I was pretty stupid to stop in a fight and the angel asked him, who is actually Christ, and already knows, "What is your name"? And he answers, "I am what they call me. I am Jacob". See, the blessing was in figuring out who he was. The blessing wasn't the boat, it wasn't the car, it wasn't the house, it wasn't the cattle, it wasn't the sheep, it wasn't the property, it wasn't the land, it wasn't any of that. The blessing was, Do you know who you are? So I wanna ask you this morning, Do you know who you are? We have come to this mountain alone to wrestle with God, and the first thing he tells Jacob is, "You are not who you think you are. Your name shall no more be called Jacob". Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans, and have overcome".
Israel, you are a prince not a fighter, not a wrestler, not a trickster, not a con-artist, not a liar. You did some of that, now, you did it, you you did it, you did it, you did it, but you are not it. This is a higher calling. I press toward the mark of a higher calling. I press toward the mark of a higher call on my life than the gravitational pull of my history. I press toward the higher call up my destiny. I'm moving towards something that you may not even see in me. I'm a prince without a palace. I'm a prince without a throne. I'm a prince without a princess. I'm a prince, I'm a prince, it don't look like it riding on this donkey, but I'm a prince. You don't treat me like it, but I am wrestling with God to find out what is in me. And he smote him at his hip joint, and Jacob never screamed, and he never yelled, he just comes hopping down off that mountain. He'd never cried out. He never hollered. You know why? It is worth the struggle. It is worth whatever the struggle was to find out who you are, and what you've got, and what you can do, and what you can be.
And Jacob comes down off... Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel comes down, Jacob, Israel, Jacob and Israel, Jacob, Israel, Jacob, Israel comes down, he's limping off the mountaintop, only one leg, only one leg, the Jacob leg. Only one part of him is limping, is wounded. Jacob will never recover full strength, because Israel, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What got smote was the Jacob side. It got smote. Oh, y'all don't wanna fool with me. I feel like preaching. I feel like preaching. What got smote is the Jacob side. He hit the part of me that was controlling me, and knocked it out of joint, so it wouldn't have the power that it used to have in my life. So, Jacob, Israel, all throughout the rest of his life, the names interchange back and forth, all the way to the grave, sometimes in the same sentence. One moment they call him Jacob. The next moment they call him Israel, because he still has that Jacob background, but he has that Israel future. Y'all didn't get that.
If y'all got that, y'all would tear this place up. Somebody in here tryin' to act like you don't understand. You know you still got that Jacob background, but you got that Israel future, and you're just dragging that Jacob. You're just dragging that Jacob. C'mon, Jacob, we're goin' this way, we're not goin' that way, we're going this way. And he comes down off the mountain. Daybreak has come. The night fight is over. Every fight he ever had was a night fight. Fighting in the womb, fighting in the dark, he's had night fights. Anybody had night fights? Went to bed tired, woke up tired, night fights, night fights, night fights. I want some real saints that can talk to me about some night fights. 3 o'clock in the morning and you're having a night fight, 4:15 and you're just lookin' at the clock. You up, you don't even know why you up.
What Jacob and Israel is having a fight at 4 o'clock in the morning, and it's been a night fight, and it was morning time, because weeping can only endure for a night, joy, but joy cometh in the morning. And what is important, if you'd give me a minute, what's important for you to see is this. Both of 'em came down off the mountain, but one of them had been smote. And Jacob never fully recovered his strength in Israel's life. There are some things that are still there, but they're nowhere near like they used to be, 'cause God has smote the hip joints, and you're walking with a limp 'cause of what you've been through, and where you came from, and how you had to wrestle with God, and you had to wrestle with man, but you're still moving forward.
That's why you prevail, because you've been through hell, but you're still moving forward. You're crying all night, but you're still moving forward. You're lonely half the time, but you're still moving forward. And God gave you a limp to show the world that you're a fighter. You've been with God. And the first person he runs into when he gets to the bottom of the mountain is Esau. That which he has been running from, he is now ready to confront. And he comes limping down off the mountain to say I'm not scared of you no more. I'm not gonna run from your no more, because I found out who I am, and I know who I am, and I know what I can be, and I know what I can do, and I know where I can go, and I know what he's done in my life. And I know that I have a destiny. And I know that what's in front of me is greater than what is behind me. And I know that nations | |
This wikiHow teaches you how to use your iPhone's or Android's GPS to locate a lost phone, as well as how to track a cellphone using a third-party app.
Open the iCloud website. Go to https://www.icloud.com/ in a browser on your computer.
In order for this to work, Find My iPhone must be enabled on your iPhone.
Sign into iCloud. Enter your Apple ID and password in the pertinent text boxes in the middle of the page, then click →. This will open your iCloud dashboard.
If you're already logged into iCloud, skip this step.
Click Find iPhone. It's a radar-shaped icon on the right side of the dashboard.
Re-enter your password. Do so in the text field in the middle of the page.
Click All Devices. This tab is at the top of the page. A drop-down menu will appear.
Select your iPhone. Click your iPhone's name in the drop-down menu.
Play Sound - Prompts your iPhone to play an audible alert.
Lost Mode - Locks down your iPhone and suspends Apple Pay on your iPhone. You can also select a message to display on the iPhone's screen.
Erase iPhone - Removes all data from your iPhone. This action cannot be undone, so make sure that you have a backup available if you do this.
Open the Find My Device website. Go to https://www.google.com/android/find in your web browser.
This will only work if your phone has the Find My Device app installed and enabled.
Enter your email address and password. Type in the email address that you use to log into your Android's account, click NEXT, enter your password, and click NEXT again.
If you're already logged into an email address, you will most likely still have to enter your password.
Click Accept when prompted. Doing so will prompt Find My Device to begin searching for your Android.
PLAY SOUND - Plays a ringtone for five minutes, regardless of whether or not your Android is on silent.
LOCK - Locks your Android with a passcode.
ERASE - Erases your Android's internal memory. Erasing an Android will prevent you from being able to use Find My Device.
Open the Samsung Find My Mobile website. Go to https://findmymobile.samsung.com/ in a browser.
In order for this to work, you must be logged into a Samsung account on your phone.
Click SIGN IN. It's in the middle of the page.
If you're already logged into your Samsung account here, skip this step and the next step.
Enter your account credentials. Type in your Samsung email address and password, then click SIGN IN to log into the Find My Mobile site.
RING MY DEVICE - Prompts your Samsung to begin ringing.
LOCK MY DEVICE - Locks your Samsung with a password.
WIPE MY DEVICE - Erases your Samsung's internal hard drive. You'll be prompted to confirm this decision with a password.
You may first have to click Locate my Device to bring up your Samsung's location.
App Store, tap Search, tap the search bar, type in gps tracker, scroll down and tap GET next to "GPS TRACKER", and enter your Apple ID password or Touch ID.
Google Play Store, tap the search bar, type in phonetracker with friendmapper, tap PhoneTracker with FriendMapper, tap INSTALL, and tap ACCEPT.
Open GPS TRACKER on your phone. Tap OPEN in your phone's app store, or tap the app icon on your phone.
If prompted to allow access to your phone's location, tap Yes, Agree, or Allow.
Swipe right four times. This will take you to the account creation section.
Tap Step 1 - Create Account. It's at the top of the page.
On Android, you'll enter your first and last name before entering your email address.
Tap Create Account. It's at the bottom of the screen.
Tap OK when prompted. This will take yu back to the initial account creation page.
Tap Step 2 - Enter Confirmation Code. It's near the middle of the page.
Retrieve your confirmation code. Open your email address, find the email from "Registration" with the subject "Registration Code" and open it, and note the red-text number in the body of the email.
If you can't find this email in your inbox, check the Spam or Junk folder.
Enter the confirmation code. Type the confirmation code into your iPhone's or Android's GPS Tracker app's text field.
Tap Verify Confirmation Code. It's below the text field. This will confirm your email address and create your account on this phone.
On Android, you'll instead tap Activate here.
Repeat the setup process on the other person's phone. Download and open the app, create an account, and verify the email address that you used to create the account.
You can use the GPS Tracker app on an iPhone to track an Android and vice versa.
Tap + on your phone. It's in the top-right corner of the GPS Tracker main page.
Tap Send Invite. You'll see this near the top of the page.
If prompted to allow GPS TRACKER access to your contacts, tap OK.
You will need to have the person's email address in your iPhone if you want to track them.
On Android, you can tap Enter Email in the top-right corner of the screen to enter an email address.
Select a person to invite. Tap the name of the person whom you want to track.
Tap Send. It's in the top-right corner of the screen.
On Android, tap an email service, then tap the paper plane-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Have the other person accept your invite. To do so, they'll open the inbox of the email that they used to create their GPS Tracker account, note the code in the "This code was created by the app to link our phones" section, open GPS Tracker if it isn't already open, tap + in the top-right corner, tap Accept Invite, enter the code that you sent to them, and tap Verify.
Review the other person's location. Every ten minutes, GPS Tracker will update with the other person's phone's current location. You can monitor this from the main GPS Tracker page.
Can I track a phone without someone knowing?
Yes, it is possible to track someone's phone without them knowing.
Can I be GPS-tracked if my iPhone is on?
Yes, even if you turn off location you can still be tracked to a certain area. The only way to stop being located is to remove the battery physically out of the phone and for extra measure take out the SIM. It is the only sure-fire way to stop your phone from pinging the nearest tower. This is a problem because you can't remove an iPhone battery. Better get a second phone that has a removable battery and leave the iPhone where you want them to think you are located.
Can a Samsung phone be tracked by an iPhone without the owner's knowledge?
I use lookout to track my Samsung Galaxy S5. I track it with the lookout website on my computer, and I know there is also an iPhone app, so it should work.
What are the chances of the tracking being wrong?
Absolutely none, unless the app you're using is not authentic. Legit tracking apps will never produce false results on the whereabouts of your device.
Where is the GPS location tracker on my device?
If you have an iPhone, go to the app FindiPhone and log in with your apple ID and password. This should find your lost device.
How do I track my children's phones with a Blackberry Z30?
Blackberry doesn't have the software for that so you can't.
Can I track my friend's phone?
Yes, depending on the software that you use. Most apps would request the person being tracked to accept and agree first during set-up. So they would most likely know that you're keeping tabs on them.
Does a GPS tracker work in Africa?
Can I GPS track a cell phone using the phone number?
Will this only work if I am connected to a Wifi or data network?
Can I track a Samsung phone from an iPhone?
How do | |
(if no AGN is present). In many of these galaxies, the AGN and LI(N)ER signatures are primarily detected at the edges of the MaNGA-recovered footprint of the galaxy, where shocks from starburst-driven winds may contribute in elevating the line ratios in regions where also contributions from diffuse ionized gas are relevant, despite our efforts to minimize these effects. Based on a stacking analysis of 49 edge-on, late-type galaxies observed within MaNGA, \citet{Jones_2017} have investigated extended extra-planar diffuse ionized gas out to several $R_{eff}$ above the midplane. Similar to \citet{Zhang_2017}, they show that both [NII]/H$\alpha$ and [SII]/H$\alpha$ can be higher at large distances $R > 2.5R_{eff}$. The effect is more significant for [SII]/H$\alpha$ compared to [NII]/H$\alpha$.
On the other hand, using optical spectra from the SDSS Data Release 6, \citet{Brinchmann_2008} has shown that galaxies with significant contributions of Wolf-Rayet features to their spectra, can show elevated BPT emission line ratios and populate the AGN region in the [NII] and [SII] BPT diagram. Wolf-Rayet stars are hot, massive stars whose spectra are dominated by broad, strong emission lines associated with massive circumstellar shells expanding outwards. They can provide valuable information about recent star formation activity in galaxies since they typically start to appear about $2\times10^6$~years after a star formation episode and disappear within $5\times10^6$~years \citep{Brinchmann_2008}. The first early reports of the detection of Wolf-Rayet stellar features in galaxy spectra were of starbursting low-metallicity galaxies, typically blue compact dwarfs \citep{Kunth_1983}, similar to the galaxies with low $d_{BPT}$ values in this work. The systematic search for Wolf-Rayet features in galaxies by \citet{Brinchmann_2008} confirms this early impression: most of the galaxies with significant Wolf-Rayet features show strong star formation activity with high sSFR. Additionally, the fraction of galaxies showing Wolf-Rayet features is highest in low-metallicity, blue (in terms of their $g-r$ color) galaxies. The authors relate the elevated line ratios observed in some Wolf-Rayet galaxies with a higher effective ionisation parameter. While \citet{Brinchmann_2008} show that only a small fraction of the galaxies with Wolf-Rayet features contaminate the AGN-part of the [SII] and [NII] BPT diagram, we remind the reader that this work had been based on SDSS single fibre measurements. A full census of Wolf-Rayet signatures in MaNGA galaxies is beyond the scope of this paper. But contamination of emission-line ratio measurements due Wolf-Rayet signatures appears to be more significant in galaxy IFU surveys compared to single fibre surveys.
This analysis leads us to the conclusion that the bulk of our initial AGN candidates with $d_{BPT} < 0.3$ are unlikely to host true AGN. In addition to the `known' contaminants in AGN classification (contamination from diffuse ionized gas regions and contamination from LIER emission related to old, hot stars), we conclude that contamination from hot, young stars (such as Wolf-Rayet stars) contributes as well, and therefore has to be addressed in IFU-based AGN selection algorithms.
\begin{figure*}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8325_12702.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8325_12702.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8458_9102.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8458_9102.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8711_3701.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8711_3701.pdf}
\caption{Example BPT maps and plots for three galaxies with high f$_{\rm{AGN+LIER [SII]}}$, but where the spaxels classified as AGN or LI(N)ER in the [SII]-BPT diagram are very close to the demarcation line. The bulk of such galaxies are blue, highly star-forming and of low stellar mass.}
\label{example_low_dbpt}
\end{figure*}
\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale = 0.32, trim = 5cm 2cm 5cm 3cm, clip= true]{./plots/dbpt_visualization.pdf}
\caption{Visualization on how we measure $d_{BPT,i}$ and $d_{BPT}$. For each spaxel in the AGN or LINER region of the [SII] BPT diagram, we measure the distance $d_{BPT,i}$ between the position of the spaxel in BPT space to the star formation demarcation line such that the $d_{BPT,i}$ is minimal. We then compute $d_{BPT}$ by averaging the $d_{BPT,i}$ of the 20\% of the spaxels with the largest $d_{BPT,i}$.}
\label{dbpt_visualization}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure*}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale = 0.49, trim = 0.5cm 0cm 1.7cm 1cm, clip= true]{./plots/dist_line_distribution.pdf} \\
\includegraphics[scale = 0.47, trim = 0.5cm 0cm 1.7cm 1cm, clip= true]{./plots/dist_Line_with_mass.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.47, trim = 0.5cm 0cm 1.7cm 1cm, clip= true]{./plots/dist_Line_with_EW.pdf}
\caption{\textbf{Upper panel:} Distribution of $d_{BPT}$ for all galaxies in the MaNGA sample (grey, filled histogram) and the initial 746 MaNGA AGN candidates (blue open histogram). $d_{BPT}$ is measured by only regarding 20\% AGN+LI(N)ER spaxels in the [SII]-BPT that are farthest away from the star formation demarcation line. $d_{BPT}$ is then the mean distance of these spaxels from the star formation demarcation line. While the distribution of $d_{BPT}$ for the whole MaNGA sample has two distinct peaks, the distribution of $d_{BPT}$ for the initially selected AGN excluded the high $d_{BPT}$ which are primarily associated with high significance LIER galaxies that are not AGN. \textbf{Lower left panel:} Stellar mass dependence on $d_{BPT}$, showing that particularly low mass galaxies have small $d_{BPT}$. \textbf{Lower right panel:} H$\alpha$ equivalent width $EW(H\alpha)_{\rm{AL, S}}$ dependence on $d_{BPT}$. Since $EW(H\alpha)_{\rm{AL, S}}$ is also a qualitative measure for the sSFR, this plots shows that the AGN selection is mainly contaminated by low mass galaxies with high sSFR and low $d_{BPT}$.}
\label{dist_line_distribution}
\end{figure*}
\section{Analysis of MaNGA AGN Candidates}
\subsection{Refined AGN Selection}
Based on the analysis of our initial AGN selection above, we conclude that when selecting AGN candidates in large IFU surveys such as MaNGA, additional constraints have to be taken into account that are mostly due to the resolved nature of the observations and radial gradients in emission line ratios that do not allow for simple adaptation of BPT diagnostics.
Based on the analysis above, we therefore propose the following refined AGN selection criteria, which have been optimized for the MaNGA dataset:
\begin{itemize}[align=left,leftmargin=*,labelsep=1ex]
\item f$_{\rm{A, N}} > 10$ \% and $EW(H\alpha)_{\rm{A, N}} > 5 \AA$
\vspace{0.2cm}
AND
\vspace{0.1cm}
\item f$_{\rm{AL, S}} >15$\% and $EW(H\alpha)_{\rm{AL, S}} > 5 \AA$
\vspace{0.2cm}
AND
\vspace{0.1cm}
\item $\log$(SB(H$\alpha$)$_{\rm{A,N}}$/(erg~s$^{-1}$~kpc$^{-2}$)) $>37.5$ OR \newline $\log$(SB(H$\alpha$)$_{\rm{AL,S}}$/(erg~s$^{-1}$~kpc$^{-2}$)) $>37.5$
\vspace{0.2cm}
AND
\vspace{0.1cm}
\item $d_{\rm{BPT}} > 0.3$
\end{itemize}
These criteria select 303 unique AGN candidates. This corresponds to an AGN fraction of $\sim 10\%$. We note that the average signal-to-noise ratio in the individual lines per spaxel are $\sim 7, 8, 8, 12$ and 42 for the H$\beta$, [OIII], [NII], [SII] and H$\alpha$ lines, respectively. We will refer to this sample as the `final AGN candidates'. We note that the AGN+LINER classified spaxels of the `final' AGN candidates are generally found within 1~R$_{eff}$. That shows that this refined AGN selection cleans the sample of sources where contaminating effects beyond 1~R$_{eff}$ may lead to a wrong BPT classification. We show example BPT maps and plots for three of our final AGN candidates in Figure \ref{AGN_selection_final}.
\begin{figure*}
\centering
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8978_6104.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/8978_6104.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/7977_12704.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/7977_12704.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 25.5cm 58.65cm 24.cm 7cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/7977_12705.pdf}
\includegraphics[scale = 0.31, trim = 6cm 37.7cm 5.6cm 27.5cm, clip= true]{./plots/big_figure/7977_12705.pdf}
\caption{Example BPT maps and plots for three galaxies in our final AGN selection. In addition to the SDSS composite $gri$ image, we show the MaNGA-based resolved [NII] and [SII] BPT maps and the corresponding BPT diagrams for each spaxel. The green circle illustrates the size of the $3\arcsec$ fibre that was used to obtain a spectrum of the galaxy in SDSS I-III. While the galaxy in the upper row had been classified as an AGN based on the single fibre observations prior to MaNGA, the galaxies in the middle and lower row had not been selected as AGN candidates based on the single-fibre spectra.}
\label{AGN_selection_final}
\end{figure*}
\subsection{Observed Galaxy Radii}
A major part of both the initial and the refined AGN selection criteria are based on measuring AGN spaxel fractions. We apply this threshold that is only dependent on observed size to \textit{(i)} minimize the contamination from galaxies that would pass | |
The stylish Apple Studio Display has good color depth and matches great looks with top performance.
The CRT monitor is the biggest space hog on a desk, and most users would jump at the chance to replace the bulky tube with an elegant LCD'but only if they didn't have to spend a lot of money or sacrifice image quality.
LCD monitors, unlike most other desktop hardware, have become more expensive because of fluctuating markets. Only three of the 10 15-inch LCDs tested by the GCN Lab cost less than $1,000, whereas a few months ago vendors were pushing to break the $1,000 price barrier.
Image quality varied even more than price. Some monitors looked so dim they would be difficult to see in a standard fluorescent-lit work environment. To compensate, some monitors could be set so bright that color definition was washed out. Few of the LCDs seemed suitable for out-and-out CRT replacement.
At the top of the group, Apple Computer Inc.'s Studio Display had a new color scheme aligning it with the popular Apple iMac and G3 systems, but otherwise not a lot has changed since the lab last looked at it.
The latest Studio Display, which works with both PCs and Apple computers, stood out for its excellent color depth and its on-board controls, which were the most elaborate of the monitors reviewed.
They could control brightness, contrast and white point balance, meaning the already excellent color depth could be tweaked to suit any user.
The ViewSonic VP150 delivers impressive overall performance, brightness that's perfect for most applications and excellent color depth for less than $1,000.
Of all 10 monitors, the Studio Display was the most pleasing to look at for long periods, and it easily earned a Reviewer's Choice designation.
It also had the best-built monitor stand, with a spring mechanism to counter the unit's weight. The monitor could tilt horizontally. Although the stand had a large footprint, a special attachment framed the monitor like a picture, ingeniously matching the footprint to the size of the monitor.
The only area where the Studio Display failed to perform as well as a CRT was in viewing angle.
It was wider than that of most LCDs but fell substantially below the advertised 180 degrees. At about 150 degrees off-center, the image became unreadable in a standard office environment.
Another strong performer, ViewSonic Corp.'s VP150, had the best brightness of any display. The screen was easy to read in any lighting'even when direct sunlight streamed onto it.
Amazingly, the superior brightness did not come at the expense of color depth. The VP150's standard brightness setting was perfect for most applications, and photographs and images looked clear and realistic without obvious dithering. Photographs had none of the color swirling seen on some other LCDs.
The unit's large footprint of almost 11 inches was somewhat less than that of a similar-sized CRT. The $1,140 price also was on the low end. The VP150's impressive performance earned it the other Reviewer's Choice designation in the review.
A surprise performer, Korea Data Systems' VS F-15, was the lightest and smallest in the group but a heavyweight champ in performance. At just $938, the KDS VS F-15 earned the lab's Bang for the Buck designation.
It showed once again that looks can be deceiving. At first glance, it appeared to have no controls; they were hidden in the back. Nor was a software driver disk included, which ordinarily would reduce the product's score, but the F-15 really needed no extra controls.
When it was plugged into a PC, it automatically grabbed a standard LCD driver from Microsoft Windows. The standard driver produced clear images nearly as bright as those of the two top performers.
The only problem was that black and dark colors tended to wash out slightly at higher brightness settings.
The F-15 did, however, come with a tune-up disk.
When I inserted the floppy and ran the program, it tested the monitor for about 30 seconds and then set the default values for brightness, contrast and refresh rate to their optimum settings.
It did a great job of figuring out the settings, making setup a breeze.
A bonus: The power cord and VGA umbilical cord were combined, which meant less cable spaghetti lying around. Conversely, the combined cord might make it more difficult to get the monitor working, but such design features are unexpected in an inexpensive analog LCD.
The NEC Technologies Inc. 1510+ drew a score nearly high enough to warrant a Reviewer's Choice designation, but its $1,440 price held it to a slightly higher standard.
The NEC shone in performance. It had a nearly 180-degree viewing angle, and text was easy to read well beyond the usual 160 degrees.
The 1510+ also sported wonderful color depth. One negative: Cables were in a spot that made them difficult to attach, so setup was not as easy as for the other monitors.
On the surface, the PanoView 751 from CTX-Opto Inc. had all the extras a monitor user could want, including an analog and a digital connection, a four-bay Universal Serial Bus hub and 90-degree screen rotation for displaying documents lengthwise.
But its performance was like sailing a yacht with the anchor dragging. The PanoView 751 had the lowest brightness of any unit tested.
Even cranked up to the highest setting, it was difficult to read text with overhead lights on. Darkening the room helped, but few workers can turn off the lights whenever they have to read an e-mail.
The 751's large desktop stand could not adjust vertically, and the monitor failed to clear its own base when it was rotated 90 degrees, so the corners got stuck.
It could be tilted up a good distance and then rotated successfully, but most users will likely end up banging the LCD against the stand a few times.
On the bright side, the monitor had a near-180-degree viewing angle, or about 90 degrees when tilted vertically.
Users who want all the bells and whistles can go with the 751. Otherwise, just about any other monitor in this review would be a better choice.
Another LCD with brightness problems was the Compaq TFT5000S.
It had above-average display quality and color depth but was not very bright.
The TFT5000S images, though not nearly as dim as the PanoView's, were still difficult to see.
The unit also suffered from poor viewing angles. Text began to fade at just a few degrees off dead center along the horizontal axis and faded even faster along the vertical.
The TFT5000S's problems with brightness and viewing angle put it close to the back of the pack.
The Sceptre Technologies Inc. BT 15G+ made a splash as the only monitor with stereo speakers, and they sounded quite good. Color depth was excellent and images crisp.
Brightness was less outstanding but adequate for most applications.
Ironically, the BT 15G+ fell down in one area where it could shine: visual applications that require sound. I tested each monitor using a computer game called Half-Life from Sierra Studios of Bellevue, Wash.
The game's realistic simulations demand a good monitor that can distinguish objects in darkened areas.
The BT 15G+ rendered the images perfectly, if a bit dimly, but every few seconds a warning popped up on screen saying that image frequency was too high. I got similar results with other applications.
The addition of sound would have made these applications easier to navigate, but the warning messages make most of them unusable.
The BT 15G+ could be a good choice for users who need good sound quality but don't use a lot of DirectX applications.
The Eizo Nanao Technologies Inc. Flex-Scan L360 also had lots of extras. Its case was the sturdiest of all, having an excellent center of gravity for a midsize 6.5- by 9-inch footprint. The square case at the bottom incorporated a four-bay USB hub, putting it in line with the lower-performing PanoView 751.
As a bonus, the | |
because of this, I must construct a framework of lesbian w . . .
Lanford Wilson : an American voice
Maechler, Julie L.
The plays of Lanford Wilson have interested scholars, critics and playgoers for more than three decades . Among other things, critics have focused on Wilson's use of language. Some assert that Wilson's evocative language has captured the voice of the . . .
Tracing the evolution of Bertolt Brecht's play Round Heads And Pointed Heads: the Shakespeare connection
Saunders, Judith
This thesis suggests that Bertolt Brecht's play, Round Heads and Pointed Heads, has been underserved both critically and theatrically. Although it evolved from a previous attempt Brecht made to adapt Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure, there has b . . .
The rhetoric of the rhizome: composing open consciousness in contemporary US nonfiction
Babayeva, Syuzanna
This thesis explores the manifestation of closed and open consciousness in conventional rhetoric of persuasion and the rhetoric of the rhizome. The rational mode of the Western discursive tradition has determined a pragmatic mode of consciousness, whi . . .
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Garcia, Mario Steven
This thesis contains the first seven chapters of a novel in progress. The novel is set in the present. The protagonist and narrator is an engineer working at an aerospace company in the San Fernando Valley. The narrator is a remarkable figure in that . . .
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Nobody's Damn Business is a collection of autobiographical narratives that focus, primarily, on the author's childhood. As a whole, the essays aim to convey the complicated nature of trauma in relation to familial relationships, while dealing with t . . .
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Clark, Nicolette
Violence is a fundamental truth in the works of Cormac McCarthy. More than just violence for the sake of violence, McCarthy employs violence in a way that is productive within his works: Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West, No Country . . .
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Cassells, Breanne
Throughout Toni Morrison's novels, characters struggle to reclaim their own humanity in the face of domination and trauma. While countless scholars have remarked upon the themes of oppression and language, and several others upon the symbolism of natu . . .
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The Hmong people are a group of Southeast Asians who came to America around 45 years ago. Because they are still so new and still such a small group, their stories have only began to come to light. As a group of becoming, the Hmong are now engaging in . . .
Girls just wanna have fun: the truth behind the desiring nun archetype and the stereotypical use of the convent as a setting in the 18th century literature of Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood
Wilson, Veronica Lauren
The literature and drama of the long eighteenth century is overpopulated with nuns, and they are all transgressors of patriarchal society in one way or another. These nuns are all vow-breakers, fornicators, and fallen women; whether they were ruined a . . .
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Abbassi, Susan
In the play of Othello, Shakespeare perfectly explores the issue of racial tension that existed in the Elizabethan era. Othello, a loyal soldier and the protagonist of the play, appears as an outsider in Venice because of his dark skin; he is repeated . . .
Persistence, completion, and the basic writer
Collins, Kim Maria
This paper is dedicated to improving the classroom experience of students enrolled in writing courses one level below university level composition. Everyone's goal is persistence and completion. The question this paper seeks to answer is, what do inst . . .
A trinity of choices: A theoretical analysis of the Harry Potter series
Grigorian, Masha
This thesis is concerned with analyzing the characters of Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort, and Professor Severus Snape from the sensational children's book series, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling through the perspective of literary and critical theory. Alth . . .
Chukhadarian, Lucin
This thesis brings together three shorter plays, "Reverse Intimidation," "Collectors," and "Chandra," each of which I've been working for some time. Each play explores the courage and the fragility of women. "Reverse Intimidation" is based on personal . . .
Ghosts, zombies, and angels: an exploration of metaphysics and the possibility of redemption in W. G. Sebald's prose narratives
Leavenworth-Keenberg, Gretchen Daria
Melancholy, enigmatic, haunting, spectral. These are words often used to describe W.G. Sebald's prose style. Critics and lay readers who find themselves enmeshed in Sebald's enchanting, dark web of words sometimes find his work difficult to categorize . . .
Of Codpieces, Corsets, Bustles, and Beauvoir: Tracing the Narrative of Modernity Through Representations of and Changing Attitudes Towards Women and the Body
A comedienne clasping a manly-man hand to her face-that's the sight gag splashed across the cover of Tina Fey's bestselling memoir Bossypants, a joke and title with centuries' worth of setup. A subversion of expectations is reflected in the cover desi . . .
Proposal for Expansion of Feleti Barstow Public Library of Pago Pago, American Samoa
Elisara, Unai
In this grant I will be addressing the need for an expansion of Feleti Barstow Public Library of Pago Pago, American Samoa. This Library is the only library on the island and houses many of the island's cultural and historical artifacts. I am requesti . . .
Jane Austen's gypsies: a collision of political and aesthetic forms in "Emma"
Narayanamurti, Krishna
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Rogue feminism: Reframing digital feminist rhetorics in academia
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Feminist rhetoric often looks back in history to find instances of women's voices in writings, but for my thesis, I argue the importance of looking at modern forms of feminist rhetoric in academia. I am specifically looking at what I term as Rouge Fem . . .
Jane Austen's Manipulative Widows
Farrukh, Sawsan
This paper is an investigation of the widows found in Jane Austen's Lady Susan and Sanditon, two unpublished works during her lifetime. The paper presents a careful close read of both Lady Susan and Lady Denham and their methods of manipulation in ord . . .
The girl who loved Gable : a novel
Beckman, Donna S.
The creative portion of this thesis is The Girl Who | |
himself and resist the urge to do something incredibly rash in that moment. "I respect what you're trying to do. But you are seriously barking up the wrong tree. I don't need your guidance, or your suggestions, or your empathy. I don't need anything from you. And you don't know what I'm feeling right now."
"Mr. Adams," Liam retorted, "my daughter is one of the people you're worried about. My daughter. I respect how much you clearly care for your charges. But don't try to say that you are more worried about them than I am. You can't possibly understand what it's like to have your own child torn away from you, to not know where they are or how to protect them."
He couldn't understand? The words reverberated around inside of Deveron's head. He couldn't understand what that was like, what it was like to have his child taken away like that? This man, this man had the nerve, the nerve to say that? The man who was responsible for everything that had happened, the man whose betrayal had brought the rebellion out of the shadows before they were ready, and had ultimately led to… to… everything that happened?
Yes, Deveron remembered. He hadn't at first, not for quite awhile, in fact. But his memory of Liam the traitor had eventually begun to return. It was helped along by Jonathon. Or Klassin, whatever he was calling himself now. The Crossroads therapist had noticed the increasing looks that Deveron was giving Liam as his memory returned, and had interceded in time to confirm the memories that were returning. And, of course, to talk Deveron down from doing anything rash.
Honestly, very few of the people who knew them in their school days would ever have believed that Deveron would be talked out of doing something rash by Jonathon Ruthers. Or that the two of them would have spent many nights of the past month or so having long conversations about the past… and about Joselyn. Mostly because so few knew about Jonathon's change of heart, or the fact that he'd spent most of the war spying on his father for the rebellion. For Joselyn.
But it had happened. And it was only Jonathon's presence that had stopped Deveron from doing something rash as the memories of just how much Liam was responsible for had returned.
But Jonathon wasn't here right now. Liam was. And he was seriously pushing his luck.
"You really think so, Professor?" Deveron started in a quiet voice, barely able to restrain his urge to finish putting a hole in the nearby wall by grabbing the back of the other man's neck and shoving his head through it. "Because you know what I think? I think you–"
"There you are!" The bright, chipper voice from the doorway interrupted Deveron just in time. Nevada bounced in, grinning brightly, as if she had no idea what she had just walked in on. "Deveron, I've been looking everywhere for you. Come on, we need to talk about that project."
"He's a second year student," Liam pointed out. "You only teach a first year subject."
Taking Deveron by the arm, the blonde woman dragged him out of the room, calling back over her shoulder, "Never said it was a project for class! Thanks for keeping him company though!"
The two walked in silence for a couple of minutes then, Deveron almost growling with each step as he fought to get himself under control. Despite the fact that both took the time to use abilities that would ensure they weren't overheard, Nevada still stayed quiet. She was clearly letting him get his thoughts in order, which he didn't manage until they were partway across the grounds.
Finally, he spoke in a dark voice. "If he keeps pushing and trying to be my mentor, buddy, or whatever the hell he's going for, I swear, I…" Stopping himself, he let out a long, low breath.
"It's been worse since Flick and the others disappeared, hasn't it?" Nevada asked quietly.
"I just–" Deveron stopped, sighing as he lowered his head and tightened his hands into fists once more. "One thing. She asked me to do one thing: protect Felicity. She trusted me to protect her, Nevada. She trusted me, and I couldn't–I wasn't even… I couldn't…" Unable to continue, he raised his clenched hands to his face and shuddered, making a gutteral sound deep in his throat. "I can't get to her now. I can't find her, I don't even know what's happening to her. If they-"
Nevada's head shook, her expression soft. "Deveron, stop. There are plenty of reasons for you to be angry with Liam, but he wasn't wrong about what he was trying to say. This wasn't your fault. And I know I didn't know Joselyn, but… but I'm pretty sure she'd know that too. Flick and the others disappearing is awful, but they're not dead. Remember, Wyatt would know if anything… too bad happened to Sands or Flick. But you doing anything to blow your cover or get yourself in trouble with the Committee by attacking a teacher, that would be your fault."
"I know," Deveron replied flatly, lowering his hands from his face as he fought to find the right words. "He's just… he's right there, and he had to bring up losing kids. His words, that I wouldn't understand what it was like to have a missing kid. After what he did, he has the fucking nerve t-"
Stopping abruptly, in mid-word, he gave a violent shake of his head. "That piece of shit is lucky I didn't put his teeth out right then and there. I just…" The anger drained out of him, as he slumped a little while lowering his head. His voice was softer. "She asked me to look after Felicity. And I couldn't do it, because I wasn't there. Just like I wasn't there when that… that son of a bitch took our kids. They took our children, Nevada. And then they took my wife away too."
Wincing, Nevada nodded, watching him sympathetically. "Your kids are alive though," she offered softly, "Wyatt and Abigail, they're both alive. They grew up into amazing people."
"Yeah," Deveron replied in a barely audible voice as he stared at the ground. "They are more than amazing. But you've seen Wyatt. You know how he grew up, what made him so paranoid. The things he went through while growing up, he… I should've been there. I should have found him. I just–I couldn't. I couldn't find him. I couldn't find either of them. And now I can't find Flick. I can't go to her. I can't do a goddamn thing!" His voice had risen by the end, as he trembled.
Turning to look at the former djinn then, he added, "All my life, I've wanted to be a father. I've wanted to… to hold my children, my babies. I know… I know that Abigail and Wyatt are amazing. So is Koren. I have a granddaughter, a granddaughter. But I didn't… I didn't get to raise them. I didn't get to guide them. I didn't get to help them walk, teach them to ride a bike, see them lose their first teeth, tell them stories, check for monsters under their beds…I…"
His eyes closed, tears leaking through. "I didn't get to raise my kids. I didn't get to hold them when they were scared. I didn't get to… I didn't get to watch them grow up, and learn. They took that away from me, away from us. Ruthers took that away. And Liam helped make it happen."
"You're right," Nevada agreed. "He took a lot away from you. And even if he didn't mean for it to happen the way he did, Liam | |
amended, available to persons through the purchase of a health insurance plan in a health care exchange, whether federally facilitated, state-based, or operated on a partnership basis which have been in place for a six-month period.
4. The department shall inform participants six months prior to coverage being discontinued under subsection 3 of this section as to the possibility of insurance coverage through the purchase of a subsidized health insurance plan available through a health care exchange.
208.659. 1. The MO HealthNet division shall revise the eligibility requirements for the uninsured women's health program, as established in 13 CSR Section 70-4.090, to include women who are at least eighteen years of age and with a net family income of at or below one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty level. In order to be eligible for such program, the applicant shall not have assets in excess of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, nor shall the applicant have access to employer-sponsored health insurance. Such change in eligibility requirements shall not result in any change in services provided under the program.
(2) Eligibility of persons set out in subsection 3 of section 208.995 has been approved by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and has been implemented by the department.
3. The department shall inform participants six months prior to coverage being discontinued under subsection 2 of this section as to the possibility of insurance coverage through the purchase of a subsidized health insurance plan available through a health care exchange.
208.990. 1. The provisions of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Show-Me Transformation Act".
(4) An individual claiming eligibility as a pregnant woman shall verify pregnancy.
3. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, effective January 1, 2014, the family support division shall conduct an annual review of all MO HealthNet participants' eligibility as provided in 42 CFR Section 435.916.
4. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, applications for MO HealthNet shall be submitted in accordance with the requirements of 42 CFR Section 435.907 and other applicable federal law. The individual shall provide all required information and documentation necessary to make an eligibility determination or for a purpose directly connected to the administration of the medical assistance program.
(5) An individual claiming eligibility as an uninsured woman shall be uninsured.
6. The MO HealthNet program shall not provide MO HealthNet coverage under subsection 3 of section 208.995 to a parent or other caretaker relative living with a dependent child unless the child is receiving benefits under the MO HealthNet program, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) under 42 CFR Chapter IV, Subchapter D, or otherwise is enrolled in minimum essential coverage as defined in 42 CFR Section 435.4.
(e) Physical or mental disabilities that significantly impair their ability to perform one or more activities of daily living.
(i) Uninsured women as provided in section 208.659.
(d) For individuals listed in paragraph (e) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, the department of social services shall apply one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty level converted to the MAGI equivalent net income standard.
(3) Individuals eligible for MO HealthNet under subdivision (1) of this subsection shall receive all applicable benefits under section 208.152.
(e) Have household income that is at or below one hundred percent of the federal poverty level for the applicable family size for the applicable year under the MAGI equivalent net income standard.
(c) Allow recipients to receive an annual cash incentive to promote responsible behavior and encourage efficient use of health care services.
4. Except for those individuals who meet the definition of medically frail, the individuals eligible for MO HealthNet benefits in subsection 3 of this section shall only receive a package of alternative minimum benefits. The MO HealthNet division of the department of social services shall promulgate regulations to be effective January 1, 2014, that provide an alternative benefit package that complies with the requirements of federal law and subject to limitations as established in regulations of the MO HealthNet division.
5. Except for those participants who meet the definition of medically frail, participants who qualify for coverage under subsections 2 and 3 of this section shall receive covered services through health plans authorized by the department under section 208.998.
6. The department shall provide premium subsidy and other cost supports for individuals eligible for MO HealthNet under subsections 2 and 3 of this section to enroll in employer-provided health plans or other private health plans based on cost-effective principles determined by the department.
7. Individuals eligible for MO HealthNet under subsections 2 and 3 of this section who meet the definition of medically frail shall receive all coverage they are eligible to receive under section 208.152.
8. The department of social services shall establish a screening process in conjunction with the department of mental health and department of health and senior services for determining whether an individual is medically frail.
9. The department of social services or appropriate divisions of the department shall promulgate rules to implement this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as the term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2013, shall be invalid and void.
10. The department of social services shall submit such state plan amendments and waivers to the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services of the United States Department of Health and Human Services as the department determines are necessary to implement this section. The department shall request of the federal government for an enhanced federal funding rate for the persons newly eligible under subsection 3 of this section whereby the federal government agrees to pay the percentages specified in Section 2001 of PL 111-148, as that section existed on March 28, 2012. The provisions of subsections 3 to 8 of this section shall not be implemented unless such waivers and enhanced federal funding rates are granted by the federal government.
11. If the federal funds at the disposal of the state for payments of money benefits to or on behalf of any persons under this section shall at any time become less than ninety percent of the funds necessary or are not appropriated to pay the percentages specified in Section 2001 of Public Law 111-148, as that section existed on March 28, 2010, subsections 3 to 8 of this section shall no longer be effective for the individuals whose benefits are no longer matchable at the specified percentages.
(3) Have an adequate number of clients, evaluation mechanisms, and quality improvement processes to qualify for reimbursement.
2. For purposes of this section, "primary care clinic" means a medical clinic designated as the patient's first point of contact for medical care, available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, that provides or arranges the patient's comprehensive health care needs, and provides overall integration, coordination, and continuity over time and referrals for specialty care.
3. This section shall be implemented in such a way that it does not conflict with federal requirements for health care home participation by MO HealthNet participants.
4. The department of social services or appropriate divisions of the department may promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section | |
@api public
*/
request.post = function(url, data, fn){
var req = request('POST', url);
if ('function' == typeof data) fn = data, data = null;
if (data) req.send(data);
if (fn) req.end(fn);
return req;
};
/**
* PUT `url` with optional `data` and callback `fn(res)`.
*
* @param {String} url
* @param {Mixed|Function} data or fn
* @param {Function} fn
* @return {Request}
* @api public
*/
request.put = function(url, data, fn){
var req = request('PUT', url);
if ('function' == typeof data) fn = data, data = null;
if (data) req.send(data);
if (fn) req.end(fn);
return req;
};
/**
* Expose `request`.
*/
module.exports = request;
},{"emitter":11,"reduce":12}],11:[function(require,module,exports){
/**
* Expose `Emitter`.
*/
module.exports = Emitter;
/**
* Initialize a new `Emitter`.
*
* @api public
*/
function Emitter(obj) {
if (obj) return mixin(obj);
};
/**
* Mixin the emitter properties.
*
* @param {Object} obj
* @return {Object}
* @api private
*/
function mixin(obj) {
for (var key in Emitter.prototype) {
obj[key] = Emitter.prototype[key];
}
return obj;
}
/**
* Listen on the given `event` with `fn`.
*
* @param {String} event
* @param {Function} fn
* @return {Emitter}
* @api public
*/
Emitter.prototype.on =
Emitter.prototype.addEventListener = function(event, fn){
this._callbacks = this._callbacks || {};
(this._callbacks[event] = this._callbacks[event] || [])
.push(fn);
return this;
};
/**
* Adds an `event` listener that will be invoked a single
* time then automatically removed.
*
* @param {String} event
* @param {Function} fn
* @return {Emitter}
* @api public
*/
Emitter.prototype.once = function(event, fn){
var self = this;
this._callbacks = this._callbacks || {};
function on() {
self.off(event, on);
fn.apply(this, arguments);
}
on.fn = fn;
this.on(event, on);
return this;
};
/**
* Remove the given callback for `event` or all
* registered callbacks.
*
* @param {String} event
* @param {Function} fn
* @return {Emitter}
* @api public
*/
Emitter.prototype.off =
Emitter.prototype.removeListener =
Emitter.prototype.removeAllListeners =
Emitter.prototype.removeEventListener = function(event, fn){
this._callbacks = this._callbacks || {};
// all
if (0 == arguments.length) {
this._callbacks = {};
return this;
}
// specific event
var callbacks = this._callbacks[event];
if (!callbacks) return this;
// remove all handlers
if (1 == arguments.length) {
delete this._callbacks[event];
return this;
}
// remove specific handler
var cb;
for (var i = 0; i < callbacks.length; i++) {
cb = callbacks[i];
if (cb === fn || cb.fn === fn) {
callbacks.splice(i, 1);
break;
}
}
return this;
};
/**
* Emit `event` with the given args.
*
* @param {String} event
* @param {Mixed} ...
* @return {Emitter}
*/
Emitter.prototype.emit = function(event){
this._callbacks = this._callbacks || {};
var args = [].slice.call(arguments, 1)
, callbacks = this._callbacks[event];
if (callbacks) {
callbacks = callbacks.slice(0);
for (var i = 0, len = callbacks.length; i < len; ++i) {
callbacks[i].apply(this, args);
}
}
return this;
};
/**
* Return array of callbacks for `event`.
*
* @param {String} event
* @return {Array}
* @api public
*/
Emitter.prototype.listeners = function(event){
this._callbacks = this._callbacks || {};
return this._callbacks[event] || [];
};
/**
* Check if this emitter has `event` handlers.
*
* @param {String} event
* @return {Boolean}
* @api public
*/
Emitter.prototype.hasListeners = function(event){
return !! this.listeners(event).length;
};
},{}],12:[function(require,module,exports){
/**
* Reduce `arr` with `fn`.
*
* @param {Array} arr
* @param {Function} fn
* @param {Mixed} initial
*
* TODO: combatible error handling?
*/
module.exports = function(arr, fn, initial){
var idx = 0;
var len = arr.length;
var curr = arguments.length == 3
? initial
: arr[idx++];
while (idx < len) {
curr = fn.call(null, curr, arr[idx], ++idx, arr);
}
return curr;
};
},{}],13:[function(require,module,exports){
// Copyright Joyent, Inc. and other Node contributors.
//
// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
// copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
// "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
// without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
// distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit
// persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the
// following conditions:
//
// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
//
// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
// MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN
// NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
// DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
// OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
// USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
module.exports = extend;
function extend(origin, add) {
// Don't do anything if add isn't an object
if (!add || typeof add !== 'object') return origin;
var keys = Object.keys(add);
var i = keys.length;
while (i--) {
origin[keys[i]] = add[keys[i]];
}
return origin;
}
},{}],14:[function(require,module,exports){
// Copyright Joyent, Inc. and other Node contributors.
//
// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
// copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
// "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
// without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
// distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit
// persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the
// following conditions:
//
// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
//
// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
// MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN
// NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
// DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
// OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
// USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
function EventEmitter() {
this._events = this._events || {};
this._maxListeners = this._maxListeners || undefined;
}
module.exports = EventEmitter;
// Backwards-compat with node 0.10.x
EventEmitter.EventEmitter = EventEmitter;
EventEmitter.prototype._events = undefined;
EventEmitter.prototype._maxListeners = undefined;
// By default EventEmitters will print a warning if more than 10 listeners are
// added to it. This is a useful default which helps finding memory leaks.
EventEmitter.defaultMaxListeners = 10;
// Obviously not all Emitters should be limited to 10. This function allows
// that to be increased. Set to zero for unlimited.
EventEmitter.prototype.setMaxListeners = function(n) {
if (!isNumber(n) || n < 0 || isNaN(n))
throw TypeError('n must be a positive number');
this._maxListeners = n;
return this;
};
EventEmitter.prototype.emit = function(type) {
var er, handler, len, args, i, listeners;
if (!this._events)
this._events = {};
// If there is no 'error' event listener then throw.
if (type === 'error') {
if (!this._events.error ||
(isObject(this._events.error) && !this._events.error.length)) {
er = arguments[1];
if (er instanceof Error) {
throw er; // Unhandled 'error' event
}
throw TypeError('Uncaught, unspecified "error" event.');
}
}
handler = this._events[type];
if (isUndefined(handler))
return false;
if (isFunction(handler)) {
switch (arguments.length) {
// fast cases
case 1:
handler.call(this);
break;
case 2:
handler.call(this, arguments[1]);
break;
case 3:
handler.call(this, arguments[1], arguments[2]);
break;
// slower
default:
len = arguments.length;
args = new Array(len - 1);
for (i = 1; i < len; i++)
args[i - 1] = arguments[i];
handler.apply(this, args);
}
} else if (isObject(handler)) {
len = arguments.length;
args = new Array(len - 1);
for (i = 1; i < len; i++)
args[i - 1] = arguments[i];
listeners = handler.slice();
len = listeners.length;
for (i = 0; i < len; i++)
listeners[i].apply(this, args);
}
return true;
};
EventEmitter.prototype.addListener = function(type, listener) {
var m;
if (!isFunction(listener))
throw TypeError('listener must be a function');
if (!this._events)
this._events = {};
// To avoid recursion in the case that type === "newListener"! Before
// adding it to the listeners, first emit "newListener".
if (this._events.newListener)
this.emit('newListener', type,
isFunction(listener.listener) ?
listener.listener : listener);
if (!this._events[type])
// Optimize the case of one listener. Don't need the extra array object.
this._events[type] = listener;
else if (isObject(this._events[type]))
// If we've already got an array, just append.
this._events[type].push(listener);
else
// Adding the second element, need to change to array.
this._events[type] = [this._events[type], listener];
// Check for listener leak
if | |
the development of linguistic thought in Europe was characterized by the enthusiastic study of grammatical works by Classical and Late Antique authors, as well as by the adaptation of these works to suit a Christian framework. The discipline of grammatica, viewed as the cornerstone of the ideal liberal arts education and as a key to the wider realm of textual culture, was understood to encompass both the systematic principles for speaking and writing correctly and the science of interpreting the poets and other writers. The writings of Donatus and Priscian were among the most popular and well-known works of the grammatical curriculum, and were the subject of numerous commentaries throughout the medieval period. Although Latin persisted as the predominant medium of grammatical discourse, there is also evidence from as early as the 8th century for the enthusiastic study of vernacular languages and for the composition of vernacular-medium grammars, including sources pertaining to Anglo-Saxon, Irish, Old Norse, and Welsh. The study of language in the later medieval period is marked by experimentation with the form and layout of grammatical texts, including the composition of textbooks in verse form. This period also saw a renewed interest in the application of philosophical ideas to grammar, inspired in part by the availability of a wider corpus of Greek sources than had previously been unknown to western European scholars, such as Aristotle's Physics, Metaphysics, Ethics, and De Anime. A further consequence of the renewed interest in the logical and metaphysical works of Aristotle during the later Middle Ages is the composition of so-called 'speculative grammars' written by scholars commonly referred to as the 'Modistae', in which the grammatical description of Latin formulated by Priscian and Donatus was integrated with the system of scholastic philosophy that was at its height from the beginning of the 13th to the middle of the 14th century.
Christian History and Historiography
Joel Cabrita
Christian presence in Africa has a long and varied history. African congregations represented some of the world's earliest churches, with lively Coptic and Orthodox communities in both North Africa and present-day Ethiopia. But wide-scale Christian expansion truly began during the proselytization efforts of the 19th-century missionary movement. Success in gaining converts was initially limited, a fact not aided by the perceived ties of missionaries to Western colonial powers. But through the translation and intermediation of a dedicated strata of African evangelists, proselytizers, and preachers, Christianity rapidly became one of the continent's most popular faiths. The independent church movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries exemplified the determination of Christians across the continent to make the faith a local religion: throwing off white missionary control, thousands of Africans formed their own independent churches that experimented with new modes of Protestant Holiness theology. Transnational links have always been key to the development of Christianity in Africa, with connections to North American African American churches sustaining many of these independent churches. More recently, international networks have also influenced the large charismatic revivals that swept the continent from the 1970s onward. Inspired by itinerant evangelists from both North America and Europe, Africans have formed new churches that stress the "Prosperity Gospel," deliverance from witchcraft, and the equation of "modernity" with Christianity. Underlying many of these diverse developments has been an ongoing debate regarding the intrinsically African qualities of Christianity: scholars continue to wrestle with understanding the extent and nature of indigenous versus exogenous elements that go into making Christianity—along with Islam—one of the most widely practiced religions on the African continent.
Madaba Map
Richard J. A. Talbert
This damaged, but still striking, floor-mosaic map offers a unique and invaluable example of late antique cartography, as well as the earliest surviving vision of the Holy Land. The map was discovered by accident around 1890, when the inhabitants of the recently repopulated village of Madaba in modern Jordan were erecting a new church (dedicated to Saint George) in the ruins of a former Byzantine one in the province of Arabia. By far the largest part of what survives of the map extends up to 10.5 × 5 metres (34 × 16 feet), although within this span several areas are missing. The survival of three other small segments reinforces the probability that the original map covered the full width of the nave(14 metres/46 feet). The orientation is east, so that the top of the map is closest to the apse and altar. The coverage visible comprises two large sections: (1) the Nile delta, part of Sinai, and the south coast of Palestine as far as Gaza; and (2) Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, and several towns around it. There is no means to determine how much farther the original map extended in each direction, but in all likelihood it ranged considerably farther north at least. The Jordan and Nile rivers, the Dead Sea, and the city of Jerusalem in bird's-eye view (Fig.
Christianity in Asia
Barbara Watson Andaya
The 21st century has often been touted as the "Asian century," largely because of the remarkable resurgence of China as an economic power. There are nonetheless other developments afoot, foremost among which is the rising numbers of individuals who identify as Christians. Apart from the Philippines, Timor Leste, Asian Russia, Cyprus, Armenia, and Georgia, Christians are still a minority in the forty-eight countries that the United Nations classifies as "Asia," a vast region that stretches from the Urals and the Caspian Sea to Papua New Guinea. However, over the past two decades, a marked increase in Asian Christians, especially in Korea, India, and China, has led to predictions that by 2025 their numbers, now estimated at 350 million, will escalate to 460 million. Yet for many Asians, Christianity is still tainted by a "foreign" past because it is associated with the European arrival in the late 15th century and with the imposition of colonialism and the influence of the West in the 19th and 20th centuries. A historical approach, however, shows that such perceptions are countered by centuries of local adaptations of Christianity to specific cultural contexts. Although the processes of "accommodation" and "adaptation" have a complex history, a long-term view reveals the multiple ways through which millions of Asian men and women have incorporated "being Christian" into their own identities.
Coptic language
T. G. Wilfong
Coptic is the latest phase of the ancient Egyptian language, written in an alphabet partly derived from Greek and incorporating Greek vocabulary. Strongly associated with Christianity in Egypt, Coptic preserves a wide range of original and translated Christian literature as well as an important body of documentary texts of the later Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods.
Coptic is the latest phase of the ancient Egyptian language, notable for its use of a largely Greek-derived alphabet, its extensive incorporation of Greek vocabulary, and its strong association with Christianity in Egypt. Coptic texts include a wide range of documentary texts of the later Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods; an extensive and rich body of original and translated Christian literature (of particular importance for the early history of Christian monasticism); and unique witnesses to major Gnostic, Manichaean, and Hermetic texts. Coptic was ultimately supplanted by Arabic as the language of daily life in Egypt, but it continues in use to the present as a liturgical language within Christian communities in Egypt (and expatriate Coptic communities across the world).
James I. Porter
Materialism, the belief that matter is a primary constituent of reality, is a constant feature of ancient Greek and Roman thought, and also one of its most contested and productive ideas: matter was a never-ending source of fascination and ambivalence in antiquity, while modernity inherited these same obsessions. Homer is an intuitive materialist. Later philosophers were divided over the definition and value of matter. Because a "pure" definition of matter proved so difficult to | |
update their motion state in the current frame; otherwise, we will suspend tracking.
Moreover, if the number of consecutively lost frames of confirmed trajectories exceeds the threshold (Amax=30), they will be deleted.
\section{Results}
\label{sec:experiment}
\subsection{Ant colony database}
\label{sec:database}
We establish an video database of ant colony, which contains a total of 10 videos.
Five videos are from an existing published work \cite{CAO2020107233} and captured in the indoor (laboratory) environment.
The remaining five outdoor videos are captured in different backgrounds and are obtained from the online website \emph{DepositPhotos} (http://www.depositphotos.com).
Table~\ref{tab:Statistics} shows detailed video information, where $\mathcal{I}$ represents an indoor video, $\mathcal{O}$ represents an outdoor video.
The resolutions of indoor and outdoor videos are 1920$\times$1080 and 1280$\times$720, respectively.
\begin{table}[tbhp]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
\textbf{Sequence} & \textbf{FPS} & \textbf{Resolution} & \textbf{Length} & \textbf{Ants} & \textbf{Annotations} \\ \hline
$\mathcal{I}_1$ & \multirow{5}{*}{25} & \multirow{5}{*}{1920$\times$1080} & 351 (00:14) & 10 & 3510 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{I}_2$ & & & 351 (00:14) & 10 & 3510 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{I}_3$ & & & 351 (00:14) & 10 & 3510 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{I}_4$ & & & 351 (00:14) & 10 & 3510 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{I}_5$ & & & 1001 (00:40) & 10 & 3510 \\ \hline
$\mathcal{O}_1$ & \multirow{5}{*}{30} & \multirow{5}{*}{1280$\times$720} & 600 (00:20) & 73 & 11178 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{O}_2$ & & & 677 (00:23) & 162 & 25158 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{O}_3$ & & & 577 (00:19) & 133 & 10280 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{O}_4$ & & & 526 (00:18) & 193 & 27902 \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{4-6}
$\mathcal{O}_5$ & & & 569 (00:19) & 101 & 22044 \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{Statistics of ant videos with annotations in indoor and outdoor scenes.}
\label{tab:Statistics}
\end{table}
The videos in our database have a total of 4983 frames.
There are 10 ants per frame in the indoor videos.
The number of ants in each frame is 18-53 in the outdoor videos.
The number of objects in this scenario is significant, considering the fact that the popular COCO benchmark dataset contains only on average 7.7 instances per image.
Some video characteristics present challenges for detection and tracking algorithms, for example over-exposure for indoor videos and diverse background for outdoor ones.
There are caves or rugged terrains in outdoor scenes, and ants may enter or leave the scene.
Different from multi-human tracking, ants are visually similar and this causes significant challenges for tracking.
We manually mark the video frame by frame.
To facilitate training and reduce labeling cost, the aspect ratio of each bounding box is 1:1.
Considering the posture and scale of ants, we set the size of the bounding box to 96$\times$96 for indoor videos and 64$\times$64 for outdoor videos. The database and code will be made publicly available.
\subsection{Evaluation index}
\label{sec:evaluation}
In this paper, the evaluation indicators of detection and tracking performance are as follows:
\begin{itemize}
\item Mean Average Precision (MAP): the weighted sum of the average precision of all videos. The weight value is the proportion of frames.
\item False Positive (FP): the total number of false alarms.
\item False Negative (FN): the total number of objects that do not match successfully.
\item Identity Switch (IDS): the total number of identity switches during the tracking process.
\item Fragments (FM): the total number of incidents where the tracking result interrupts the real trajectory.
\item mean Multi-object Tracking Accuracy (mMOTA): the weighted sum of the average tracking accuracy of all videos. The equation to compute mMOTA is: mMOTA = 1 - (FP + FN + IDS)/NUM\_LABELED\_SAMPLES, where NUM\_LABELED\_SAMPLES is the total number of labeled samples.
\item mean Multi-object Tracking Precision (mMOTP): the weighted sum of the average tracking precision of all videos. Tracking precision measures the intersection over union (IOU) between labeled and predicted bounding boxes.
\item Frame Rate (FR): the number of frames being tracked per second.
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Results of multi-ant detection}
In our ant database, we set up five groups of training sets (Table~\ref{tab:det_results}) and compare their performance with that of the remaining datasets.
The naming conventions are:
\begin{itemize}
\item
$\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_4$ represents a union of the $5^{th}$ indoor video and the $4^{th}$ outdoor video.
\item
$\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$ represents a union of indoor videos with their IDs of [1,2,3,4].
\item
$\mathcal{I}_5\left(50\right)$ represents the last 50 frames selected from the $5^{th}$ indoor video. This partition strategy ensures the frame continuity for the subsequent tracking task.
\item
$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-50\right)$ represent the union of 5 subsets, the last 50 frames de-selected from the outdoor videos with their IDs of [1,2,3,4,5].
\end{itemize}
In all scenarios, the detection accuracy of indoor videos is higher than that of outdoor videos, and MAP reaches over 90\%.
We also noticed that the test result for outdoor videos was only 49.7\% on $\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_4$.
This is because we used only $\mathcal{O}_4$ as the outdoor training set, which is insufficient to cover the wide range of diversity in terms of environmental backgrounds and ant appearances.
\begin{table}[!h]
\centering
\begin{tabular}{@{}llccc@{}}
\toprule
\multicolumn{1}{c}{Training Data} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Testing Data} & Objects & MAP$\uparrow$ & FR$\uparrow$ \\ \midrule
\multirow{2}{*}{$\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_4$} & $\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$ & 10 & 90.4 & \textbf{12.5} \\
& $\mathcal{O}_{1-3,5}$ & 28 & 49.7 & 16.0 \\ \midrule
\multirow{2}{*}{$\mathcal{I}_5\left(50\right)$+$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(50\right)$} & $\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$
& 10 & 90.4 & 12.2 \\
& $\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-50\right)$ & 33 & 81.9 & \textbf{17.1} \\ \midrule
\multirow{2}{*}{$\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(100\right)$} & $\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$
& 10 & 90.4 & 12.3 \\
& $\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-100\right)$ & 33 & 82.4 & 16.6 \\ \midrule
\multirow{2}{*}{$\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(200\right)$} & $\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$
& 10 & 90.5 & 12.3 \\
& $\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-200\right)$ & 33 & 85.1 & 16.6 \\ \midrule
\multirow{2}{*}{$\mathcal{I}_5$+$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(300\right)$} & $\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$
& \textbf{10} & \textbf{90.5} & 11.8 \\
& $\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-300\right)$ & \textbf{33} & \textbf{85.8} & 16.2 \\ \bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\caption{\label{tab:det_results} Detection results of different training sets.}
\end{table}
\begin{figure}[!htbp]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.6\linewidth]{different_sets}
\caption{\label{fig:different_sets} Detection accuracy of different training sets.}
\end{figure}
In the subsequent experiments, we integrate the images of all outdoor scenes into the outdoor training set and dramatically improve the accuracy of outdoor testing.
Figure~\ref{fig:different_sets} clearly shows the effects of using different training sets.
By further increasing in the number of images in outdoor videos, the detection accuracy of outdoor scenes improves slightly.
For indoor environments, the detection accuracy is impervious to different training sets.
Moreover, reducing the number of images to 50 ($\mathcal{I}_5$ has a total of 351 frames) does not reduce the detection accuracy.
This shows that we need only a small number of training samples to achieve satisfactory results when the training and testing scenarios are the same.
The frame rate is around 12 FR for indoor videos and 16 FR for outdoor ones.
The factor of different image resolution should be accountable for this performance gap.
In practical applications, if accuracy is guaranteed, we tend to use smaller training sets to reduce labeling costs.
Therefore, we use the model trained in "$\mathcal{I}_5\left(50\right)$+$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(50\right)$" for comparison with the other methods in the comparative experiments.
\subsection{Results of multi-ant tracking}
Based on the TBD paradigm, we use detection results as the input to the tracking framework. For offline training, we randomly select 50 labeled samples from $\mathcal{I}_5$ as the training set.
We visualized the tracking results in Figure~\ref{fig:trajectories}.
\begin{figure}[!htbp]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth, height=1\linewidth]{trajectories}
\caption{\label{fig:trajectories} Tracking trajectories in test videos. Horizontal axes indicate the pixel coordinates in an image. (a-d) indoor scenes. (e-i) outdoor scenes.}
\end{figure}
Table~\ref{tab:tracking_performance} shows the performance of online tracking.
After integrating the images of each outdoor video in the detection training set, our method gets 95\% mMOTA for indoor videos and over 80\% for outdoor videos.
Additionally, mMOTP is around 80\% for both indoor and outdoor videos.
Notably, since the tracking performance depends on the detection result, the tracking task in $\mathcal{O}_{1-3,5}$ fails due to the low-quality detection (the second row in Table~\ref{tab:tracking_performance}).
Except for this failure case, the tracking performance is generally satisfactory considering that we only use 50 labeled samples from one indoor video.
\begin{table}[h]
\centering
{
\begin{tabular}{@{}lcccccc@{}}
\toprule
\multicolumn{1}{c}{Testing Data} & FP$\downarrow$ & FN$\downarrow$ & IDS$\downarrow$ & mMOTA$\uparrow$ & mMOTP$\uparrow$ & FR$\uparrow$ \\ \midrule
$\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$ & 236 & 621 & 21 & 89.9 & 79.9 & 36.5 \\
$\mathcal{O}_{1-3,5}$ & \multicolumn{6}{c}{detection failure} \\ \midrule
$\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$ & 239 & 628 & 22 & \textbf{95.7} & 81 & \textbf{38.9} \\
$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-50\right)$ & 6078 & 7122 & 625 & 81.8 & 81.9 & 26.2 \\ \midrule
$\mathcal{I}_{1-4}$ & 260 & \textbf{617} & \textbf{14} & 95.7 & 81 & 38.7 \\
$\mathcal{O}_{1-5}\left(-100\right)$ & 4867 & 6018 & 526 & 83.3 & 82.7 | |
a rock below the cliffs where there had once been an old hotel swimming pool. Most of the old swimming pool had gone, either having been pulled down or broken up by the rough winter seas. The owners had now built a new pool for the visitors. However, there was still a shallow pool left and as Jenny stared at it, there was a sudden splash!
"Hello", a piping little voice cried.
"Hello", replied an absolutely amazed and startled Jenny.
It was a little mermaid, about the height of a chair seat. She had long, fair hair and a very nice face, like the prettiest doll you've ever seen. In no time at all the two were talking like old friends. Jenny told her new friend, whose name was Marina, how she lived in Berrynarbor and went to the village school, where she had lots of friends.
"Oh", said Marina, "Please don't tell your friends we've met, it is to be our secret."
Jenny said she would keep their secret, and they kept talking, agreeing to meet again at the same time and place the following week.
That evening, over supper, Jenny told her parents where she had been, not mentioning the mermaid. Her father looked up from his meal and said, "Oh! I know that place. A chap called Ginger from Combe Martin and I built the wall around that swimming pool. It wasn't half a job, because we had to do everything at low tide. It was a good pool in its day, with a slide down into it that had water running down and posts with chains on one side, so you didn't fall off the edge of the wall. There were changing huts there too and they called it 'Marina' after a princess."
Jenny was startled, but hid her surprise. She could hardly wait to see her new-found friend again. What did worry her though was that her father was often not well and although he had tried many cures, he did not seem to get any better.
Illustrated by: Debbie Rigler Cook
The next time Jenny visited the pool, there, sure enough, was her little mermaid friend. The time she noticed that Marina was wearing a little ring on her finger. It wasn't gold or silver, but transparent like glass.
"Please tell me about your ring", said Jenny, "I've never seen one like that before."
Marina smiled and replied, "Well, it is a very special ring and has a job to do. And when that job is done, it will fade away completely." "How old are you?" enquired Jenny.
"l don't know" replied Marina, "I've always been here and never seem to get any older."
Jenny asked Marina if she would tell her more about herself, which she did.
"Well, being a mermaid, swimming is the thing I just love to do. When I swam to Combe Martin, I found Newberry beach lovely, but they had their Earl of Rone stoning on the main beach, so I quickly left. I love Broadsands, it's so quiet there and sometimes I spend the night in that little shallow cave. Way back at Watermouth, I remember people bringing coal over from Wales, and stranding their boats after the tide had gone down so that lorries could go on the beach and unload. I also remember the sailing barges that would leave llfracombe in very rough weather - it's a wonder they didn't tip over!"
"Oh! Do go on, please", said Jenny. "l bet you've never seen Berrynarbor though."
"Well, it might surprise you, but as a matter of fact I have." replied Marina. "I'll tell you how it happened."
"Firstly, it had been very wet and all the rivers and streams had risen higher because of the rain, and the Sterridge was no exception. l, of course, entered the river at Watermouth, passed the elvers you often see there and then, as I got near the caves, I saw a mother duck with her ducklings. I swam on past the lake near Mill Farm, where at one time there were two herons with a nest on the island. And then I swam under Pitt Hill bridge. Do you know that the mill pond to Mill Farm was there at one time? I went on past all the Lee farms until I had to stop where the Sterridge had a wide part, something like a pond. 'What a lovely, peaceful place to stop', I thought. But no, suddenly there were three big splashes in the water and it was those naughty otters! Round and round they chased each other, weaving in and out, ducking and diving, wanting me to join in. But they were too fast for me, and off they went down the river. 'Peace at last', I thought, as I lay back in the water. Then there was a rustle in the bushes beside the water and presently a nose poked through. It was a young deer that had come to have a drink. Through the afternoon, other animals came for drinks - a fox, a badger, a hedgehog and a little vole, who popped into the water. Then the birds came to see me, even a kingfisher, but he was soon gone in a flash of blue. The robin stopped for quite a while. By now it was getting late in the afternoon, so I made my way back downstream and out to Watermouth again. What a lovely day I'd had!"
"What about you?" She asked then. "Where do you go and what do you do when you are not at school?"
Jenny thought for a moment, "Well, I sometimes help with the milk deliveries to people on Hagginton Hill, or go to Miss Cooper's shop in the village, or up the Valley to buy tomatoes. Sometimes I help with the harvest and I like leading the horse when they are getting the hay in. I walk a lot and one time when Auntie Con came to stay, she said we'd go on a very long walk and we did, all the way to Heddon's Mouth! My legs ached for days after that."
Marina smiled, "I've been there too. What a lot of large rocks there are."
Jenny and Marina met quite often down at the swimming pool and one day Marina asked her how her father was. Jenny said he seemed to be feeling a lot better, but then she noticed that the glass ring on Marina's finger was now hardly visible.
"Ah," said Marina, "l can see you are looking at my ring, and it has nearly gone. Soon it will fade to nothing and the magic of it will be over, but your father will be strong and fit again, I promise you. Soon it will be time for us to say goodbye, as I can tell you will grow into a fine young lady and our meetings will just seem like a dream."
The next time they met, it was very sad for it would be the last time. Marina's ring had completely disappeared and she told Jenny there were others things she had to do and they would not be near the old swimming pool. Jenny and Marina both had tears in their eyes as Marina swam slowly out to sea, turning to wave now and then.
Jenny sat by the pool for a while, 'Had this been real or had she been day dreaming?' Who knows?
When Marina and Jenny met at the pool
To each it was just like finding a jewel/.
Their friendship grew and lasted a while,
They parted with tears, but then came a smile.
It's now time to look fonward to Christmas and also think about Christmas's past.
When we were small children in the 30's, we would make our own paper chains. In our | |
ways to resist shock tactics can go some way toward explaining how we ended up on this dangerous road, how we can best withstand the shocks to come, and, more importantly, how we can quickly get to much safer ground. This, then, is the beginning of a road map for shock resistance.
Here's one thing I've learned from reporting from dozens of locations in the midst of crisis, whether it was Athens rocked by Greece's debt debacle, or New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, or Baghdad during the US occupation: these tactics _can_ be resisted. To do so, two crucial things have to happen. First, we need a firm grasp on how shock politics work and whose interests they serve. That understanding is how we get out of shock quickly and start fighting back. Second, and equally important, we have to tell a _different_ story from the one the shock doctors are peddling, a vision of the world compelling enough to compete head-to-head with theirs. This values-based vision must offer a different path, away from serial shocks—one based on coming together across racial, ethnic, religious, and gender divides, rather than being wrenched further apart, and one based on healing the planet rather than unleashing further destabilizing wars and pollution. Most of all, that vision needs to offer those who are hurting—for lack of jobs, lack of health care, lack of peace, lack of hope—a tangibly better life.
I don't claim to know exactly what that vision looks like. I am figuring it out with everyone else, and I am convinced it can only be birthed out of a genuinely collaborative process, with leadership coming from those most brutalized by our current system. In the final chapters of this book, I'll explore some early and very hopeful grassroots collaborations between dozens of organizations and thinkers who have come together to begin to lay out that kind of agenda, one capable of competing with rising militarism, nationalism, and corporatism. Though still in its early stages, it is becoming possible to see the outlines of a progressive majority, one grounded in a bold plan for the safe and caring world we all want and need.
All this work is born of the knowledge that saying no to bad ideas and bad actors is simply not enough. The firmest of no's has to be accompanied by a bold and forward-looking yes—a plan for the future that is credible and captivating enough that a great many people will fight to see it realized, no matter the shocks and scare tactics thrown their way. No—to Trump, to France's Marine Le Pen, to any number of xenophobic and hypernationalist parties on the rise the world over—may be what initially brings millions into the streets. But it is _yes_ that will keep us in the fight.
_Yes_ is the beacon in the coming storms that will prevent us from losing our way.
—
This book's argument, in a nutshell, is that Trump, extreme as he is, is less an aberration than a logical conclusion—a pastiche of pretty much all the worst trends of the past half century. Trump is the product of powerful systems of thought that rank human life based on race, religion, gender, sexuality, physical appearance, and physical ability—and that have systematically used race as a weapon to advance brutal economic policies since the earliest days of North American colonization and the transatlantic slave trade. He is also the personification of the merger of humans and corporations—a one-man megabrand, whose wife and children are spin-off brands, with all the pathologies and conflicts of interest inherent in that. He is the embodiment of the belief that money and power provide license to impose one's will on others, whether that entitlement is expressed by grabbing women or grabbing the finite resources from a planet on the cusp of catastrophic warming. He is the product of a business culture that fetishizes "disruptors" who make their fortunes by flagrantly ignoring both laws and regulatory standards. Most of all, he is the incarnation of a still-powerful free-market ideological project—one embraced by centrist parties as well as conservative ones—that wages war on everything public and commonly held, and imagines corporate CEOs as superheroes who will save humanity. In 2002, George W. Bush threw a ninetieth-birthday party at the White House for the man who was the intellectual architect of that war on the public sphere, the radical free-market economist Milton Friedman. At the celebration, then US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld declared, "Milton is the embodiment of the truth that ideas have consequences." He was right—and Donald Trump is a direct consequence of those ideas.
In this sense, there is an important way in which Trump is _not_ shocking. He is the entirely predictable, indeed clichéd outcome of ubiquitous ideas and trends that should have been stopped long ago. Which is why, even if this nightmarish presidency were to end tomorrow, the political conditions that produced it, and which are producing replicas around the world, will remain to be confronted. With US vice president Mike Pence or House speaker Paul Ryan waiting in the wings, and a Democratic Party establishment also enmeshed with the billionaire class, the world we need won't be won just by replacing the current occupant of the Oval Office.
About that word _we_ : as you read, you may notice that I sometimes say _we_ about the United States and sometimes about Canada. One reason for that is pretty simple. I am a citizen of both countries, with deep ties and relationships on both sides of the border. My parents are American, and my extended family all lives in the United States. But I was raised in Canada, and I choose to live here. (On election night, I got a text from my father: "Aren't you glad we already moved to Canada?") Most of my journalism, however, and much of my political work, is in the States, where I've participated in countless meetings and debates about how we can collectively rise to the responsibility of this moment.
Another reason I sometimes say _we_ about the US has nothing to do with passports. The fact is, the US presidency impacts everyone on earth. No one is fully protected from the actions of the world's largest economy, the planet's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and the nation with the world's largest military arsenal. Those on the receiving end of Trump's missiles and monstrous bombs bear the greatest burdens and risks by far. But with powers so vast and policies so reckless, everyone on this planet is potentially in the blast zone, the fallout zone, and certainly in the warming zone.
There's no one story that can explain everything about how we arrived at this juncture, no one blueprint for how to fix things—our world is far too braided and complicated for that. This is but one attempt to look at how we got to this surreal political moment; how, in concrete ways, it could get a lot worse; and how, if we keep our heads, we might just be able to flip the script and arrive at a radically better future.
To get started, we first need to understand what we're saying no to—because that _No_ on the cover is not just to an individual or even a group of individuals (though it is that too). We're also saying no to the _system_ that has elevated them to such heights. And then let's move to a yes—a yes that will bring about change so fundamental that today's corporate takeover will be relegated to a historical footnote, a warning to our kids. And Donald Trump and his fellow travelers will be seen for what they are: a symptom of a deep sickness, one | |
in: December
December 30 in recent years
2009 (Wednesday)
2008 (Tuesday)
2007 (Sunday)
2006 (Saturday)
2005 (Friday)
2004 (Thursday)
2002 (Monday)
December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There is 1 day remaining until the end of the year.
2 Births
3 Deaths
4 Holidays and observances
1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield
1816 - The Treaty of St. Louis is proclaimed.
1853 - Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
1853 - A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an Iguanodon created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in south London.
1862 - USS Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1879 - The Pirates of Penzance is first performed (Paignton, Devon, England).
1880 - The Transvaal becomes a republic and Paul Kruger, its first president.
1896 - José Rizal was executed by firing squad in Manila.
1897 - Natal annexes Zululand.
1903 - A fire at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois kills 600.
1905 - Former Governor Frank Steunenberg is assassinated near his home in Caldwell, Idaho.
1906 - The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, which later laid down the foundations of Pakistan.
1919 - Lincoln's Inn in London admits its first female bar student.
1922 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed.
1924 - Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other galaxies.
1927 - The Ginza Line, the first subway line in Asia, opens in Tokyo.
1936 - The United Auto Workers union stages its first sit-down strike.
1940 - California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
1943 - Subhash Chandra Bose raises the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.
1944 - King George II of Greece declares a regency, leaving his throne vacant.
1947 - King Michael of Romania forced to abdicate by the Soviet-backed Communist government of Romania.
1953 - Television Technology: The first ever NTSC color television sets go on sale for about USD at $1,175 each from RCA.
1965 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines.
1972 - Vietnam War: The US halts heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
1977 - Ted Bundy escapes from his cell in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
1981 - Wayne Gretzky scores his 50th goal in 39 games, still a National Hockey League record.
1993 - Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations.
1995 - The lowest ever UK temperature of -27.2°C was recorded at Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands. This equalled the record set at Braemar, Aberdeenshire on February 11, 1895 and January 10, 1982.
1996 - In the Indian state of Assam, a passenger train is bombed by Bodo separatists, killing 26.
1996 - Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu spark protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
1997 - In the worst incident in Algeria's insurgency, the Wilaya of Relizane massacres, 400 people are killed from four villages.
2000 - Rizal Day Bombings: A series of bombs explode in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
2003 - U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft recuses himself and his office from the Plame affair.
2004 - A fire in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 194.
2005 - Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin.
2006 - Madrid Barajas International Airport is bombed.
2006 - Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging.
39 - Roman Emperor Titus (d. 81)
1204 - Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd Hakam al Qurashi, ruler of Minorca (d. 1282)
1552 - Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (d. 1611)
1642 - Vicenzo da Filicaja, Italian poet (d. 1707)
1673 - Ahmed III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1736)
1678 - William Croft, English composer (d. 1727)
1722 - Charles Yorke, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (d. 1770)
1724 - Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter (d. 1805)
1740 - Princess Elizabeth Caroline of Wales (d. 1759)
1785 - Dorothea Lieven, Russian noblewoman (d. 1857)
1819 - Theodor Fontane, German writer (d. 1898)
1838 - Émile Loubet, 7th President of France (d.1929)
1851 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician (d. 1929)
1853 - André Messager, French composer (d. 1929)
1865 - Rudyard Kipling, British writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1936)
1869 - Stephen Butler Leacock, British-born, Canadian writer and economist (d. 1944)
1873 - Al Smith, American politician (d. 1944)
1878 - William Aberhart, Canadian politician (d. 1943)
1879 - Sri Ramana Maharshi, Indian philosopher (d. 1950)
1883 - Lester Patrick, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1960)
1884 - Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)
1890 - Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, President of Mexico (d. 1973)
1897 - Alfredo Bracchi, Italian author (d. 1976)
1899 - Helge Ingstad, Norwegian explorer (d. 2001)
1904 - Dmitri Kabalevsky, Russian composer (d. 1987)
1906 - Carol Reed, English film director (d. 1976)
1910 - Paul Bowles, American composer and author (d. 1999)
1911 - Jeanette Nolan, American actress (d. 1998)
1913 - Elyne Mitchell, Australian author (d. 2002)
1913 - Lucio Agostini, Italian-born Canadian conductor and composer (d. 1996)
1914 - Bert Parks, American television host (d. 1992)
1914 - Jo Van Fleet, American actress (d. 1996)
1917 - Seymour Melman, American industrial engineer (d. 2004)
1920 - Jack Lord, American actor (d. 1998)
1921 - Rashid Karami, Lebanese statesman (d. 1987)
1927 - Bernard Barrow, American actor (d. 1993)
1928 - Bo Diddley, American singer and musician
1929 - Barbara Nichols, American actress (d. 1976)
1931 - Skeeter Davis, American singer (d. 2004)
1934 - John Norris Bahcall, American physicist (d. 2005)
1934 - Joseph Bologna, American actor
1934 - Joseph P. Hoar, American general
1934 - Del Shannon, American singer (d. 1990)
1934 - Russ Tamblyn, American actor, dancer, and singer
1935 - Omar Bongo, President of Gabon
1935 - Sandy Koufax, American baseball player
1935 - Jack Riley, American actor
1937 - Gordon Banks, English footballer and World Cup winner
1937 - John Hartford, American musician (d. 2001)
1937 - Jim Marshall, American football player
1937 - Noel Paul Stookey, American folk singer (Peter)
1940 - James Burrows, American television director
1941 - Mel Renfro, American football player
1942 - Vladimir Bukovsky, Russian author and dissident
1942 - Michael Nesmith, American singer and musician (The Monkees)
1942 - Janko Prunk, Slovenian historian
1942 - Fred Ward, American actor
1942 - Guy Edwards, British racing driver
1945 - Davy Jones, English singer (The Monkees)
1945 - Concetta Tomei, American actress
1945 - Vernon Wells, Australian actor
1946 - Patti Smith, American singer
1947 - Michael Burns, American historian
1947 - Jeff Lynne, English musician (ELO)
1949 - Jim Flaherty, Canadian politician
1950 - Lewis Shiner, American sci-fi/fantasy author
1951 - Doug Allder, English footballer
1952 - June Anderson, American soprano
1953 - Bill Kazmaier, American powerlifter
1953 - Harald Schmautz, German-born journalist
1953 - Meredith Vieira, American television journalist
1955 - Dindo Yogo, Congolese musician (d. 2000)
1956 - Suzy Bogguss, American singer
1956 - Sheryl Lee Ralph, American actress
1957 - Matt Lauer, American newscaster
1958 - Rod Harrington, English darts player
1958 - Steven L. Smith, American astronaut
1959 - Tracey Ullman, English actress and singer
1961 - Douglas Coupland, Canadian author
1961 - Sean Hannity, American talk radio host
1961 - Ben Johnson, Canadian athlete
1962 - Henry Cho, Korean-American comedian
1963 - Chandler Burr, American author
1963 - Michelle Douglas, Canadian human rights activist
1963 - Milan Šrejber, Czech tennis player
1964 - Sylvie Moreau, Quebec television and film actress
1964 - Duglas T. Stewart, Scottish musician (BMX Bandits)
1965 - Heidi Fleiss, American madam
1967 - Carl Ouellet, Canadian professional wrestler
1969 - Dave England, American television personality
1969 - Jay Kay, English musician (Jamiroquai)
1971 - Daniel Sunjata, American actor
1971 - Rahul Dravid, Indian cricket captain
1972 - Kerry Collins, American football player
1972 - Paul Keegan, Irish footballer
1972 - Steven Wiig, American actor and musician
1973 - Jason Behr, American actor
1973 - Ato Boldon, Trinidadian athlete
1973 - Nacho Vidal, Spanish porn star
1974 - Johanna Sällström, Swedish actress (d. 2007)
1975 - Scott Chipperfield, Australian soccer player
1975 - Tiger Woods, American golfer
1976 - Meredith Monroe, American actress
1976 - Alex A. Quinn, American actor
1976 - A.J. Pierzynski, American baseball player
1977 - Kenyon Martin, American basketball player
1977 - Scott Lucas, Australian | |
THIS GROUP'S FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN THE DEEP SOUTH
JAN. 8TH, 2018 | BY MICHAEL J. PAYTON
In the United States and around the world, women and girls still face incredible challenges when it comes to being treated equally to men. Here in the United States, we are currently engaged in a cultural shift in which courageous women and men are actively fighting back against misogyny. And when it comes to women's sexual and reproductive health, there is still so many battles to be won.
In the deep conservative South, many states continue to push for laws that are oppressive and downright sexist towards women's sexual and reproductive health. But women are not standing for this. One particular Southern women's advocacy group - Healthy & Free Tennessee which is based in the The Volunteer State - is working hard to not only change laws, but to change minds.
We had the incredible opportunity to speak with Anna Carella, who is the co-State Director of Healthy & Free Tennessee to discuss what her organization is doing to fight oppressive laws against women's reproductive and sexual health, and what it's like advocating women's sexual rights in a conservative state such as Tennessee.
Michael Payton: Tell us about healthy and free TN and the work that you are doing.
Anna Carella: Healthy and free Tennessee is a statewide coalition of about 45 groups working to promote health and sexual and reproductive freedom in Tennessee
Can you talk about some of the challenges in terms of sexual and reproductive health care at the policymaking level?
Politically, Tennessee has a conservative supermajority and policymaking is often driven by legislators' Christian faith and their desire to impose their repressive values around sex, sexuality, and identity. As an example of the climate we're in -- legislators last year (2016) voted to make the bible the state book, luckily vetoed by the governor.
This plays out as restrictive policies on sexual health, like only permitting abstinence-based sex education, restrictions on abortion, criminalization of HIV status.
In Tennessee we have "choose life" specialty license plates which funnels funding to anti-abortion advocacy groups like crisis pregnancy centers, but the state will not allow a similar specialty license plate for pro-choice groups.
Christians and other faith groups are not inherently anti-choice, but that is the dominant narrative and while progressive people of faith are starting to challenge that narrative (e.g. Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Willie Parker) we are a little behind the curve in this political moment.
Your organization is very deliberate in indicating sexual and reproductive health justice as your main focus. Can you explain why this fight is so important, not only in TN, but for other parts of the country with similar challenges?
Women's control over their sexual and reproductive capacities is the key element in their access to social and political power, which is why they are shamed and denied access to healthcare by those who hold power, namely men. We can't have gender equality without women being able to control the conditions of their reproductive and sexual lives.
Many of the transphobic and homophobic policies we see in Tennessee are also rooted in misogyny and a desire to control the sexual lives of Tennesseans for the purposes of imposing harmful and misguided biblical traditions and reinforce the view of sex for reproduction only not for pleasure.
Meanwhile, women of color experience a different type of social control over their reproduction, which is rooted in racist notions of the "welfare queen," which try to limit or punish their reproduction. "Reproductive justice" is actually something different from reproductive rights, health, or freedom, though it often used interchangeably.
Reproductive justice is a framework that was developed by Black women in the United States in the 1990s to connect other movements for social justice to the movement for reproductive rights. Reproductive justice is the fight against white supremacy and the fight for economic justice for women and parents, this is why it is so important.
And don't forget, the United States is the only developed country with a rising maternal mortality rate, largely driven by racial disparities. unsafe abortion is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%) globally. Reproductive justice is not just the fight for women's equality but it's the fight for women's lives.
Being situated in a southern/conservative state, does your organization generally receive a lot of blacklash socially?
Not yet, maybe because we have only been around a few years and because we are mostly playing defense right now. Once we begin to have big wins we will be seen as more of a threat, and I'm sure we'll hit more resistance. It was certainly a strategy to name ourselves "healthy and free" because who can disagree with health and freedom? I think Planned Parenthood absorbs most of the backlash because of their name recognition right now.
Can you talk about some of the battles Healthy and free TN has successfully fought and won?
Our biggest win so far has been defeating the "fetal assault" legislation that was introduced in 2014 which was the first of its kind in the nation. This was a law that criminalized women and pregnant people for substance use during pregnancy, which deterred women from seeking prenatal care and pushed women in labor to try to cross state lines to deliver out of fear of arrest. In Tennessee, we are lacking in treatment options for substance use disorder, especially for women with children or who are pregnant. Rather than provide support and care, the state turned to criminalization. And of course in Tennessee we have the headquarters of the world's largest private prison company formerly Corrections Corporation of America CCA now CoreCivic, so criminalization of health and social problem is of course profitable. We are still dealing with issues like coercive sterilization of incarcerated people and targeted distribution of contraception to poor people, people of color, and people who are incarcerated, but it was a big win to be able to defeat the fetal assault law in 2016. Though Healthy and free TN was not directly involved in the fight for these, we are also happy about the recent passage of over the counter birth control and a bill that requires the state to track maternal mortality.
Tennessee is often looked at as an irrevocable politically red state, yet your organization advocates on behalf of women's sexual and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, etc. Do you see any indicators on the ground that people in your state are warming to these ideas? Or is the political climate there very polarizing?
I think it's still very polarizing. One light at the end of the tunnel is that we are seeing gains for transgender people driven by more and more children coming out as trans, even in rural Tennessee. As people's direct experience with transgender individuals increases, it becomes harder to discriminate since they are our neighbors, friends, family. This is a win for everybody, cisgender and transgender alike, because it helps expand our notions of gender. Although again, with any success comes a backlash, so we have seen anti-transgender bathroom bills at the state level that have thankfully been defeated so far. But the fight is far from over.
As a society we often speak about sexual and reproductive health issues in political terms but we often forget the policies you advocate for affect people's lives.
Are there any stories you can share that have particularly touched you while doing this work?
One story that sticks out from this year is Hadleigh Tweedall's. She had a wanted pregnancy but the fetus developed abnormalities and for medical reasons she needed an abortion at 18 and ½ weeks. She had to travel to Illinois to have the procedure done. She likely could have had the | |
but nothing is sure about that yet so I don't have anything definite to report,' said the boss after the play-off round first leg.
'I didn't want to use him (against Trabzonspor) just in case the loan goes through, because for Aquilani this year it's very important that he plays regular football, every week, as the No 1 man on the teamsheet.
'I can't promise him that here so if a loan move to Italy could help him in that respect it might be good for all parties.
'It would certainly be what he needs, it would certainly protect the value of the player and when he does return to Liverpool no doubt we will see the Aquilani that we signed before he came here injured last year.'
Aquilani was signed from Roma last summer as the replacement for Xabi Alonso, who left for Real Madrid, but the Italy midfielder never managed a regular run in the team because of injuries.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1304688/Juventus-join-chase-Liverpools-Alberto-Aquilani-line-swap-deal-Felipe-Melo.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1304688/Juventus-join-chase-Liverpools-Alberto-Aquilani-line-swap-deal-Felipe-Melo.html)
Melo hardly covered himself in glory in the World Cup, appears to have quite an attitude problem and collects red cards like some people collect stamps.
We could have been a bit clever here and sent Aquilani out on loan, putting him in the Italian shop window and got Poulsen on loan in return, instead of paying a transfer fee for him.
I'd rather have Momo back rather than Melo and I'm not sure why the manager would want another defensive midfielder, even if Masch leaves. If he does, then Lassana Diarra would be a much better option and Madrid are definately looking to offload, probably at a bargain price.
It's a shame we've not managed to rid ourselves of Itandje, El Zahr and Plessis yet. Even if there's no cash, the wage savings would help.
Reds table Toivonen bid
Skysports.com understands that Liverpool have made bid for PSV Eindhoven forward Ola Toivonen.
Sources in Holland believe that the Premier League Reds have tabled an offer in the region £9million to the current Eredivisie leaders.
The 24-year-old Sweden international has caught the eye of Roy Hodgson, as revealed by skysports.com earlier in the week, with the Liverpool manager looking to increase the attacking support for Fernando Torres.
However, Toivonen has refused to speculate over his future and it had been rumoured that Liverpool would reduce their interest if the forward was cup-tied in Europe.
He played in PSV's Europa League outing against Sibir Novosibirsk on Thursday, but Hodgson is still understood to have gone ahead with his bid.
Money from the Masch transfer being spent, or is Dirkus Kuytus really going to be doing his shopping in the Milanese equivalent of Tesco soon?
the age old proble - of getting big wage earners to pis off to lowly new eployers
Post by: wittsy on August 21, 2010, 11:31:09 AM
I can't see why they don't want to leave or at least go out on loan for the remainder of their contracts.
If a club came in and said they'd pay half their wages then surely everyone would still be better off (who knows they may even improve or at least have a chance to sell themselves as a first team player instead of a reserve). They must know they won't be able to sit there for ever, they will end up at another team at some point.
Quote from: wittsy on August 21, 2010, 11:31:09 AM
I guess it's down to a lack of professional pride. We're not talking about taking a salary of £17,000 when your on £20,000 at the moment. They will still earn £1000s per week.
At that level of earnings surely first team football is more important than reduced earnings, especially when those reduced earnings are still lottery wins in comparison to what 99% of fans have to get by on.
Post by: Kopite999 on August 24, 2010, 06:41:18 PM
Michael Owen returning to Anfield to wear OUR red shirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
For JC's testimonial!! Not at all happy.!!!Little money-grabbing judas prick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I reckon he might develop a last minute strain after the reception he got last year >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( Even to let him wear the red shirt again is wrong. He's a f@cking manc !!
So Kopite, what's your opinion on Owen playing in Carra's testimonial?
Be a real shame if he got a career ending injury.
Manchester United and Liverpool linked with Newcastle target Hatem Ben Arfa
Hatem Ben Arfa has been linked with a shock move to Manchester United or Liverpool.
The Marseille playmaker has been offered a deal by Werder Bremen and a 'top Premier League club' - which his agent Michel Ouazine indicated was not Newcastle United.
The Geordies wanted to take the France international on a season-long loan, but angered Marseille with their offer.
Bremen had a £6.6million bid for Ben Arfa accepted after selling Mesut Ozil to Real Madrid, but the player's stock has risen since an impressive performance and goal for France in their 2-1 defeat by Norway earlier this month.
Ouazine said the identity of the English team making a move would be a 'big surprise', with reports in France suggesting either Liverpool or Manchester United would be the ones making the bid.
Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be a long-term admirer of the 23-year-old, who has also been offered to Everton and other Premier League teams this summer.
'Negotiations are continuing,' said Ouazine. 'We are finalising the contract.'
Ben Arfa comes with issues. He is currently refusing to play for Marseille in a bid to force a move and is training alone away from his employers.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305661/Hatem-Ben-Arfa-linked-Manchester-United-Liverpool.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305661/Hatem-Ben-Arfa-linked-Manchester-United-Liverpool.html)
Just what we need. I think not.
Roy Hodgson eyes £2m Terminator Mathieu Debuchy to bolster Liverpool ranks
Liverpool are keen on Lille defender Mathieu Debuchy - dubbed The Terminator because of his fearless style.
Roy Hodgson is eyeing a cut-price move of about £2million for the right back, who can also play in the holding midfield role which is set to be vacated by Barcelona target Javier Mascherano.
The 25-year-old was called up to the France squad by new boss Laurent Blanc earlier this month and is admired for never shirking a challenge.
Although he was not selected for the 2-1 defeat by Norway, he is said to have impressed during training at Clairefontaine.
Claude Puel, his former coach, once described Debuchy as 'a player who puts his head where others wouldn't put their foot'.
As well as being good at the back, Debuchy has a wicked shot and is known as a good crosser of the ball.
He would provide competition for Glen Johnson and is currently under contract for two more seasons at Lille.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305653/Roy-Hodgson-wants-2m-Terminator-Mathieu-Debuchy-Liverpool.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1305653/Roy-Hodgson-wants-2m-Terminator-Mathieu-Debuchy-Liverpool.html)
So if Kuyt ends up at Inter, and we do get this Debuchy, do we move Johnson forward so he was fewer defensive responsibilities, which is his very glaringly obvious weakness.
We need an over haul Tes.
If Kuyt goes it may not be a bad thing, only if a takeover is in the offing. Hes done a lot of good but I'm thinking this team as we know it could be finished.
Could be time to start again. I never wanted us to do a Man City on it but if we do get wealthy investors in we might just need to buy 6 or more top quality players.
Defence, Midfield and up front its all seriously lacking
Hangeland, a left back, someone to replace monster and a big forward and we've got a team again
His career was over a long time ago, when he left us
Post by: Gurdeep on August 25, 2010, 11:17:28 AM
This is depressing news, for me anyway. Is this the type of quality Woy's going to look to bring in? More of | |
Inequality in the Distribution of Income: Trends and International Comparisons
Inequality in the Distribution of Income:
Trends and International Comparisons
Brian W. Cashell
Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy
Economic theory alone does not establish any basis for preferring a more or less
equal distribution of income. Nonetheless, a common aim of policy is promoting
equality of opportunity. An extremely unequal distribution of income may be
considered an indication of a lack of equal opportunity. Arguments for a more equal
distribution of income than that which would result from market forces are based on
a number of propositions. One is a common assumption made in economic analysis
known as diminishing marginal utility of income. This is the notion that each
additional dollar of income yields less utility, or satisfaction. If the assumption of
diminishing marginal utility of income is accepted, then, in theory, it should be
possible to increase the overall well-being (utility) of society by taking some from
those with high incomes and giving it to those with low incomes. A second, non-
economic, justification for policies designed to make the income distribution more
equal is concern that society prevent its members from falling below some minimum
standard of living.
Existing measures of income fall well short of an ideal that would accurately
indicate how well off individuals or households are. Not all kinds of income are
counted. Taking the existing measures at face value, however, several observations
can be made. First, the distribution of income in the United States has become
increasingly unequal since the late 1960s. Second, the U.S. income distribution is
the most unequal of all major industrialized countries. Some of the greater income
equality found in other major industrialized countries may be due to the fact that
government transfers are more directly targeted at lower income households.
The distribution of earnings is more unequal than is the distribution of
household income. Of particular interest is that the gap in earnings between highly
educated or skilled workers and less skilled workers has grown substantially.
Explanations focusing on world trade and national demographics have been
suggested, but the one most widely accepted is that technological advances in recent
years have increased the demand for more highly skilled labor relative to its supply.
Policies that boost the supply of skilled workers would thus seem likely to narrow
that gap and act as an equalizing influence on the income distribution. But, the large
gap in pay between skilled and unskilled workers that has developed would itself
seem to be a substantial incentive for prospective and current workers to expand their
education and training.
This report will be updated as developments warrant.
Evaluating Distributions............................................1
Measuring Income.................................................2
Measuring Inequality...............................................4
International Comparisons of Income Distributions .......................8
Explaining International Differences..............................10
Explaining Recent Trends..........................................11
Conclusions and Policy Considerations................................15
Figure 1. Distribution of Household Income: 1967 and 2007................6
Figure 2. Household Income Gini Index, 1967 - 2007.....................7
Table 1. Distribution of Household Income by Quintile....................5
Table 2. Summary Measures of Income Distributions for Selected Countries..9
Although an economic expansion began in November 2001, and productivity
growth has been relatively rapid since then, there is concern that wages have not kept
pace with overall economic growth, and that business owners have profited at the
expense of workers.1 There is no shortage of anecdotal evidence regarding workers
who are losing ground in spite of a growing economy. At times when the benefits
of economic growth do not seem to be shared by all, there tends, not unexpectedly,
to be an increased focus on how much disparity in living standards there is across the
population. Now that the economy seems to be somewhat less vigorous, those
concerns are amplified.
There are a number of legislative issues for which the shape of the income
distribution may be an important consideration. Among them are tax rates and the
minimum wage. This report examines the distribution of income in the United
States, including factors that may help explain it, how it has changed over time, and
how it compares with those of other countries.
Evaluating Distributions
Economic theory does not establish a basis for preferring any particular degree
of equality in the distribution of income. In theory, at least with respect to labor
income, what matters is that the distribution result from efficient markets where final
demand for goods and services and the relative productivity of the firms producing
those goods and services determine the demand for labor in each sector of the
economy, and the earnings of each of those jobs.
The shape of the income distribution is also a function of labor supply. The
willingness of workers to take jobs depends on the pay as well as relative preferences
for labor and leisure. The ability of workers to command a given wage is also a
direct function of their educational attainment and skill level (their "human capital").
Changes in the age distribution can also affect the income distribution as workers
tend to earn more as they get older.
But, even in an economically "ideal" world where the income distribution was
solely attributable to the workings of efficient markets there may still be moral,
ethical, or philosophical reasons for preferring an alternative outcome.
1 For more on this topic, see CRS Report RL33606, Faster Productivity Growth: Who
Benefits?, by Brian W. Cashell.
Arguments for a more equal distribution of income than that which results from
market forces are based on a number of propositions.2 One is founded on a common
assumption made in economic analysis known as diminishing marginal utility of
income. This refers to the idea that each additional dollar of income yields less and
less satisfaction (in economic jargon, utility) than the first. Put another way, this
proposition presumes that one additional dollar of income means less to someone
making $100,000 than it does to someone making $20,000.
If the assumption of diminishing marginal utility of income is accepted, then in
theory it should be possible to increase the overall well-being (utility) of society by
taking money from those with high incomes and giving it to those with low incomes.
The difficulty with that proposition is that doing so may have economic costs that
offset part, if not all, of any gain in overall utility.
A second justification for policies designed to make the income distribution
more equal is concern that society prevent its members from falling below some
minimum standard of living. This may be due to pure altruism, or the sense that luck
has something to do with one's place in the income distribution, or the belief that
when more people have a stake in society, the more tranquil it will be. Raising the
minimum standard of living may thus serve as a kind of insurance.
Finally, a common aim of policy is promoting equality of opportunity. An
extremely unequal distribution of income may be considered an indication of lack of
equal opportunity.
Beyond these considerations, economics has little to say about the desirability
of any particular income distribution, but economists have developed ways to
measure changes in the distribution, and have searched for causes of variations in the
distribution over time.
Measuring Income
As is the case with any number of economic statistics, income data have
limitations. The Census Bureau, in an annual survey, collects data from a sample
based on the concept of money income. Money income accounts for a wide range
of income sources, but it is unavoidably incomplete. Money income includes income
from earnings, interest and dividends, Social Security, and other forms of social
insurance. It does not include the value of non-money benefits such as food stamps3
or housing subsidies. Neither does it include capital gains.
With respect to the distribution of overall economic well-being, a limited
measure such as money income may be misleading. For example, consider the case
2 See N. Gregory Mankiw, Principles of Economics (Fort Worth Texas: The Dryden Press,
3 For a complete explanation of what is included in money income, see U.S. Department of
Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports: Consumer Income, P60-231,
August 2006, Appendix A.
where two families are in every way equal in terms of wealth and income, neither
owns their home, but they both have substantial savings in interest earning assets.
Suppose one family takes funds that are earning interest and uses them to buy their
home. No one would argue that that family is now worse off, but the existing
measures of money income would indicate | |
properties of a natural treatment risks being denounced and dragged before the law courts for 'Illegal Practice of Medicine'. Worse still, they risk being denounced as gurus of dangerous sects. The repression is often both medical and religious in nature.
Practitioners of alternative medicine as well as patients and parents choosing alternative means to treat their children, are pursued, harassed, criminalized and even imprisoned at the whim of the pharmaceutically dominated medical authorities. There have been cases of parents losing custody over their children for child neglect for not complying with the laws on compulsory vaccination of children against diphtheria, tetanus, polio and tuberculosis. A school has the right to refuse access to a child who has not been injected with these dubious and frequently toxic chemicals, products that research is currently revealing to be harmful to the child's health and immune system.
The 'Inquisitors', as Simon calls them, do their utmost to stamp out the population's desire for alternative medicine. The general practitioners who prescribe pharmaceutical products daily may occasionally flaunt an acupuncture needle around as a token gesture to the French medical practice having 'successfully integrated' alternative medicine into its program. However, do not be fooled. By law, no one other than a doctor from the mainstream pharmaceutically oriented schools of medicine is allowed to prescribe, diagnose symptoms, or claim medicinal, therapeutic or healing benefits, for anything other than what is officially permitted by the medical authorities and therefore the pharmaceutical industry.
It is against the law for anyone other than a mainstream doctor to practise acupuncture and homeopathy. A contradiction? The truth of the matter is that the only way to officially see an alternative medicine practitioner is to go to your mainstream doctor, who naturally, more often than not, will prescribe you more antibiotics, synthetic hormones, anti-depressants, whilst claiming that acupuncture and homeopathy are 'very good' but are 'slower and less effective' than allopathic drugs. It is difficult to get through several years of medical school without having been won over by these views. Alternative medicine in France has been hijacked.
What is the result of this on the French language? Some therapists in alternative 'medicine' (don't say that word) have accepted the bitter pill of censorship and optimistically claim to have no problem with this legal obstacle. They argue that it is simply a question of abandoning all vocabulary pertaining to health in order to practise natural 'therapies' (be careful with that word) 'freely' (and that one).
What is more worrying is that the general feeling of aversion towards doctors that is now occurring in this over-prescribed country has lead to a predictable prejudice against sensitive words such as 'doctor', 'medical', 'cure'. Sylvie Simon has even been criticised for having used the words 'Healing' and 'Illegal' in her book, pointing out that alternative 'medicine' (don't say that word), does not 'cure' because the patient 'cures' himself, that alternative 'medicine' (or alternative whatsit) is not illegal as long as we don't use the vocabulary of doctors, because natural therapies have nothing to do with 'medicine', 'doctors' and 'cures', these now being dirty words that the pharmaceutical industry are welcome to keep, we don't want them anyway.
Well, let's see, what does that leave us with in terms of vocabulary?
When the massage therapist Savatofski was pursued by the medical authorities for using the word 'massage' (permission to use this word is only granted to the official 'kinésithérapeutes') the problem was aptly overcome by changing the word 'massage' to 'touching', which so far, is not against the law. So whilst the alternative medicine practitioners jump for joy for having found a way to continue practising their healing art without more ado, the clients may find themselves in the strange position of having to say 'I'm going to get touched' instead of 'I'm going to have a massage'.
What has the good old-fashioned health-promoting massage been reduced to? Getting touched in a non-therapeutic manner? That does indeed sound vaguely illegal. What does a Chinese Doctor become? A Chinese Thingy? What does Oriental Medicine become? Oriental Stuff? What does Oriental Diagnosis become? Oriental What-ja-ma-call-it?
France may be the only country in the world to have an official government committee which studies all the new words occurring in French culture and which determines which of those words will be officially allowed or disallowed. So before anyone could confiscate my old dictionary with its old fashioned terms, I got it out sneakily and discovered that nowhere is it stated that these 'medical' words are the exclusive property of the pharmaceutically oriented modern medical world. In fact, looking at my dictionary of word origins, I discovered that these words all have ancient origins in Greek and Sanskrit that trace the entire history of humanity. So in reality these terms, historically speaking, describe what has now ironically come to be known as 'Alternative Medicine'.
Seeing, as our predecessors in all world cultures have always used these words, having always had the right to diagnose disease and prescribe healing remedies, it is difficult to understand why we must suddenly change and only allow the pharmaceutically oriented doctors to use them. Particularly in view of the fact that modern medicine is the leading cause of death in the world, and that is not even taking into account of the deaths caused by this same industry's commerce in pesticides and chemical warfare.
Source: Emma Holister
[email protected]
www.thenhf.com/eu_issues.html
Patrick Holford Comments on Lancet Antioxidant Cancer Trial
A study, published in the Lancet on 1 October on antioxidants and gastrointestinal cancer1 is being claimed to indicate that antioxidants don't reduce risk, and may even increase cancer risk. However, experts in nutrition and cancer dispute these claims. Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, an independent charitable research centre, says:
"This is one of the most biased and unsubstantiated reports on antioxidants I've ever read. If you look at the actual results of this supposed comprehensive analysis of research you will see that the only really significant finding is a considerable reduction in gastrointestinal cancer risk with selenium supplementation. Overall, it shows that antioxidant supplements reduce the risk of oesophageal cancer, have little effect on pancreatic or oesophageal cancer, and slightly increase the risk of gastric cancer. Overall, the non-significant trend is towards protection, not harm. I believe this is an underestimation of the prevention power of antioxidants because this claimed comprehensive analysis of research excludes some very well designed positive studies, such as a trial of 864 people with a history of colorectal adenomas, by the National Cancer Institute. The participants were given either 25mg of betacarotene and/or both 100mg of vitamin C and 400mg of vitamin E, versus placebo.
"While there was approximately a halving of recurrence of colorectal adenomas in those who took either the betacarotene or vitamin C and E or both, there was a modest increase in cancer recurrence among those who only took betacarotene supplements and both smoked and drank alcohol every day.2 Why was this trial excluded?
"The final graph in the study, which is the only one showing a negative overall effect (the difference between 1 in 14 cancer patients on antioxidants having a recurrence, versus 1 in 15 cancer patients having a recurrence), was arrived at by removing any positive studies on the grounds of 'low methodological quality', and averaging seven other studies. This is a most atrocious piece of biased number crunching and I'm surprised that The Lancet published it. I certainly won't be stopping my daily antioxidant supplement, although I wouldn't advise heavy smokers to supplement beta-carotene on its own."
Patrick Holford, founder of Institute of Optimum Nutrition
[email protected]
1. Bjelakovic G et al. Antioxidant supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis The Lancet. 364: 1219-28. Oct. 2 2004.
2. Baron J et al. Neoplastic and | |
don't just provide access to their soldier's sorcery, they allow for players to junction magic to their core stats and augment them in a variety of ways that can bolster their strength, resistance, and vitality. Read more. Game Progress Route in Code Vein is a plot and gameplay guide listing area objectives in a concise summary.If you would like to see a full and detailed guide, see the Walkthrough and Locations pages.. Our New Player Help page features a getting started guide and video that will be helpful to newcomers; Keep in mind Stats and how Blood Codes, Gifts, and Blood Veils work. Depending on what abilities a GF knows determines which Junctions you're allowed to have. By this point in the game, you'll have gained access to dragon kings, gods and elemental avatars within Final Fantasy 8. Other FF VIII Guides: Achievement Guide (Disc One). This also applies to Meteor and Firaga. The most valuable skill that the Brothers have to offer comes in the form of HP Bonus, which will give your party members another permanent stat boost to their HP every time they level up. Final Fantasy VIII employed a 'magic junction' and 'draw' system. Keep defeating these creatures, and eventually the Tonberry King will challenge you. "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered\main.zzz" I do a check for File.Exists before moving on. ... there is a lot of Card Mods and Item Refinements currently available that will make your characters pretty overpowered. While the vast majority of GFs can be summoned to deliver some form of damage, Cerberus is different. It stars several teenagers, all orphans, who grew up in a house together with a kind woman named Edea Kramer. The HD Remaster version includes extra dresspheres, better graphics and an entirely new mini-game called Creature Creator. Popular Topics for this game. With the added bonus of a permanent increase to your Spirit with every level up, Leviathan is a natural at maximising your longevity in and outside of battle. Squall and the party must fight two Ruby Dragons to confront Bahamut in the Deep Sea Research Center. Trabia Garden - FF8 Guide. It differed just enough from its predecessor to make it a unique and enjoyable game without straying far enough from the FF formula to lose many of the nostalgic elements that fans of the series were hoping to see. It was developed for the PlayStation and it had the same graphics capabilities yet it featured much more realistic graphics when compared to the more cartoonish appearances of characters in Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VIII, once again, implemented the continuing theme of the protagonists suffering from amnesia, but you wouldn't discover this for a couple of discs worth of gameplay. Location: The same story as Shiva, Quezacotl will be available just before you embark on your trip to Ifrit's cave. So if there is at least one KO'd character, the dragon will only ca… Moogle. By following this guide you can aspire to the following: by RPG Site Staff on 31 August, 2019. Location: Before Squall and friends are allowed to meet with General Caraway, they'll have to prove their worth with a quick detour to the Tomb of the Unknown King. So to help you out, here's a guide to show you where to find GFs and why they're absolutely essential to Squall Leonhart's adventure across space and time. FINAL FANTASY VIII - REMASTERED. Location: Cactuar Island, just off the coast of the Kashkabald Desert in Centra, is where you'll find the little guy once you gain access to the Ragnarok spaceship. Leviathan can be drawn from him, but if you miss your chance, you can snatch it up from Trauma within Ultimecia's Castle near the end of the game. It's possible it could return false "if path is null, an invalid path, or a … Outside of battle, Siren is able to junction magic to player defense and status attacks, and is brilliant at creating restorative magic with her refinement ability. Speed, luck, and evasion. I would like to start off by pointing out that Quistis gives a very well organized and in-depth instructional guide on the basics of junctioning magic to your characters and it is highly recommended that you follow her explanation, especially if this is your first time playing Final Fantasy VIII. Final Fantasy II has quite a different party setup—and leveling setup—from Final Fantasy. Junon Forest and Mythril Mine are excellent places to get overpowered early. It wasn't the best in the franchise, but it wasn't the worst, and it told a great (if slightly convoluted) story that captured the imagination of a generation. After defeating Bahamut, climb through the hole in the floor that a giant vine has created. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has its flaws -- the draw system is still a total pain in the arse -- but there's a magic and atmosphere to Squall's often mental adventure that's incredibly endearing. Party Planning. Unlike many of the other games in the series, the cast of characters were designed to appear more realistic. Able to increase player evasion and luck stats with its junction options, Tonberry is also a travelling merchant who allows for item shops and weapon upgrade stores to be called up from the menu no matter where you are. Outside of battle, Quezacotl allows players to junction their magic towards their overall health, while also providing various Triple Triad-related abilities that allow you to not only refine acquired cards into useful items but even transform your enemies into usable additions to your deck. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is the best version of one of the most divisive entries in the series. I'll probably try and implement at least one new aesthetic choice for this guide, just to keep things fresh. He is the protagonist of one of the most disliked Final Fantasy games in the history of the series, which means he gets about as much respect as Cait Sith or Mog from Final Fantasy XIII-2. 4 people found this helpful. It features music composed by the same composer as Final Fantasy VII (Nobuo Uematsu) and was released to widespread critical acclaim. Alternatively, you can always wait until the very end of Final Fantasy 8 when you invade Ultimecia's Castle and grab the fella from Tiamat in the Clocktower. Unlike Final Fantasy VII, where a ton of time is devoted into building the story around the main villain (Sephiroth) and the reasoning behind his actions, this game spends very little time delving into the story behind Ultimecia. Once you have all those items, use the Solomon ring in your inventory and Doomtrain will join your team. Final Fantasy VIII is the follow-up to the incredibly successful Final Fantasy VII. So long as you still have Odin's Triple Triad card, the battle will start with Odin attacking Seifer and being slain in the process. This is a post devoted to the current progress of completely modding FF8's graphics with Tonberry Mods! Location: The first GF you'll face in battle, Ifrit will need to be defeated as part of the main narrative of Final Fantasy 8. Location: You'll need various items in your inventory before you can acquire Doomtrain, such as: The greatest of all dragons, Bahamut's Mega-Flare can light up a battlefield and leave your enemies scorched. This guide will cover the main quest-line chronologically, giving advice on leveling (and how to avoid it), where to find the best spells, how to acquire all GFs and defeat all bosses. FF8 Eden GF By this point in the game, you'll have gained access to dragon kings, gods and elemental avatars within Final Fantasy 8. Many | |
Chapter X - Drawback
SECTION 74. Drawback allowable on re-export of duty-paid goods. - (1) When any goods capable of being easily identified which have been imported into India and upon which 1[any duty has been paid on importation, -
(i) are entered for export and the proper officer makes an order permitting clearance and loading of the goods for exportation under section 51; or
(ii) are to be exported as baggage and the owner of such baggage, for the purpose of clearing it, makes a declaration of its contents to the proper officer under section 77 (which declaration shall be deemed to be an entry for export for the purposes of this section) and such officer makes an order permitting clearance of the goods for exportation; or
(iii) are entered for export by post under 2[clause (a) of section 84] and the proper officer makes an order permitting clearance of the goods for exportation,
ninety-eight per cent of such duty shall, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, be re-paid as drawback, if -]
(a) the goods are identified to the satisfaction of the 3[Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs] as the goods which were imported; and
(b) the goods are entered for export within twoyears from the date of payment of duty on the importation thereof :
Provided that in any particular case the aforesaid period of two years may, on sufficient cause being shown, be extended by the Board by such further period as it may deem fit.
(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the rate of drawback in the case of goods which have been used after the importation thereof shall be such as the Central Government, having regard to the duration of use, depreciation in value and other relevant circumstances, may, by notification in the Official Gazette, fix.
4[(3) The Central Government may make rules for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section and, in particular, such rules may -
(a) provide for the manner in which the identity of goods imported in different consignments which are ordinarily stored together in bulk, may be established;
(b) specify the goods which shall be deemed to be not capable of being easily identified; and
(c) provide for the manner and the time within which a claim for payment of drawback is to be filed.]
(4) For the purposes of this section -
(a) goods shall be deemed to have been entered for export on the date with reference to which the rate of duty is calculated under section 16;
(b) in the case of goods assessed to duty provisionally under section 18, the date of payment of the provisional duty shall be deemed to be the date of payment of duty.
SECTION 75. Drawback on imported materials used in the manufacture of goods which are exported. - (1) Where it appears to the Central Government that in respect of goods of any class or description 5[manufactured, processed or on which any operation has been carried out in India]6[, being goods which have been entered for export and in respect of which an order permitting the clearance and loading thereof for exportation has been made under section 51 by the proper officer], 7[or being goods entered for export by post under 8[clause (a) of section 84] and in respect of which an order permitting clearance for exportation has been made by the proper officer], a drawback should be allowed of duties of customs chargeable under this Act on any imported materials of a class or description used in the 9[manufacture or processing of such goodsor carrying out any operation on such goods], the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that drawback shall be allowed in respect of such goods in accordance with, and subject to, the rules made under sub-section (2):
10[Provided that no drawback shall be allowed under this sub-section in respect of any of the aforesaid goods which the Central Government may, by rules made under sub-section (2), specify, if the export value of such goods or class of goods is less than the value of the imported materials used in the 11[manufacture or processing of such goods or carrying out any operation on such goods or class of goods], or is not more than such percentage of the value of the imported materials used in the 12[manufacture or processing of such goods or carrying out any operation on such goods or class of goods] as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify in this behalf :
Provided further that where any drawback has been allowed on any goods under this sub-section and the sale proceeds in respect of such goods are not received by or on behalf of the exporter in India within the time allowed under the 13[Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999)], such drawback shall 13[except under such circumstances or such conditions as the Central Government may, by rule, specify,] be deemed never to have been allowed and the Central Government may, by rules made under sub-section (2), specify the procedure for the recovery or adjustment of the amount of such drawback.]
14[(1A) Where it appears to the Central Government that the quantity of a particular material imported into India is more than the total quantity of like material that has been used in the goods 15[manufactured, processed or on which any operation has been carried out in India] and exported outside India, then, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that so much of the material as is contained in the goods exported shall, for the purpose of sub-section (1), be deemed to be imported material.]
(2) The Central Government may make rules for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of sub-section (1) and, in particular, such rules may provide -
16[(a) for the payment of drawback equal to the amount of duty actually paid on the imported materials used in the manufacture or processing of the goods or carrying out any operation on the goods or as is specified in the rules as the average amount of duty paid on the materials of that class or description used in the manufacture or processing of export goods or carrying out any operation on export goods of that class or description either by manufacturers generally or by persons processing or carrying on any operation generally or by any particular manufacturer or particular person carrying on any process or other operation, and interest if any payable thereon;]
17[(aa) for specifying the goods in respect of which no drawback shall be allowed;]
17[(ab) for specifying the procedure for recovery or adjustment of the amount of any drawback which had been allowed under sub-section (1) 18[or interest chargeable thereon];]
(b) for the production of such certificates, documents and other evidence in support of each claim of drawback as may be necessary;
(c) for requiring the 19[manufacturer or the person carrying out any process or other operation] to give access to every part of his manufactory to any officer of customs specially authorised in this behalf by the 20[Assistant Commissioner of Customs or Deputy Commissioner of Customs] to enable such authorised officer to inspect the processes of 21[manufacture, process or any other operation carried out] and to verify by actual check or otherwise the statements made in support of the claim for drawback.
22[(d) for the manner and the time within which the claim for payment of drawback may be filed;]
23[(3) The power to make rules conferred by sub-section (2) shall include the power to give drawback with retrospective effect from a date not earlier than the date of changes in the rates of duty on inputs used in the export goods.]
24[SECTION 75A. Interest on drawback. - (1) Where any drawback payable to a claimant under section | |
Celebrity News Jesse Ruben Opens Up About His Battle With Lyme Disease, The We...
Jesse Ruben Opens Up About His Battle With Lyme Disease, The We Can Project & More
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American singer-songwriter, Jesse Ruben was recently here in Malaysia to greet fans and perform songs off his latest EP, "Hope" at The Bee, Publika.
The American singer-songwriter first gained recognition for his single "We Can" in 2013. The success of the tune led to the birth of "The We Can Project". Its mission is to inspire kids to achieve their dreams and make a difference in their local communities.
However, the project first came to fruition when an elementary school at Vancouver reached out to Jesse, expressing how it inspired the students and staff at the school. This prompted Jesse to visit their school and as the saying goes "and the rest is history".
To date, the project has over 300,000 students as participants and has been featured on CBS Morning Show in New York, as well as other local publications. Unfortunately, just as things were taking off with the project and his music career, Jesse was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Has your school taken on the We Can Project yet? Link in bio to learn more! • • • • • • • #wecanwecanwecan#wecan #thewecanproject #school #community #servicelearning #project #seevice #communityservice #dream #goal #goals #inspire #todayshow @todayshow @hodakotb @klgandhoda
A post shared by The We Can Project (@thewecanproject) on Oct 6, 2017 at 7:41am PDT
It took him 9 months and numerous doctor visits to figure out exactly what was going on. Fortunately, he got better over the course of 2 full years. These days, he's been busy performing shows around the globe.
Thankfully, our friends from Universal Music gave us the opportunity to speak to him about his journey with Lyme Disease, the We Can project, and his experience running a marathon with his good friend Kyle Patrick (former Click Five lead singer).
Congratulations on your EP and getting married. In your latest EP, "Hope", you dedicated 2 songs "Simple Little Ballad" and "Ours" to your wife. Could you talk about how your wife inspired those songs and why it was significant for you to include it on the EP.
Thank you. I really like love songs. I really like them. There are already so many of them. So anytime you write one, it's like what hasn't been said. So what I like about specifically "Simple Little Ballad" is that it's so about her. It's like so specific. I don't know anyone else that fits all these tiny details.
But even though it was really specific, people still felt connected to it. People are always like "Did you write that about me, how did you know?" So I really like that song cause it's so specifically her. Plus who doesn't love a good lullaby?
For "Ours" I wrote it when we started talking about getting married which was a big deal for me. Growing up in a music school and as a musician, it's sort of drilled into your head that you can't get married until you made it. That was really challenging because we were talking about moving into this new step of our life and I was like "I am not ready, I can't do it."
So that song was the first time I was really looking out into our future and what's its going to be like. There's a line in there about raising kids and getting older. So it was the first time I was like "Oh wow, we are going to spend the rest of our lives together, cool."
You know, cause that was a scary thought for me but now I am like great.
5 months down with this stud . ❤️ @jesseruben . . . . . . . . 📸: @treeoflifefilmsandphotos HMU: @aleksandraambrozy 💐 by @flowerclvb 👗 by @efbridal #elizabethfillmore #elizabethfillmorebridal #bridetobe #actor #actorlife #mode #style #bridalstyle #stylist #styleblog #blog #freesias #flowerclvb #jacobrubensandwich #flowers #bouquet #whitebouquet #texturedlob #shorthair #lob #philadelphia #philadelphiabride
A post shared by j e n • j a c o b 🌵 (@jen.jacob) on Mar 7, 2019 at 10:44am PST
The latest EP sort of marks your return to the music scene. Why do you think music is therapeutic and how did that play a role while working on this project?
Great question. No one has asked me that yet. Making this EP was very full circle for me because there was a long time where I didn't think I was going to make music again. So, the fact that we made something so special to so many people, really reminded me that I should be doing this.
For the longest time, I thought I was done and I was never going to make music again. Like that's it. So it's really special to see this music we've made together have reached so many people on the other side of the world. I am so far away from Brooklyn away right now. So far, you know.
You mentioned that you went through a phase where you thought you were not going to make music again. What helped change that? How did you overcome that phase?
When I got better I had a lot of positivity 'cos I was so happy to feel like myself again. But for a long time, there wasn't any. For a long time, it was a nightmare. Like when you wake up everyday feeling terrible, it's really hard.
I was going a little crazy and when I finally started feeling like a human being again, I was so happy and I was writing like crazy. Thankfully, my support system was really amazing. My friends, family and my wife was awesome. Honestly, it was so relieved to not feel sick again.
@jen.jacob is the best wedding date.
A post shared by Jesse Ruben (@jesseruben) on May 20, 2018 at 6:44am PDT
Speaking of challenges, you've been very vocal about your battle with Lyme disease. What has kept you strong throughout all these years?
Speaking about it has been really helpful. Connecting with people who are also dealing with similar things. A lot people who have lyme disease, don't know they have it. A lot of them are tired all the time, have headaches all the time, joint pain all the time and they just think it's normal.
Whereas I know that it's not. So, connecting with people and helping other people who are going through the same illness, focusing on spreading awareness about it is really important. It also helps to remind me of how thankful I am for not having to be like that anymore.
Your project "The We Can Project" inspires kids to reach their dreams and make a difference in their local communities. Do you have any plans to take on other causes later on in your career?
Oh maybe. I don't know. I used to do a lot of work around spinal cord injury because one of my best friends is in a wheelchair. So I kinda thought I was going to do that for the rest of my life. But then I got sick and now I am focusing on Lyme disease because obviously it's a cause that is very personal to me.
"The We Can Project" has been really fun cause it sort of grew out of nowhere. It was also amazing to go to different parts of the country in the US and meet these kids and see how the song impacted them and how they're changing. Listen, if we could cure Lyme disease and that's done. I have to come up with something else to fight for. So, yea I am sure there is going to be something. I am down, hopefully soon.
For your song, "This Is Why I need you", you worked with Kyle who's | |
are possible. This case report is to alert clinicians to the implications of residual oil-based ionic contrast agents in the intrathecal space. CASE REPORT: A 70-year-old female with evidence of degenerative disc disease underwent a series of lumbar epidural steroid injections. Fluoroscopy during the procedure revealed diffuse residual intrathecal iophendylate (Pantopaque) dye. We were able to demonstrate unrestricted epidural spread of 1 mL iohexol (Omnipaque 180) alongside the preexisting dye. CONCLUSIONS: The goal of this case report is to highlight the potential of residual myelographic dye to complicate interventional procedures. Such residual dye can increase the level of difficulty in performing interventional pain treatments and perhaps the rate of complications associated with epidural injections, such as dural puncture. The presence of large amounts of residual oil-based intrathecal dye can lead to erroneous interpretations of the dye patterns as intraspinal lipoma or hemorrhage. As a consequence, the patient can be submitted to unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. In addition, concerns of worsening oil-based dye-induced arachnoiditis with the use of epidural steroid injections can complicate the treatment of patients with back pain.
Find us on Facebook using inclined bed therapy as a search term.
2008, half an year ago, on L5- S1 (sacral region) .
with also more perspective to the future.
He and his team are very kindly loving people.
I hope you will be successful.
If you have still other questions please be free to mail me directly.
using high-resolution MRI, is evidence for the diagnosis obtainable.
suffering from adhesive lumbar arachnoiditis is monitored and described.
gravity-controlled valve systems for subarachnoid-peritoneal shunts.
improvement of the clinical condition.
Last edited by Wise Young; 04-06-2011 at 06:03 AM. Reason: Private data removed at the request of Jack P.
Thank you Jack. That was an excellent summary. I agree that endoscopic methods have now allowed non-invasive diagnoses and surgical decompression/untethering is often helpful, if done by an experienced neurosurgeon. Wise.
by chance I found this forum and the thread about the special surgery in Zwickau (Dr. Warnke) I visited Dr. Warnke 1 week ago and now I have the diagnosis *arachnoiditis* level 2 (after a needless spinal tab........)!!! By chance I read about the new procedure. Now I have to decide and I'm a little afraid. Jack you wrote that Dr. Warnke has experience with 70 patients but it is so difficult to found some more sentiments from other patients. Do you have much more Informations from other people after the surgery????
Hello. I have had three lumbar surgeries and two cervical surgeries. First was a Lam L5/S1. A year later I had double-fusion L5/S1 and L4/5. Year later double fusion C4/5 C5/7 (completely unneccesary I would learn years later. About a year later hardware removal and refuse lumbar. Few months later surgical removal of part of two facets in cervical.
A month after the double fusion cervical ended up in ER with massive headache. It's been nine years of continued struggle with massive headaches.
Back in Jan '09 had a spinal tap with contrast. Water based, don't have the name infront of me, dye: Something 300. Doctor was seeking to see if I had arachnoiditis. The report reads no clumping of nerve roots in lumbar.
Six weeks later I awake with my legs covered with these tiny, yet horrible, electrical haywire currents. Now, I suffered with terrible stinging, sweeting, and my back is in terrible pain. The electrical pain I had in past down legs is back and so much worse, as if I just injured myself.
I all ready had bladder dysfunction, though work comp won't accept the claim. Nine years of bladder problems. My feet burn like they are sunburned. The bottom of my heels have become hard with callous and are cracked.
At some point the tingling spread to my arms and body. Had pins in needles in the past, but not this stinging sensation. I have struggled with the sudden onset of paralysis of legs/feet and arms/hands--worse of it now in legs and feet. It is as if blood flow not reaching there. Does that make any sense? Is that happening?
Two nights ago I'm struck with that terrible burning in my right knee. The next day my entire necks is struck for a short period with the burning. Now my private area is suffering the burning. I all ready had electrical shocks there, but became so much worse over last few months.
Folks, and/or doc, my thinking presently is that I didn't have arach before spinal tap (then again, I've been told one doesn't have to have clumping nerve in early stages of arachnoiditis) but now I do because of it. I did a search for the dye and learned that it is known to cause arach.
I have been suffering pain now for 12 years. I can't believe what has happened to me over the last few months. My lumbar was not that bad for a few years after last lumbar surgery.
So tell me (poster who I quoted) how long after the spinal tap did the symptoms begin? And to the doc whose name I don't have infront of me, do you have any thoughts?
Oh, I suffer terrible jerks of legs and arms. Sometimes half my body is lifted up off bed and my head is throw to one side as the body is twisted to another.
Has anyone heard of this: Your asleep, or in that stage before ya fall into deep sleep and you have a vision in your mind like your arm throwing a punch and your arm actually does. It has with my legs too.
Is it wrong to state where you live in hopes of someone have a recommendation as where to go for help?
While I had assumed that this pain was from scar tissue formation, Dr. Warnke's publications make me suspect part of it may actually be from increased CSF pressure causing problems with venous drainage. This makes some sense as my pain began to occur only once the dural tears were closed, and sitting presumably creates the most CSF pressure. On the other hand, the timing is also compatible with arachnoiditis from the resection six months prior.
Unfortunately, while I can sit more comfortably now, a parade of new and varied symptoms started almost immediately and hasn't stopped since. Often the symptoms will resolve themselves only to have new and different ones take their place. I suspect lasting damage is being done and the "resolution" of symptoms is merely neuroplasticity in action.
Lately it's been pins and needles whenever I sit, which makes it hard to concentrate at work. My impression is that pregabalin/gabapentin do not address problems with nerve attenuation, only pain. In addition, I suffer some unexplained upper body symptoms.
You'll have to take my word on this; it is obvious by tracing the axial views that all of these nerves terminate on the left side, but it requires too many serial images to post here. I believe the strong division of left and right nerve roots was an artifact of the tumor, which arose from the filum terminale.
Unfortunately I do not suffer from the classic symptoms of tethered cord, leading me to question this diagnosis. Either way, an experimental lysis of adhesions, epidurostomy, and detethering might prove helpful, but I don't really understand why the endoscopic technique would prevent new scar tissue from accumulating. Surely the insult is less, but not that much less--the lysis must still be performed by dissection. Some of Dr. Warnke's extreme cases have reported no benefit--or worse, experience transitory benefit only to suffer even worse rescarring. Perhaps Dr. Warnke administers immunosuppressive drugs, or perhaps the procedure is performed under hypothermia? Is Adcon L still in use in Europe? Are there any drugs which may reduce rescarring?
Abnormal SSEP due to arachnoiditis or tethering?
I should also note that my SSEP | |
and out-and-out lie.
As there is no way to discuss the existence or non-existence of a god scientifically, your last question answers itself.
the personal views of scientists is no more controllable than the personal views of anybody else. there are many scientists that are religious Ken miller is a great example among many that i highly respect. but his religion does not enter the classroom or his research. his results do not mention god one way or the other. take someone from the other side. Dawkins has strong opinions concerning religon and has said so in debates,books,documentaries and elsewhere. but read his scientific papers or his contributions to textbooks. nowhere in these areas does his personal view of religion enter the text. god does not have a place in science period. it is not science by definition and even if it was the classroom is not the starting point for an unproven hypothesis.
TopDocRocks - 06/27/2012 at 20:54
Over The Edge...it's a bit unfair to expect me to know how Scientists should go about testing the possibility of an original creator because I'm not a scientist. It's as unfair as expecting me to be able to advise Scientists on how to find the cause for Action-At-A-Distance. Such "spooky" behavior of sub atomic particles is beyond the comprehension of scientists let alone me to advise them on it. But I do have confidence that scientists will figure out this spooky phenomenon we call Action-At-A-Distance. And I am confident that scientists will figure out this idea of an original creator as well...if they honestly try.
That said, I find it reasonable to use the concept of intelligent designer "fingerprints" as one possible method for examining the idea of an original creator (hear me out on this). I'm NOT talking about this six day creation stuff though. Just honest scientists using the hypothesis that if there is an original creator then it's fair to reason that the original creator was intelligent (testing an hypothesis that "a creator is intelligent" is possible) and that the intelligence of the creator could be manifested in the artistry of our universe (testing an hypothesis that "a creator leaves evidence of their intelligence in what they create" is possible) and that finding this intelligence manifested in the artistry of our universe is possible evidence of a creator of our universe (because applying the methods for "how to find evidence of a creators intelligence manifested in the artistry of a test subject creators creation" to our universe is possible).
I suspect that with the context of an original creator our universe will show the observer what the observer sets out to find. Scientific research using Methodological Naturalism has set out to find that there are natural causes for nature and that is what it has found out (there are natural causes for nature). It hasn't really looked for an original creator to rightfully claim that there is none. But now that we have established that there are natural causes for nature we can safely look for evidence of an original creator and not worry that nature doesn't have natural causes. And I suspect we will find that there IS evidence of an original creator and that there IS still natural causes for nature. We could even end up seeing Science proving that the legendary "god" being of religious history does not exist and yet at the same time proving that an original creator "god" being does exist...leaving us feeling the similar sensation one gets after examining Action-At-A-Distance with our limited under-standing it.
Currently we've barely scratched the surface on the topic that there isn't an original creator (we're just claiming since we found what we were looking for...natural causes for nature...there can't be ANY other causes...and that is not good science and borderlines arrogance). But who knows, perhaps by honestly looking for evidence of an original creator, using agreed upon scientific methods, science might find that there really just is no original creator AND can without controversy claim "And our research into the possibility of an original creator proves it." This would seal the deal for all Deism/Theism claims that go against the Atheist claims of Methodological Naturalism.
And if it goes the other way and Science finds methods that prove that there is an original creator "god" being then it wouldn't be hard to sort out the details of creation stories and "spooky" medicine. Because we could simply adapt and adjust the scientific methods we used to prove there is an original creator to creation stories and "spooky" medicine (if we have figured out how to observe and test that which was traditionally called the "Divine" then I'm sure we can observe and test less challenging phenomena).
The one thing that would probably need to be open to challenge with pursuing scientific research into the possibility of an original creator is Atheism ideology. If ones Atheism is currently embraced due to their interpretation that Atheism is science, and if science shows Atheism to be a non-scientific choice then letting go of one's Atheism...because Atheism is not longer "scientific"...should not be an issue (the person was going with science over atheism anyways). But if ones Atheism is a personal choice and that person has been using science to support that choice, and then science shows that an original creator exists, this could be quite troubling for a person who doesn't want to let go of their Atheism and yet remain scientific (forcing one to choose either science or atheism). And this is a real possibility if we go about using science to research the possibility of an original creator (and actually find that there is/was one). The current Scientific community is predominately Atheist. And a good number of Scientists (and their fans) are Anti-Theist. Anti-Theism is not Atheism and neither is it a scientific position. So if science proves there is an original creator one can still maintain their Anti-Theism (although not because it's "dumb to believe in a creator"). But the vast amount of scientists would have to let go of their Atheism or no longer be considered scientists. If the vast of majority of today's scientists are not willing to let go of their Atheism if science research finds there is an original creator then I don't blame them in the least for not wanting to go researching if there is an original creator (as unscientific as that attitude is scientists are people and people are not 100% rational). But I would hope that when it comes down to researching the possibility of an original creator Science is not being held back by Atheism. And I sincerely hope that the majority of "Atheists" in the Scientific community are not refusing to scientifically examine the possibility of an original creator because they don't want to deviate from Methodological Naturalisms atheism for personal reasons (like say Anti-Theism). Methodological Naturalism is not Anti-Theism. And the "Atheism" inherent in Methodological Naturalism is not Anti-Theism. The Atheism in Methodological Naturalism is just a necessary assumption to better enable a more focused look at finding natural causes for nature....which we have found. Now that we know so much about our natural world let's try a different assumption...that there IS a creator...and see what we can find. Let's be scientific about it. We're going to have to create a different philosophical approaches than strict Methodological Naturalism. But let's include Methodological Naturalism (except for it's Atheism assumption of course) so we don't go off the deep end and miss finding those natural causes. Sure a lot of this will probably just be philosophy at the start. But let's do it! All we have to lose is...well just Atheism actually. Is that so bad?
" | |
Machine tools include numerous motors and auxiliary components. Energy consumption varies significantly during operations. The main spindle drive and the coolant system, for example, work near rated power while roughing at a high stock-removal rate, but power consumption during finishing is significantly lower. Close interdependence exists between individual components and subassemblies on the one hand and productivity and quality measures on the other. From the process itself to individual component power consumption, savings potential can be evaluated and measures defined for more efficient energy use.
One area of potential savings comes from the machine tool base load, which consumes energy even in nonproductive phases. The base load is determined substantially by the machine's auxiliary components. Besides use of energy-efficient motors in these components, many opportunities for reducing the base load can be found. Some energy consumers, for example, can be switched off by the machine control during nonproductive phases.
Scrap inevitably increases energy consumption per good part. Manufacturing with accuracy from the very first part can therefore be decisive for energy efficiency. Machine designs with balanced thermal behavior and precise position measuring technology have a distinct advantage here.
Proportionally calculated energy for lighting, ventilation, and air conditioning must be added to these groups. Milling process energy demand depends primarily on the size of the milling machine and the machining task.
Dry machining has great potential for improved energy and resource efficiency. In many milling applications, however, doing without cooling lubricant increases scrap rate and, therefore, raises mean energy consumption as well.
Compressed air is required for minimum spindle lubrication, tool changing, and work piece cleaning. Small quantities are required as sealing air. Mean compressed air power changes only slightly across production readiness, roughing, and finishing.
Machine electricity consumers include the CNC control with main spindle and feed-axis motors, as well as numerous auxiliary components, including the pallet changer and cooling, hydraulics and automation systems.
Spindle and feed-axis motors are among the central components of a machine tool. Drive-component energy efficiency depends on the ratio of delivered power to consumed power. The network of drives converts consumed electrical energy to delivered mechanical power. Drive network components include a power supply module, drive modules, motors and mechanical components. Data on efficiency typically refer to the rated power. For other rated values, individual component efficiency can vary significantly. Supply modules and drive modules can attain efficiency values of more than 95%.
Comparing power consumption during rough-face and circular-pocket milling reveals that feed drives consume only a small share of the CNC's total power usage. On the other hand, spindle selection can significantly affect energy consumption. If a spindle drive operates far below its rated power, the drive's intrinsic losses increase in proportion, with negative effects on the energy balance. If the spindle limits the maximum possible metal removal rate, the milling process inevitably takes longer. The result: energy efficiency decreases due to the base load generated by the auxiliary components. Potential also exists for more efficient design of milling processes through consideration of spindle-motor efficiency, for example by using synchronous instead of asynchronous motors.
Every drive's acceleration requires a braking process in return. Energy from the drives' moving masses is largely reconverted to electrical energy. In a non-regenerative supply module, kinetic energy released by braking is converted to heat by the braking resistors. A regenerative supply module returns this energy to the power grid. However, the path required for returning the energy and the necessary components for smoothing the grid power generate losses even when the drives have no power requirement. Power loss increases slightly even when power is not being regenerated. Thus, a regenerative supply module operates more efficiently than a non-regenerative module when the regenerated energy more than compensates the higher power loss. Machine operation therefore determines what type supply module to employ.
Tool change frequency also impacts this decision. In one example, a milling operation at 15 kW is interrupted cyclically by a tool change. Starting the spindle requires peak power of approximately 60 kW. A regenerative supply module returns 48 kW to grid power. High metal-cutting power requirements mean that the mean-input power sinks the more frequently the milling process is interrupted by tool changes.
A regenerative supply module works more efficiently as soon as the time interval between two tool changes is less than 100 seconds (equals 0.6 tool changes per minute). In processes with many tool changes per minute, a regenerative supply module often proves to be the better choice. During contour milling with infrequent tool changes, the advantages are on the side of the non-regenerative system.
In the ready condition, energy use of several consumer groups is only slightly reduced. Therefore, these nonproductive phases must be kept as brief as possible. With machining centers for smaller production batches, energy consumption can be significantly reduced by the selective deactivation of auxiliary components. Beyond this, potential savings result from the use of energy efficient pumps in the coolant and lubricant circuit.
However, consistent switch-off of auxiliary components -- such as hydraulics and spindle cooling -- or of the compressed-air supply can also have a deleterious effect. If sudden removal of waste heat from auxiliary components, or of temperature-stabilizing media, leads to thermal displacement in the machine frame, scrap can result. Selective auxiliary component switch-off therefore functions best on machines with little inclination to thermal displacement.
CNCs can be the central control unit for machine tool energy management, taking advantage of special PLC functions for linking events in the production process (such as NC stop) with outputs for controlling auxiliary components. Delay times can be assigned to events so that, for example, motors can be locked and disconnected from current after standstill. Functions for deactivating various auxiliary devices, axes, light in the working space, etc., can be generated on this basis. These basic functions are the responsibility of the machine tool builder. For users, it is helpful to adapt energy management to specific usage habits.
In the control loops of spindle motors and direct-drive feed axes, even the smallest feedback signal disturbance can result in large motor current fluctuations.
Signal interpolation of a position encoder includes short-range deviations within one signal period (interpolation error), typically of approximately 0.5% of the signal period. If interpolation error frequency increases, the feed drive can no longer follow the error curve. However, additional current components are generated by the interpolation error. Therefore, if torque remains constant, energy consumption and motor efficiency get worse. Additional energy required is converted to heat that must typically be dissipated by a motor cooling system, which itself consumes energy.
Comparing the effects of an optical and a modular magnetic encoder on a direct-drive rotary table drive illustrates the point. An angle encoder with 16384 lines generates only barely noticeable motor-current disturbances and generates little heat. Because of the magnetic scanning principle, the encoder has notably fewer signal periods. Significant disturbances occur in the motor current with the same controller settings. For example, at a shaft speed of approximately 30 min–1 the effective value of the current is 15 A greater than for an optical encoder. The result is greater motor heat generation.
An encoder with low signal quality can lead to greater motor energy loss. The additional energy requirement for active cooling also has to be included in the energy balance. To increase the energy efficiency of the motor, the encoders need high-quality signals.
Bad parts reduce process productivity and therefore contribute to energy costs per manufactured part. A primary cause of bad part generation is thermal drift of feed axes running on recirculating ball screws.
The temperature distribution along ball screws can be changed very rapidly by feed rates and moving forces. On machine tools in a semi-closed loop the resulting changes in length -- typically: 100 ?m/m within 20 minutes -- can cause significant workpiece flaws.
If | |
Home> Smartphones
LG Announces the LG G5: 5.3-inch QHD with Snapdragon 820
by Andrei Frumusanu on February 21, 2016 12:02 PM EST
Today just before the official beginning of Mobile World Congres 2016 we were happy to attend LG's G5 launch event. The G5 is the successor to last year's much acclaimed G4. The new devices from the Korean manufacturer marks a very large change in terms of design language and build material as we the G5 adopts a new metal body. In a sense the G5 is LG's transition to premium built smartphones. Before we get back to the build-quality, let's take a look at the spec sheet.
LG G Series Family
2x Kryo @ 2.15GHz
Adreno 530 @ 650MHz MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
2xA57 @ 1.82GHz
Adreno 418 @ 600MHz
RAM 4GB LPDDR4 3GB LPDDR3 933MHz
NAND 32GB NAND (UFS)
+ microSD 32GB NAND (eMMC 5.0)
+ microSD
Display 5.3-inch 2560x1440 IPS LCD 5.5-inch 2560x1440 IPS LCD
Network Qualcomm X12 (Integrated)
2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 12/13) Qualcomm X10 (Integrated)
2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 6/9)
159 grams 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 - 9.8 mm
Camera Rear Camera #1
16MP (Sony IMX234)
1.12µm pixels, 1/2.6" CMOS size
F/1.8, 3-axis OIS
Standard Angle (78°)
Rear Camera #2
8MP Wide Angle (135°) w/ OIS Rear Camera
Front Facing
8MP Front Facing
8MP Toshiba T4KA3 FFC
Battery 2800 mAh (10.78 Wh)
Replaceable 3000 mAh (11.4 Wh)
Launch OS Android 6 with LG UX 5.0 Android 5.1 with LG UX 4.0
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MU-MIMO +
BT 4.2,
USB 2.0 Type-C , GPS/GNSS, NFC
LG Modular Port 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0,
USB 2.0, GPS/GNSS, Slimport, DLNA, NFC
SIM Size ? MicroSIM
Price ? ~649 USD retail (US, launch)
The G5 is powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 820 SoC which contains a pair of Kryo cores clocked in at 2.15GHz and a pair clocked in at 1.59GHz. The Device comes with 4GB of LPDDR4 memory. In terms of storage LG now employs UFS storage and by default comes with 32GB of NAND - we're not sure if there are plans for larger capacity devices. The microSD has been retained and now is accessible via combined SIM/microSD slot on the bottom right side of the device.
The device's design and ergonomics are astonishingly surprising and mark a very large departure from LG's past designs. For beginners, we see a reduction of the screen size back to 5.3" from the 5.5" on the G4. The screen is an IPS display with 1440p resolution but LG has visibly improved the panel as I noticed there are significant viewing angle improvements compared to the panel used on the G4. The G5 also now features an always-on mode which displays the current time and notifications. LG is able to get away with this on an LCD panel with help of a more efficienct DDIC and also local backlight illumination, meaning only part of the backlight works when the AOD is active. Furthermore LG claims the screen's brightness can reach up to 850 nits which is an astounding number - I wasn't able to verify this but the screen did seem pretty bright. Overall I was extremely impressed by the G5's screen.
The unibody design (almost unibody) of the G5 is what will be most noticed and praised as the G5's build quality rises dramatically in comparison to its predecessors. The alloy frame feels very solid and thanks to a good finish is also very grippy and comfortable to hold. The rounded edges give it a good in-hand feel and generally LG adopts a design-language with rounded features. At the top of the device we find the 3.5mm headphone jack along a IR blaster and top microphone. On the right side there's isn't much besides the bottom SIM/microSD tray. On the left side we find the volume rocker which no longer resides on the back of the device. At first I was surprised to find no power button on the phone but after closer look it's revealed that the fingerprint sensor now acts as a mechanical button, a pretty interesting and ergonomic combination of both features.
Of course one of the key defining features of the G5 is the fact that it's able to sport a removable battery all while maintaining a metal body. LG achieves this by having the whole bottom part of the phone be removable, acting as a cover to the battery which slides in. The whole mechanism was much more robust than I initially expected and has no jiggle-room whatsoever. It's also not possible to remove the slot by accident as it's held firmly in place and only opens up via a button on the left side of the device. The bottom housing contains the USB-C connector as well as the device's speakers. Both connect to the main body of the phone via proprietary connector next to the battery. It's worth mentioning that even without the battery in place the main body of the phone was well built and didn't give much in terms of flex.
Finally in terms of camera the G5 now sports a dual-sensor setup. The sensors arn't used for 3D or stereo vision but rather act as complements to each other. The main camera is a 16MP module with 78° viewing angles while the secondary unit is a 8MP module with an extremely large 135° FOV. Switching between the two units happens when one zooms in or out via the traditional pinch gesture in the camera app. Although the picture quality transition seemed seamless, there was a noticeable delay of 1-2 seconds until the viewfinder switched to the other camera. Both modules seems to employ OIS. I wasn't able to find out what sensor modules were used and if they represent an improvement to last year's G4 module.
On the software side LG seems to have completely revamped its UI as it's now a visibly cleaner and less cluttered interface. The colour scheme is much brighter and icon scheme seems more attractive compared to what was found on the G4. I wasn't able to test much in terms of the performance as the display units didn't seem to allow installtion of third-party apps but it seemed fast although the default animations were relatively slow. A few browser benchmarks put the Snapdragon 820 at the same levels as what the MDP was able to achieve in Chrome, which means that LG doesn't seem to have been able to optimize the browser for the chipset. I was playing around with one of the units connected to the VR headset and the device became noticeably hot after some period of use and watching 3D videos which was a relatively worrying observation although we can't come to any conclusion before we're able to perform a full review of the device.
Overall I was pretty impressed by the G5 and what LG was able to achive this generation. The G5 is able to improve on its ergonomics and premium feel all without sacrificing any of the much wanted features such as a removable battery and microSD slot. It remains to be seen how the Snapdragon 820 and the screeen efficiency end up in terms of battery longevity as the 2800mAh battery does represent a regression over the G4's 3000mAh battery. The dual-camera design is in my opinion a smart use of multiple modules and avoids more gimmicky use-cases such as stereo vision or all-focus pictures, keeping it simple by simply taking advantage of the second module as a wide-angle camera for capturing more scenery.
Kutark - Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - link
I agree, the G3/G4 were fantastic designs. This looks slightly, I don't know, cheap? Low build quality? Even though its probably amazing build quality, design matters. I just, I keep feeling like im looking at a larger version of a phone from 2011.
MonkeyPaw - Sunday, February 21, 2016 - link
"The unibody design (almost unibody) of the | |
El Parc Nacional de les Muntanyes Măcinului és una zona protegida d'interès nacional que correspon a la segona categoria de la UICN (parc nacional, zona de conservació especial), situada a la part sud-est de Romania, al territori nord-oest del comtat de Tulcea. Es va establir amb la finalitat de conservar i capitalitzar científicament i turísticament la zona, atès que les muntanyes Macin són la formació geològica més antiga del país.
Ubicació
L'espai natural s'estén al nord-est de l'altiplà de Dobrogea (a la part central de les muntanyes Măcin) al comtat de Tulcea, als territoris administratius de les comunes de Cerna, Greci, Hamacearca, Jijila, Luncavița i Turcoaia. El parc el ressegueix per l'est la carretera comarcal DJ222A, que connecta el poble de Nifon amb Luncavita.
Fonament
La primera proposta d'establiment del Parc Nacional de les Muntanyes Măcinului es va fer el 1998 i serà declarada zona protegida per la Llei núm. 5 de 6 de març de 2000 (sobre l'aprovació del Pla nacional d'ordenació del territori - Secció III - àrees protegides). El 2003, per decisió del Govern núm. 230 del 4 de març (sobre la delimitació de les reserves de la biosfera, els parcs nacionals i parcs naturals i l'establiment de les seves administracions), es restabliran els seus límits i l'àrea. L'àrea protegida es troba sota l'administració de l'Administració forestal nacional-Romsilva.
El parc nacional inclou la reserva natural del bosc de Valea Fagilor i se superposa tant al lloc d'importància comunitària de les muntanyes Măcin com a l'àrea especial de protecció contra l'avifauna Măcin - Niculițel.
Geologia i geomorfologia
A la regió orogènica del nord de Dobrogea es van produir múltiples moviments tectònics (fa centenars de milions d'anys) que van conduir a la formació d'una serralada amb una gran complexitat geològica. S'hi troben afloraments d'esquists cristal·lins formats per roques metamòrfiques (quarsites, mica esquists, amfibolites, fil·lites) atribuïdes al paleozoic, roques magmàtiques hercinianes, magmatites formades per roques intrusives (diorites, granodiorites, granits, gabre), roques efusives (riolites, basalts), roques formades per cimentar sediments (tufs volcànics) i roques sedimentàries; pissarres i gresos.
Des del punt de vista de la geomorfologia, les muntanyes de Măcinului presenten un relleu de diversitat (control de l'erosió, arrodonits conjunts de roques volcàniques, roques irregulars de mides i formes geomòrfiques de diversos detritus, augmenta el quars d'esquist, turons, carenes, depressions allargades) consta de cims (pic Țuțuiatul - 467 m, Ghiunaltu Peak - 442, Pietrosu Mare Peak - 426 m, Jalbă Peak, Cavalu Peak, Țuglea Peak, Sulucu Mare Peak, Vergu Peak, Vinului Peak , Caramalău Peak), hills (Dealul Orliga, Dealul P, Dealiu Dealul, Dealul lui David, Dealul Crapcea, Dealul Carpelit), cims (Culmea Cheii, Culmea Pricopanului) i valls (Valea Piscu Înalt, Valea Morsu, Valea Piatra Roșie, Valea Curaturi, Valea Taița - Nifon, Valea lui Puiu, Valea Cozluk, Valea Jugului, Valea Adâncă, Valea Seacă, Valea Plopilor, Valea Fagilor).
Hidrografia
El parc és una zona protegida d'aigües superficials que pertany a la divisòria d'aigües de diversos rius amb cabals petits afluents del Danubi i el Mar Negre. Així, el riu Taița (drenatge de la Depressió Superior Taița-Horia) amb els seus afluents drets (Curaturi, Valea Purcăreți, Valea Vinului i el riu Crapcea); Rierol de Luncavița (que drena la depressió homònima) amb el seu afluent esquerre Valea Fagilor; el riu Cerna (afluents de Bordeiul Bratu, Megina) i el rierol Sorniac. La principal característica de la xarxa hidrogràfica és el subministrament d'aigua resultant de les pluges.
Clima
El clima de les muntanyes Măcin és temperat-continental amb influències estepàtiques a la part sud i mediterrània a les carenes i cims.
La temperatura mitjana anual oscil·la entre els 9 i els 11 °C. La precipitació atmosfèrica mitjana anual (pluja, calamarsa, aiguaneu, neu) oscil·la entre els 450 i els 500 mm.
Els vents predominants són: El vent que bufa més sovint a l'hivern assolint velocitats de 30 a 35 m / s i portant neu, ventisca i gelades; Suhoveiul: vent sec d'estiu i Băltărețul, un vent càlid i humit que sovint provoca pluges.
Biodiversitat
Les muntanyes de Măcin presenten un espai natural (emmarcat en una regió biogeogràfica estepària) amb una elevada diversitat florística i faunística, expressada tant a nivell d'espècies com a nivell d'ecosistemes terrestres i aquàtics específics del nord de Dobrogea.
Hàbitats
El parc té deu hàbitats naturals; fagedes dobrogues, boscos de roures i carpen, boscos balcànics-panonians de cel i roure sèssil, vegetació d'estepa forestal eurosiberiana amb Quercus spp, vegetació forestal ponto-sarmàtica amb roure pluvial, arbusts caducifolis ponto-sarmàtics, estepes ponto-sarmàtiques, comunitats pioneres de Sedo-Scleranthion o Sedo albi-Veronicion dilleni sobre roques silícies, aiguamolls i pantans i coves panòniques i ponto-sarmàtiques on està prohibit l'accés públic.
Fauna
La fauna del parc és diversa i consta de diverses espècies de mamífers, aus, rèptils, amfibis i insectes (alguns dels quals són molt rars o endèmics) protegits a nivell europeu per la Directiva 92/43 / CE de 21 de maig de 1992 (sobre conservació d'hàbitats naturals i espècies de fauna i flora salvatges) o a la llista vermella de la UICN.
Mamífers amb espècies de senglar (Sus scrofa) xacal daurat (Canis aureus), cérvol (Cervus elaphus), cérvol (Capreolus capreolus), guineu (Vulpes vulpes), linx (Lynx lynx), gat salvatge (Felis silvestris), marta (Martes foina), marta (Martes martes), hàmster romanès (Mesocricetus newtoni), fura tacada (Vormela peregusna), fura estepària (Mustela eversmannii), fura europea (Spermophilus citellus), conill (Lepus europaeus)), esquirol de jardí (Crocidura suaveolens), ratpenat de ferradura gran (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum).
La presència d'ecosistemes terrestres (boscos, arbusts, prats, penya-segats) i ecosistemes aquàtics (llacs i estanys prop de la serralada) garanteix unes condicions favorables per alimentar i viure diverses espècies d'aus protegides a nivell europeu per la Directiva CE 147 / CE (annex Ia) de 30 de novembre de 2009.
Ocells migradors regulars i nidificants: Àguila imperial (Aquila heliaca), àguila daurada (Aquila chrysaetos), àliga menor (Aquila pomarina), àliga alta (Aquila clanga), PAS d'àguila (Aquila nipalensis)) àguila amb potes curtes (Levant brevipes), garsa (Ardea purpurea), nit de garza (Nycticorax nycticorax), estanys petits (Anser erythropus); al camp (Anthus campestris), l'ocell del camp (Burhinus oedicnemus), mussol (Bubo bubo), gran ratolí (Buteo rufinus), serp (Circaetus gallicus), cigonya blanca (Ciconia ciconia), cigonya negra (Ciconia nigra), garsa blanca (Circus aeruginosus), garsa blanca (Circus pygargus), garsa marró (Circus cyaneus), garza blanca (Circus macrourus), picot (Coracias garrulus), esquirol de galta blanca (Chlidonias hybridus), rossinyol (Caprimulgus europaeus), gripau de peu curt (Calandrella brachydactyla) picot de roure (Dendrocopos medi nosaltres), picot negre (Dryocopus Martius), fuster de dors blanc (picot garser dorsblanc), fuster jardí (Dendrocopos syriacus), agró blanc (Egretta alba), el corc de jardí (hortolà), falcó hivern (Falcon), a la nit voltor (Falco vespertinus), falcó pelegrí (Falco peregrinus), falcó del Danubi (Falco cherrug), àguila calba (Gyps fulvus), mosca petita (Ficedula parva), mosca de coll (Ficedula albicollis), gall (Grus grus), de cua (Haliaeetus albicilla), xanqueria (himantopus himantopus), llanganissa dorsal vermella (Lanius collurio), llangardaix gris (Lanius minor), filomel (Luscinia Luscinia), rossinyol (Luscinia megarhynchos), estel negre (Milvus migrans), cua blanca (Motacilla alba), groc cua mosca (Motacilla flava), mosca gris (Muscicapa striata), beceró gris (Miliaria calandra), merla (Monticola saxatilis), grangur (Oriolus oriolus), roca negra (Oenanth i pleschanka), picapedrer de l'Est (còlit pàl·lid), pelicà comuns (Pelecanus onocrotalus), arrissat pelicà (Pelecanus crispus), la pala (Platalea leucorodia), vespa (Pernis apivorus), l'àguila pescadora (Pandion haliaetus), Phoenicus), crepitant Wren (Phylloscopus sibilatrix), pardal espanyol (Passer hispaniolensis), hort de tit (Parus lugubris) ciocântors (Recurvirostra avosetta), whinchat negre (Saxicola torquata), Silvia low (Sylvia curruca), Silvia plain (Sylvia communis), picot de cap negre (Sylvia atricapilla), xiulet de pantà (Tringa glareola), pupa (Upupa epops), merla (Turdus merula), tord (Turdus pilaris), tord cantant (Turdus philomelos).
Rèptils i amfibis: serp esculàpia (Elaphe longissima), drac marí (Elaphe sauromates), escurçó cornut (Vipera ammodytes), llangardaix de fulla (Ablepharus kitaibelii), llangardaix de camp (Podarcis taurica) esquirol de terra (Testudo graeca), ivori de panxa groga (Bombina variegata), granota de bosc vermella (Rana dalmatina), granota de terra (Pelobates fuscus), gripau marró (Bufo bufo), granota de color verd (Bufo viridis), brot d'arbre verd (Hyla arborea), granota de bosc vermell (Rana dalmatina).
Invertebrats: (escarabats i | |
modulator settings might somehow become correlated with the states of the photons in the moments before each measurement. They pointed a telescope out of each window, trained each telescope on a bright and conveniently located (but otherwise random) star, and, before each measurement, used the color of an incoming photon from each star to set the angle of the associated modulator. The colors of these photons were decided hundreds of years ago, when they left their stars, increasing the chance that they (and therefore the measurement settings) were independent of the states of the photons being measured.
And yet, the scientists found that the measurement outcomes still violated Bell's upper limit, boosting their confidence that the polarized photons in the experiment exhibit spooky action at a distance after all.
But given the choice between quantum entanglement and superdeterminism, most scientists favor entanglement — and with it, freedom. "If the correlations are indeed set [at the Big Bang], everything is preordained," Larsson said. "I find it a boring worldview. I cannot believe this would be true."
Hmmmmm…..so at least Trump isn't preordained……….Oh O!!! that means we were free to choose Trump….
Expat February 8, 2017 at 12:02 pm
Well, this is readily explained by Feynman's response to the question, "why do all electrons look alike?" he answered, "Because they are all the same electron."
Since matter was formed at the near-singularity at the start of our universe, everything was made from the same initial "blob" of energy. I would think that everything is linked. Please don't take this to mean I believe in anything spiritual, religious, or magical. But from the point of view of a photon, the universe is alternately infinite in age or is zero seconds old. So distance really means nothing to a photon, nor does time.
Is that alternately or simultaneously?
both ….. or neither !
I have a feeling we are all wrong and all right…all correct and all incorrect…all left and all right…
We are flexible! thanks fresno for this blurb. and link. also in today's Links, from Independent Science News: Genetics Giving Way to New Science of Life. Jonathan Latham. super good. Here's a money quote: "…this (systems biology) is rarely a study of systems. Instead biologists have overwhelmingly used systems biology funds not to further the understanding of complex systems but to scale up and mechanize their reductionism." As is frequently lamented here at NC. And another: basically the thing driving life is not genes but metabolisms. really interesting. And this: Consciousness is layers of prediction experiments. Great definitions.
Don't open the box! The cat might be dead…or gone!
or there could easily be two boxes … each one containing a cat/noncat, originating from different points in the multiverse.
LT February 8, 2017 at 10:27 am
Re: Where was leftist energy during Obama Presidency…
Ignored by our famously "free" press?
Hey, I remember the worldwide Occupy protests. They still struggled to get as much attention as 3 Tea Party members outside a city hall. The main coverage the Occupy protests received was covering the police that were watching them and the police raids to break them up.
It's amazing how no one ever has to march up and down a street or go to jail to get elected officials to do the most vile things. Blow up a city, put people out on the streets…name the vileness and they are down for it.
Flat out, if you want the things done that you want, you have to have someone in office that believes the same things. Nixon went with the EPA because he believed government had a role to play in that area. Trump admin did not back off the ethics commision because of protests, after further review, I'm sure it was deemed toothless enough not to have to worry about.
So you keep voting for people totally opposed to what you believe…like Obama and his views on healthcare..and no amount of marching is going to get you anywhere.
And this all speaks to a notion we've swallowed from the self-selected elite of the media and government : that a politician should not have an ideology or be some kind of neutral blank slate to project ones hopes upon.
They all have an ideology…especially the ones that claim not to be "ideological". The ones who make that claim have an ideology that you are not capable of governing yourself.
It's high time people started voting for people that believe what they believe , say it, and know that is what is expected to get done upon election.
Republicans fear for their safety as Obamacare protests grow
Strange article. I wonder just who is really behind protesting here? Couldn't be pharma, hospitals and insurance, no no. Because they didn't fund the tea party for the same ends a few short years ago. Wouldn't want republicans to manufacture resistance from the pseudo left (when does a republican mention fearing a progressive or democrat, ever?). A resistance demanding to keep O'romney care, a heritage foundation plan in as much of its original form/intent as possible.
Highly suspect.
I'm really getting tired of this shit, from both sides, and about ready to quit filing taxes …. for good !
What other recourse is there ?? …. oh right … Call your senator/ferengi !/? … yeah, how's THAT workin out ….
NOT !
jrs February 8, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Not really. Wouldn't the pharma, hospitals and insurance be better served just by lobbying for what they want? Some people do benefit from Obamacare (even if mostly just the Medicaid expansion)
Portia February 8, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Protesters outside of Rep. residences are probably getting their panties in a twisty bunch. I know a lot of people who are forming groups these days, and calling and twittering and being loud. I'm going to a potluck tomorrow tonight, as a matter of fact, initiated to consciousness raise, with local State Reps attending. Trump's rhetoric doesn't just energize his base, it lights a fire under a whole lot of people. They just can't afford to offend their own constituency by including them in the condemnation of demanding health care, so the catch-all "evil progressive movement" will do.
Trouble in Clintonville, comrades:
Eaglevale Partners, the hedge fund co-founded by Marc Mezvinsky, the son-in-law of Hillary and Bill Clinton, closed in December, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Eaglevale, based in New York, is in the process of returning money to clients, said the person who asked not to be named because the firm is private.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-08/clinton-son-in-law-s-hedge-fund-eaglevale-partners-said-to-close
Can't prove it … but nevertheless I'm going to assert that Eaglevale was just another funnel for Clinton influence peddling.
That is, donors placed funds with Eaglevale to curry favor with the Clintons, despite it having no edge in the market.
With no influence left to peddle, Eaglevale's raison d'être evaporated. What will poor Marc and Chelsea do now — rob banks?
Pat February 8, 2017 at 10:49 am
They still have her salary with the Clinton Foundation as long as it continues to exist.
Then there is the trial balloon that Chelsea will run for Congress so the influence peddling there can continue. Mind you, I think if we really do get Hillary running for mayor of NY, we'll know that balloon would not inflate. Unfortunately the cleansing fire has yet to occur.
hamstak February 8, 2017 at 12:46 pm
sell their house
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2313602/Inside-Chelsea-Clintons-10m-luxury-fortress-stretches-entire-New-York-City-block–time-doorman-just-units.html
but 10 million, if they get it, won't go far with them. :(
Isn't Chelsea still on NBC/Comcast's payroll?
I am pretty sure that ended a while ago.
Here's a spot of good news for any feeling the need:
Maryland Court of Appeals: Defendants can't be held in jail because they can't afford bail
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-bail-rule-20170207-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp2
N.B. The Court of Appeals is our highest court, so this decision stands–and they managed to reach unanimity, though by some compromise.
Wow that is good!
pictboy3 February 8, 2017 at 10:48 am
Here's an interesting | |
Take a trip back to the beginning of the month with me. I looked at the calendar, panicked. Is it the 10th yet? No, it's only the 3rd. Phew. A few more days pass by… wait! Did I miss the 10th? No, it's the 7th. And then before you know it, it's the 13th. Oops.
So there you have it. I didn't mean to miss posting 10 photos on the 10th. It just happened. Life happens sometimes, you know. Presenting at a conference happens (KORCOS), and the weekend happens, and math week happens.
The first 7 pictures are from my iPhone. I had the honor of helping my girl Judy celebrate her graduation from university. She had amazing ideas for treats and decor.
The next three show a little glimpse inside of my classroom this past month. I love my job.
I couldn't complete a 10 on 10 post that I am posting on the 15th without giving a shout out to my one and only big sis. Happy Birthday, Amie! I love you to the moon and back.
Sitting down with parents and telling them that their child is struggling academically might be the most difficult part of my job. I want every student in my classroom to succeed, doesn't every teacher feel that way?
Yesterday, I had such a meeting about such a student and it was hard. It was a little terrifying. And it was draining. But after the parents initial not so good reaction to the idea that their child might have a learning disability they became more open to exploring options in helping their child. I have never been more appreciate of my principal's presence and wisdom than I was in that meeting. I left work last night with a whirring brain and a feeling that I just wasn't doing enough.
This morning I walked into work and was immediately beckoned by the librarian. She gushed about my students and how I must be doing something right in my class because they were talking about this and saying this and doing this during her library lessons. It was all centered around what love looks like and how we show love to others (this is February and Valentines Day- my favorite holiday- is right around the corner after all!). I hadn't even reached my classroom yet and I felt so edified I was beaming.
The school day went on and nothing out of the ordinary happened. I gave one student a nickname the day before and today all of my students were begging for nicknames, most of them ending with the long "e" sound. Tommy, Soty, Danny, Annie… One student asked me to call him "Monkey" and I said I would try, but because it was so different from his actual name I might forget. Then he changed his mind and turned his name into a form with an "e" on the end too.
The day ended in a flurry of students going to after school activities, getting picked up, or catching the bus. I am still at work, over 3 hours later typing up notes from my meeting yesterday, tweaking tomorrows lesson plans, and catching up on Facebook.
That's when it hit me. Well, I was actually writing a post-it note on one of my student's desks to remind him to do something in the morning… when it hit me.
And that is such a blessing.
memoirs of my 27th birthday.
I honestly, and wholeheartedly, wanted to write a post yesterday. Being that yesterday marked the start of my 27th year on earth (or I mean, the end of my 27th year? I just really confused myself… you turn one after you have been alive a whole year— so now I have been alive 27 years, so it's the end, right?), anyway… I am now 27.
I walked to work decked out in mascara (a rarity) and iron curled hair (that deflated within the hour-why doesn't hair spray work?), sporting a lovely flowered dress. You have to look good on your birthday, you know? As I went to open my classroom door a balloon almost hit me in the face, I looked up and eight colorful balloons had been taped to my door (surrounding my "welcome to second grade" poster). Smiling I walked across my room, and saw a post-it note stuck on my computer screen that read, "Play as often as possible", opened in my internet browser was New Kids on the Block's version of "Happy Birthday" (which I had never heard before— so, so great!). Then (I am actually noticing everything one step at a time, since I am not the most observant person in the world) I see the gift bag. Nailholic Magazine (yes-such a thing exists!), bedazzlement nail kit, and the BIGGEST heart-shaped reeses peanut butter cup I have ever seen! I turn around-stunned- and see that I have completely missed the happy birthday banner taped underneath my whiteboard/smartboard, decorated with balloons on either side. I head over to the person responsible— the third grade teacher and great friend Joëlle. She had to have rolled into school EARLY to surprise me— knowing I arrive at work anywhere from 7-7:30! (She normally gets to work at 7:45ish).
Just when I start to recover one of my students walks in with a life-size balloon PERSON. My obvious teacher replacement for the day, as no one should work on their birthday— right? Pictures posted below 🙂 Another student's mom walks in with a home-made strawberry tart. I think I gained at least ten pounds yesterday. A student from last year (as if she remembered my birthday!) shows up with a box wrapped in PURPLE (best color) and gave me a collection of lip gloss, the extra sparkly one is my favorite. Today another one of my student's from last year made sure to give me a gift (of CHOCOLATE) when he realized my birthday was the day before… being a teacher on your birthday is THE BEST JOB. In the past I have worked on several of my birthdays— you just don't get the same love in the restaurant business, haha.
Jee Young and Dyanne make sure to stop by with warm hugs to start my already insane day. Elaine hands me "present number one"; a giant cookie, chocolate mini-muffins, and a beautifully written card telling me how great I am. As the day gets started Adrienne shows up and hands me breakfast (what?!), chocolate chip pancakes— start drooling, they were delish.
It's not even nine o-clock yet. I walk back into my classroom to grab my water (my kids were over in Elaine's room rehearsing for our upcoming musical) and there is the most interesting looking "cake" sitting on my desk. Kit Kats forming a circle, held up by a peanut butter concoction, and the center is filled with m & m's (like I said, ten pounds). Two cards are on my desk from my "birthday buddy"— at work among the teachers, we have secret birthday buddies, only I had a feeling I was going to guess who mine was! Not only was there this ridiculously good tasting "cake", there was also a beautiful bracelet.
I start receiving anonymous e-mails from a birthday buddy email account. How creative is that? Definitely the give-away though, since my friend (and co-worker) Steph and I are obsessed with watching movie trailers in our free time— she kept me supplied with emails throughout the day linked to trailers of movies I haven't seen yet, as well as old classics that never die. Steph went above and beyond the call of birthday buddy!
One of my student's driver shows up (yes, a lot of them have their own "drivers") in the middle of the day to bring | |
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this false binary and work alongside activist communities in the pursuit of real transformation of not only the criminal legal system, but the material conditions that support the system (Battle & Serrano, 2022). This reorientation includes developing "a research praxis that interrogates the functions of policing and deploy[ing] academic methodologies and resources to advance the construction of alternative systems of safety" (Davies et al., 2021, p. 2). Grounding this work in Black feminist traditions within academic disciplines and in the communities in which our scholarship is grounded can be understood as a liberatory healing praxis of care and support (Hayes et al., 2021). Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies must draw on these traditions in making space for foregrounding the voices, experiences, and visions of those most impacted by the conditions under study, especially those struggling under and against the oppressive forces of the carceral state (Battle & Serrano, 2022).
The Combahee River Collective (1977) reminded us, "We believe that the most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity. … If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all systems of oppression." The women and non-binary activists and organizers of color highlighted in this study demonstrate what the pursuit of the Combahee River Collective's instructive looks like in practice. Ultimately, for this group, the practice and promise of abolition represents a true possibility for the liberation found within the destruction of all systems of oppression.
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Clair, M. & Woog, A. (2021). Courts and the abolition movement. California Law Review. Online first. Retrieved May 1, 2021 https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/matthewclair/files/courts_and_the_abolition_movement_3_17_2021.pdf
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Davies, E. J., Jackson, J. M., & Streeter, S. (2021). Bringing abolition in: Addressing carceral logics in social science research. Social Science Quarterly, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13022
Davis, A.Y. (2003). Are prisons obsolete? New York: Seven Stories Press.
Davis, A.Y., & Rodriguez, D. (2000). "The challenge of prison abolition: A conversation." Social Justice 27(3): 212-218. http://www.jstor.org/stable/29767244
Davis, A.Y., Dent, G., Meiners, E., & Richie, B. (2022). Abolition. Feminism. Now. Chicago: Haymarket Books.
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Dilts, A. (2017). Toward abolitionist genealogy. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 55(S1), 51–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12237
Dixon, E., & and Piepzna-Samarasinha, L.L. (2020). Beyond survival: Strategies and stories from the transformative justice movement. Chico, CA: AK Press.
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Jeffries, | |
Pardon me, but this blog is all about ME!
I can't remember the last time I was so thrilled to be a part of something. This Freedom Tour is like a dream come true! My excitement started bubbling back in September of last year with our online competition that gave the tour its name. (Thank you Kathy Ferguson of Decatur, GA for your inspiration. "Freedom Tour" is perfect.) The latest thing that has me feeling on top of the world is the thought of teaching our first ever Brand Ambassador Certification Course. I feel like this is really going to catch on among our Consultants who 'get it' that Sisterlocks is more than a fabulous hair care system and a great business opportunity. It's a cultural treasure that needs to be preserved and protected.
Perhaps the best thing about the upcoming Oakland Freedom tour (and the others too) is that I didn't have to take on the burden of event planning and supervision like I've had to do each year with the San Diego Homecomings. Thanks to the local planning team and our event coordinator, I can stroll in like the Diva that everybody thinks I am!
I know that everyone reading this email may not be able to attend our event in Oakland, but I just wanted to share my excitement with you. If you are able to make it, all the better. There will be plenty of hugs, good times and a few Sisterlocks surprises that I can't wait to share with you.
Don't miss out on the Sisterlocks 25th Anniversary Cruise. Reserve your spot today!
I'm going to try to make this short and sweet because I hate long, rambling posts.
After 25 years things look pretty simple to me: Sisterlocks is thriving because so many of our Consultants and Trainees are dedicated, honest, hard working sisters out there trying to do the best they know how. I appreciate you for that.
Our West Coast Freedom Tour stop is fast approaching. I can't tell you how excited I am to meet Sisterlocks professionals, clients and friends. I love the hugs and selfies, but I'll also hear your stories, suggestions and frustrations. It's a good reality check for me really, and it's what helps me keep Sisterlocks relevant. Thank you in advance for caring enough to share your thoughts with me.
Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt that a Sisterlocks practitioner had to be 'worthy' of Sisterlocks in order to be real. We have a responsibility to (finally!) give our sisters what they deserve. That means staying at the top of our game, networking, refreshing our knowledge, acquiring new skills. When we put the Freedom Tour together it was with all of this in mind. Take advantage of that and use this wonderful event as a professional stepping stone or pathway to self-improvement.
OK. This post is long enough, so I'll just cut to the chase: I have an appreciation gift for you! Consider it my small investment in your future.
Here it is! See you in Oakland!
AT THE "LOCKS SHOP" BOOTH AT THE LUNCH BREAK.
Happy Birthday To Us! Year 25 - A Time for Renewal!
Our 2018 Sisterlocks Freedom Tour preparations are now underway!
Advanced Refresher; R-Certification; Hands-on Styling; Coloring with Care; Lock Rescue and Maintenance; Trichology Analyst Certification; Retightening Class; and of course, our 4-Day Consultant Training Class.
Luncheon or Dinner; Presentations; Panel discussions; Demonstrations; Workshops by local individuals; Vendor Marketplace; Contests; Raffles; Giveaways; Entertainment.
Because you might want to be a volunteer!
Volunteering at Sisterlocks events is really a lot of fun. You get over-worked and under-paid for a day that may turn out to be one of the best day of your life! You'll meet amazing people and learn about lots of inspiring and uplifting things.
So many are embracing the freedom, flexibility and the beauty of Sisterlocks. It really warms my heart to see couples supporting each other in the decision to wear natural hair. Back when I first started Sisterlocks I met far more women who were hesitant to lock because they didn't know how their decision would go over with their loved ones. Today, thankfully, we encounter that challenge far less. So, what changed?
I talk to couples all the time where at least one partner who has locked and I usually ask the men how they initially responded to their mates decision to lock. Answers range from, "it took me a while to understand where this was going; or, "I just wasn't feeling it; and on occasion, "it was MY idea because I knew she would look beautiful.
We know that's true because women who embrace their natural hair usually develop a deeper level of confidence they didn't have before. That confidence is born out of making a decision they know is right for them and it really doesn't matter if anyone else agrees. That's the change! Making the decision and allowing nothing else to matter! This happens when we are right with ourselves.
I've always said that our women, and men, deserve the best when they decide to get Sisterlocks. It's why I take such pride in the Sisterlocks training program. I'm dedicated to making our training the best available and to making certain that our Trainees receive the absolute best we can provide. This dedication requires providing a training that ensures that Trainees are competent and confident in their abilities upon completion of the class. This is also my way of ensuring that clients can know their Consultant's status whether they're a new Trainee, on our Approved list or if they're Certified.
There are several steps in place so that our Trainees complete their training and confidently launch their Sisterlocks businesses. We always encourage them to utilize the web site and specifically the Information Center for answers to their questions. This is because we know there will inevitably be questions and we want them to get authentic information. I'm stressing this because I know there are throngs of "internet professionals" who come up with very creative procedures that have not been developed or approved by Sisterlocks. I really don't want our Trainees to dilute their training with unauthentic information from unauthorized sources.
Once a Trainee has completed just one establishment, they can submit documentation and photos of their work for review and further coaching, if necessary. Once approved they are moved to an Approved Trainee List on the Sisterlocks web site. This lets their potential clients know the Trainee's work has been reviewed and approved. This first step gives a Trainee another level of confidence in their abilities to offer standardized Sisterlocks services.
Next, we encourage all of our Trainees to pursue Certification. This designation means a Trainee has had at least three examples of their work reviewed by a Certification Coach and ultimately, me. As any accountant would encourage you to "sign your own checks," I personally review and sign off on each and every certification to ensure it meets the Sisterlocks standard.
The certification process was developed so a Consultant knows his/her work has been reviewed and approved. This also enables clients to know a Consultant has achieved that level of accountability. Sisterlocks is a hair care system and our best Consultants know that continuing education makes the best professionals. Certified Consultants also take the required steps to re-certify every two years. They often take Refresher classes to sharpen their skills and keep up on new developments.
Caring for Sisterlocks clients is a huge responsibility. Sisterlocks Consultants who are serious about their business and want to maintain the integrity of the Sisterlocks system will obtain and maintain their Sisterlocks Certification. It just makes good business sense.
Dance To Your Own Beat!
One thing I know for sure about Sisterlocks wearers: We dance to our own beat! This is because when | |
Mastoid
BoswelliaThujaAnts
Scarlet FeverTetanyChickenpoxFeverKidney CalculiNephrolithiasisUrinary CalculiUrolithiasisMannosidase Deficiency DiseasesHypervitaminosis ACalcinosisVascular CalcificationAortic DiseasesUlnar Neuropathies
DihydrotachysterolCalcium GluconateParathyroid HormoneSulfisoxazoleBambermycinsCambendazoleBethanecholBenzalkonium CompoundsPropylaminesCalcium OxalateOxalatesVitaminsPantothenic AcidVitamin DVitamin AVitamin B ComplexVitamin K 1Calcium PhosphatesMatrix Metalloproteinase InhibitorsMatrix MetalloproteinasesOximesDihydropyridinesCentchromanSulfonylurea ReceptorsReceptors, Drug
LithotripsyDrug DiscoveryDrug Evaluation, Preclinical
Psychotherapy, GroupCognitionReinforcement Schedule
Menstrual CycleAging
Potent suppression of the parathyroid glands by hydroxylated metabolites of dihydrotachysterol(2). (1/33)
BACKGROUND: Dihydrotachysterol(2), a licensed pharmaceutical, is hydroxylated to 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol(2) (25(OH)DHT(2)) and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxydihydrotachysterol(2) (1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2)) in man. We have compared the biological activity of these metabolites with calcitriol and the 'non-calcaemic' analogue, 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT) in bovine parathyroid cell cultures and in rats. METHODS: The effect of each sterol on parathyroid hormone (PTH) secreted by primary bovine parathyroid cells was measured. High-performance liquid chromotography and gas chromotography-mass spectrometry were used to investigate in vitro 25(OH)DHT(2) metabolism. Rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection or five daily injections of each sterol, and changes in ionized calcium and PTH were measured. RESULTS: In vitro, all sterols suppressed PTH significantly. Calcitriol and OCT were of similar potency, but 1 alpha, 25(OH)(2)DHT(2) and 25(OH)DHT(2) required higher concentrations to suppress PTH equally. We were unable to detect metabolism of 25(OH)DHT(2) to 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) in vitro. In rats, a single dose of 0.5 microg/rat of calcitriol increased ionized calcium at 30 and 40 h (statistically significant at 48 h). 50 microg of OCT and 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) did not cause significant hypercalcaemia at 48 h, although 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) caused hypercalcaemia at 30 h. In contrast, 50 microg of 25(OH)DHT(2) caused hypercalcaemia at 48 h but not at 30 h. Five daily doses of 0.001 microg/rat of calcitriol caused a significant rise in calcium and a 50% fall in PTH. OCT and 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) at 0.025 and 0.5 microg/rat respectively caused similar suppression of PTH but without hypercalcaemia. CONCLUSION: 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) and 25(OH)DHT(2) are potent suppressors of PTH in vitro and in vivo. 25(OH)DHT(2) may be active by virtue of its pseudo-1 alpha-hydroxyl group. Hypercalcaemia caused by a single dose of 1 alpha,25(OH)(2)DHT(2) appeared to be more transient than calcitriol. Five daily doses of 1 alpha, 25(OH)(2)DHT(2) and OCT could achieve 50% suppression of PTH without significant increments in ionized calcium. In contrast, suppression of PTH by calcitriol was associated with significant increments in ionized calcium. These data suggest that like OCT, 1 alpha, 25(OH)(2)DHT(2) can dissociate calcaemic actions from parathyroid-suppressing actions in a manner that may be therapeutically useful. (+info)
Immobilization hypercalcaemia in patients on regular haemodialysis. (2/33)
Immobilization of normal people causes reabsorption of calcium from bone, a small rise in serum ionized calcium, and, rarely, frank hypercalcaemia. The hazard is increased when patients with renal osteodystrophy are immobilized because of pathological fractures. (+info)
Hypophosphataemic osteomalacia in patients receiving haemodialysis. (3/33)
Four patients had symptomless osteomalacia at the time of starting regular haemodialysis. After 21-40 months they became hypophosphataemic and developed disabling skeletal symptoms. In each case an exacerbation of histological osteomalacia was shown. Symptoms improved after measures designed to raise serum inorganic phosphate concentrations or vitamin D administration, or both. Patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis should have their serum phosphate and alkaline phosphatase levels monitored every month. Predialysis phosphate levels below 1 mmol/1 (3 mg/100 ml) and rising serum alkaline phosphatase concentrations are danger signals. If the diagnosis is confirmed early aggressive treatment should be started. (+info)
The effect of phenylbutazone upon dihydrotachysterol overdosage in the rat. (4/33)
Experiments on albino rats showed that short-term overdosage with dihydrotachysterol, in amounts causing only traces of soft-tissue calcification, induced a very pronounced calcium deposition in the heart, aorta, and kidney when the animals were simultaneously treated with phenylbutazone. Special attention is called to the fact that, under these experimental conditions, it is possible to obtain consistently a massive calcium deposition in the stroma of the renal papilla similar to that seen in "Randall's plaques" during the development of urolithiasis in man. (+info)
EFFECT OF CHEMICAL THYMECTOMY ON SKIN HOMOGRAFTS. A PRELIMINARY REPORT. (5/33)
In an attempt to combine the results obtained by Miller (mice thymectomized at birth accepted homograft at six weeks of age) and those obtained by Selye (selective calcification of the cortex of the thymus with calciphylaxis), calcification of the thymus was produced by the combined injection of dihydrotachysterol and triamcinolone, in non-inbred Sprague-Dawley and hooded, eight-week-old rats. Six days after the beginning of treatment, full-thickness skin homografts were performed on the rats.Homografts exchanged between two rats with complete calcification of the thymus cortex were accepted for an extended period of time, which in the oldest rats at the time of writing was seven months. Homografts exchanged between rats with incomplete calcification of the thymus resulted in a prolonged homograft survival with final rejection within a period of three weeks. Homografts exchanged between rats that were not treated, surgically thymectomized at the same age as the treated animals, or treated with only one of the two substances used for thymus calcification, resulted in rejection in the average time of eight days. (+info)
Prevalence and correction of 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency in peritoneal dialysis patients. (6/33)
BACKGROUND: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are at risk for 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency due to effluent loss in addition to traditional risk factors. OBJECTIVES: To measure 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency in prevalent PD patients, to evaluate a replacement dose, and to determine the effects of correction. METHODS: 25(OH) vitamin D levels were drawn on prevalent PD patients. Patients deficientin 25(OH) vitamin D were given ergocalciferol, 50000 IU orally once per week for 4 weeks. Patients scored muscle weakness, bone pain, and fatigue on a scale of 0 (none) to 5 (severe). Serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 25(OH) vitamin D, and 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D levels were obtained before and after treatment. RESULTS: 25(OH) vitamin D levels were measured in 29 PD patients. Deficiency (<15 ng/mL) was found in 28/29 (97%); 25/29 (86%) had undetectable levels (<7 ng/mL). One course of ergocalciferol corrected the deficiency in all but 1 patient, who required a second course. Scores for muscle weakness and bone pain fell from pre- to posttreatment (p < 0.001). 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D levels rose post ergocalciferol (from 20 to 26 pg/mL, n = 20, p = 0.09). Serum calcium, phosphate, and PTH levels did not change with ergocalciferol. CONCLUSIONS: Most PD patients had marked 25(OH) vitamin D deficiency, which was readily and safely corrected with one course of 50000 IU ergocalciferol, having no effect on serum calcium, phosphorus, or PTH, but complaints of muscle weakness and bone pain decreased. A prospective, placebo-controlled double-blinded study is needed to determine whether replacement of 25(PH) vitamin D is beneficial in PD patients. (+info)
1,25(OH)(2)D(3) blocks TNF-induced monocytic tissue factor expression by inhibition of transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappaB. (7/33)
An essential coagulation factor, tissue factor (TF), is rapidly expressed by human monocytes when exposed to a variety of agonists, such as lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). We previously found that 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) and its potent synthetic analogs downregulate TF and upregulate thrombomodulin expression on monocytic cells, counteracting the effects of TNF at the level of transcription. The human TF gene has characteristic binding sequences for activator protein-1 (AP-1) (c-Jun/c-Fos), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), Sp-1, and early growth response factor-1 (Egr-1). In this study, we investigated the regulatory mechanisms by which 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) inhibits TNF-induced TF expression in human monocytic cells. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) reduced basal and TNF-induced TF activities. Gel-shift assay and luciferase assay with the respective reporter vectors showed that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) reduced basal and TNF-induced activities of the nuclear proteins AP-1 and NF-kappaB, but not Egr-1. 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) inhibited TNF-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun without affecting phosphorylation of the other pathways. On the other hand, 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) directly inhibited nuclear binding and activities of NF-kappaB in the nucleus without affecting phosphorylation of the NF-kappaB activation pathway. These results indicate that 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) suppresses basal and TNF-induced TF expression in monocytic cells by inhibition of AP-1 and NF-kappaB activation | |
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England travelled to, what was to be their home, for their first defence of the World Cup, in twelve months' time. The Mexicans fielded four members of the defence that had kept out the first-choice England attackers, and they added two more of the team as second-half substitutes, but they were unable to resist a patched-up England side that contained only three members of the Mexico City team (Ball, Moore and Peters) plus Tommy Wright, who had been a late substitute, two days earlier. It was not an official international and three uncapped players were in the side; most notably Allan Clarke, who scored twice, and their only fit goalkeeper, Peter Shilton. Alan Mullery, who had become the first player sent off for England, twelve months earlier, achieved an unwanted double, when he was dismissed again, five minutes before the end, following a scuffle with Mario Pérez.
FA Tour of New Zealand and Far East
276 4 June 1969 - Central League 2 England 3 [NK]
Palmerston North Showgrounds, Manawatu-Wanganui, North Island, New Zealand Francis, Bruce
Rioch, Hateley, Morgan AW
After nineteen FA tour games (amateur and professional) in New Zealand where none of the hosts had gotten within four goals of their opponents, England found themselves twice behind against the representative league team of the lower North Island. The visitors made only one change from two days earlier; in goal, leaving Eastham, once again, as the only former international in the side.
Seddon Park, Hamilton, Waikato, North Island, New Zealand (5,000) Eastham (3), Hateley, Weller AW
England played a New Zealand squad eleven in another unofficial international on their first visit to Hamilton. The hosts kept five players from their defeat in Wellington, five days earlier, whilst the tourists brought back Hodgkinson in goal, thus reverting back to the side that had won in Wellington.
Newmarket Park, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand (5,000) Weller (2), Hateley (3) AW
The New Zealand leg of the tour ended back in Auckland, with a game against the full-strength national team, though there were only three changes to the side that they had beaten in Hamilton, four days earlier. England were a settled side. They were unchanged and the result was the same. Jimmy Armfield replaced Rioch at half-time to make his first appearance of the tour, so they were able to field all three of their former internationals for the second half. Nine years later, an official England B squad toured New Zealand; details, of which, can be found here.
279 14 June 1969 - Singapore 0 England 9 [0-3]
Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang, Singapore (8,000) Hateley (4), Weller (2), Piper (2), Eastham AW
The squad moved on to Singapore and repeated the scoreline of their last visit, in the same stadium, eight years earlier. They were unchanged again, with Armfield, this time, replacing Weller at half-time.
280 16 June 1969 - Hong Kong 0 England 6 [0-1]
Happy Valley Sports Ground, Wan Chai District, Hong Kong(20,647) Hateley, Morgan (2), Eddy (pen), Piper (2) AW
England made one change from the game in Singapore, just two days earlier, but the player left out, Norman Piper, came on at half-time and rounded off the victory with two goals in the last five minutes. Armfield also came on at half-time, again replacing Weller. The home crowd turned hostile towards the end, lighting fires on the terraces and riot police escorted the players off the pitch (which was in the middle of a racecourse) after the final whistle.
281 20 June 1969 - Thailand 0 England 4 [0-1]
Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand (40,000) Hateley, Weller (2), Piper AW
The Football Association squad ended the tour with a first trip to Thailand. They made one change again, to bring Piper back into the side. Hateley opened the scoring with his 22nd goal in eleven matches, only failing to score in one game, and Armfield made his customary half-time appearance, for the fourth game in succession, this time at the expense of Rioch.
B International
282 20 May 1970 - Colombia 0 England 1 [0-0]
Estadio Nemesio Camacho, Bogotá (35,000) Astle AW
England's defence of the World Cup was a little under two weeks away and to help the players acclimatize to the high altitudes of Mexico City, they attempted to give as many of the squad as possible some international experience in similar conditions in nearby countries in northern parts of South America. Against Colombia, a double-header was arranged, with what was, effectively, a B international being played in the same stadium, two hours before the full international between the two countries. The players still had everything to play for, because six of them had to be sent home before the tournament began. England's outfield substitutes were the same for both games, but only two were used, and between them, they conjured up the only goal, with fifteen minutes remaining. Ralph Coates headed the ball on for Jeff Astle to score. Astle made the final squad, but Coates did not.
Football Association of Ireland Golden Jubilee Match
283 24 May 1971 - Republic of Ireland 1 England 1 [0-1]
Lansdowne Road, Dublin (8,000) Heighway
Wagstaff AD
Two days after England had beaten Scotland at Wembley to win the British Championship, the Football Association sent its touring squad to Dublin to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the FAI. The home team fielded ten of the side that was to lose, 4-1, to Austria, in a European Championship qualifier, in Dublin, six days later. England were headed for a tour of Australia and had one former international (Barry Bridges) in the side, plus a future World Cup captain, in Mick Mills.
A squad of sixteen comprised the Football Association's first tour of Australia for twenty years. It was much shorter than previous tours (nine games in five weeks). Only one full international (Barry Bridges) was in the party, but there were two future internationals (Mick Mills and Dave Watson) and a future European Cup-winning captain (Dennis Mortimer).
284 30 May 1971 - New South Wales 0 England 1 [0-1]
Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, New South Wales (19,000) Chilton AW
Chris Chilton scored in the sixteenth minute, but this match was the first indication that the standard in Australia had significantly improved since the last visit. It was the first time that an FA side had failed to score more than one goal in 56 Australian tour matches (amateur and professional). The tourists fielded an uncapped starting eleven, with one future international (Mills). Former international, Bridges came on for the last fifteen minutes.
Northern New South Wales 0 England 3 [NK]
Crystal Palace, Newcastle, New South Wales (5,000) McVitie, Eddy, Watson AW
Melbourne, Victoria NK
Keen (2), Garland AW
287 9 June 1971 - Tasmania 0 England 8 [0-4]
Hobart, Tasmania Chilton (3), Keen (2), Bridges, Garland, Piper AW
288 13 June 1971 - Australia 0 England 1 [0-0]
Sydney Sports Ground, New South Wales (16,775) Watson AW
England returned to Sydney and found the national side a tough nut to crack. Bridges was not in the side, so they were again uncapped, but the two future internationals were present; one of them (Dave Watson) scoring the only goal in the 52nd minute.
289 14 June 1971 - Queensland 0 England 6 [NK]
Brisbane, Queensland McVitie (3), Wagstaff, Eddy, Watson AW
Only 24 hours after the test match, the tourists arrived in Brisbane and found goals easy to come by.
Olympic Park, Melbourne, Victoria (12,216) Watson AW
Both sides were unchanged from the previous week's meeting, so it was, perhaps, not surprising that it had the same outcome, even down to the same goalscorer, though this time in the 31st minute.
291 23 June 1971 - South Australia 0 England 5 [NK]
Adelaide, South Australia NK AW
292 26 June 1971 - Western Australia 1 England 6 [NK]
Perry Lakes Stadium, Perth, Western Australia Harrison
NK AW
The squad completed the tour with a hundred per cent record. It was | |
said: August 16, 20175:02 pm
I go with "Hey, look!" *point behind them* "A shiny change of topic!"
If they persist, "I'm done talking about that/clearly we're not going to agree/I support [X] and that's not going to change, so let's just drop it."
Andie said: August 9, 201711:14 am
Same here, I intend to use this verbatim, someday.
"Look, a distraction!" is another of my favorites.
With pointing finger and wide eyes, I assume?
"Is that a demonic duck of some sort?"
"Hey, don't look at me, I'm on break."
sistercoyote said: August 10, 20176:47 pm
Best Friend's Husband says, "Oh, look. A baby wolf."
jaynn said: August 9, 201712:49 pm
I used to know someone who used "So how about that local sports team?" Don't know that it worked well since it wasn't an actual subject change (we didn't live somewhere with a team of note) but was a pretty clear "enough about that".
K`shandra said: August 9, 20171:38 pm
The accepted response in my circles to "how 'bout that local sports team?" is "They're awfully tall this year…" Which makes for a nice acknowledgement that the discussion has now ended and we're moving on.
drmaggiemoreau said: August 12, 20174:21 pm
My dad's roommate got caught rummaging through someone's underwear drawer and said "How 'bout them Buffalo Bills?" We use that whenever we're changing the subject.
I have asked people on occasion, "What's happening with your favorite sportsball team?"
policychick said: August 9, 20179:25 am
I'll echo the 'I'm afraid we had a falling out + SUBJECT CHANGE." If you are pressed, just reiterate, "As I said, we had a falling out." Repeat until the Awkward is clearly on Nosy Person Who is Pushing. I like the phrase 'falling out' because it's not often used these days, and it usually stops people short, so to speak.
This works equally well for your Mom.
Oh you can also add, if necessary because of the Pushing-For-A-Reason: "Oh! Well I'd rather not say." That sets a very clear conversational boundary, and if they continue, they are definitely starting to Look The Ass.
I like, "It's personal." Sure, they can push, but it will still be personal the tenth time they ask, and the hundredth, so just repeat as needed, and they'll look progressively worse.
Cyberwulf said: August 9, 201710:10 am
Another option for persistent askers is "We don't get along. Stop looking for drama." Put it back on them – they're the ones making a meal of it by pushing for Reasons instead of minding their business and accepting that sometimes adults don't like each other.
"I don't really want to get into it" sets a nice boundary as well.
Guava said: August 9, 201712:50 pm
I've also used, "I'd hate to hijack this event with a long, boring story," because then it adds a teeny bit of pressure on the person who won't quit asking to STFU and focus on the event at hand.
"It would take too long to explain and it's not that interesting" has worked for me well in the past.
Falling out is also a pretty neutral term. It doesn't cast blame on either side. It simply is. And while some fallings out (falling outs?) last for years and decades and life, others blow over pretty quickly, which gives it a sort of chronological neutrality, as well. "We had a falling out + subject change" could mean "I will never talk to this person again," or "I need some time to cool off," or anywhere in between. What it does always mean is "we're not talking to each other at this moment," and that's all they nosy person needs to know.
policychick said: August 9, 201712:36 pm
Completely agree – it's a fair and somewhat cool phrase, that could mean both a lot and a little. For anyone to push for more information puts that person in the perfectly acceptable realm of a response such as, 'Well, clearly I can't say [and it's bad form for you to ask]!"
I like old-school responses, I think it brings folks up short. For example, more than once (when I had the forethought) I had a boss say something wildly inappropriate to me (somewhat under his breath) and I said, "I BEG YOUR PARDON?" And I said it just loud enough that others perked up. So he had to either repeat his crappy sexist comment in front of others, or grumble off and make some excuse. Honestly – very satisfying!
sayevet said: August 9, 201712:21 pm
"We've grown apart" is my favourite neutral don't-ask response
Green said: August 9, 20179:26 am
For situations like this, I like playing the opposite game. It's where you respond in the opposite, in a voice that is calm and neutral in tone and with a neutral facial express/body language.
Them: You really should go talk to your uncle.
Me. Actually, I shouldn't + subject change.
Them: Your cousin is really so confused about what happened.
Me.: Well, it's all crystal clear to me. Sorry she still doens't get it + subject change.
Them: He didn't really intend to be so hurtful.
Me.: Well, I really do intend to have no more contact with him + subject change.
Put that on repeat and ideally they get the message that whatever reasons/rationale they have, you will continue to maintain the exact opposite.
CarpeFelis said: August 10, 201710:45 am
"He really didn't intend to be so hurtful"… this sort of statement really bugs me. How the hell do they know what was intended?
My MIL is in the habit of saying "well, I'm sure they didn't MEAN ". My best guess is she feels obligated to defend the person who isn't present to tell their side of the story. Even if it was downright egregious – like when another older female relative once asked my pregnant daughter if she was a garbage can(!!) when she had a second helping of something at dinner.
It comes off as taking that person's side and more than a bit holier-than-thou, not-so-subtly putting down the hurt and/or offended person right in front of her for saying anything about it.
That was supposed to be "they didn't MEAN (whatever crappy thing they said or did)". Shouldn't have used angle brackets the first time around.
Huh, so the WordPress comment system eats faux HTML tags; I suppose you could try < and > instead (and then it occurred to me that if it DOES parse those as HTML, they will just show up as the symbols themselves, so I had also better say: <; and >;).
Or maybe the named character entity is nonstandard – I'll try again: < and >
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Intent is not a "get out of jail free" card.
ooooh, I hate that too. Depending on my mood, my answer is some version of "I don't care what they meant; I care about what they *did/said* and what they did stank."
And if it's the noxious "meant well," there's always the pavement of a very special road.
--E said: August 9, 201710:06 am
Please also consider that if these folks are awful enough for you to cut them out of your life, they are probably also awful to other family members who may secretly agree with you. If you stick to your principles, you may someday find you are not alone.
I was the first person to cease contact with a particular aunt, and one by one she alienated all her other nieces and nephews. People who do this sort of thing rarely do it to just one person. You're doing a good job taking care of yourself. You're also doing a good job setting an example for others. (Not that "setting an example" should be the reason you do it. But perhaps that thought can help bolster you.)
they are probably also awful to other family members
I am 203498% in agreement here. Example: In my case, Sibling | |
and behaviour of non-maturity deposits, and frequency with which interest rate risk in the Non-Trading BookG is measured, in addition to the general disclosures set out in PIB chapter 9 in respect of interest rate risk in the Non-Trading BookG .
Quantitative Disclosures (b) The changes in earnings or economic value (or relevant measure used by the Authorised FirmG ) for upward and downward rate shocks according to the internal method of the Authorised FirmG for measuring interest rate risk in the Non-Trading BookG , broken down by currency, where applicable.
(a) Governance and organisation of Liquidity RiskG management.
(b) Risk tolerance and strategy in relation to Liquidity RiskG management.
(c) Scope and nature of Liquidity RiskG reporting and measurement systems.
(d) The techniques used for mitigating Liquidity RiskG and the process of monitoring the effectiveness of the mitigants in place.
(e) Overview of how stress testing is used.
(f) Outline of the Contingency Funding PlanG .
(g) A declaration approved by the governing body on the adequacy of Liquidity RiskG management arrangements in place with regard to the firm's profile and strategy.
(viii) other inflows and outflows in the LCR calculation that are not captured in the LCR common template but which the firm considers to be relevant for its liquidity profile.
The following Guidance is intended to assist firms to complete the above table.
The figures to be presented are averages of the daily observations of individual line items over the financial reporting period (i.e. the average of components and the average LCR over the most recent three months of daily positions, irrespective of the financial reporting schedule). The averages are calculated after the application of any haircuts, inflow and outflow rates and caps, where applicable.
Unweighted figures of HQLA are calculated at market value. Weighted figures of HQLA are calculated after the application of the respective haircuts but before the application of any caps on Level 2B and Level 2 assets.
Unweighted inflows and outflows are calculated as outstanding balances. Weighted inflows and outflows are calculated after the application of the inflow and outflow rates. In completing the LCR disclosure table, Authorised Firms should follow the instructions below. The numbers in the instructions correspond to the relevant row number in the quantitative disclosure section of the table.
1. Sum of all eligible high-quality liquid assets (HQLA), as defined in PIB section A9.2 in App 9, before the application of any limits, excluding assets that do not meet the operational requirements, and including, where applicable, assets qualifying under alternative liquidity approaches.
2. Retail deposits/PSIAs and deposits/PSIAs from small business customers are the sum of stable deposits/PSIAs, less stable deposits/PSIAs and any other funding sourced from (i) natural persons and/or (ii) small business customers (as defined by paragraph 231 of the Basel II framework).
3. Stable deposits/PSIAs include deposits/PSIAs placed with a bank by a natural person and unsecured wholesale funding provided by small business customers, defined as "stable" in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9.
4. Less stable deposits/PSIAs include deposits/PSIAs placed with a bank by a natural person and unsecured wholesale funding provided by small business customers, not defined as "stable" in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9.
5. Unsecured wholesale funding is defined as those liabilities and general obligations from customers other than natural persons and small business customers that are not collateralised.
6. Operational deposits or accounts include deposits/PSIAs from bank clients with a substantive dependency on the bank where deposits/PSIAs are required for certain activities (i.e. clearing, custody or cash management activities). Deposits in institutional networks of cooperative banks include deposits of member institutions with the central institution or specialised central service providers.
7. Non-operational deposits/PSIAs are all other unsecured wholesale deposits or PSIAs, both insured and uninsured.
8. Unsecured debt includes all notes, bonds and other debt securities issued by the bank, regardless of the holder, unless the bond is sold exclusively in the retail market and held in retail accounts.
9. Secured wholesale funding is defined as all collateralised liabilities and general obligations.
10. Additional requirements include other off-balance sheet liabilities or obligations.
11. Outflows related to derivative exposures and other collateral requirements include expected contractual derivatives cash flows on a net basis. These outflows also include increased liquidity needs related to: downgrade triggers embedded in financing transactions, derivative and other contracts; the potential for valuation changes on posted collateral securing derivatives and other transactions; excess non-segregated collateral held at the bank that could contractually be called at any time; contractually required collateral on transactions for which the counterparty has not yet demanded that the collateral be posted; contracts that allow collateral substitution to non-HQLA assets; and market valuation changes on derivatives or other transactions.
12. Outflows related to loss of funding on secured debt products include loss of funding on: asset-backed securities, covered bonds and other structured financing instruments; and asset-backed commercial paper, conduits, securities investment vehicles and other such financing facilities.
13. Credit and liquidity facilities include drawdowns on committed (contractually irrevocable) or conditionally revocable credit and liquidity facilities. The currently undrawn portion of these facilities is calculated net of any eligible HQLA if the HQLA: (a) have already been posted as collateral to secure the facilities; or (b) are contractually obliged to be posted when the counterparty draws down the facility.
14. Other contractual funding obligations include contractual obligations to extend funds within a 30-day period and other contractual cash outflows not previously captured under PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9.
15. Other contingent funding obligations, as defined in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9.
16. Total cash outflows: sum of rows 2–15.
17. Secured lending includes all maturing reverse repurchase and securities borrowing agreements.
18. Inflows from fully performing exposures include both secured and unsecured loans or other payments that are fully performing and contractually due within 30 calendar days from retail and small business customers, other wholesale customers, operational deposits and deposits held at the centralised institution in a cooperative banking network.
19. Other cash inflows include derivatives cash inflows and other contractual cash inflows.
20. Total cash inflows: sum of rows 17–19.
21. Total HQLA (after the application of any cap on Level 2B and Level 2 assets).
22. Total net cash outflows (after the application of any cap on cash inflows).
23. Liquidity Coverage Ratio (after the application of any cap on Level 2B and Level 2 assets and caps on cash inflows).
21 With a risk weight of less than or equal to 50% under PIB section 4.12.
23 With a risk weight of less than or equal to 50% under PIB section 4.12.
24 Securities that are not in default and do not qualify as HQLA, including exchange-traded equities.
25 Assets with matching interdependent liabilities.
27 Physical traded commodities, including gold.
28 Assets posted as initial margin for derivative contracts/Shari'a compliant hedging contracts and contributions to default funds of CCPs.
30 NSFRG derivative liabilities before deduction of variation margin posted.
Data must be presented as quarter-end observations.
Both unweighted and weighted values of the NSFRG components must be disclosed unless otherwise indicated. Weighted values are calculated as the values after ASF or RSF Factors are applied.
In completing the NSFRG disclosure table, Authorised FirmsG should follow the instructions below. The numbers in the instructions correspond to the relevant row numbers in the quantitative disclosures section of the table.
1. Capital is the sum of rows 2 and 3.
2. Regulatory capital before the application of capital deductions.
3. Total amount of any capital instruments not included in row 2.
4. Retail deposits/PSIAs and deposits from small business customers, as defined in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9.
5. Stable deposits/PSIAs comprise "stable" (as defined in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9) non-maturity (demand) deposits/PSIAs and/or term deposits/PSIAs provided by retail and small business customers.
6. Less stable deposits/PSIAs comprise "less stable" (as defined in PIB Rule A9.2.15 in App 9) non-maturity (demand) deposits/PSIAs and/or term deposits/PSIAs provided by retail and small business customers.
7. Wholesale funding | |
Jason Momoa's booming career took a toll on marriage with Lisa Bonet
Home/Travel/The 25 'most picture-perfect hotels in the world' in the 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards
The 25 'most picture-perfect hotels in the world' in the 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards
DUK Editor Team Send an email May 18, 2021
It doesn't get much more insta-worthy than this.
These are the 25 most photogenic hotels in the world, ranked in order of gorgeousness in the 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.
If your wanderlust has been dormant, these are the properties that'll stir it up – guaranteed.
There are boutique bedrooms in rocky caves, infinitely beautiful infinity pools, views of volcanic landscapes and a hotel located by an Arctic wilderness lake. And more.
Tripadvisor says the 'picture-perfect hotel' winners were determined with an algorithm analysing properties with a rating of at least 4.5 bubbles and the greatest volume of highly-rated photos and photo upvotes.
Scroll down for an eyebrow-raising gaze at photographs of all 25 hotels in the ranking, presented here in reverse order. We think you'll probably agree that the Tripadvisor beauty-o-meter computations have been pretty accurate…
25. PALUMBOREEF REEF BEACH RESORT, ZANZIBAR: This stunning beach resort has over 900 excellent reviews on Tripadvisor and is described as offering 'a romantic setting with an array of amenities'. Guest Malin H writes: 'This place was amazing! The outdoor area was lovely, a lot of blossoms, palm trees and flower bushes surround the organically-shaped swimming pool'
24. VERANDA HIGH RESORT CHIANG MAI MGALLERY, THAILAND: According to its website, Veranda High Resort MGallery is a '71-room boutique resort which subtly reveals itself to guests as always being an oasis of calm'. One guest who stayed at the hotel, which is nestled in forested hills, writes on Tripadvisor: 'Seeing the sunset over the mountains from the edge of the infinity pool was well worth the stay'
23. HERITANCE KANDALAMA, SRI LANKA: This eco-friendly hotel blends into the mountainside and stretches for one kilometre, overlooking the rock fortress of Sigiriya. Tripadvisor user Sachith2000, who stayed at the hotel earlier this year, says: 'It's like staying in the jungle but with all luxuries'
22. MARINA BAY SANDS, SINGAPORE: Located on Singapore's Marina Bay waterfront, the Marina Bay Sands consists of three cascading towers, 2,560 rooms and the world's longest elevated infinity pool. Tripadvisor says: 'If the world didn't know about this epic hotel before, it sure does now having appeared in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel Crazy Rich Asians'
21. THE OUTPOST HOTEL SENTOSA BY FAR EAST HOSPITALITY, SINGAPORE: Tripadvisor describes this 173-room hotel as being a 'trendy getaway for adults' and 'exclusive and private with keen attention to details'. It adds that the hotel has a 'stylish design inside' and a 'lavish infinity pool with stunning views of Singapore outside'
20. DANA VILLAS & INFINITY SUITES, SANTORINI, GREECE: 'A scene straight out of a movie' is how Tripadvisor describes this hotel. It is set along a cliff and has 'whitewashed traditional cave spaces and corridors boasting majestic Santorini views.' One reviewer says: 'Must say that rooms are well-appointed and have one of the best possible views. It's like heaven on earth'
19. SERRAMBI RESORT, BRAZIL: This resort, which consists of 156 apartments, is located just yards from Praia de Serrambi beach and has 1,444 excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. One, by Roberto T, says: 'If you like tranquillity, beauty and nice walks on the beach, this is a place to go'
18. WILDERNESS RESORT INARI, FINLAND: Not one for sand and sun? Wilderness Hotel Inari is located by the beautiful Arctic Lake Inari, 'offering breathtaking views and is an ideal location for aurora viewing', says Tripadvisor. Accommodation at the resort consists of hotel rooms and cabins and there is also a Lappish-themed restaurant
17. THE MAKADI SPA HOTEL, EGYPT: Described as 'an oasis of peace, relaxation and tranquillity', the Makadi Spa Hotel is one of the Red Sea's largest custom-built wellness resorts. It has over 2,000 excellent reviews on Tripadvisor, including one that says: 'The Makadi Spa is a little piece of heaven'
16. W KOH SAMUI, THAILAND: Located on a golden sandy beach, the W Koh Samui has 74 luxury villas each with its own private outdoor pool. It has over 1,000 excellent Tripadvisor reviews and the site suggests: 'After watching the island's most idyllic sunset on its pristine beach, head to Samui's most scenic playground – the Woobar – for a floating cocktail and gorgeous views'
15. HAVEN RIVIERA CANCUN, MEXICO: This adults-only, all-inclusive resort boasts 333 suites as well as three swimming pools, two-swim up bars, five restaurants and a spa, pictured. One satisfied guest on Tripadvisor says: 'From arrival to departure this resort was amazing! Rooms, food, decor and employees were all spot on!'
14. HARD ROCK HOTEL LOS CABOS, MEXICO: Nestled on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, the Hard Rock in Los Cabos 'offers the perfect mix of rhythm and relaxation with the views to back it up', says Tripadvisor. It adds: 'If the picturesque beach isn't enough, one of the five pools is sure to dazzle your eye'
13. MAKANDA BY THE SEA, COSTA RICA: This adults-only resort is perched 300ft above the sea and offers accommodation in both studios and villas, some of which have private pools, pictured. It has 880 excellent reviews on Tripadvisor including one that describes it as 'heaven on earth'
12. GRAND HOTEL TREMEZZO, ITALY: This grand hotel dates back 100 years and describes itself as an 'iconic Art Nouveau masterpiece sitting on the western shores of Lake Como'. It has three pools, a private beach and a private park. One reviewer, CS, writes on Tripadvisor: 'The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is an absolutely fantastic and enchanting place'
11. TAM COC GARDEN BOUTIQUE RESORT, VIETNAM: Nestled among rice fields, Tam Coc Garden Boutique Resort is made up of eight bungalows. All the bungalows have a private terrace with views of the fields, garden or limestone peaks. One reviewer, who stayed at the resort earlier this year, says: 'This resort is more like a retreat, a total oasis that lets you escape from Vietnam's craziness in the middle of the most incredible landscapes'
10. FAIRMONT BAB AL BAHR, ABU DHABI: 'With its striking, contemporary design, this beachfront hotel offers the highest level of comfort and elegance throughout its 369 rooms and suites,' says Tripadvisor. It boasts an Olympic-size swimming pool, a private sandy beach and eight eateries. It has over 4,200 excellent reviews including one that says: 'Beautiful setting with a pool leading on to a private beach'
9. YOU AND ME BY COCOON MALDIVES: An adult's-only island resort, You and Me By Cocoon Maldives has 99 overwater villas as well as 10 that are set on the beach. It also boasts a fully submerged underwater restaurant called H2O with one guest describing their dining experience there as 'mindblowing'. Tripadvisor says: 'It doesn't take much to make the Maldives picture-perfect but throw a hotel with an underwater restaurant into the mix and it's taken to a whole new level'
8. BALADIN ZANZIBAR BEACH HOTEL, TANZANIA: This boutique hotel offers just eight air-conditioned bungalows as well as four suites. The hotel's website says it is surrounded by 'turquoise tropical waters, palm trees and a white sandy shoreline'. One Tripadvisor review says: 'Baladin hotel felt like staying at a little piece of paradise on Earth'
7. CAVAS WINE LODGE, ARGENTINA: 'Stunning inside and out' is how Tripadvisor describes the Cavas Wine Lodge in Mendoza, Argentina. The lodge is an 18-room boutique property that is set in a 55-acre vineyard. One reviewer says: 'The views up to the Andes across the vines are amazing. We could have gazed at those mountains bathed in morning sun for hours'
6. WAPA DI UME SIDEMEN, BALI: This stunning five-star resort is set among Balinese rice fields and | |
Those who have heard it have been saying it is one of our best yet.
rock, a little country and unforgettable guitar riffs.
Expect a new album to be out before the year ends as well!
This entry was posted in indie, Music, new music, new single and tagged A.V.A. Live Radio, Barley Station, country, country pop, country rock, I've Got News, Missouri, new release, new single on August 19, 2015 by Randy Wayne Belt.
It's a peculiar story of how trash becomes treasure. A story of how album art was made from the changing landscape of an American city.
It isn't anything spectacular or mind blowing like the Eiffel Tower or the St. Louis Arch you're thinking of, just a piece of your childhood memories perhaps. Or maybe simply a scene you drove by and it is all changed. You marvel at how one place can look so different years later. Oh, to have gotten that last picture!
For many locals in a section of St. Charles, MO right near Lindenwood University, and close to the old Lewis and Clark trail of which we all learned in history, there was a permanent change of scenery that may have them wishing for a piece of that history. When land owned by the University was sold to allow the building of a supermarket, the result was the destruction of the old homes that rested in their aged place there on that historic land. The homes people lived in are gone and in their place – a grocery store. But in between those two – came art!
Though the images of history before the homes were destroyed are not available to me, a fascinating artistic scene lived a brief life, speaking its message of desolation, of loss, and of art itself or perhaps a symbol of a doorway to what is new, depending on your artistic perspective. For what must have been a personal disaster for those who lived in the homes that were tore down, something strangely beautiful showing that from what was old to what is new, sometimes there's that little in-between that doesn't last very long but gives a glimpse of art, a gleam of glory, in its own fascinating way.
This interim scene between demolition and construction, was captured and is memorialized in the form of music album art. I don't know who took it upon themselves to create the artistic scene that they did with the broken pieces of homes, and memories of the lives of some, but there it was – in it's own artistic showcase – Doorhenge!
As the homes were being demolished, someone took the pieces and used them to make an artistic statement. Or maybe they were just being silly or trying to be funny, who knows? But the final result ended up being art no matter how you look at it. And that art became forever memorialized as the artwork for the entire album package of an album known as Damaged Goods by Barley Station, a band on its own Independent Label – Barleyfields Records, with one member who lived a mere two blocks from the scene of what is known amongst us insiders now as "Doorhenge".
For a band whose sound is often defined as earthy, organic, and rustic beneath it but with a view towards tomorrow, this became the perfect album art. The symbolism of doors that lead to the future and open to the past were perfect. If you hear the music, you'll understand why this artistic concept worked so well for the album. The scene brings to life the albums concept of the lyrics, "We are all damaged goods, uh huh".
As the album begins, you hear the sounds of broken glass, junk, and other imperfections. And then the album takes many twists and turns.
We wanted an album cover that reflected the theme of the album, naturally, being this is a semi-concept album. So we spent a couple of weeks working out a really nice album cover collage of various pieces of damaged goods – old things, rusty stuff, pieces of junk and so on. Brian Kious, one of the two vocalists/and guitarist of the double fronted band, put together most of it, sent it to Randy Wayne Belt (the other of the two vocalists/ and its bassist) for final edit, who shared it with then drummer Nil De Silva for his approval. We all liked it a lot.
A lot of work went into it! But then… on one partly cloudy day, Brian was driving past his old neighborhood in St. Charles, MO where he grew up only to discover it was being torn down and utterly leveled to the ground to make room for a huge strip mall, or some type of shopping center, or grocery chain store.
What was once his old neighborhood was reduced to piles of rubble and all the homes were torn down. There were piles of debris, tractors, bulldozers, and torn up trees. He came upon one area where someone had arranged the doors, presumably from the houses that once stood there, into a Stonehenge like display.
Always one to have an eye for art and things that seem to scream ART by their very existence, he snapped a picture of it with his ipod and sent it to Randy suggesting it might be a good idea for the back cover of the album that we had just finished recording.
Randy agreed it was good. Really good! In fact, so good it should be the cover. Now after spending so long working on what was going to be the cover, it takes a good bit of humility to accept the fact that you've just taken a snapshot of something that you didn't even work that hard to get and it just surpassed all the hard work you put into what you thought was going to be the album cover for a really great album.
(I'm sure all of you artists out there know what I mean) Just that stroke of pure chance at the right moment and you have exactly what you were looking for. After a flurry of texting back and forth, we all knew, that this was going to be the album cover. It just demanded to be. We don't know who set up the doors, but whoever it was just gave us a fantastic album cover!
Now the picture Brian took wasn't going to work because the resolution and quality was not high enough to convert into artwork without ruining the shot. And, someone was tearing down the doors!! We had very little time to act. With a high resolution digital camera, we needed to go back… fast!
"The sun had to be right in the sky and we needed a day without rain to cause problems. On a day shortly thereafter, I decided it was THE DAY to get the shot. Being a photographer as a hobby (and used to have my own black and white darkroom) I decided the day was right and announced to my family, "we're going on a little trip today to see "DOORHENGE". I didn't use my Chevy Chase voice and we certainly don't resemble the Griswolds, but it was almost as exciting as traveling to the UK to see the real Stone Henge! This was better than going to the art museum, or the structure park it seemed.
"When we got there it was the most surreal scene. We were really in awe. And when a little kid is in awe of it, it's really special. It was a strange awesomeness because it was accompanied by a certain sadness for the neighborhood that disappeared and for the people who lost their homes (to whom we dedicated the album).
It sometimes puzzles | |
\section{Introduction}\label{introduccion}
In commutative algebra, a ring $B$ is called {\em Armendariz} (the term was introduced by Rege and Chhawchharia in \cite{RegeChhawchharia1997}), if whenever polynomials $f(x)=a_0+a_1x+\dotsb + a_nx^n$, $g(x)=b_0+b_1x+\dotsb + b_mx^m\in B[x]$ such that $f(x)g(x)=0$, then $a_ib_j=0$, for every $i,j$. The interest of this notion lies in its natural and its useful role in understanding the relation between the annihilators of the ring $B$ and the annihilators of the polynomial ring $B[x]$. As a matter of fact, in \cite{Armendariz1974}, Lemma 1, Armendariz showed that a reduced ring (a ring has no nonzero nilpotent elements) always satisfies this condition. It is well known that reduced rings are abelian (i.e., every idempotent is central). Now, following \cite{LiuZhao2006}, a ring $B$ is called {\em weak Armendariz}, if whenever two polynomials $p(x)=\sum_{i=0}^{s} a_ix^{i}$ and $q(x)=\sum_{j=0}^{t} b_jx^{j}$ of the polynomial ring $B[x]$ satisfy $pq=0$, then $a_ib_j$ is a nilpotent element of $B$, for each $i, j$. \\
In the context of Ore extensions introduced by Ore in \cite{Ore1933}, for $\alpha$ an endomorphism of a ring $B$, Hong et al. \cite{HongKimKwak2003} called $B$ an $\alpha$-{\em skew Armendariz ring}, if for two elements $p=\sum_{i=0}^{s} a_ix^{i},\ q=\sum_{j=0}^{t} b_jx^{j}$ of the Ore extension of endomorphism type $B[x;\alpha]$, $pq = 0 \Rightarrow a_i\sigma^{i}(b_j)=0$, for every $i, j$. As a generalization of the $\alpha$-skew Armendariz rings, Ouyang \cite{Ouyang2008} defined the {\em weak} $\alpha$-{\em skew Armendariz rings} in the following way: a ring $B$ is said to be {\em weak} $\alpha$-{\em skew Armendariz rings}, if whenever two polynomials $p=\sum_{i=0}^{s} a_ix^{i},\ q=\sum_{j=0}^{t} b_jx^{j}$ of $B[x;\alpha]$, $pq=0 \Rightarrow a_i\sigma^{i}(b_j)$ is a nilpotent element of $B$, for all $i, j$. It is clear that weak $\alpha$-skew Armendariz rings are more general than weak Armendariz rings and $\alpha$-skew Armendariz rings.\\
On the other hand, following Krempa \cite{Krempa1996}, an endomorphism $\alpha$ of a ring $B$ is called {\em rigid}, if $a\alpha(a)=0\Rightarrow a=0$, for $a\in B$. $B$ is called $\alpha$-rigid, if there exists a rigid endomorphism $\alpha$ of $B$. It is known that any rigid endomorphism of a ring is injective and $\alpha$-rigid rings are reduced (see Hong et al \cite{HongKimKwak2000}). Several properties of $\alpha$-rigid rings have been established in the literature (c.f. \cite{Krempa1996}, \cite{HongKimKwak2000}, and see \cite{Reyes2015} for detailed references). With this definition in mind, Ouyang \cite{Ouyang2008} defined {\em weak} $\alpha$-{\em rigid rings} which are a generalization of $\alpha$-rigid rings. More precisely, if $\alpha$ is en endomorphism of a ring $B$, $B$ is said to be {\em weak} $\alpha$-{\em rigid}, if $a\alpha(a)\in {\rm nil}(R) \Leftrightarrow a\in {\rm nil}(B)$, where ${\rm nil}(B)$ is the set of nilpotent elements of $B$. Ouyang \cite{Ouyang2008}, Proposition 2.2, showed that $B$ is $\alpha$-rigid if and only if $B$ is weak $\alpha$-rigid and reduced. In this way, weak $\alpha$-rigid rings are a generalization of $\alpha$-rigid rings deleting the condition to be reduced.\\
With the aim of extending the above two notions introduced by Ouyang in \cite{Ouyang2008} to a more general setting than Ore extensions, in this paper we focus on the kind of noncommutative rings known in the literature as skew Poincar\'e-Birkhoff-Witt extensions (briefly, skew PBW extensions). These objects were introduced by Gallego and Lezama in \cite{LezamaGallego2011} and contain strictly Ore extensions of injective type (i.e., when $\sigma$ is an injective endomorphism of $R$; see Example \ref{mentioned} for different noncommutative rings which are skew PBW extensions but they can not be expressed as Ore extensions). As a matter of fact, skew PBW extensions generalize several families of noncommutative rings defined in the literature, and include as particular rings different examples of remarkable algebras appearing in mathematical physics, representation theory, Hopf algebras, quantum groups, Lie algebras, and others. Briefly, next we mention some of these families of algebras (see \cite{Reyes2013PhD} and \cite{LezamaReyes2014} for a detailed reference of every one of these families): (i) universal enveloping algebras of finite dimensional Lie algebras; (ii) PBW extensions introduced by Bell and Goodearl; (iii) almost normalizing extensions defined by McConnell and Robson; (iv) sol\-va\-ble polynomial rings introduced by Kandri-Rody and Weispfenning; (v) diffusion algebras studied by Isaev, Pyatov, and Rittenberg; (vi) 3-dimensional skew polynomial algebras introduced by Bell and Smith; (vii) the regular graded algebras studied by Kirkman, Kuzmanovich, and Zhang; (viii) different algebras with PBW bases of polynomial type. The greatest difference of skew PBW extensions with respect all these algebras is that the coefficients do not necessarily commute with the variables, and these coefficients are not necessarily elements of fields (see Definition \ref {gpbwextension} below). Due to this fact, the skew PBW extensions contain well-known groups of algebras such as some types of $G$-algebras studied by Levandovskyy and some PBW algebras defined by Bueso et. al., (both $G$-algebras and PBW algebras take coefficients in fields and assume that coefficientes commute with variables), Auslander-Gorenstein rings, some Calabi-Yau and skew Calabi-Yau algebras, some Artin-Schelter regular algebras, some Koszul algebras, quantum polynomials, some quantum universal enveloping algebras (see \cite{LezamaReyes2014}, \cite{ReyesSuarez2017FEJM}, \cite{ReyesSuarezMomento2017}, \cite{SuarezLezamaReyes2017}, \cite{SuarezReyes2017JP} and \cite{SuarezReyes2017FJMS} for a considerable list of examples of all these algebras). As we see, skew PBW extensions include a lot of noncommutative rings, which means that a theory extending the two notions above for these extensions will establish general results for a lot of noncommutative rings much more general than Ore extensions, and hence we contribute to the study of properties of noncommutative algebras. Precisely, this kind of thinking has been presented a few years ago in several works (c.f. \cite{ReyesSuarezClifford2017}, \cite{ReyesSuarezskewCY2017}, \cite{ReyesSuarezUMA2018} and \cite{ReyesSuarezYesica2018}).\\
The paper is organized as follows: In Section \ref{definitionexamplesspbw} we establish some useful results about skew PBW extensions for the rest of the paper. Section \ref{weakSigmarigid} contains the first concept of the paper, the {\em weak} $\Sigma$-{\em rigid rings} (Definition \ref{weaksigmarigidring}). These rings are a generalization of weak $\alpha$-rigid rings introduced by Ouyang \cite{Ouyang2008} and $\Sigma$-rigid rings defined by the first author in \cite{Reyes2015}. However, as we will see in Theorem \ref{2008Proposition2.2}, weak $\Sigma$-rigid rings and $\Sigma$-rigid rings coincide when the ring is assumed to be reduced. Different results of \ref{weakSigmarigid} are presented in this section. In Section \ref{weakSigmaskewArmendariz} we present the second concept of this paper, the {\em weak} $\Sigma$-{\em skew Armendariz rings} (Definition \ref{weakSigmaskewArmendariz}) which are a generalization of weak $\alpha$-skew Armendariz rings defined by Ouyang \cite{Ouyang2008} and $\Sigma$-skew Armendariz rings introduced by the first author in \cite{ReyesSuarez2016UIS}. We prove that when $R$ is a NI ring (a ring $B$ is called NI ring, if the set ${\rm nil}(B)$ of nilpotent elements of $B$ forms an ideal of $B$), if $R$ is weak $\Sigma$-rigid ring, then $R$ is a weak $\Sigma$-skew Armendariz ring (Theorem \ref{2008Theorem3.3}). We present an example which illustrates the importance of the condition NI (if we do not assume this fact, then there exist examples of rings which are weak $\Sigma$-rigid but not weak $\Sigma$-skew Armendariz, see Remark \ref{2008Example3.4}). Finally, Section \ref{futurework} presents some ideas for a future work concerning the objects introduced in this article.\\
Throughout the paper, the word ring means a ring (not necessarily commutative) with unity. $\mathbb{C}$ will denote the field of complex numbers.
\section{Skew PBW extensions}\label{definitionexamplesspbw}
In this section we establish some useful results about skew PBW extensions for the rest of the paper.
\begin{definition}[\cite{LezamaGallego2011}, Definition 1]\label{gpbwextension}
Let $R$ and $A$ be rings. We say that $A$ is a {\em skew PBW extension over} $R$, which is denoted by $A:=\sigma(R)\langle
x_1,\dots,x_n\rangle$, if the following conditions hold:
\begin{enumerate}
\item[\rm (i)]$R\subseteq A$;
\item[\rm (ii)]there exist elements $x_1,\dots ,x_n\in A$ such that $A$ is a left free $R$-module, with basis ${\rm Mon}(A):= \{x^{\alpha}=x_1^{\alpha_1}\cdots
x_n^{\alpha_n}\mid \alpha=(\alpha_1,\dots ,\alpha_n)\in
\mathbb{N}^n\}$, and $x_1^{0}\dotsb x_n^{0}:=1\in {\rm Mon}(A)$.
\item[\rm (iii)]For each $1\leq i\leq n$ and any $r\in R\ \backslash\ \{0\}$, there exists an element $c_{i,r}\in R\ \backslash\ \{0\}$ such that $x_ir-c_{i,r}x_i\in R$.
\item[\rm (iv)]For any elements $1\leq i,j\leq n$, there exists $c_{i,j}\in R\ \backslash\ \{0\}$ such that $x_jx_i-c_{i,j}x_ix_j\in R+Rx_1+\cdots +Rx_n$.
\end{enumerate}
\end{definition}
\begin{proposition}[\cite{LezamaGallego2011}, Proposition
3]\label{sigmadefinition}
Let $A$ be a skew PBW extension over $R$. For each $1\leq i\leq
n$, there exist an injective endomorphism | |
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Home › Bilateral › India and Commonwealth
1. India is the largest member state of the Commonwealth, with nearly 60% of the total population of the association. It is the fourth largest contributor to the Commonwealth budgets and programmes. It provides the largest number of technical experts engaged by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation extending assistance to developing Commonwealth countries after the UK.
2. Commonwealth is an association which puts premium on democracy and good governance, where India has so much to share with others. It provides a platform to interact and build consensus with a very diverse group of countries, including G-8 countries like the UK and Canada, key developing countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Malaysia, and plethora of Small Sates.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
3. Hon'ble Vice President led the Indian delegation to the CHOGM held in Perth, (Australia) from 28-30 October, 2011. The theme for CHOGM 2011 was 'building national resilience, building global resilience'. At the end of CHOGM, leaders adopted a communiqué as well as the Perth declaration on food security principles. Mandate was given to the 2nd term of the Commonwealth Secretary General Mr Kamlesh Sharma.
The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation
4. The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC) is the principal means by which the Commonwealth delivers development assistance to member countries.
5. India provides a comparatively large number of long-term experts to various CFTC programmes, which is the largest proportion of CFTC experts provided by any developing country in the Commonwealth. The contribution made by Indian experts in various fields is greatly appreciated by the beneficiary states and provides an excellent example of South-South cooperation.
Commonwealth Foundation
6. The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation, resourced by and reporting to Commonwealth governments. Founded in 1965, its mandate is to strengthen civil society and enhance its contribution in the Commonwealth. It is guided by Commonwealth values and priorities. India is a member of the Executive and Grants Committees of the Commonwealth Foundation. The Foundation works closely with several voluntary organisations in India.
7. The Foundation organises the Commonwealth People's Forum (CPF) on the sidelines of CHOGM to provide opportunities for networking and interaction among civil society organizations in the host country and in the Commonwealth, and to showcase the work and contribution of these organizations to the fundamental principles and values of the Commonwealth.
8. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress Party and Chair of the United Progressive Alliance addressed the 14th Commonwealth Foundation Lecture in London on 17th March 2011 and urged Commonwealth to spearhead inclusion of women in global climate change debate.
The Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP)
9. The Commonwealth is the only intergovernmental organisation to have a dedicated youth programme. The guiding principle of The CYP is that young people possess the drive, ability, and potential to help both themselves and their communities. Through its London headquarters and regional centres in Australia, Guyana, India and Zambia, it strengthens National Youth Ministries, provides training to youth development workers, and helps young people to receive education and training and start and run their own businesses.
10. India is the third largest contributor to the budget of the CYP. India accounts for the two-third of the Commonwealth youth population in Asia which totals 600 million. The regional centres in Chandigarh known as 'Centre of Excellence'. Many of the CYP pilot projects are initiated in India. Through partnerships with the private sector, a Technology Empowerment Centre in India has been established, which offers affordable courses in programming and e-commerce.
11. The Chandigarh Centre responds to youth development for 8 countries of the Commonwealth. These 8 countries together have a total population of 1.4 billion people. Approximately one-third of the budget of the Asian office in Chandigarh is utilised in India, while the remaining is equitably distributed between other member countries.
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
12. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) links members of national and state parliaments across the Commonwealth encompassing approximately 175 national and state or provincial parliaments. The CPA aims to provide a forum for discussion on matters of common parliamentary interest, to disseminate information on parliamentary institutions and spread knowledge on constitutional, legislative; economic, social and cultural issues.
13. The 53rd CPA Conference was held in New Delhi in September 2007. India has, in the past, hosted annual CPA conferences in 1957, 1975 and 1991.
14. India hosted the Conference of Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers on 4-7 January 2010 in New Delhi. Smt. Meira Kumar, Speaker of Lok Sabha, who is an Acting Regional Representative from CPA India Union, was nominated as delegate to General Assembly for the period 2009-12 during the CPA conference in Arusha, Tanzania. The 57th CPA Conference was held from 21-28 July 2011 in London. Smt. Meira Kumar presided over the conference.
15. India hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in New Delhi. The 19th Commonwealth Games opened from 3-14 October 2010, and 71 countries participated in the games
Commonwealth of Learning
16. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is an inter-governmental organisation (with headquarters in Vancouver, Canada) created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL is helping developing nations improve access to quality education and training.
17. Through COL, Indian expertise has been utilised in building distance education capacity in other parts of the region and the Commonwealth. It has had a very close working relationship, since inception, with India's Indira Gandhi National Open University and the National Institute of Open Schooling. India is one of the main contributors to the COL budget.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
18. Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) is one of the two Commonwealth associated organizations in the elected category. It works to promote and strengthen democratic local governments across the Commonwealth, and to encourage the exchange of best practice - through conferences and events.
19. Union Ministries of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Urban Development and Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation, 14 local municipalities and All-India Institute for Local Self Government are at present paid members of CLGF from India.
20. Government of India hosted the meeting of CLGF Board in New Delhi in 2002. | |
Net Income vs EBIT Differences and Similarities
By Joy Sunday Zaleng / November 29, 2022 November 29, 2022
What is net income?
What is EBIT?
Net income vs EBIT differences
Net income vs EBIT comparison chart
Net income vs EBIT calculation and examples
Net income example
EBIT example
Net income and EBIT similarities
Video: Comparison between EBIT vs Net income
Understanding the differences between EBIT vs net income is important for making informed and sound financial decisions regarding whether to invest or to make internal control decisions to better a company's operations. The comparison between these two metrics is important as it helps a business to know where the information derived from them should be applied. This is because there are drawbacks associated with using only a specific metric.
For instance, taking only EBIT cannot give stakeholders information with regard to a company's capital structure through the interest paid or the amount of taxes paid, as well as other non-operating expenses. In this article, we see what net income and EBIT connote, their differences, and their similarities.
Net Income Vs EBIT Difference and similarity.
Net income is defined as the amount of revenue that is left over after accounting for all expenses. In other words, this evaluates the total profits that an entity earns after making necessary adjustments for expenses including interests and taxes.
The major calculation of net profit is carried out by deducting the interests, taxes, depreciation of the financial assets, and other expenses that the company incurs from the total revenue (net revenue specifically) it earns during the same accounting period.
Although, many small businesses do not start calculating their profitability until investors and lenders force them to do so as keeping track of net income is one of the best ways to monitor the financial health of a business. An increasing net income is an indication that the business is on the right track. If the net income is decreasing on the other hand, then it calls for the need to cut costs.
This figure is important to lenders and investors. Here, lenders will want to make sure that a business has enough money to pay back its debts while investors will want to know the money that will be left over for a business to pay dividends, reinvest in the business, or set aside for other purposes.
In calculating net income, there is a need for most business owners to create an income statement (also called the profit and loss statement or P&L account) which is one of the three main financial statements of a business. With this, the aim of a company's income statement is to show how it arrived at its net income.
In the profit and loss statement, one takes the figure by taking the total revenue for that period which is usually the first item or top line of the statement, then subtract each expense or loss line item by line item until the net income is extracted on the very last line. For this reason, the net income is said to be the bottom line of the income statement.
Related: What Type of Account is Retained Earnings?
EBIT is an abbreviation that is used for earnings before interest and taxes. It is simply a company's net income before accounting for interest and tax expenses. This figure is used to measure a firm's operating performance with respect to its profitability before taking interest, taxes, or cost of capital into consideration. This metric also evaluates a firm's profitability.
As the name implies, this figure's calculation ignores interest and taxes. It can be calculated in two ways, that is either by deducting the operating expenses of the company from the net revenues it earned or by adding up the net income, interest, and taxes of a company. EBIT is also known as operating earnings or operating profit.
The EBIT calculation is carried out by taking a company's cost of manufacturing including raw materials and total operating expenses such as employee wages and salaries. These items are usually subtracted from revenue (net).
The first step taken in carrying out this calculation is to take the value of revenue or sales from the top of the income statement. Secondly, subtract the cost of goods sold from the revenue or net sales which will bring about the gross profit. Lastly, subtract the firm's operating expenses from the gross profit to arrive at the EBIT.
Having looked at this, the EBIT measures the profit generated by a company from its operations, for this, EBIT is also called the operating profit. By ignoring taxes and interest expenses, the earnings before interests and taxes focus solely on the company's ability to generate sufficient earnings from operations, ignoring the tax variable as well as the capital structure. This metric is useful because it helps in identifying a company's ability to generate enough earnings to be profitable, pay off debts, and fund ongoing operations.
This figure is also useful to investors who are comparing multiple companies with different tax situations. For example, if an investor is thinking of buying stock in a company, earnings before interests and taxes can help immensely in identifying the operating profit of the company without factoring taxes into the analysis. Generally, if a company receives a tax break or there was a cut in corporate taxes, there will be an increase in a company's net income/net profit. EBIT however, removes the benefits from the tax cut from the analysis. This figure is helpful when investors are making comparisons between two companies within the same industry but with different tax rates.
Another area in which the EBIT figure is helpful is in the analysis of companies that are in capital-intensive industries, that is, companies that have a significant amount of fixed assets on their balance sheets. Fixed assets include physical property, plant, and equipment, and they are typically obtained through debt financing. Examples of capital-intensive industries are companies in the oil and gas industry because it is necessary to finance their drilling equipment and oil rigs.
Because of this, capital-intensive industries incur high-interest expenses because of the large amount of debt on their balance sheets. If however, the debt is managed properly, then it is necessary for the long-term growth of companies in the industry. Companies in capital-intensive industries might have more or less debt when compared to each other and because of this, they might have more or fewer interest expenses when compared to each other. Earnings before interest and taxes, therefore, help investors in the analysis of companies operating performance and earnings potential while stripping out debt and the resultant interest expense.
Related: Loss on Income Statement
The key differences that exist between net income and earnings before interests and taxes are as follows:
One of the key differences between net income and EBIT is the area of interest and tax payments. Net income is an indicator that calculates a company's total earnings after paying interest expenses and taxes. Earnings before interest and taxes on the other hand is an indicator that calculates a company's income which is mostly operating income, before paying the interest expenses and taxes.
Net profit is used in finding the company's earnings per share (EPS) while EBIT on the other hand is a metric that is used as an indicator to determine the total profit-making capability of a firm.
The net income calculation is carried out by subtracting the overall cost of running the business from revenue. EBIT on the other hand is calculated by subtracting operating expenses from revenue or adding interests and taxes to the net income.
Net earnings make use of the whole income that a company generates and takes into account all expenses incurred by the company while the calculation takes place and can be used in making important financial decisions. With earnings before interests and taxes, it is usually | |
and said, 'It doesn't need any help.' That was very nice of him."
Yes - Talk (1994)
"I found this to be a happy experience. When Jon Anderson left to do his solo album after Big Generator, I thought, 'Great. I'm going to do a solo album, too.' I took it all in a kind of happy-go-lucky way, really. Jon was doing an Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe album, and I got a call from Clive Davis and then one from Jon. Both guys told me there was no single – did I have anything?
"I did have some songs, but I didn't know if I wanted to let them go. I sent them to Clive, and he said they were perfect. But I wasn't sure about them going to Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe. So the weird thing was, those songs became the Union album – they were the first three singles. I did them basically in my studio; Jon and Chris came in to sing on them. The album was a bit of a mish-mash.
"I didn't think that far ahead whether Talk would be my last album with Yes, but I knew I wanted to do a non-linear record. The technology wasn't really ready, so in order to have 16 tracks of non-linear digital audio, I had to do it with four McIntoshes working together. It was a bit of a technical nightmare, but I managed to do what is done now fairly easily.
"Chris was dead against me working this way. He'd say, 'Oh, God, what does this have to do with playing?' I said, 'It's not about playing. It's about playing properly and knowing it's right, and then taking what you have and working it into this new format.' Jon was totally into it. He and I worked very well together on it."
Con Air (1997)
"Simon West, the director, was a delightful guy, but very early on I realized that all the decisions were made by Jerry Bruckheimer. He called the shots. This was my second movie – the first was Glimmer Man – so I was still pretty green in many ways.
"Because I was so inexperienced, there were sort of no rules for me. My idea for was to do a kind of rock 'n' roll score with orchestra and weird sounds. Jerry was totally into that, so it wound up being quite easy. It was a lot of work, though. Actually, I'd never worked so hard in my life."
"This was my first time working with Michael Bay. Jerry Bruckheimer said to me, 'You did a great job on Con Air, so I want you for Armageddon. But it's such a big project and the budget's so huge, so I'm a little nervous.' My agent at the time, Lyn Benjamin, said to me, 'Why don't you write them a theme? Give them something they can't refuse.'
"Naively, I thought, 'All right, I'll do that.' [Laughs] Luckily, I nailed it. Jerry loved what I did, but he did say to me, 'OK, I want you to do this, but we're gonna have to work you in with some other players.' I told him, 'That theme is Snow White. The other Seven Dwarfs are working with me. You can't have one without the other.' I was being a bit bold. And he said, 'All right, that's fine. If you think you can handle it, go ahead.' So that's how I ended up getting the movie."
"Boaz Yakin, the director, was absolutely phenomenal. I was right in the middle of doing Gone In 60 Seconds. I was working in two studios – one in my home, where I do most of my work, and the other studio is in Santa Monica. Next door to me in the Santa Monica studio was the editorial room for Titans. I knew they were looking for a composer, but I was working really hard on 60 Seconds.
"Boaz came in to talk to me, and we became quite friendly. He said to me that he didn't know who he should get to do the music. I had a few ideas, some friends I knew. I got one of them to send in a demo, but Boaz didn't think it was right. Finally, he said, 'Oh, fuck it. Can't you do it?' I told him Imy situation, that I was in the middle of Gone In 60 Seconds, but after speaking to Jerry Bruckheimer, I said to Boaz, 'OK, I can do it, but you're gonna have to be patient.' It ended up with me working 24/7.
"Boaz was very different from Simon West. He had very definite ideas for the music he wanted for the film. The whole thing was a bit of whiplash, pardon the pun. I was doing 60 Seconds, and I had to go into Titans and put a lot of heart and feeling into it. I wrote something for it, and Boaz said, 'It's not emotional enough.' And here I thought it was one of the best pieces I'd ever written. But from working with Yes, I'd learned the art of compromise. With film, you're collaborating with a director or a producer, so it's a bit like being in a band in that way."
"This was a great experience, although Jon Turteltaub, the director, was a bit impossible – charmingly impossible, I should say. He'd come in and listen to a seven-minute piece of music, and he'd say, 'That's fantastic! It's done.' He'd rave about it and then say, 'OK, let's listen to it again and I'll make some notes' – by the time he was done, the notes were 30 pages long. A week later, half of the notes would go away without me changing anything.
"What was funny about this one was, I'd written the main theme and played it for Jon, and he said, 'It sounds like a cowboy theme.' So I told him, 'Have a listen to Star Wars. If you put that music against a western, it'd be perfect.' I didn't really see what Jon was saying as a negative – one could be used for the other. Luckily, Jerry was there, and he said, 'No, I love it,' and it stuck. Otherwise, Jon would've gotten rid of it."
Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist (2005)
"This was a bit of a strange experience. I never met the original director, Paul Schrader. All I knew is that a first version of the film was done and they didn't like it, so they decided to do a new version from scratch. Renny Harlin called me and asked if I'd do it – I had done Deep Blue Sea with him – so I said, 'Sure, happy to help.'
"When I finished Renny's version of the movie, the film company decided to put it out, but they also decided to put the other version out, too, the movie they had shelved. They figured it was done and it wouldn't cost them anything, so why not?
"There was another composer, whom I'd never met [Angelo Badalamenti], and my score was kind of stuffed in with his. I was credited as having done the music with him, but we'd never met. I never met Paul Schrader, either. The whole thing was a bit weird."
Prev Page 10 of 14 Next Prev Page 10 of 14 Next
The Great Raid (2005)
"John Dahl was absolutely great to work with. He was very encouraging but a little hands-off, which is fine. He pretty much let me go. The one thing he did say to me was, 'For the most part, I want this to be done as an orchestral score.' He didn't want any MIDI or anything like that.
"These days, with orchestral scores, you do short strings first and then the long strings, and then you | |
A Sermon by Martin Luther; taken from his Church Postil, 1523.
A SERMON ON THE GOOD SHEPHERD, JOHN 10
I. This is a comforting Gospel, which so beautifully portrays the Lord Jesus and teaches us what manner of person he is, what kind of works he does, and how he is disposed toward men. And there is no better way to understand it than to contrast light and darkness and day and night; that is, the good shepherd with the wicked one, as the Lord himself does.
2. Now, you have often heard that God has given the world two different proclamations. One is that which is declared in the Word of God when it says: Thou shalt not kill, not commit adultery, not steal (EX 20, 13-15), and when it adds the threat that all who do not keep these commandments shall die. But this declaration will make no one godly at heart. For though it may compel a man outwardly to appear godly before men, inwardly it leaves the heart at enmity with the Law, and wishing that there were no such Law.
3. The other proclamation is that of the Gospel. It tells where one may obtain that which will meet the demands of the Law. It does not drive or threaten, but tenderly invites us. It does not say, Do this and do that, but rather: Come, I will show you where you may find and obtain what you need to make you godly. See, here is the Lord Jesus; he will give it to you. Therefore, the two are as contrary to each other as taking and giving, demanding and presenting; and this distinction must be well observed. Thus God ever has ruled and still rules the world today. To coarse and rude persons, who are not influenced by the Gospel, the Law must be declared, and they must be driven until they are humbled and acknowledge their imperfections. When this has been accomplished, the Gospel is to be applied.
4. These are the two divine proclamations, which come from heaven. Besides these there are others that are not from heaven, but are human prattle, which the pope and our bishops have invented that they might terrify our consciences. Such men are not worthy of being called shepherds or hirelings, but they are here designated by the Lord Jesus as thieves, murderers and wolves. For if men are to be savingly governed, it must be done with the Word of God; and if it is not done by the Word of God, they are not properly governed.
I. THE NATURE OF THE OFFICE AND KINGDOM OF CHRIST EXPLAINED.
5. Now, here Jesus has in mind the second proclamation. He explains it and sets himself forth as the chief shepherd, yea, as the only shepherd; for that which he does not tend is not kept. This comforting and sweet proclamation we will now consider.
6. You have heard that after his sufferings and death Christ our Lord arose from the dead and entered upon, and was enthroned in, an immortal existence. Not that he might sit up there in heaven idly and find pleasure in himself, but that he might take charge of the kingdom of which the prophets and all the Scriptures have so fully spoken, and might rule as a king. Therefore, we should think of him as being present and reigning among us continually, and never think of him as sitting up there doing nothing, but rather that he from above fills and rules all things, as Paul says to the Ephesians (4,10), and especially that he is taking care of his kingdom, which is the Christian faith, and that therefore his kingdom among us here on earth must prosper. This kingdom, as we have said, is so constituted that we all must daily increase and grow in holiness, and it is not governed by any other power save the oral proclamation of the Gospel.
7. This proclamation is not of men, but Christ himself sent it forth, and then put it into the hearts of the apostles and their successors so that they understood it, and into their mouths so that they spake and declared it. This is his kingdom, and so does he rule that all of his power is comprehended in and connected with the Word of God. They who hear and believe it belong to this kingdom, and the Word then becomes so mighty that it provides all that man may need and bestows all the blessings that we may desire. For it is the power of God, and it can and will save all who believe it, as St. Paul declared to the Romans (1, 16). If you believe that Christ died to save you from all evil, and will hold fast to that Word, you will find it so certain and sure that no creature can overthrow it; and as no one can overthrow the Word, neither can anyone harm you who believe it. Accordingly, with the Word you will overcome sin, death, devil and hell, and you will find a refuge in the Word and attain that which is found where the Word is, namely, everlasting peace, joy and life. In short, you will be participants in all the power that is in the Word. Therefore, it is a peculiar kingdom. The Word Is present and is orally proclaimed to all the world, but its power is deeply hidden, so that none but they who believe realize that it is so effective and that it accomplishes such great things. It must be experienced and realized by the heart.
8. Hence, all that we preachers can do is to become the mouthpieces and instruments of Christ our Lord, through whom he proclaims the Word bodily. He sends forth the Word publicly so that all may hear it, but that the heart inwardly experiences it, that is effected through faith and is wrought by Christ in secret where he perceives that it can be done according to his divine knowledge and pleasure. That is why he says: "I am the good shepherd." And what is a good shepherd? "The good shepherd," says Christ, "layeth down his life for the sheep; and I lay down my life for the sheep." In this one virtue the Lord comprehends and exemplifies all others in the beautiful parable of the sheep. Sheep, you know, are most foolish and stupid animals. When we want to speak of anybody's stupidity we say, "He is a sheep." Nevertheless, it has this trait above all other animals, that it soon learns to heed its shepherd's voice and will follow no one but its shepherd, and though it cannot help and keep and heal itself, nor guard itself against the wolf, but is dependent upon others, yet it always knows enough to keep close to its shepherd and look to him for help.
9. Now, Christ uses this trait or nature of the animal as an illustration in explaining that he is the good shepherd. In this manner he plainly shows what his kingdom is, and wherein it consists, and would say: My kingdom is only to rule the sheep; that is poor, needy wretched men, who well see and realize that there is no other help or counsel for them.
10. But that we may make it the plainer, and may understand it the better, we will cite a passage from the prophet Ezekiel, where he speaks of the wicked shepherds that are against Christ, when he says (34, 2ff) : "Should not the Shepherds feed the sheep? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the | |
Our "Learn and Earn" Apprenticeship Programmes (LEAP) will allow you to realise your full potential.
This is your opportunity to embark upon a rewarding career within a group that has 20+ industry leading businesses to its name. Whatever your passion, we have the training tools and expertise to develop your required skill set.
Apprenticeships aren't just for entry level roles or for trade based careers. As a group, we are planning to roll out apprenticeships up to senior leadership level and across a range of functions including Management, Warehousing, HR and Finance. These challenging opportunities will allow you to fast track your career whilst you work up to a Master's Degree Level 7 Apprenticeship Qualification in your relative field.
Whichever apprenticeship within the Travis Perkins Group you choose, you'll need to be motivated, ambitious and up for working in a fast-paced and diverse environment. We'll give you plenty of support but you'll also need the desire to take ownership for your own development.
All of our programmes give you the opportunity to driver performance across your business area and deliver projects that will positively impact what we do. Our supportive 'family feel' encourages you to challenge the way we do things, take risks and learn what works for you.
Serving our customers either on the phone or from the trade counter, you will ensure that the customer is fully satisfied with the products they receive. By asking the right questions, you will ensure the customer has the right products for their requirements. You will be able to follow company procedures with regards to completing paperwork for our account customers and handling cash sales for our non account customers. You will also be responsible for merchandising our shop area and maintaining our excellent standards.
Months 1-3 Build knowledge about the different areas of your branch or store including the products we offer to our customers, how we keep our colleagues safe and the systems we use to assist us in our day to day duties. Your colleagues and manager will be on hand to answer all of your questions so make the most of their expertise.
Months 3-9 Time to put that knowledge into practice and try it out! You've built an understanding of our customer base, now it's time to put your customer service skills into practice with the aim of increasing our sales by building great customer relationships. You'll understand where your business sits within the market and be able to use this knowledge to drive further sales opportunities with your customers.
Months 9-12 Here's where you start drawing on all of your learnings and adding real value to your branch. We'll give you projects to deliver that may see you looking at the way our branches are laid out, and moving the position of certain items to try and increase sales. It's your opportunity to try new things and understand which direction you see your future career heading in.
This programme is a fantastic introduction to our business. The understanding of our products and customer base will help you build a strong foundation to grow your future career within our business.
Joining our family an Assistant Manager, you'll learn how to lead and motivate a team. Our Managers have plenty of freedom to shape the success of their business areas, and you'll be involved in everything from setting the future strategy to team performance and building rock‐solid relationships with people of all levels across our business. Day to day, you'll encourage superb performance and make sure our customers remain at the heart of everything we do.
Months 1 -3 Build knowledge about what it's like to be a manager in our business. We'll get you familiar with the systems you'll need to use to be effective in your role and introduce you to our leadership model - a core set of behaviours and values that we see in our most successful leaders across the business.
Months 3-9 Time to put that knowledge into practice and try it out! You'll become a part of the Management team and learn how to make your branch or store a success. This will require you to understand the profit and loss reports and how to use that information to make good decisions. You'll also get to grips with how to recruit, manage and develop an effective team and begin to recognise where your own strengths are to maximize your impact.
Months 9-12 Here's where you start adding real value to you branch and directly influence positive results. Using your practical knowledge, gained over the last 9 months, you'll deliver projects within your branch that will positively impact either bottom line profit, employee engagement or the safety culture. This is your opportunity to make your mark and get noticed for future development opportunities.
This is the perfect development opportunity to take your first steps into a Management position. With the support of your Manager, your colleagues and your Apprentice Mentor, the MAT programme provides a really safe environment for you to find your feet as a leader and develop your natural leadership style. Our Apprenticeship programmes are really well regarded across the business so successful completion of this programme will set a great foundation for future development within our business.
As a Warehouse Operative you will be responsible for a range of warehouse duties, working within company security and health & safety guidelines, to ensure the effective and safe operation of the facility. These duties will include goods in, check in, replenishment, picking, packing, loading, participation in stock takes and housekeeping all whilst utilising appropriate documentation and equipment. The use of Mechanical Handling Equipment (and some manual lifting) will be involved and as such you will need the ability to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism towards safety.
Months 1-3 Build your knowledge about our Warehouse operation, how we keep our colleagues safe and how we process stock through to site to ensure we're as productive as we can possibly be.
Months 3-9 Time to put that knowledge into practice and try it out! You'll start operating our Mechanised Handling Equipment, load and unload goods across the site and you'll be using stock control systems to maximise the availability of products for our branch network. This is your chance to also develop effective communication skills and network with the wider business.
Months 9-12 Here's where you start adding real value within your role and directly influence positive results. Your previous 9 months will have allowed you to build a great knowledge of the wider supply chain operation and develop a continuous improvement outlook. In these last 3 months of your programme, you'll make use of these learnings to find new ways of working to further boost productivity.
If you're interested in a career in Logistics and Warehousing, this programme will help you build the essential knowledge you need to further your career. The Programme will give you exposure to the wider supply chain processes within Travis Perkins so can really help you to shape your future career.
As a Manager within our business, you will personify our business culture and help drive your business area forward. Through leading by example, setting the right tone and pace of work, you will be able to effectively motivate and engage your team. You will believe in high levels of productivity and efficiency and understand how to seek continuous improvement. Whichever area of our business you take responsibility for, you'll be passionate about developing people, managing change impact and identifying opportunities to futureproof your business area.
Months 1-6 Build your knowledge of our Group of brands and key competitors so you can start thinking about how to develop the sales activity of your branch or store to take market share. You'll learn to manage a profit and loss | |
with their own solemn deliberateness, she was writing her parents' names in the parish book of the dead.
In Momma's rooms the heat was turned up too high and the radiator dripped and hissed with the effort to sustain it.
"I can't imagine," Aunt May told their mother, "how any marriage can outlast so much remembering. Every slight and insult. You remember everything."
The children turned the pages of their dull magazines. "If I didn't," their mother said steadily, "I would have come back here a long time ago."
The older girl rolled from her stomach to her back, her magazine held in the air. It was a new Playbill, but for a play that featured only three actors, and so after she'd read through their biographies and studied the list of scenes (a drawing room late one morning, afternoon of the same day, and later that evening, assuring her that time moved no faster on that stage than this one) and then had chosen from the many advertisements the restaurant she preferred—French, three steps down, with strolling violins—she'd begun studying the magazine from various angles and directions, imagining how it would appear to her if she had one eye, was half blind, was bedridden and forced to read with it held straight-armed above her head.
Beside her, her brother turned the pages of another new addition to the magazine pile, a shiny report to stockholders that showed pictures of oil wells and ships at sea and workmen in white helmets. Next to him her sister slept with her cheek on Life magazine's portrait of Mr. Kennedy, her lips pressed into a puffy o, her small fingers moving.
She rolled over again, onto her elbows, and turning her head studied the pale green wall that had not been there when her aunts and her mother were born, when this living room and Momma's bedroom were one, or before that, long before that, when a single family lived in all the apartments as one big house. She imagined the city streets had been mostly empty then, rooms everywhere as underpopulated as the one in Aunt Agnes's new play. How else would it be possible for a single family to afford the luxury of four floors and all this space? She thought it a shame, actually, that the city had become so crowded, ships arriving day after day, as she had learned in school, spilling all kinds of people into the streets and the apartment buildings so that walls had had to be built, large rooms made smaller, just to accommodate them all. She thought it a shame that more of these immigrants hadn't simply stayed home, stayed where they belonged. Made the best, as her mother was always telling her to do, of a bad situation.
She stood and crossed the rug to the small bare entry that led to Momma's bedroom door. Before there was a wall there was only a curtain, which Momma had declared shanty Irish the moment she'd arrived as their father's wife, no longer merely their mother's sister. It was a part of everything the girl knew about the place, the curtains before the wall and the mother dying in her bed beyond it while Momma and another woman slept head to foot on the couch. While the father sat up in a chair in another corner and then collapsed sometime later on the floor of the hallway outside where the bags of shoes and old hats, the this-and-that and bric-a-brac, might have yielded some perfect touch to yesterday's Halloween costume (she'd been a flapper) if only she'd been able to sort through it on her last visit. As it was, the costume had been a disappointment, an old clown suit her mother had shredded into a flapper's dress, and a tissue rose pinned to a headband that kept slipping over her eyebrows and into her eyes. A disappointment when she considered what might have been resurrected from the shopping bags in the dark hallway, from the piles of coats and clothes and magazines that had accumulated there because, their father said, the Towne girls could not bear to part with anything.
("And hadn't we," their mother had once shouted at him, "hadn't we from the very beginning been parted from enough?")
She moved the chintz curtain that hung over the shelves built into the narrow foyer. There were rows of towels and sheets and tablecloths and napkins and a shoebox filled with ointments and medicines, a row of Aunt Agnes's books, none of which, with their thick brown spines and skimpy lettering, promised to be any more colorful or interesting than her magazines.
The child turned and, seeing that Momma's door was not closed tightly, pushed it quietly with her fingertips. Gone from her awareness and, perhaps for all time, her memory were the souls she had sent like doves into the air this morning in church, although the triumph of her achievement (she was certain they numbered well into the fifties) had stayed with her all the long walk back to Momma's and the climb up the stairs, so that she had entered the apartment just a few hours ago with the brave stride of one of the girl heroines in her own books: fifty souls admitted to the feast because of her prayers. Fifty souls forgotten now, perhaps for all time, as she pushed open the bedroom door with no other inclination than to fill the afternoon with small movements (this one somewhat better than most because it was, perhaps, forbidden) and saw through the narrow gap in the door Momma stretched out on the high bed, under the white counterpane, and Aunt Veronica in a long, pale robe standing beside her, her face turned to the window and the gray light from it falling on her in such a way that had she still remembered them the older girl might have thought that one of the souls she'd freed this morning had, on the way from purgatory to paradise, revisited the earth.
She turned again and found her brother watching her. "Aunt Veronica's awake," she whispered as she knelt close to him among the magazines, whispered because all of Aunt Veronica's movements struck the children as furtive and unpredictable.
(Too many women in too small a place, they would say later when they were making some effort to understand her; or, later still, too much repression, too much pity, too much bad luck. And then finally, convinced they'd hit the mark at last, too much drink.)
In the dining room Aunt May was saying that she hadn't told another soul and hoped she hadn't tempted fate by speaking too soon. On the floor beside them their little sister slept heavily, her fingers moving. And in the bedroom beyond the wall that hadn't always been there, Aunt Veronica stood beside Momma in the high bed and turned her face toward the window just as Momma, standing beside her dying sister, had turned (part of everything they knew) when from the sudden menacing stillness there arose an awful, lovely, distant cry that had made her scalp bristle.
"It's wonderful," their mother said softly. "No, I mean it. It's wonderful." And except for the hiss of the steam pipes and the careful clink of teacup and spoon, the apartment fell silent.
And then the boy lifted a magazine and bent it at its center. He caught his sister's eye, made a feint at throwing it, and then threw it for real, launching it across the room. It hit the brass bucket and fell away. He lifted another one and his sister, seeing the game, took one as well. The magazines opened in midair each time and then slapped to the | |
attractor, the case when it has more than one is similar.
Let $f\in\Gamma_{\mathcal A^r_{even, b}(I)},$
and let $\mathcal U$ be an open neighbourhood of $f$.
Let $c$ be a critical point at which $f$ is infinitely
renormalizable. Let $J_n\owns c$ be
a restrictive interval of period $2^n$.
Then
for $n$ sufficiently large,
we have that each interval
$J_n^i=\mathrm{Comp}_{f^i(c)}f^{-(2^n-i)}(J_n)$,
$ i\in\{0,1,\dots,2^n-1\}$, contains at most one
critical point. Moreover, by Lemma~\ref{K_n},
there exists a neighbourhood
$\mathcal U\subset \mathcal{A}^r_{even,b}(I)$ of $f$
so that
$\cup_{i=0}^{2^n-1}J_n^i$ persists over
$\mathcal U$.
By Theorem~\ref{thm:main smooth}, and the fact that
the set of mappings with a non-degenerate critical point
is open and dense, we can approximate
$f$ by mappings $f_0,f_1\in\mathcal U\cap\mathcal{A}_{\underline 2, b}(I),$
where $f_0$ is in the interior of mappings with zero entropy and
$f_1$ has positive entropy.
Let $P(x)=x^2$.
Since $f_0,f_1\in\mathcal U$, we can express
$\mathcal R^{2^n}(f_0)=h_{0,b}\circ P\circ h_{0,b-1}\circ P\circ\dots\circ
h_{0,1}\circ P,$ and
$\mathcal R^{2^n}(f_1)=h_{1,b}\circ P\circ h_{1,b-1}\circ P\circ\dots\circ
h_{1,1}\circ P,$ where each $h_{i,j}:I\to I,$ $i\in\{0,1\}$
and $j\in\{1,\dots, b\},$ is a $\mathcal C^r$ diffeomorphism of the
interval.
Now, for each $j\in\{1,2,\dots,b\}$, let
$h_{j}^{\lambda}:I\to I,$ $0\leq \lambda\leq 1$ be a path of
diffeomorphisms between
$h_{0,j}$ and $h_{1,j}$. Thus we obtain a path
$F_{\lambda}=h_{b}^{\lambda}\circ P\circ\dots\circ h_1^{\lambda}\circ P$
of multimodal mappings from
$\mathcal R^{2^n}(f_0)$ to $\mathcal R^{2^n}(f_1).$
Moreover, we can assume that the diameter of the path is
as small as we like by choosing
$f_0, f_1$ close enough to $f$. Taking the preimage
of the path under $\mathcal R^{2^n},$ we obtain
a path $f_{\lambda}$ from $f_0$ to $f_1$,
which crosses $\Gamma_{\mathcal A^r_{\underline 2, b}}.$
Thus there exists a mapping with
all critical
points non-degenerate arbitrarily close to $f$.
When $f$ has more than one solenoidal attractor, we have to choose the
mapping in the interior of zero entropy as we did at the end
of Theorem~\ref{thm:AE}. This family of mappings lies
in the submanifold of mappings with at least one degenerate critical point.
\end{pf}
We will make use of the
period-doubling renormalization
operator acting on unimodal mappings
with non-degenerate critical points,
\cite{Davie}. Let
$\alpha>0$. We let $\mathcal{A}^{2+\alpha}_{2}(I)$
be the space of unimodal $C^{2+\alpha}$ mappings
on the interval with a non-degenerate critical point.
The period-doubling renormalization operator
acting on the $C^{2+\alpha}(I)$ has a unique fixed point,
$F_*$. By Sullivan's complex bounds,
\cite{Sullivan}, we
can regard $F_*$ as a quadratic like germ.
Moreover, at $F_*$ the renormalization
operator is hyperbolic.
Let $\mathbf u_*$ denote the unstable vector
at $F_*$. The next proposition
describes the stable manifold.
\begin{prop}\cite{Davie}
\label{prop:Davie}
Let $\alpha>0$.
The local stable set of
$F_*,$ $W^{s,2+\alpha}_{\varepsilon}\subset
\mathcal{A}^{2+\alpha}_{2}(I)$ is
a codimension-one, $C^1$-submanifold.
\end{prop}
Let us say that a
multimodal mapping of type $\underline b,$
$F,$
with critical points $\{c_1,c_2,\dots,c_{b}\}$
has combinatorics
$\sigma^0_*$ if $b-1$ of its critical points are contained
in a periodic cycle and at the remaining critical point,
say $c_0$, $F$ is infinitely renormalizable with period-doubling
combinatorics.
Let $b\in\mathbb N$ and let
$\underline b$ be a $b$-tuple of with all entries
even. From now on, we fix $\underline b$.
\begin{lem}\cite[Proposition 8.7]{dFdMP}
\label{lem:515}
For real numbers $r>s+1\geq 2$, the composition
operator from $\mathcal C^r\times\mathcal C^{s}\to\mathcal{C}^s$
is a $\mathcal C^1$ mapping.
\end{lem}
\begin{prop}[{\it c.f.} \cite{dFdMP}, Theorem 9.1]
\label{prop:C1mfld}
For every
$r> 3$,
if $F$ has combinatorics
$\sigma^0_*$, then the
connected component containing $F$
of the topological conjugacy class of $F$
is an embedded,
codimension-$b,$ $C^1,$ Banach submanifold
of the space of smooth multimodal mappings.
\end{prop}
\begin{pf}
Let $\alpha>0$ be so that $r=3+\alpha$,
and choose $0<\alpha'<\alpha$.
By Proposition~\ref{prop:Davie}, the local
stable manifold through $F_*$ in the space
$C^{2+\alpha'}$ is a codimension-one
$C^1$-submanifold. Let us denote it by
$W^{s,2+\alpha'}_{\varepsilon}.$
We may assume that $\varepsilon>0$ so small that the
vector $\mathbf{u}_{*}\in T_F\mathcal A^r_{\underline b}(I)$ is transversal to
the local stable set $W_{\varepsilon}^{s,2+\alpha'}(F_*)$
at each $F\in W_{\varepsilon}^{s,2+\alpha'}(F_*).$
Let $G\in W^{s,3+\alpha}(F_*),$ the stable set of $F_*$
in $\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I).$
There exists $N=N(G)>0$ so large that
$$\mathcal R^N(G)\in W^{s,3+\alpha}_{\varepsilon}(F_*)\subset
W^{s,2+\alpha'}_{\varepsilon}(F_*).$$
Since $v=\mathbf u_{*}$ is transversal at $\mathcal R^N(G)$
to $W^{s,2+\alpha'}_{\varepsilon}(F_*),$
there exist a small open set
$\mathbb O_0\subset \mathcal{A}^{2+\alpha'}_{\underline b}(I)$
containing $\mathcal R^N(f)$ and a $\mathcal C^1$ function
$\Phi:\mathbb O_0\to\mathbb R$
such that
$\Phi^{-1}(0)=W_{\varepsilon}^{s,2+\alpha'}(F_*)
\subset \mathbb O_0$ for which $0\in\mathbb R$ is a
regular value and
$D\Phi(\mathcal R^N(G))v\neq 0.$
By Lemma~\ref{lem:515},
the operator $\mathcal R^N$ is a $\mathcal C^1$ map from
$\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$
into $\mathcal{A}^{2+\alpha'}_{\underline b}(I)$.
Let $\mathbb O_1\subset \mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$
be an open set
containing $G$ such that
$\mathcal R^N(\mathbb O_1)\subset\mathbb O_0$.
We want to show that $0\in\mathbb R$ is a
regular value for
$\Phi\circ \mathcal R^N:\mathbb O_1\to\mathbb R.$
Defining $g_t=\mathcal R^N(G)+tv$, with $|t|$ small,
we get a $\mathcal C^1$ family $\{g_t\}$ of mappings in
$\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$, which is transversal to
$W^{s,2+\alpha'}_{\varepsilon}(F_*)$ at $g_0=\mathcal R^N(G).$
\medskip
\noindent\textit{Claim.} There exists a
$\mathcal C^1$ family $\{G_t\}\subset\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$
such that for all small $t$ we have
$\mathcal R^N(G_t)=g_t$. Moreover,
for each of the $b-1$ critical points
$c_t$ of $G_t$ which do not correspond to the
critical point $c_0$ of $G$, the
itinerary of $c_t$ is the same as the
itinerary of $c$,
where
$c_t\in\mathrm{Crit}(G_t)$ naturally corresponds to
$c\in\mathrm{Crit}(G)$.
\medskip
\noindent\textit{Proof of Claim.}
First note that $g_t=h_t\circ g_0$
where each $h_t\in \mathcal C^k(I)$
is a diffeomorphism.
Since $\mathcal R^N(G)=g_0$,
there exist $p>0$ and closed, pairwise disjoint intervals
$0\in\Delta_0,\Delta_1,\dots,\Delta_{p-1}\subset I$
with $G(\Delta_i)\subset\Delta_{i+1}$ for
$0\leq i\leq p-1,$ and $G(\Delta_{p-1})\subset\Delta_0$,
such that
$$g_0=\mathcal R^N(G)=\Lambda_G^{-1}\circ G^p\circ \Lambda_G,$$
where $\Lambda_G:I\to\Delta_0$ is an affine mapping.
Let $\bar h_t:\Delta_0\to\Delta_0$ be the $\mathcal C^k$
diffeomorphism given by
$\bar h_t=\Lambda_G\circ h_t\circ \Lambda_G^{-1}$.
Let $\Delta_{-1}$ denote the union of immediate basins of
attraction of super-attracting cycles of $G.$
Consider a $\mathcal C^k$ extension of
$\bar h_t$ to a diffeomorphism $H_t:I\to I$ with the
property that $H_t|_{\Delta_i}$ is the identity for all
$i\neq 0$. Then let $G_t\in \mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$
be the map $G_t=H_t\circ f$.
Note that $G_t^i(0)=G^i(0)$ for all
$0\leq i\leq p$, that $G_t$ is $N$-times
renormalizable under $\mathcal R$
and that $\mathcal R^N(G_t)=h_t\circ g_0=g_t$.
\checkmark
\medskip
Now let us show that the claim proves
the proposition.
Observe that the condition that
$b-1$ of the critical points of $G$ lie in
an periodic cycle defines a codimension
$b-1$ subspace of $\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$.
Setting
$$w=\frac{d}{dt}\Big|_{t=0}G_t,$$
we obtain that
$$D(\Phi\circ \mathcal R^N)(G)w=D\Phi(g_0)v\neq 0.$$
Therefore $\Phi\circ \mathcal R^N$ is a $\mathcal C^1$ local submersion
at $G$. By the Implicit Function Theorem,
$(\Phi\circ \mathcal R^N)^{-1}(0)$ is a codimension-one,
$\mathcal C^1$ Banach submanifold of
$\mathbb O_1$ an open subset of
$\mathcal{A}^{3+\alpha}_{\underline b}(I)$.
Furthermore, if
$h\in(\Phi\circ \mathcal R^N)^{-1}(0)$, then $\mathcal R^N(h)\in
W^{s,2+\alpha'}_{\varepsilon}(F_*),$
and so $h$ belongs to the
global stable set $W^{s,2+\alpha'}(F_*)$.
By Proposition~\ref{prop:smooth attractor},
we have that $h$ in fact belongs to $W^{s,r}(g)$.
The proposition follows.
\end{pf}
\medskip
\noindent\textit{Proof of
Theorem~\ref{thm:II smooth}.}
By Lemma~\ref{lem:nondeg},
we have that the family of
mappings with all critical points
non-degenerate is open and
dense in $\Gamma=\Gamma_{\mathcal A^r_{even, b}(I)}$.
Let $\Gamma_1$ be the subset of mappings in
$\Gamma $ that has exactly one solenoidal attractor.
Arguing as in the proof of
Theorem~\ref{thm:B1}, using
Theorem~\ref{thm:main smooth} in place of
Theorem~\ref{thm:main}, we have that
$\Gamma_1$ is open and dense in $\Gamma$.
Let $\mathcal X\subset\Gamma$
denote the open, dense set of mappings with all critical points
non-degenerate and exactly one solenoidal attractor.
We need to show that any mapping
$f\in\mathcal X$
can be approximated by mappings
in $\Gamma$ with exactly one solenoidal
attractor containing
exactly one critical point, which is non-degenerate.
Let $c$ be a recurrent critical point of
$f$ such that $\omega(c)$ is a solenoidal
attractor, and
let $F:U\to V$ be an asymptotically
holomorphic polynomial-like renormalization
of $f$ at $c$.
By Proposition~\ref{prop:smooth attractor},
there exists a compact set of polynomial-like germs
$\{f_n\}$ such that for all $\varepsilon>0$ and
all $n$ sufficiently large
$$\|\mathcal R^n(F) -f_n\|_{\mathcal C^r(I)}<\varepsilon,$$
which are infinitely renormalizable with the
same combinatorics as $\mathcal R^n(F)$.
By Theorem~\ref{thm:II}
we have that we can approximate each
$f_n$ by polynomial-like germs $g_m$
which are infinitely renormalizable at
one critical point and with $b-1$ periodic
critical points.
By Proposition~\ref{prop:C1mfld}
for each $g_m$,
there is a codimension-$b$,
submanifold, $\mathcal{H}_{g_m},$
of $\mathcal{A}^{r}_{\underline 2, b}(I)$
consisting of mappings
topologically conjugate to $g_m$,
and
any sequence of mappings,
$\hat g_m\in \mathcal{H}_{g_m},$
accumulates on the topological conjugacy class
of $f_n$ in $\mathcal{A}_{\underline 2,b}(I)$.
Arguing as in the proof of
Theorem~\ref{thm:main smooth}
any mapping in the topological conjugacy class
of $f_n$ in $\mathcal{A}_{\underline 2,b}(I)$
can be approximated by such mappings, $\hat g_m$.
By Theorem~\ref{thm:qs rigidity},
for $\varepsilon>0$, sufficiently small,
these manifolds laminate $B_{\varepsilon}(f_n)
\subset\mathcal{A}^{r}_{even, b}(I).$
So for any neighbourhood
$\mathcal U'\subset\mathcal A^r_{even, b}(I)$
of $F$, there exists $n$ so that
$\mathcal R^n(\mathcal U'\cap \mathcal T_n)$ intersects
such a topological conjugacy class,
where $\mathcal T_n$ is the set of mappings
which are $n$ times renormalizable.
We can conclude by arguing as in
the proof
of Theorem~\ref{thm:AE}.
\qed
\medskip
Finally we obtain:
\begin{thm}
Let $r>3$ and $b\in\mathbb N$.
Let $\underline b$ be a $b$-tuple consisting of even integers.
Each connected component of
$\Gamma_{\mathcal A_{\underline b}^r(I)}$ is locally connected.
\end{thm}
\begin{pf}
Let $\Gamma$ denote a connected component of
$\Gamma_{\mathcal A^r(I)},$ and suppose
that there exists
$f\in\Gamma$, so that
$\Gamma$ is not locally connected at $f$.
Then there is an arbitrarily small
open set $\mathcal V\subset\mathcal{A}^r(I)$,
with $f\in \mathcal V$, such that for
every open set $\mathcal U\subset \mathcal V,$ with
$\mathcal U\owns f$,
we have that $\mathcal U\cap\Gamma$ is not connected.
Take $\varepsilon>0$ small enough so that
$B_{\varepsilon}(f)\supset \mathcal | |
PL Match Preview : Leicester vs Manchester City
Manchester City, Match Preview, Premiership
Manchester City need a response after their 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in which they completely lost their heads towards the end. They are four points adrift of the league leaders but come up against the perfection opposition to get back on track.
Leicester are winless in five league matches and even carried their poor domestic form into the Champions League in midweek after being thrashed 5-0 away to Porto. They have only lost one league game at home this season, but are now only two points above the bottom three.
City have won three of their last four away from home in the league and should have enough to overcome some key absences on Saturday. Just one clean sheet in their last 16 matches in all competitions does at least give Leicester a glimmer of hope. Naijabet.com
Leicester – Claudio Ranieri made wholesale changes for Leicester's final Champions League group stage match which they lost 5-0 to Porto. He will recall all of his usual starts for the reception of Manchester City on Saturday.
Danny Drinkwater featured in Leicester's defeat to Porto in midweek, but completes his three-match ban here.
PL Match Preview : Manchester City vs Chelsea
Chelsea, Manchester City, Match Preview, Premiership
This eagerly anticipated fixture will see two of the most tactically astute managers come together in what could land an early blow in the destination of the Premier League title.
Chelsea have won each of their last seven matches in the Premier League and are currently one-point clear of Manchester City ahead of Saturday's early kick-off.
Antonio Conte's side have only conceded one-goal in that time, meaning City will need to be at their best to break down Chelsea's defence. Naijabet
City, meanwhile, have only kept two clean sheets all season and aren't in their best moment despite being unbeaten in their last six league matches.
Each of their last two matches have only been settled by a one-goal margin and they will need to improve if they are to become the first team to stop Chelsea from winning since September.
PL Match Preview : Burnley vs Manchester City
Manchester City, Match Preview
Burnley did not warm up for the reception of Manchester City in ideal fashion. They come into Saturday's fixture off the back of a shock 4-0 defeat to West Brom! Returning to home soil should provide them with some confidence, where they have the fourth best record in the league – only Tottenham and Chelsea have collected more points at home than Burnley this season, so it will not be a walkover for Pep Guardiola's side.
Manchester City managed an unconvincing 1-1 draw against Gladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday but now turn their attentions to this match against Burnley. Their performances have dropped in recent weeks, but they have still won five of their six league away matches.
Burnley triumphed the last time they welcomed City and it would be a shock if they can repeat the feat here. City have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last four, which should give Burnley added faith, but an away win seems likely, even if only a narrow one. Naija and Bet
Burnley – Burnley have a clean bill of health ahead of the reception of Manchester City after Stephen Ward returned at left-back against West Brom on Monday.
CL Match Preview : Borussia M.Gladbach vs Manchester City
Manchester City, Match Preview, Uefa Champions League
Manchester City kept their aim of finishing top of the group alive after beating Barcelona last time out, but they still need Luis Enrique's side to slip up in order to overturn the current two-point gap and that isn't likely.
After a run of six matches without a win, City are now unbeaten in four and have won three of those. Defending is still an issue for City, who have only managed one clean sheet in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Gladbach, meanwhile, have only won three of their last 12 competitive matches and are winless in their last four. One win in their last six home matches is also not a great record ahead of the reception of City, who beat them 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in September.
With Gladbach back to full strength you cannot underestimate the German side. Pep Guardiola has also struggled against Andre Schubert in the past to add to what should be an interesting tie, but City should come out on top in the end. Naijabet.com
Borussia M.Gladbach – Gladbach will be without Julian Korb after he was sent off in their 1-1 draw with Celtic in their last Champions League outing.
Match Preview : Crystal Palace vs Manchester City
After a commendable run of form, Crystal Palace have faltered of late having failed to win any of their last five league matches, losing four.
The international break will have come as a welcome reprieve for Pardew, though the welcome of Manchester City is not what he will have wanted so soon after the domestic hiatus.
City were forced to settle for a point in the welcome of Middlesbrough last time out as a late goal saw them lose ground in the race for the title. Guardiola's side, though, have failed to win only one of their last five visits to Selhurst Park, so will be confident of a return to winning ways.
The home support will demand a return to victory, but their winless run could continue on Saturday. Naijabet.com
Crystal Palace – Alan Pardew is without Pape Souare, Loic Remy and Jonathan Benteke due to injury.
UCL Match Preview Manchester City vs Barcelona
Both manager's have injury concerns ahead of this massive fixture. Pep Guardiola was humilated 4-0 on his return to Camp Nou in the reverse fixture and will need to pull off a shock result to have any chance of usurping his old employer's to first place in the group.
City ended a winless run of six matches with an easy 4-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, in which Sergio Aguero returned to his best.
Barcelona limped to a 1-0 win over Granada at the weekend but they have won each of their last four and kept clean sheets in three of those matches. That will please Luis Enrique, who is without Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique. Naija and Bet
The away side are clear favourites to win once again but it may not be as easy as their 4-0 triumph on home soil, although they have scored at least three goals in four of their last five away matches in all competitions.
Manchester City – Sergio Aguero was controversially left out of the starting XI that lost 4-0 to Barcelona in the reverse fixture but Pep Guardiola has confirmed the Argentina international will start up front on Tuesday.
Claudio Bravo was sent off on his return to Camp Nou and will miss this match, with Willy Caballero set to deputise between the sticks here.
With Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna doubts, Fernando could be forced to play at the back once more. Vincent Kompany may not be risked in a game of such importance.
Barcelona – Jeremy Mathieu was sent off in their 4-0 win over Manchester City and will miss out here. Barcelona will also be without Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta, who are both injured.
Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez, Arda Turan and Rafinha are vying to start in Iniesta's place on Tuesday night.
Lucas Digne may have to deputise in Jordi Alba's absence if he fails to recover from injury.
Barcelona have won their last 5 matches against Man City in all competitions.
Barcelona have won 6 of their last 7 UEFA Champions League matches.
Barcelona have been winning at both half time and full time in their last 3 matches against Man City in all competitions.
There have been | |
kill bats these days.
Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu,
when someone smiled at me today I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw me grin,
when he smiled I realised, I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, and realised its worth,
a single smile like mine, could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected,
let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected.
I remember, I remember
The house where I was born.
But now I might just forget,
Because they've pulled it down.
The schools I went to.
Again, they've gone
Demolished for something new.
I remember, I remember?
It's getting rather late.
I'm 88.
But this time I've forgotten!
THE WOULD-BE STOCKBROKER
Charles Monrile was born in the little Essex village of Stebbing. He went to a small, private school in the village and later to a local grammar school, where he was always made fun of by the other boys and often felt very downcast.
On leaving school he took a job at a stockbroker's. He marvelled at the way shares could rise and fall very rapidly. He saw clients make or lose a fortune in a day or even within a few hours.
Charles said to himself, "One day, I shall make a fortune out of shares." He worked for this firm for about three years and then decided to have a go on his own. He soon found appropriate premises in London and was gradually able to build up a fair clientele.His commissions brought in a good income and one client in particular was Ann Cross. She was beautiful and responded to his courting. They were soon going out together and he learned that she was extremely wealthy.
After a while, business became less and this worried him. What should he do?
A client deposited a large sum of money with him and asked him to purchase a huge number of shares in a certain company. When the client asked him later had he bought the shares, he lied and said "Yes". In fact he had spent it on Ann Cross by buying her two horses for her carriage as well as champagne.
He soon realised what a fool he had been and that he would never be able to put his client's money back, whom he knew would soon have the police after him!
He confided everything to Ann who, because she loved him so much, said she would help him to get out of the country for a while and later see how things would settle down. It was decided he should go to Madrid in Spain.
"Take lots of my jewellery," said Ann. "Fill your pockets as you will have no time to get the right currencies."
Charles lost no time in getting away. He bribed two men with a fishing boat to take him across the channel and once in France he boarded a train - without paying - to take him towards Spain.
After a few days, sometimes sleeping rough, he was within sight of Madrid He had been there for a week when word got round that this man always pays you in diamonds or gold jewellery.
Soon the local police got to know of this and they took him to the station to question him. They soon realised that he was the Charles Monrile wanted for embezzlement. He was arrested and put in prison to await being sent back to England.
Once back in England, he was tried at the County Court and sent to prison for eighteen months. He was also made bankrupt. Ann knew all about this and as soon as he was free, invited him to go and live with her.
She loved him so much that she would give him anything he wanted. "How about a large house?" she asked. "Oh! I should love that" he replied. Soon they were living in fine style - fine carriages, fine clothes, servants, beautiful gardens. But there was one more thing that Charles wanted. That was a family crest or coat of arms. When he found out that a real coat of arms or crest would have to be registered with the College of Arms, he said, "I'm going to have one anyway!"
He found out that you can have a kind of secondary crest, so he had one made by a jewellery firm. He later adored himself with it on his walking stick, his coach and even on his house.
He thought back to his school days;"If they could see me now!"
Charles and Ann got married. Ann died in 1922 and Charles in 1936.
I was ten years old when we arrived at Berrynarbor in 1939. Seventy years ago.
This meant that all my friends in Upminster - my home town - were left behind and I had to start making new ones.
The house in Barton Lane was a fine, 4-bedroomed one looking across to Hagginton Hill; and to the right a good view of the Bristol Channel. Left was the North Lee area.
Well, what a wonderful place to spend the next six and a half years! Although only ten years old, I was sent to Ilfracombe Grammar School and as I have mentioned before, this was an educational disaster. However, I did make some good friends; among them was Bob Brecher, Don Blake, and John [whistle] Stevens.
Attending school in the early days of the war we had to carry gas masks. It was interesting to learn many years later that the filters contained asbestos!
Rationing for food and clothing began and the blackout started and you could be fined if you showed a light as this might attract the German planes that could drop their bombs. Travel in those days meant bus, bike or on foot.
The latter was always interesting with a nice walk up the Sterridge Valley to the very sharp bend at the end where you could follow the river and see otters and deer.
Then you could go down to Watermouth. In those days there were no caravan sites and perhaps only a single boat moored in the cove.
Here we could catch little elvers in the stream that ran out on to the beach.
Going on into Combe Martin there were, of course, the Hangman Hills and it was good to come up from Little Hangman beach to a nice small cafe where you might be refreshed with a lemonade or cup of tea, with, if you were lucky, a cake. I understand that this cafe is long since gone as is the one that used to be on Newberry beach.
Before I go on to the bike and cycling, I must mention perhaps one of the most beautiful views, that is from what is now Napps Caravan site. To your right you can see Combe Martin and the Hangman Hills; straight ahead, on a clear day, is Wales, and to your left Watermouth.
Getting our bikes out, a friend and I would cycle to Barnstaple and hire a boat to row up the river to a bridge and back followed perhaps by a walk around the lovely park. I also recall cycling to Woolacombe, again with a friend, and seeing that posts had been driven into the beach at regular intervals to stop the German planes from landing. A good place for a swim, but never out of your depth.
Ilfracombe was not far to ride, with its Tunnels Beach, Victoria Pavilion [now gone] and fine harbour. There were two cinemas, the Scala and the New Cinema. There was the Alexandra Hall where plays were presented and dances. I recall dancing was a little uphill and down dale as the floor sloped!
When the war was over, those who had gone to the North Devon area away from the cities left to go back | |
largest corporation of all is the Federal Reserve System." - Aaron Russo
Further related: Community vs. corrupt commerce: How money really works
Salt Spring News December 7, 2006
Previous Chapter Contents Next Chapterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Credit
How do they treat "free" presidents ?
When former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in 1980's defied the debt-based global banking debt-based money creation, and CREATED HIS OWN MONEY DEBT FREE in the form of the New Society Currency, THE GLOBAL BANKERS: IMF AND WB and its Washington CIA ACCUSED HIM OF CORRUPTIONS AND DICTATORSHIP.
His wife Imelda has still in her hands the free $ of JFK, A MODEL FOR THEM, the main reason of his ASSASSINATION..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlghYpDx0f4
When JFK president defied the debt-based global banking debt-based money creation, and did the same, THE GLOBAL BANKERS: FED IMF AND WB and its Washington CIA KILLED HIM
http://pavie.ch/index.php?lng=en
When former Sadam Hussein defied the debt-based global banking debt-based money creation, and CREATED HIS OWN MONEY DEBT FREE and not any more the $, THE GLOBAL BANKERS: IMF AND WB and its Washington CIA ACCUSED HIM OF CORRUPTIONS AND DICTATORSHIP AND MADE A HUGE WAR.
When Iranian's presidents defied the debt-based global banking debt-based money creation, and did the same, THE GLOBAL BANKERS: IMF AND WB and its Washington CIA ACCUSED them OF CORRUPTIONS AND DICTATORSHIP AND ARE PLANING A NEW WAR.
Association not for Profit
..... ................................................is a Society (hereinafter "Society /
Social Credit") according to the provisions of art 60 and al. of Swiss Civil Code.
2. Domicile
The local head office of the Social Credit will be located in ...................
And all activities will be limited to the area of .................
3. Objects
The objects for which the Social Credit is established are as follows:
(A) To protect and promote the common interests of its members;
(B) To promote, study, advance and protect trading, commercial, financial and
manufacturing interests and relations, as a financial aid to poor people, without any interests.
A Local Social Credit Bank is a business owned and controlled by the people who use its services. They finance and operate the business or service for their mutual benefit. By working together, they can reach an objective that would be unattainable if acting alone.
The purpose of the Local Social Credit Bank is to provide greater benefits to the members such as
increasing individual income or enhancing a member's way of living by providing important needed
services. The Local Social Credit Bank, for instance, may be the vehicle to obtaining improved markets or
providing sources of supplies or other services otherwise unavailable if members acted alone.
In many respects, Local Social Credit Banks resemble other businesses. They have similar physical
facilities, perform similar functions, and must follow sound business practices. They usually
incorporate under State laws and require bylaws and other necessary legal papers. Members elect a
board of directors to represent their interests. The board sets policy and hires a manager to run
the Local Social Credit Bank's day-to-day business.
Even though Local Social Credit Banks are similar to many other businesses, they are distinctively
different. Some differences are found in the Local Social Credit Bank's purpose, ownership, control, and distribution of benefits. Local Social Credit Banks follow three principles that define or identify their distinctive characteristics:
user-owned, user-controlled, and user-benefited.
The user-owned principle means the people who own and finance the Local Social Credit Bank are those who use it. "Use" usually means buying supplies, marketing products, or using services of the
Local Social Credit Bank business.
Members finance the Local Social Credit Bank through different methods: 1) by a direct contribution
through a membership fee or investment; 2) by an agreement to withhold a portion of net
earnings (profit); or 3) by assessments based on units of product sold or purchased 4) By local money creation 5) By distribution of the social dividend 6) By the compensated discount .
Sharing of the profits help finance the Local Social Credit Bank's operations.
The user-controlled principle (also called democratic control) says those who use the
Local Social Credit Bank also control it by electing a board of directors and voting on major organizational
issues. This is done on a one-member, one-vote basis.
The user-benefited principle says that the Local Social Credit Bank's sole purpose is to provide and
distribute benefits to members on the basis of their use. Members unite in a Local Social Credit Bank to
receive services otherwise not available, to purchase quality supplies, to increase market
access, or for other mutually beneficial reasons. Members also benefit from distribution of net
earnings or profit based on the individual's business volume with the Local Social Credit Bank.
To operate under these distinctive principles, an important practice, particularly for
new Local Social Credit Banks, is to conduct continuing member education. This is especially important for attracting and recruiting new members. It is also necessary because the Local Social Credit Bank's membershipsince conception, continually changes. Older members retire and new ones join.
Keeping owners informed is an important practice for any business, but vital in a
Local Social Credit Bank for at least three reasons:
(1) The democratic control principle, exercised through majority rule, requires that
the entire ownership (members) be informed and involved to assure that enlightened
decisions are made;
(2) Members must indicate their needs and accept the accompanying financial
responsibilities before the Local Social Credit Bank can fulfill those needs; and
(3) Some people are not familiar with the Local Social Credit Bank form of business. The educational
system contains little, if any, information about Local Social Credit Banks.
So, the Local Social Credit Bank, itself, must become the educational institution.
All members sign a declaration not to be a member of any secret society and pay a fine of 1000000 Pesos if the fact is proven
To help in the attainment of these objects, but not in limitation of them, the Social Credit
may inter alia:
* Collect and disseminate statistical and other information relating to the aforesaid
interests;
* Maintain the necessary contacts relating to the aforesaid interests with appropriate
government or trade authorities and bodies;
* Promote, support or oppose legislative or other measures affecting the aforesaid
* Undertake by arbitration the settlement of disputes arising out of trading,
commercial, financial or manufacturing questions submitted to its decision;
* Institute through appropriate channels legal or other proceedings for the protection
of any commercial interests in the local community, provided that, and so far as, no breach be committed of the rules of
law against maintenance or champerty, if and so far as such rules of law are
applicable in the country in which such proceedings are instituted;
* Supply, without guarantee, information respecting the standing of companies, firms
and persons in the local community;
* Give advice and assistance to its Members and others in establishing commercial
connections, finding agents and evaluating trade conditions in the
The local community;
* Sell, lease, mortgage or dispose of or otherwise deal with all or any part of the
property of the Social Credit without any interest rate if applicable;
* Do any other lawful things as may be conducive to the extension of any
trade, commerce, finance, manufacturing or economic interests or incidental to the
attainment of any or all of the above objects.
4. Membership
4.01 The Social Credit shall consist of members who may be:
(a) Individual since conception;
(b) Companies or corporations incorporated in, or firms with a place in RP.
(c) Companies or corporations incorporated in, or firms with a place of business in ,
the village ("The village");
(d) Any other persons, partnerships, companies or corporations which the Council of
the Social Credit, having regard to the interest and objects of the Social Credit, shall deem
suitable for membership. For the purpose of registration, the number of Members of
the Social Credit is declared as being unlimited.
4.02 The amount of the annual subscription of members as well as the categories of
membership shall be determined by the Council from time to time by regulations
issued by it but subject to such regulations being ratified by the next General Meeting
of the Social Credit, which may also amend the regulations being proposed and such
amended regulations will be effective from the commencement of the following
calendar | |
(enter mutual friend's name) birthday dinner tonight again? I think it's ridiculous that she's been sentenced to indentured servitude just because Jen brought her on the show—they know each other from summers in Ohm-nah-gansett. Jerk me. But the truth is I'm not interested in taking on Lauren as a real friend. I get all itchy around people who aren't honest with themselves, and Lauren crashes into that category headfirst double fisting tequila on the rocks and shouting Let's do it again! You could argue Steph suffers from the same affliction, but Steph is honest with herself. It's everyone else she's lying to, which is not necessarily a criticism. I just think she could be more strategic about which lies she tells.
Jen turns her infamous squint on our showrunner. "Lisa, I have to be on the east side at one for another meeting."
Jen has this expression about her, Ugh, people, do I really have to talk to them? There is something about her that is fundamentally unfuckable. I guess she's pretty—we're on TV, the network's not evolved enough to cast uggos yet—but it's an anemic kind of pretty. She's a whey-faced canvas upon which she's applied the "vegan boho" palette. Lots of tea-stained lace schmattas are involved. Maybe that's where this unsexiness comes from, the fact that she has no idea who she is or what she stands for. Everything is an imitation, flower child cosplay, with the end goal being money and success, rather than fulfillment and pleasure.
Even this bougier Jen before me feels like a well-thought-out move on the chessboard. Word is that Jen has glossed up her appearance to reignite her relationship with the person who put her heart through the Vitamix just before the last reunion. The third button of her linen shirt is undone. Saucy minx. But there is no way to know for sure, primarily because Jen refuses to talk about her personal life. This sends me into orbit. We are on a reality TV show! We signed up to share all aspects of our lives, even the humiliating heartbreak. I had to endure Sarah dumping me twice—once in real life and once again when it aired, but Jen has managed to wiggle off the hook. She wants the promotion and adoration of being on TV without having to make any of the sacrifices.
"Now that we are all here," Lisa tucks her chin and stares me down from the other end of the table, "let's get started."
Kelly picks up her production packet, her spine rod straight.
Now that we're all here? I glance at the door. "Steph lost in one of her two hundred rooms?"
The field producers laugh.
"Steph's not coming," Jen seems very pleased to tell me. Since when does Jen refer to Stephanie as Steph?
"She's not coming?" I survey the room, looking for anyone who is as gobsmacked as I am. We have never had a Digger skip the all-cast prod meeting before.
"She's in Chicago with Marc," Lauren volunteers, watching closely for my reaction, knowing I am well within my rights to bug out that Stephanie is in Chicago with our director of photography, alone. They don't film you early and alone unless they think your storyline is pertinent to the season. No one wanted to film me, early and alone, presiding over the yoga auditions.
I refuse to show that I care, but damnit, I care. "Why wouldn't we do it when she's back then?" I ask Lisa.
"Because," Lisa says, "you're all busy bitches and four out of five of you ain't bad." She picks up the production packet and flips the page. "Headline events . . ."
Everyone turns their attention to the packet before them. I try to focus too, but all I see are numbers and words instead of dates and locations. I detect movement and glance up in time to see Lauren lean into Jen's side and whisper something, holding a knuckle to her lips to contain a giggle. Jen manages to crack a smile without short-circuiting.
It's hard to believe that the very first episode of Goal Diggers kicked off with Jen and me shopping for recycled dresses at Reformation, hours before the party for the grand opening of her second Green Theory location. We were something resembling friends back then, butting heads once we realized that our definitions of health inherently threatened the other's business model, with hers being "skinny" and mine being "eat the doughnut." Truly, that is the crux of our issues—that and Jen's unmitigated disgust with my body—though Jen likes to make it out as though I "stole her mother." It's not my fault Yvette is disappointed in Jen for choosing a path in life that makes women smaller.
"We had talked about doing a ride to raise money for Lacey Rzeszowski's campaign," Kelly is suddenly saying, and I come to with her looking at me, encouragingly. We've been discussing ways for our businesses to acknowledge the results of the election.
I clear my throat. "Lacey . . . ?"
"Rzeszowski," Kelly prods. "We talked about this, remember? She's one of two hundred women who are running for political office for the first time this year? Making a bid for a seat in the New Jersey Assembly?"
I am drawing a blank. The Green Menace seizes the opportunity.
"One thing I'm in the process of doing is designing a limited line of juices called Clintonics," Jen says, her eyes ever narrow.
Lisa taps her pen against her forehead for a few moments, trying to work out what Jen has just said. "Oh my God," she says when it clicks. "Clintonics. Fucking hysterical." Yeah, so hysterical she doesn't even laugh.
Lauren nods. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Her energy is manic, depending on what she's on that day. "And they're supposed to be good for your voice, right, J?"
"They're concentrated with what we call 'the warming spices' in Ayurvedic culture," Jen says in a tone that tells me to prepare for terminal boredom. "Cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are traditionally used together to provide a diverse supply of antioxidants that help boost immunity, but tulsi is the new super spice that the homeopathic community has discovered supports lung and throat health. To help our voices as women carry."
There are mumbles around the room about how smart this is, how timely. I'm just thinking that of course that guy broke up with her. Jen's farts must smell like death.
"We could sell them at the front of SPOKE," Kelly suggests, tentatively, because she knows we have a strict policy about pushing food or drink on our customer. I feel strongly that SPOKE shouldn't influence women's dietary choices. They get enough of that everywhere else they go.
"You need a permit to sell outside of the restaurant and it's a pain in the ass to get," Jen says. "Plus, your girl doesn't really do the juice thing."
"I love them." Kelly shrugs, and I put my finger on it. Kelly's lost weight. It's only a few pounds, and I didn't notice in those duster cardigans she usually wears, but in that tight getup from Forever 21, her chest looks like a grill pan.
Jen raises her eyebrows, amused by this, and I can't say I blame her. If Jen's sister were here, sucking up to me, I'd be pretty fucking amused myself.
"Think on it," Lisa says, licking her finger and turning the page. "Let's talk Morocco."
Now it's my turn to sit up straighter. Let's! "I had a conversation with one of my investors last night. About funding the trip. Whatever we need. Travel, lodging, transportation. We're totally covered."
"Is big daddy single?" Lauren bats her eyelashes.
"Back off," Lisa says. "It's Greenberg who's in dire need of rebound D."
Jen turns a livid red.
"Wow, Laur." I fold my | |
Baseball, Sports (not baseball)
Why Baseball is Superior to Football
I watched the Super Bowl and enjoyed it. After three slow quarters of play, the fourth quarter was exciting and suspenseful. It was a very good game.
However, even in the rare event of a competitive and entertaining Super Bowl game we can see how football is inferior to baseball. Two plays in particular demonstrated that football, despite its physical nature and on-the-field execution, is a game where mind-boggling technicalities can be just as important as a touchdown or missed tackle, and usually break the flow of the game.
(Just over a year ago I wrote that baseball is superior to football because it has no clock. In football you have two teams and a clock, and the competition is just as much about beating the clock as it is about beating the other team. Call me silly, but I'd rather see teams compete with each other than with a clock.)
In the third quarter New England coach Bill Belicheck successfully challenged that New York had too many players on the field, granting the Patriots five yards on the NY penalty and thus a first down in a situation that seemed crucial at the moment. On replay you saw, however, that a NY player was running to the sidelines, trying to get off the field before the ball was snapped. This is not an example of a rule violation that would give the Giants an advantage on the field (in the way that a hold might keep a play alive). This violation is simply a technicality, one that has no impact on the way a down was played. It's ridiculous to have to watch a slow-motion replay of a single player running toward the sideline – far from the ball or any other player – for a possible penalty. Is that what head-to-head, physical competition is all about?
And then at the end of the fourth quarter, after New England was unsuccessful at converting a fourth down, a single second remained on the clock. NFL rules required that the Giants take the field and resume play. What logical reason was there to do this? Oh yes, the clock. Even though the game was all but over, and the coaches, media and players had already stormed the field, the players had to line up and snap the ball to get that one second off the clock. At that moment the game was being "played" not for the sake of competition, but for the sake of a rulebook and the Almighty Clock. Boring!
In baseball we don't have such silly technicalities. Each team gets nine innings, or 27 outs, to defeat the other team. Because it is a simple head-to-head game (ie, there is no clock), there are no meaningless plays in baseball – baseball doesn't run the home team to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning if it is already winning. But that's precisely what happens in football every week – minutes of meaningless football are played, simply so that they can run out the clock. Yawn.
I do like football, and I really enjoyed the Super Bowl this year. But football doesn't compare to baseball, where technical rules are few and teams compete without a clock. Free from the burden of technicalities and Timex, all baseball offers is some good old fashioned head-to-head competition.
Is it Spring Training yet?
Daily Prayer for Transfiguration of our Lord
Daily Prayer for the First Week in Lent
LP · February 4, 2008
I find all professional sports equally boring.
Spend some time down here in the South during the Fall when REAL (ie college) football is being played, and I'll make a convert of ya! The excitement of Florida v. Georgia, Alabama v. Auburn, or any night game in Death Valley far exceeds even baseball playoff games I have been to.
On a side note: do you watch Mythbusters? They did a whole show on baseball myths that was pretty interesting. They looked into what it takes to knock the hide off the ball, the effects of a corked bat, and if placing balls in a humidor cut down on home runs. They also examined the physics of pitching. All in all, that was pretty cool!
Bill · February 4, 2008
Ludachris! (sorry for the pun)
I'd like to point out Rule 4.10 of the Major League Baseball rules, concerning a regulation game. If you want to talk about technicalities… a baseball game can be started and then ruled "No Game" if it's called before five innings of play… meaning that almost half a game can be just a warm-up exercise for when the real game is played at a later date. Reference here.
It gets better. Just read a little about the whole "batter batting out of turn". Rule 6.07. In fact, all of Rule 6 is pretty enlightening about how some of the technicalities of baseball work.
These silly technicalities occur in every sport. And in some sports the teams can use them to their advantage, and in others, the players and managers just stand there and spit. It doesn't make one sport better than another.
Further, a clock is not a bad thing. It makes the game more complex. You could change football to let each team have 15 drives, and at the end of those, one is a winner, but that would decrease the amount of strategy involved. Football is more like chess. Baseball… well, it's more like roulette. Where do you place your chips for a payout, and which payout will work for you? Sometimes solid, little payouts are just as good as the one big payout. Sometimes singles are just as good as the occasional home run. There is strategy there, but in no way is it the same level of strategic thinking.
In chess, if there were no clock, a player could spend hours making each move, and sure, he or she can win after a near interminable game, but the clock is there to encourage rapid complex, strategic thinking. Same with football. Just substitute "coach and quarterback"' for "player".
But maybe this whole "more complex thinking" argument won't convince you. Fine. I have two words that nullify any argument you can make for the better sport: salary cap.
Eric · February 4, 2008
I thought to whole deal with playing the last second was pretty stupid. Where is the "spirit" of the rule. Tick that last second off and lets go home. Also, Belicheats challenge in the 3rd quarter was pretty lame. Once again, the spirit of the rule.
As for the salary cap, I am with Bill on that. I think baseball would be more fun to watch if teams had a somewhat equal chance to land big name players. I know the Twins have remained somewhat competitive with a small salary and the rich teams (like the Yankees) have not won the World Series recently, but there needs to be more of a level playing field.
So right now I am not ready to make baseball or football more superior. But if I had a vote I would throw college basketball into the mix.
LawAndGospel · February 4, 2008
I say Hooray for baseball, but who would have thought that politics would be as much the discussion as whether the Giants or Patriots should win? Speaking of politics, you may want to check out this video-
Joe · February 6, 2008
I think it is crazy to try and compare the two sports. I am personally more of a football man, however each sport brings its own set of offerings to the fan. I hate to use the old saying it like comparing apples to oranges.
There are certain things about each sport that I think could be changed to make it more | |
Yea Lan, " Ethics advisor Darlene Vargas, whom I place great confidence in, will help to helm the transition.
"I only wish," she says " that more people inside and outside of our organization would appreciate what Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Badaracco says about you "quiet heroes", that you "make an organization—and indeed the world—a better place."
Yea-Lan says in her farewell: "I want to conclude by expressing my deepest heartfelt thanks to all the "quiet heroes" in this organization who give their very best, day in and day out. You work responsibly, inconspicuously, behind-the-scenes with thoughtful consideration, good planning and integrity in all that you do. You tackle the many endless details that others overlook."
"I thank each of you for being my inspiration all these years, starting from my own early days as a child of this district. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Thank you, Yea-Lan. You will be missed.
http://ethics.lausd.net
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STATE DELAYS LIST OF LOWEST PERFORMERS: By John Fensterwald | The Educated Guess February 25th, 2010 -- State and... http://bit.ly/ax3D2Y
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• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.
Scott Folsom is a parent leader in LAUSD. He is Past President of Los Angeles Tenth District PTSA and represents PTA on the LAUSD Construction Bond Citizen's Oversight Committee. He is an elected Representative on his neighborhood council. He is a Health Commissioner, Legislation Team member and a member of the Board of Managers of the California State PTA. He serves on numerous school district advisory and policy committees and has served as a PTA officer and governance council member at three LAUSD schools. He is the recipient of the UTLA/AFT 2009 "WHO" Gold Award for his support of education and public schools - an honor he hopes to someday deserve. • In this forum his opinions are his own and your opinions and feedback are invited. Quoted and/or cited content copyright © the original author and/or publisher. All other material copyright © 4LAKids.
Labels: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barack Obama, Charter schools, Green Dot Public Schools, LAUSD, Race to the Top, Ramon Cortines, School Choice Resolution
IFTK::MEGO
• COMPLACENCY ADDS TO THE FISCAL CRISIS IN EDUCATION
• CORTINES RECOMMENDS WHO SHOULD RUN 30 CAMPUSES; Charter schools wanted more
• PARSING THE PARCEL TAX: Yes, the LAUSD needs the money. But will voters go along? And what exactly would be funded?
• "IT'S FOR THE KIDS" NEEDS TO GO!
A recent EdWeek blog article attacks the shibboleth "It's for the Kids" (acronym IFTK) and its tired sidekick "putting the interests of adults ahead of children". We've all sworn on that stack of holy books, crossed our hearts and hoped to die. RIP IFTK.
Here's another acronym, born of endless meetings: MEGO – "My eyes glaze over".
Blogger Rick Hess comes from the right side of the political spectrum, but he sees the danger in the Kool-Aid. He writes: "Pushed to consider revisions to No Child Left Behind that would relax NCLB proficiency targets, for instance, some high-ranking officials in the Bush Administration's Department of Education were prone to respond, 'So, whose child are you prepared to leave behind?'"
He continues: "Such variants of the IFTK genus are intended to stifle questions by flaunting moral superiority. Playing the IFTK card ignores the likelihood that no one is eager to leave anybody's kids behind and the reality that policies entail imperfect choices. By squelching honest dissent, IFTK excuses incoherent policy and practice in the name of moral urgency."
'Urgency' – another word-as-a-weapon.
Hess proposes we presume that everybody cares (...or admit we can't tell the posers from the real deal) and discuss/argue/debate policies and practices instead. 4LAKids seconds the motion and calls the question.
An unnamed teacher writes the LA Weekly this week re: LAUSD's challenges : "The biggest obstacle is the district's bizarre 2003 decision that every child would take and pass traditional academics starting with algebra 1AB. As a teacher of algebra one and two, I can tell you that for some | |
It is a Christmas miracle! The first IACC meeting in 15 months!
Autism and Environment Today
Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto at UC Davis MIND Intstitute is an expert in autism. For years, she's been notable in news stories on developments in research.
Hertz-Picciotto was covered last month in Slate.com. On Nov 5, 2015, Slate.com published the piece, What Environmental Factors Cause Autism?--Experts can rattle off autism-linked genes, but other risks are very hard to pin down, by Sarah DeWeerdt.
DeWeerdt acknowledged that genes are a factor in autism and researchers have found "autism-linked genes," but "genetic studies failed to find a single obvious cause." There are "other risks." She listed a lack of folic acid, maternal anti-depressants, premature birth, C-sections, old moms, old dads, pesticides and having babies too close together. DeWeerdt let us know that there are so many factors, and just because something is associated with autism doesn't mean that one can cause the other. Lisa Croen, director of the Autism Research Program at Kaiser Permanente, said that we're spent so much time looking at genetics, 'there's still a ton to be learned.'
DeWeert quoted Marc Weisskopf, associate professor of environmental and occupational epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, who said, 'The problem with epidemiology and observational science is that it's hard to ever completely know you've got causality.'
It's all so confusing. It's hard to know which environmental factors affect the child and which ones affected the mother or the father. And then there's "the time lag" between exposure and diagnosis. There are the pre and post natal exposures.
DeWeert throws out so many possible environment risk factors that the reader could easily figure that it's impossible to know what might be linked to autism in any particular child. She called autism "a puzzle."
There was no sense of urgency, no demand that they learn to PREVENT the disorder, no recognition of the large percentage of autistic children who start out as normally developing babies and who inexplicably lose learned skills and regress into autism. DeWeert didn't mention the current autism rate even once.
So who's to blame for the lack of science on the environmental triggers in autism?
It's all those parents who link vaccines to autism!
DeWeerdt wrote that Hertz-Picciotto feels that the "thoroughly discredited" claim of a connection between vaccines and autism "has contributed to scientists' skepticism about other potential environmental factors." She quoted Hertz-Picciotto: 'I think in the autism field that actually has been a bit of an obstacle because people equate vaccines and environment.'
REALLY? Is Hertz-Picciotto working alone at the MIND Institute? How could two other MIND Institute scientists, Dr. Judy Van de Water and Dr. David Amaral, have gone on the record with serious concerns about vaccine safety and even linking vaccines to autism?
In my book, The Big Autism Cover-Up, How and Why the Media is Lying to the American Public, I cited Dr. Van de Water, an epidemiologist at the MIND. I quoted Van de Water from a TIME Magazine story about Hannah Poling in 2008. (Hannah was the young Georgia girl whose claim of vaccine-induced autism was compensated by the DOJ after medical experts at HHS agreed vaccines were causal.)
'Some vaccines, such as those aimed at viral infections, are designed to ramp up the immune system at warp speed. They are designed to mimic the infection So you can imagine, getting nine at one time, how sick you could be."
Van de Water said that children whose immune systems are slower to develop are more likely to become autistic when vaccinated. She said she was worried that the current schedule contained too many shots for some children. She advised parents who are concerned to space out vaccines.
And what about the very public statements made by Dr. Amaral, director of autism research MIND Institute?
Remember when veteran journalist Robert MacNeil interviewed Amaral for the PBS series, Autism Now in 2011, back when the official rate for autism was one in every 110 children?
ROBERT MACNEIL: What is your position today on vaccines and autism?
DAVID AMARAL: So I think it's pretty clear that, in general, vaccines are not the culprit. There has been enough epidemiological evidence showing that if you look at children that receive the standard childhood vaccines that, if anything, those children are at slightly less risk of having autism than children that aren't immunized.
And so, you know, I think it probably is a waste of effort at this time to try and understand vaccines as a major culprit for, or a major cause of, autism. It's not to say, however, that there is a small subset of children who may be particularly vulnerable to vaccines.
And in their case, having the vaccines, or particular vaccines, particularly in certain kinds of situations — if the child was ill, if the child had a precondition. Like a mitochondrial defect. Vaccinations for those children actually may be the environmental factor that tipped them over the edge of autism. And I think it is incredibly important, still, to try and figure out what, if any, vulnerabilities, in a small subset of children, might make them at risk for having certain vaccinations.
So was Amaral serious when he said this on PBS?
Hertz-Piciotto was also interviewed by MacNeil on PBS in 2011. She was positive about an environmental link to autism, saying, 'I have a lot of candidate factors, actually. And they include nutritional factors, infectious agents, chemicals in our environment, including chemicals in the household products that we use every day. There are a variety of factors that could be influencing development.' She talked about pesticides along with "nutritional deficiencies."
This was their exchange regarding vaccines and autism:
ROBERT MACNEIL: "Do you think that part of the skewing was a reluctance of whoever funded it, defund environmental research because of the popular pre-occupation with the vaccine issue? That it scared people off?"
HERTZ-PICCOTTO: "Well, I think I encountered resistance when I brought up the word environment and I was very surprised to find that colleagues in the field of autism immediately equated environment with vaccines. So that may well have played some role.
"I think there's also a lot of excitement about technology and molecular biology has brought a lot of recent developments in terms of how we look at genes and how many genes we can do at what price with what kinds of new technological developments we have. So often the big machines get money at National Institutions of Health. And those of us who are doing a little bit more of the dirty kinds of work don't necessarily get it as much of the research dollars."
Maybe Hertz-Picciotto figured that the public has a very short memory for news flashes and they won't remember what Amaral, cited as the head of research of the MIND, said four years ago.
Then on April 12, 2012, both Amaral and Hertz Picciotto were included in the USA Today story, After $1 billion, experts see progress on autism's causes, by Mike Stobbe.
Finding the cause is critical because if not, according to Hertz-Picciotto, 'you're not going to be able to stop this increase.' She was described as a researcher "who is leading a closely watched study into what sparks autism disorders."
—Hertz-Picciotto's study of 1,600 children in Northern California is comparing autistic children, youngsters with other developmental disabilities, and those who have no such diagnoses. Some results have been released already, including the recent finding that suggests a link between autism and a mother's obesity. An earlier part of the study found that children born to mothers living less than two blocks from a freeway were twice as likely to have autism — presumably because of auto exhaust and air pollution, the researchers speculated.
David Amaral's photo was featured in the piece. Stobbe reminded readers: "For years, the | |
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IMDB 250
Romance | Horror | Comedy | Fantasy | Thriller | Crime | Sport | Mystery | Musical | Western | War | Sci-fi | History | 繁体版 | 简体版 | Pocket
MM52 / Movies / 1951 Year
1951 Year's Filmography
1. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8 ( 95386 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 9.7 ;
Blanche DuBois, a high school English teacher with an aristocratic background from Auriol, Mississippi, decides to move to live with her sister and br... More Detail »»
2. The African Queen (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7.7 ( 69075 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 9.1 ;
September 1914, news reaches the colony German Eastern Africa that Germany is at war, so Reverend Samuel Sayer became a hostile foreigner. German impe... More Detail »»
3. Strangers on a Train (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8 ( 118783 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 8.8 ; BoxOffice: $23764 USD
Bruno Anthony thinks he has the perfect plot to rid himself of his hated father and when he meets tennis player Guy Haines on a train, he thinks he's ... More Detail »»
4. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7.4 ( 123450 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 6.8 ;
Alice is a daydreaming young girl. She finds learning poems and listening to literature boring. She prefers stories with pictures and to live inside h... More Detail »»
5. An American in Paris (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7.2 ( 28954 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 8.4 ; BoxOffice: $4500000 USD
Jerry Mulligan, a struggling American painter in Paris, is "discovered" by an influential heiress with an interest in more than Jerry's art. Jerry in ... More Detail »»
6. A Place in the Sun (1951)
The young and poor George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) leaves his religious mother and Chicago and arrives in California expecting to find a better job ... More Detail »»
7. Ace in the Hole (1951)
Charles Tatum, a down-on-his-luck reporter, takes a job with a small New Mexico newspaper. The job is pretty boring until he finds a man trapped in an... More Detail »»
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7.7 ( 74561 Votes ) ;
An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They bring an important... More Detail »»
9. Scrooge (1951)
Stingy businessman Ebenezer Scrooge is known as the meanest miser in Victorian London. He overworks and underpays his humble clerk, Bob Cratchit, whos... More Detail »»
10. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Holland, a shy retiring man, dreams of being rich and living the good life. Faithfully, for 20 years, he has worked as a bank transfer agent for the d... More Detail »»
11. Quo Vadis (1951)
Returning to Rome after three years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her, though as a Christian she wants noth... More Detail »»
12. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7 ( 3094 Votes ) ; Critic Score: 8.2 ;
Albert Lewin's interpretation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman. In a little Spanish seaport named Esperanza, during the 30s, appears Hendrick van ... More Detail »»
13. The Thing from Another World (1951)
Scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell br... More Detail »»
14. Early Summer (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8.2 ( 6757 Votes ) ;
In postwar Tokyo, this household is loving and serene: older parents, their 28-year-old daughter Noriko, their married son, his devoted wife, and two ... More Detail »»
15. Journal d'un curé de campagne (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8 ( 9411 Votes ) ;
In Ambricourt, an idealistic young Priest (Claude Laydu) arrives to be the local parish priest. He attempts to live a Christ-like life, but his action... More Detail »»
16. Miracolo a Milano (1951)
An old woman finds a baby among the cauliflowers in her garden. She takes care of the orphan, and calls him Totò. When she dies, he is sent to an orph... More Detail »»
17. Detective Story (1951)
Jim McLeod is a hard-nosed and cynical detective. He believes in a strict interpretation of the law and doesn't believe in turning the other cheek. Th... More Detail »»
18. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1951)
Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian aristocrat, elopes with Moorish military hero Othello, to the great resentment of Othello's envious underling Iago. ... More Detail »»
19. The River (1951)
Harriet, now an adult, narrates the story of her coming of age growing up as a British national and a daughter of a jute press manager in the Bengal r... More Detail »»
20. People Will Talk (1951)
Successful and well-liked, Dr. Noah Praetorius becomes the victim of a witch hunt at the hands of Professor Elwell, who disdains Praetorius's unorthod... More Detail »»
21. Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
In 1807, Captain Horatio Hornblower leads his ship the HMS Lydia on a perilous voyage around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. The men, even his officer... More Detail »»
22. On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Hard, withdrawn city cop Jim Wilson roughs up one too many suspects and is sent upstate to help investigate the murder of a young girl in the winter c... More Detail »»
23. The Man in the White Suit (1951)
IMDB Rating: 7.3 ( 8450 Votes ) ; BoxOffice: $8265 USD
Sidney Stratton, a humble inventor, develops a fabric which never gets dirty or wears out. This would seem to be a boon for mankind, but the establish... More Detail »»
24. The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)
This biopic follows Rommel's career after the Afrika Korps, including his work on the defenses of Fortress Europe as well as his part in the assassina... More Detail »»
25. When Worlds Collide (1951)
South African bush pilot and carefree ladies man Dave Randall finds he has been let in on the greatest and most terrible secret in the world when an e... More Detail »»
26. The Browning Version (1951)
Andrew Crocker-Harris, a classics teacher at an English school, is afflicted with a heart ailment and an unfaithful wife. His interest in his pupils w... More Detail »»
27. Awaara (1951)
Raju lives as a derelict as a result of being estranged from his bitter father, a district judge, who threw Raju's mother out of the house years ago. ... More Detail »»
28. Kanli feryat (1951)
IMDB Rating: 9 ( 5 Votes ) ;
... More Detail »»
29. Bellissima (1951)
Film director Blasetti is looking for a little girl for his new movie. Along with other mothers, Maddelena takes her daugther to Cinecittà, hoping she... More Detail »»
30. Meshi (1951)
Michiyo moved to Osaka two years ago, when her husband Hatsunosuke who works at a stock brokerage was transfered from Tokyo. She wash, cook and clean ... More Detail »»
31. Guardie e ladri (1951)
Esposito is a thief who cons tourists in Rome. A lengthy persecution by police Bottoni, who manages to catch it starts. In an oversight Esposito manag... More Detail »»
32. Tajna dvorca I.B. (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8.6 ( 23 Votes ) ;
'Tajna dvorca IB' is a balletic musical, dialogue-less, propaganda rendition of Cominterne's Resolution...... More Detail »»
33. Westward the Women (1951)
In a time when "The West" pretty much ends in Texas and only California is slowly being populated by the white men, there's a severe lack of women amo... More Detail »»
34. Chanway (1951)
35. Aoi shinju (1951)
IMDB Rating: 8.6 ( 9 Votes ) ;
36. Sommarlek (1951)
While waiting for the night rehearsal of the ballet Swan Lake, the lonely twenty-eight year-old ballerina Marie receives a diary through the mail. She... More Detail »»
37. Core 'ngrato (1951)
Using actor's names as they differ in the dubbed-versions: Carla del Poggio is the wistful companion of opera star Madam Stefania Monti...... More Detail »»
38. The Steel Helmet (1951)
During the Korean War, strong but worn and cantankerous Sergeant Zack is | |
live streaming, ask your question below https://CheapHomeGrow.com/ask Cheap Home Grow: https://cheaphomegrow.com https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow JackGreenStalk: https://www.instagram.com/jackgreenstalk/ CocoForCannabis: https://cocoforcannabis.com https://twitter.com/DrMJCoco https://www.instagram.com/drmjcoco/ Skilbo1: https://www.instagram.com/skilbo1/ Missnewtygrows: https://www.instagram.com/missnewtygrows/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW3qHTjZ4wpGP3IKHpoihRQ Green Goddess Supply: https://www.greengoddesssupply.com/ https://twitter.com/GreenGoddessSup https://www.instagram.com/greengoddesssupply/ https://www.facebook.com/GreenGoddessSupply/ Chefomj: https://www.instagram.com/chefomj/ Matthew Gates aka Synchangel: https://www.instagram.com/synchangel/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dNbnQob9sSQVmLMLnQXUA https://twitter.com/Zenthanol https://www.facebook.com/Zenthanol Percrys Grow Room https://percysgrowroom.com/ https://twitter.com/PercysGrowRoom https://www.instagram.com/PercysGrowRoom/ Predicativebreeding: https://www.instagram.com/predicativebreeding/
Learn Why You Should't Grow Autoflowers And General Cannabis Growing Talk - Part 2
This is a continuation to yesterday's podcast with Stabby as to why he thinks autoflowers aren't a good fit for home growers You can follow Stabby on Embracing Organics https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOLFB84TmZDvhv2Tf-lbow Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify https://cheaphomegrow.com/spotify Listen To The CHG On Anchor https://anchor.fm/cheaphomegrow Learn How To Grow Your Own Cannabis https://cheaphomegrow.com/growing-cannabis Follow CHG On Social Media: https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow
Learn Why You Shouldn't Grow Autoflowers & General Cannabis Talk: Part 1
On today's show, we have Stabby from the "Embracing Organics" show. He's an OG grower from the midwest. Stabby comes on the show today to talk about why he feels autoflowers aren't ideal for new home growers to grow. He talks about various reasons why he feels photoperiods are much more suitable for new home growers. This was a two-hour podcast, so I broke it up into two different parts for your listening pleasure. The second part will be published tomorrow morning @8AM. Please remember to press "subscribe" and Enjoy the show! Why You Should't Grow Autoflowers And General Cannabis Growing Talk https://cheaphomegrow.com/autoflowers-suck You can follow Stabby on Embracing Organics https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOLFB84TmZDvhv2Tf-lbow Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify https://cheaphomegrow.com/spotify Listen To The CHG On Anchor https://anchor.fm/cheaphomegrow Learn How To Grow Your Own Cannabis https://cheaphomegrow.com/growing-cannabis Follow CHG On Social Media: https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow
Learn About Russet Mites & How To Prevent Them In Your Next Grow
On today's show, we have returning guest Matthew Gates. He's our resident IPM specialist from Southern California who was just recently on the "Embracing Organcis" show a few weeks ago, so a big congrats to him. Matthew can also be found the "Growing With My Fellow Growers" panel every Sunday night on YouTube. You can go to CheapHomeGrow.com/YouTube to subscribe. Today he comes on the show to talk about russts mites and how to get rid of them. He can be found on instagram @ synchangel and youtube @ zenthanol. Please remember to press "subscribe" and Enjoy the show! Learn About Russet Mites and How To Prevent Them In Your Next Grow https://cheaphomegrow.com/russet-mites Follow Matthew on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/synchangel/ Follow MedFit on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dNbnQob9sSQVmLMLnQXUA Follow Matthew On Twitter https://twitter.com/Zenthanol Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify https://cheaphomegrow.com/spotify Listen To The CHG On Anchor https://anchor.fm/cheaphomegrow Learn How To Grow Your Own Cannabis https://cheaphomegrow.com/growing-cannabis Follow CHG On Social Media: https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow
Got a question for the panel? Ask it in the CHG Community Section https://CheapHomeGrow.com/community Cheap Home Grow: https://cheaphomegrow.com https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow JackGreenStalk: https://www.instagram.com/jackgreenstalk/ CocoForCannabis: https://cocoforcannabis.com https://twitter.com/DrMJCoco https://www.instagram.com/drmjcoco/ Skilbo1: https://www.instagram.com/skilbo1/ Missnewtygrows: https://www.instagram.com/missnewtygrows/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW3qHTjZ4wpGP3IKHpoihRQ Green Goddess Supply: https://www.greengoddesssupply.com/ https://twitter.com/GreenGoddessSup https://www.instagram.com/greengoddesssupply/ https://www.facebook.com/GreenGoddessSupply/ Chefomj: https://www.instagram.com/chefomj/ Matthew Gates aka Synchangel: https://www.instagram.com/synchangel/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dNbnQob9sSQVmLMLnQXUA https://twitter.com/Zenthanol https://www.facebook.com/Zenthanol Percrys Grow Room https://percysgrowroom.com/ https://twitter.com/PercysGrowRoom https://www.instagram.com/PercysGrowRoom/ Predicativebreeding: https://www.instagram.com/predicativebreeding/
Listen and Learn From Experienced Growers: Part 2
This is part 2 of the "listen and learn from experienced growers" I have two guests I'm confident you'll appreciate. I have Shawn aka skilbo1 on Instagram and YouTube sensation Medfit. Medfit can be found on Instagram and YouTube @MedicallyFit. Both of these men have been on the podcast in the past and gave quality information, so I figured I would invite them back. During this podcast episode, we started off talking about things we wish we all knew when we first started growing and what we've learned in the process. I'll be the first to admit, the first 20mins of this conversation, I had no clue what these guys were talking about, but I still learned a thing or two hearing them speak. After that, the conversation veered into many different and exciting cannabis growing topics. This was a two-hour conversation, so I opted to create a part 1 and a part 2. Part 2 of this podcast will be published tomorrow at 8 AM. CHG Nation, I'm thinking about creating this format into a podcast series where I bring on a few of experienced growers and mostly listening to what they have to say and learn from them. What do you think? I'm on all social media platforms. I'm most active on Instagram and twitter @CheapHomeGrow. This podcast is information packed so, please sit back, relax and learn. As always, please subscribe and enjoy the show! Listen and Learn From Experienced Growers https://cheaphomegrow.com/experienced-growers Follow Skilbo1 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/skilbo1/ Follow MedFit on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicallyfit/ Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify https://cheaphomegrow.com/spotify Listen To The CHG On Anchor https://anchor.fm/cheaphomegrow Learn How To Grow Your Own Cannabis https://cheaphomegrow.com/growing-cannabis Follow CHG On Social Media: https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow
I have two guests I'm confident you'll appreciate. I have Shawn aka skilbo1 on Instagram and YouTube sensation Medfit. Medfit can be found on Instagram and YouTube @MedicallyFit. Both of these men have been on the podcast in the past and gave quality information, so I figured I would invite them back. During this podcast episode, we started off talking about things we wish we all knew when we first started growing and what we've learned in the process. I'll be the first to admit, the first 20mins of this conversation, I had no clue what these guys were talking about, but I still learned a thing or two hearing them speak. After that, the conversation veered into many different and exciting cannabis growing topics. This was a two-hour conversation, so I opted to create a part 1 and a part 2. Part 2 of this podcast will be published tomorrow at 8 AM. CHG Nation, I'm thinking about creating this format into a podcast series where I bring on a few of experienced growers and mostly listening to what they have to say and learn from them. What do you think? I'm on all social media platforms. I'm most active on Instagram and twitter @CheapHomeGrow. This podcast is information packed so, please sit back, relax and learn. As always, please subscribe and enjoy the show! Listen and Learn From Experienced Growers https://cheaphomegrow.com/experienced-growers Follow Skilbo1 on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/skilbo1/ Follow MedFit on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/medicallyfit/ Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify https://cheaphomegrow.com/spotify Listen To The CHG On Anchor https://anchor.fm/cheaphomegrow Learn How To Grow Your Own Cannabis https://cheaphomegrow.com/growing-cannabis Follow CHG On Social Media: https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow
Got a question for the panel? Ask it in the Google Hangouts https://CheapHomeGrow.com/hangouts Cheap Home Grow: https://cheaphomegrow.com https://instagram.com/cheaphomegrow https://twitter.com/cheaphomegrow https://facebook.com/cheaphomegrow JackGreenStalk: https://www.instagram.com/jackgreenstalk/ CocoForCannabis: https://cocoforcannabis.com https://twitter.com/DrMJCoco https://www.instagram.com/drmjcoco/ Skilbo1: https://www.instagram.com/skilbo1/ Missnewtygrows: https://www.instagram.com/missnewtygrows/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW3qHTjZ4wpGP3IKHpoihRQ Green Goddess Supply: https://www.greengoddesssupply.com/ https://twitter.com/GreenGoddessSup https://www.instagram.com/greengoddesssupply/ https://www.facebook.com/GreenGoddessSupply/ Chefomj: https://www.instagram.com/chefomj/ Matthew Gates aka Synchangel: https://www.instagram.com/synchangel/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dNbnQob9sSQVmLMLnQXUA https://twitter.com/Zenthanol https://www.facebook.com/Zenthanol Percrys Grow Room https://percysgrowroom.com/ https://twitter.com/PercysGrowRoom https://www.instagram.com/PercysGrowRoom/ Predicativebreeding: https://www.instagram.com/predicativebreeding/
On today's show, I had an individual reached out to me because he wanted to explain the difference between coco coir and soil when watering. This individual goes by the Instagram name of mangrow_goodbud. Mangrow comes on the show today because he wanted to educate how different and intricate the process is when watering coco coir and soil. Needless to say, the process isn't the same and it can be a bit involved. He was kind enough to explain these differences in detail during the show. Please listen and tell me what you think. Understanding The Difference Between Coco Coir & Soil When Watering https://cheaphomegrow.com/difference-between-coco-coir-soil-watering Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on iTunes https://cheaphomegrow.com/itunes Subscribe To The CHG Podcast on Spotify | |
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\begin{document}
\title[Wold-type decomposition for doubly commuting contractions]
{Wold-type decomposition for doubly commuting contractions}
\author[Majee]{Satyabrata Majee,}
\address{Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Department of Mathematics,
Roorkee-247 667, Uttarakhand, India}
\email{[email protected]}
\author[Maji]{Amit Maji}
\address{Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Department of Mathematics,
Roorkee-247 667, Uttarakhand, India}
\email{[email protected], [email protected]}
\subjclass[2010]{47A05, 47A13, 47A20, 47A45, 47A65, 46E22, 46E40}
\keywords{Isometry; contraction; doubly commuting tuples;
completely non-unitary; Shift}
\begin{abstract}
We obtain a recipe to calculate the orthogonal spaces
of the Wold-type decomposition for $n$-tuple $(n \geq 2)$
of doubly commuting contractions on Hilbert spaces. As
a by-product, a new proof as well as complete structure
for pairs and an $n$-tuple of doubly commuting isometries
have been established.
\end{abstract}
\maketitle
\newsection{Introduction }
A fundamental problem in the theory of operators, function theory
and operator algebras is the classification problem for a tuple
of commuting isometries on Hilbert spaces. The canonical decomposition of
a contraction plays a significant role in many areas of operator algebras
and operator theory, namely, dilation theory, invariant subspace theory,
operator interpolation problem, etc. It says that every contraction
can be uniquely decomposed into the orthogonal sum of a unitary operator
and a completely non-unitary operator. In particular, the canonical decomposition
of an isometry coincides with the classical {\it{Wold decomposition or
Wold-von Neumann decomposition}}. Indeed, the completely non-unitary
part of an isometry becomes a unilateral shift (of any multiplicity).
This decomposition was firstly studied by Wold \cite{WOLD-TIME SERIES}
for stationary stochastic processes. It is expected that the multidimensional
Wold-type decomposition will provide a large class of applications.
A natural issue is the extension of decomposition from a single
contraction to a tuple of contractions. Using Suciu's \cite{SUCIU-SEMIGROUPS}
decomposition of the semigroup of isometries, S\l oci\'{n}ski \cite{SLOCINSKI-WOLD}
firstly obtained a Wold-type decomposition for pairs of doubly commuting isometries.
It states that for a pair of doubly commuting isometries have fourfold Wold
-type decomposition of the form unitary-unitary, unitary-shift,
shift-unitary, and shift-shift. In 2004, Popovici \cite{POPOVICI-WOLD TYPE}
achieved Wold-type decomposition for a pair $(V_1, V_2)$
of commuting isometries on a Hilbert space. More specifically,
the pair $(V_1, V_2)$ can be uniquely decomposed into the orthogonal sum
of bi-unitary, a shift-unitary, a unitary-shift, and a weak bi-shift.
Later, Sarkar \cite{SARKAR-WOLD} generalized S\l oci\'{n}ski's result
and also obtained an explicit description of closed subspaces
in the orthogonal decomposition for the $n$-tuples of
doubly commuting isometries. Recently Maji, Sarkar, and Sankar
\cite{MSS-PAIRS} have studied various natural representations
of a large class of pairs of commuting isometries on Hilbert spaces.
On the other hand, power partial isometry is a large class of operators
with a well-defined completely non-unitary part. Halmos and Wallen
\cite{HW-POWERS} studied decomposition for a power partial isometry.
After that Catepillán and Szymański \cite{CS-model}
have generalized for a pair of doubly commuting power partial isometries.
For more results one can refer to \cite{BDF-MULTI-ISOMETRIES},
\cite{BDF-BI-ISOMETRIES}, \cite{BCL}, \cite{BKPS-COMMUTING}, \cite{BKPS-SHIFT TYPE},
\cite{BURDAK-DECOMPOSITION}, \cite{BKS-CANONICAL}, \cite{GG-Wold},
\cite{KO-Wold-type}, etc.
S\l oci\'{n}ski \cite{SLOCINSKI-MODELS} (see also Burdak \cite{BURDAK-DECOMPOSITION})
studied decomposition for pairs of doubly commuting contractions and obtained
the following result:
\begin{thm}
Let $T=(T_1, T_2)$ be a pair of doubly commuting contractions on a
Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$. Then there exists a unique decomposition
\[
\mathcal{H}=\mathcal{H}_{uu} \oplus \mathcal{H}_{u\neg u}
\oplus \mathcal{H}_{\neg u u} \oplus \mathcal{H}_{\neg u \neg u}
\]
where $\mathcal{H}_{ij}$ are joint $T$-reducing subspaces of $\mathcal{H}$
for all $i,j=u, \neg u$. Moreover, $T_1$ on $\mathcal{H}_{ij}$ is unitary
if $i=u$ and completely non-unitary if $i=\neg u$ and $T_2$ on
$\mathcal{H}_{ij}$ is unitary if $j=u$ and completely non-unitary if
$j=\neg u$.
\end{thm}
\noindent
However, the complete description of the above orthogonal
decomposition spaces are not explicit. Burdak
\cite{BURDAK-DECOMPOSITION} also developed a characterization
for pairs of commuting (not necessarily doubly commuting)
contractions and obtained decomposition results in the case
of commuting pairs of power partial isometries.
In this paper, we attempt to find a recipe for calculating
the orthogonal spaces as well as to extend
the results for pairs of doubly commuting contractions to multi-variable
case. Our approach is based on the canonical decomposition for a
single contraction and the geometry of Hilbert spaces.
The paper is organized as follows. In section 2,
we discuss some basic definitions and the canonical
decomposition for a single contraction. Section 3
is devoted to the decomposition for a pair of doubly
commuting contractions. In section 4, we obtain a complete
description for n-tuple of doubly commuting contractions and
in particular $n$-tuple of doubly commuting isometries.
\newsection {Preparatory Results}
In what follows $\mathcal{H}$ stands for a complex Hilbert space, $I$
denotes the identity operator on $\mathcal{H}$ and $\mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})$
as the algebra of all bounded linear operators on $\mathcal{H}$. For a
closed subspace $\mathcal{M}$ of $\mathcal{H}$, $P_{\mathcal{M}}$ denotes
the orthogonal projection of $\mathcal{H}$ onto $\mathcal{M}$. A closed subspace
$\mathcal{M}$ of $\mathcal{H}$ is invariant under $T \in \mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})$
if $T(\mathcal{M}) \subseteq \mathcal{M}$; and subspace $\mathcal{M}$
reduces $T$ if $T(\mathcal{M}) \subseteq \mathcal{M}$ and $ T(\mathcal{M}
^{\perp}) \subseteq \mathcal{M}^{\perp}$. A contraction $T$ on $\mathcal{H}$
(that is, $\|Th \| \leq \|h \|$ for all $h \in \mathcal{H}$) is said to be a
pure contraction if $T^{*m} \rightarrow 0$ as $m \rightarrow \infty$
in the strong operator topology. A contraction $T$ on $\mathcal{H}$
is called completely non-unitary (c.n.u. for short) if there does
not exist any nonzero $T$-reducing subspace $\mathcal{L}$ of
$\mathcal{H}$ such that $T|_{\mathcal{L}}$ is unitary (see \cite{NF-BOOK}).
We denote $\mathcal{N}(T)=ker T$ and $R(T)=ran(T)$ as the kernel of $T$ and
range of $T$, respectively. We also frequently use the identity $\mathcal{N}(T)
={R(T^*)}^{\perp}$ for any $T \in \mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})$. Also $\bigvee \mathcal{M} $
stands for the closed linear span of a subspace $\mathcal{M}$ of $\mathcal{H}$.
An operator $T$ on $\mathcal{H}$ is called a partial isometry if
$|| Th||= ||h||$ for all $h \in \mathcal{N}(T)^\perp.$ We say that $T$ is
a power partial isometry if $T^n$ is a partial isometry for all
$n \geq 1$. A commuting tuple $(T_1, T_2, \ldots, T_n)$ of
operators on $\mathcal{H}$ is said to be doubly commuting if $T_iT_j^* =
T_j^*T_i$ for $1\leq i<j\leq n$.
We now recall \textit{canonical decomposition theorem} for a
contraction (\cite{NF-BOOK}). In case of an isometry, the canonical
decomposition theorem coincides with the classical Wold-von Neumann
decomposition.
\begin{thm}
A contraction $T$ on a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ corresponds a unique
decomposition of $\mathcal{H}$ into an orthogonal sum of two
$T$-reducing subspaces
$\mathcal{H}={\mathcal{H}}_u \oplus {\mathcal{H}}_{\neg u}$
such that $T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_u}$ is unitary and
$T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_{\neg u}}$ is c.n.u. ( ${\mathcal{H}}_u$ or
${\mathcal{H}}_{\neg u}$ may equal to $\{0\}$).
Moreover,
\[
{\mathcal{H}}_u = \{ h \in \mathcal{H} : \|T^n h\|= \|h\|= \|{T^*}^n h\| ~~\mbox{for}~~ n=1,2, \ldots \}.
\]
Here $T_u=T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_u}$ and $T_{\neg u}=T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_{\neg u}}$
are called unitary part and c.n.u. part of $T$, respectively and
$T=T_u \oplus T_{\neg u}$ is called the canonical decomposition of $T$.
\end{thm}
The above theorem can be rewritten as follows:
\begin{thm}\label{Wold-type-contraction}
Let $T$ be a contraction on a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$. Then
$\mathcal{H}$ decomposes as a direct sum of two $T$-reducing subspaces
\begin{align*}
&\mathcal{H}_u = \bigcap_{m \in \mathbb{Z}_{+}}[ \mathcal{N} (I-T^{*m}T^m) \cap \mathcal{N} (I-T^{m}T^{*m})], \\
\mbox{and}\\
& \mathcal{H}_{\neg u}:= \mathcal{H} \ominus \mathcal{H}_u = \bigvee_ {m \in \mathbb{Z}_{+}} \{ R(I-T^{*m}T^m)
\cup R(I-T^m T^{*m}) \}.
\end{align*}
Also $T_u=T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_u}$ and $T_{\neg u}=T|_{{\mathcal{H}}_{\neg u}}$
are called unitary part and c.n.u. part of $T$, respectively.
\end{thm}
\begin{proof}
Suppose that $T \in \mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})$ is a contraction. Define the defect operators of $T$ as
\[
{D_T}=(I_{{\mathcal{H}}}-T^*T)^{1/2} \ and \ {D_{T^*}}=(I_{{\mathcal{H}}}-T T^*)^{1/2}.
\]
Clearly, ${D_T}$ and ${D_{T^*}}$ are positive operators and bounded by 0 and 1.
Now for each $ h \in \mathcal{H}$
\[
\langle D_T^2 h, h \rangle =0 \iff D_T h =0 \iff \| Th \|=\| h \|.
\]
Therefore, the space $\{ h \in \mathcal{H}: \|Th\|=\|h\|\}$ coincides with
$\mathcal{N}({D_T})=\{h \in \mathcal{H}: D_Th=0\}$. Consider for each $m \in \mathbb{Z}$
\begin{align*}
T(m)=
\begin{cases}
T^m & \forall \ m \geq 1,\\
I & m=0,\\
T^{*|m|} & \forall~~ m \leq -1.
\end{cases}
\end{align*}
Then for each fixed $m$ in $\mathbb{Z}$, the space
$\{h \in \mathcal{H} : \|T(m)h\| = \|h \| \}$ is same | |
The Last House
By Kevin Tankersley
French luxury abounds in Robinsons' custom home
Pictured: Photos by Taylor Nicole Photography
Styled by Melissa Hoekstra
When Valerie and Gordon Robinson decided to build a house and move back into town from Hidden Valley, Gordon had just three things he wanted in the new place. He got those, but every other decision he left up to Valerie. They combined three lots on Ridgewood Drive — directly across the street from where they lived years ago — and began a four-year process of designing and building on sloped land made up of expansive clay, which required pier-and-beam foundation work under the house and the pool. They've been there nearly a year now and wouldn't change a thing about their new home.
They had some help on the home from Melissa Hoekstra, owner of James & Reid Home Antiquities of Waco. Hoekstra initially helped the Robinsons choose outdoor furniture.
"They wanted their outdoor experience to flow with the interior space seamlessly with a clean, minimal and modern approach," she said. "Since then, we have built a rapport with them and have provided art and accessories for the home."
When the children and grandchildren visit, there's plenty of room for everyone. Valerie and Gordon have four kids and four grandkids with another one due any day now.
One son, Cole, is a lawyer with Gray Reed in Dallas. He's married to Meg, and they are parents to Billy, Jack and Molly.
Chad lives in Waco and works in the family business, Specialty Property, Ltd. He and his wife, Michelle, a nurse practitioner, have a daughter, June, and are expecting another, Juliette, around the middle of this month.
Their son Barret works in digital marketing in Austin; and their daughter Francesca is studying interior design at the University of Arkansas.
WACOAN: How long have you been here?
Valerie: We moved in last April. We moved in on a Sunday, and then we had a dinner party here that Thursday.
WACOAN: So there was no pressure in getting everything ready.
Valerie: Yeah, lots of pressure. But it really was kind of a good thing to do because it helped them realize we're tired of waiting. We're gonna do this. We've got to be in.
WACOAN: Where were y'all previously?
Gordon: We lived in Hidden Valley since 2005. Prior to moving to Hidden Valley, we actually lived across the street on Ridgewood.
WACOAN: What brought you back into town from Hidden Valley?
Gordon: It just seemed to be too far of a drive.
Valerie: We lived out there for 14 years, and we built that house together. We subcontracted it and built it ourselves.
WACOAN: Did you build this one?
Gordon: Yes.
Valerie: Brad and Nathan Alford [of The Alford Company in Waco] were our builders on this house.
WACOAN: How long of a process was building?
Valerie: Four years, from start to finish. Not all that was Brad and Nathan. It was us. It was a lot. There's a retaining wall out there. Getting the landscape where it needed to be to build a house on here.
Gordon: We actually bought this lot approximately eight years ago and then spent about two years in the planning stages and negotiation stages as to the size of the house. It was originally three lots, and we took advantage of all three.
WACOAN: What do you like about this area?
Gordon: Well, for me, I actually grew up on Ridgewood Drive. My parents built a house right up the street here, in 1976, and I lived there most of my teenage years and graduation from high school and attending college and everything. And then we again lived across the street here and then moved to Hidden Valley. So just getting back into the neighborhood and being close to Ridgewood Country Club and the lake.
Valerie: And his dad and stepmom, Clifton and Betsy [Robinson], live right up the street. And his mother, Boo [Robinson], lives on Richards [Drive], which is just right here. And then our son Chad and his wife, they live on Stoneleigh [Road]. We're all kind of right here together.
WACOAN: How long have y'all been married?
Valerie: Twenty-five years, last May.
WACOAN: OK. Back to your house. Did you design it, or did you bring somebody in?
Valerie: We did bring somebody in, but I had a book about that thick that I had been collecting [ideas in]. We kind of went back and forth between Mediterranean and French styles. He was leaning more toward Mediterranean. But then when we looked around Waco, there's quite a few Mediterranean homes. And so I started leaning more toward French and finally got him to come on board with me.
My vision for this house, and I think it happened, was it's more formal French in the front. We call it petite chateau décor. And so it's kind of more formal in the front, but then the back of the house and the upstairs and everything is like a contemporary Parisian apartment. That's kind of what we were going for.
We first hired an architect out of Dallas, Doug Caperton, and he really did the basic layout of the house, but it was bigger than what we needed for it to be and we had to scale down. And so, Lolly Lupton, who's an interior designer — she's from Waco, but she works and lives in Dallas now — she had a fellow who works for her and does all her design work digitally, David Kreager, and he kind of revised it to swap sides of the house and then made it smaller scale, more to what we need for this size of lot.
WACOAN: What drew you to the French style?
Valerie: I grew up in Europe. My dad was in the military, and my first husband was in the military. So I spent a lot of time overseas, and I went to school in Paris for a year and just was drawn to that type of architecture.
WACOAN: What are your favorite features of the house?
Valerie: I love the kitchen backsplash. It's kind of three-dimensional, and there's something similar to that tile work upstairs in my daughter's bathroom. It's kind of like a puzzle they laid out on the floor to piece it all together.
And I like the fact that [the house] is white and bright and light. Obviously that view right there is special all the way around. It's just very calming and peaceful. We were out of town this weekend, and we came back and I said, 'I just love walking into my home.' It's just peaceful and wonderful.
Gordon: I like the fact that it's secluded. [It's] off of the street, not very visible. We don't really have any backdoor neighbors. In the wintertime, you can see some folks up there because the leaves have fallen off the trees, but just the fact that we're sort of sitting up here in what we feel like is paradise, all by ourselves.
WACOAN: Why lots of white and not very much color in the house?
Valerie: First of all, it's very French to have a lot of white in the house and then use accessories to add color and to build off of that. And the fact that it is light and airy, I feel like that goes with the lake view. When we were building it and we were picking the colors, painters working on it said, 'Wow. This is really white.' And I [said], 'Trust me. It's gonna be OK.'
WACOAN: And it is white. It's not like off-white or eggshell or anything.
Valerie: No, it's white. And then afterward they were all like, 'This is awesome. We like it.' There are a couple of other colors in the house, like in the dining room. It's called Marilyn's Dress [by Benjamin Moore]. I used that color in several | |
Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/fip/fedcwp/0113.html
Will the valuation ratios revert to their historical means? Some evidence from breakpoint tests
John B. Carlson
Eduard A. Pelz
Mark E. Wohar
If valuation ratios return to their historical means any time soon, then equity prices must fall substantially, or earnings and dividends must accelerate sharply, or some combination of these events must occur. Historical patterns over the past century suggest that stock prices will fall to align valuation ratios with their means. Of course, the means of the valuation ratios could have changed. To assess the likelihood of such changes, the authors employ breakpoint tests, which allow for multiple breakpoints at unknown break dates. The authors also review alternative explanations for changes in the ratios. They conclude that although no single explanation may be convincing by itself, taken in toto with empirical evidence of structural change, the preponderance of evidence suggests that the mean of the dividend-price ratio is now somewhere between 1% and 2%, probably nearer to 1%. They also conclude that the mean price-to-earnings ratio is now somewhere between 20 and 25, perhaps even higher.
John B. Carlson & Eduard A. Pelz & Mark E. Wohar, 2001. "Will the valuation ratios revert to their historical means? Some evidence from breakpoint tests," Working Papers (Old Series) 0113, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Handle: RePEc:fip:fedcwp:0113
File URL: https://www.clevelandfed.org/~/media/content/newsroom%20and%20events/publications/working%20papers/2001/wp%200113%20will%20the%20valuation%20ratios%20revert%20to%20their%20historical%20means%20pdf.pdf?la=en
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GIOT, Pierre & PETITJEAN, Mikael, 2006. "The information content of the Bond-Equity Yield Ratio: better than a random walk?," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2006089, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research | |
ATC140327: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on its activities undertaken during the 4th Parliament (May 2009 – March 2014), dated 11 March 2014.
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on its activities undertaken during the 4th Parliament (May 2009 – March 2014), dated 11 March 2014.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs (referred to as the "Committee") conducted oversight visits to Gauteng, Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga, North West, Kwazulu-Natal, Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces in the 4 th Parliament. The focus was on the ports of entry, refugee reception offices and offices of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). During the 4 th Parliament, the Northern Cape was not visited. Part of the oversight visits included checking on the state of readiness for South Africa to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010. The Committee, together with other committees, participated in a coordinated oversight visit to all the FIFA World Cup host provinces.
As part of the Home Affairs Modernisation Programme, the DHA introduced the ID Smart Card (referred to as the "Card") in 2013. The Card will replace the green bar coded ID book. Members of the Committee applied and received their Smart Cards in October 2013 as part of the initial roll out. The green bar-coded ID book will be phased out within the next 6 to 7 years. The Card will also be used for National and Provincial elections in 2014.
The Committee amended several pieces of legislation namely; the Citizenship Amendment Act 17 of 2010, the Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act 18 of 2010, the Refugees Amendment Act 12 of 2011, the Immigration Amendment Act 13 of 2011 and the Electoral Amendment Act 18 of 2013.
The major highlight on the Refugees Amendment Bill was that asylum seekers now have five days to present themselves to the nearest Refugee Reception Offices. In addition allowance was made for the intention to move Refugee Reception Offices closer to the border borders to make it easier for applicants to apply for asylum status.
The requirements for registration of births to take place within 30 days was the major highlight of the amendments to the Births and Deaths Registration Act. This will ensure that the National Population Register is not as easily contaminated due to the elimination of the frequently abused Late Registration of Births (LRBs).
The Electoral Amendment Act was introduced in 2013 and one of the major changes was to allow South African citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, starting from the 2014 elections. In addition those individuals who will be outside their provinces will be allowed to vote elsewhere but only for the National Assembly. Allowance for those unable to vote on the voting day were also made more inclusive.
The DHA introduced the Smart ID card in 2013. The Smart ID Card will replace the green bar-coded ID book. The committee thus emphasised and interrogated the importance of finalising the often delayed ICT integration process of the DHA. Unfortunately due to time constraints, the Committee was not able to visit the Government Printing Works (GPW) head offices in Gauteng in 2013 to the see the new passport and ID Smart Card printing machines. GPW had acquired a new passport machine during the 4 th Parliament. Whilst in Gauteng, the Committee also planned to visit DHA head office, the Electoral Commission (IEC) and Film and Publications Board (FPB). The Committee should prioritise visiting these entities in the 5 th Parliament.
Duplicate cases make it difficult for South African citizens to bury the deceased if their ID numbers are duplicated. Duplicate cases are instances where one person has two ID numbers or where two persons share an ID number. The Committee persistently pursued this issue in order for it to be resolved. The DHA has repeatedly published names of people who had duplicate cases to avail themselves to the department for this to be resolved. Very few people came forward and outstanding cases are being prioritised and investigated. The on-going modernisation of the ID application process and smart card has been noted by the committee as a means of preventing such issues.
The DHA introduced an amendment to the Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act to ensure that births are registered within 30 days after delivery. This has reduced the number and backlog of late registrations noted as of concern by the Committee and thus the abuse of this method as an illicit means of getting access to South African Documents has also fallen.
3.1. Ensuring that the Modernisation Programme is completed.
3.2. The movement of the Refugee Reception offices closer to the land borders or interim measures if this process is delayed.
3.3. Visit by the Portfolio Committee to ports of entry and offices of the Department of Home Affairs in Northern Cape and more offices in the Western Cape Provinces.
3.4. Monitoring the implementation of the legislation that was passed during the 4 th Parliament.
3.5. Roll out of the Live Capture for the ID Smart Cards and Passports in all offices.
3.6. Cooperation between the DHA and Department of Public Works (DPW) in acquiring offices and border post accommodation for the DHA and finalising facilities for the GPW.
3.7. The filling of vacant funded posts by DHA.
3.8. The Committee should learn more on issues of regional integration as it relates to immigration on the African continent and on fast facilitation of recruitment of scarce foreign skills from other parts of the world.
4.1. Ensure the securing of the land and coastal borders in order to deal with illegal migrants.
4.2. Pursue the DPW on not providing adequate and expedient offices to the DHA and GPW.
4.3 Monitor ongoing cases of Identity and other forms of fraud committed by Home Affairs officials.
4.4. Ensure that Refugee Reception offices are moved to border posts or alternative facilities as soon as possible.
4.5. The DHA should better monitor and manage migrants within the country. For instance the department has regularised Zimbabweans who are in the country illegally. The regularisation of other nationalities in South Africa, needs to be addressed.
The efficient determination and safeguarding of the identity and status of citizens and the regulation of immigration to ensure security promote development and fulfil our international obligations.
The Electoral Commission is one of the Constitution's Chapter 9 state institutions in support of constitutional democracy. The primary responsibility of the Commission is to manage elections and to establish and maintain the national common voter's roll. Additional functions of the Commission are described in section 5 of the Electoral Commission Act, 1996.
The Government Printing Works provides stationery related items to government departments, provincial governments and local authorities. GPW also provides related services to other African countries, such as printing high security documents for Namibia, Malawi and Swaziland and ballot papers for the Tanzanian government.
The Film and Publication Board is a statutory body established by the Film and Publications Act (1996). The Act regulates the creation, production, possession, exhibition and distribution of films, interactive computer games and publications. The board is also responsible for monitoring adult premises.
· Consider all matters referred to it in terms of legislation, the Rules of Parliament or resolutions of the House.
In preparations for scrutinizing of the DHA's Annual Report, in addition to visiting provinces and engaging with DHA management at Parliament, the Committee also invited Provincial Managers of the DHA to present reports on the state of their provinces each year. This method helped the Committee to understand particular challenges faced by each province. These challenges were thus also raised by the Members of Parliament to the DHA when the Annual Reports, Budget and Strategic Plans were presented to the Committee each year. The Committee as mentioned visited 8 out of the 9 provinces during the fourth parliament. The Committee also | |
me to him tightly.
"And I want to be the Dormouse!" Billy shouted. He was very small for his age, as well as being unusually gifted in the silliness department. There was no doubt that he'd get the part, none at all.
"But, but…" I objected weakly.
"But what?" Jay answered for everyone. "It's perfect! I hate Shakespeare, even if I get flunked for saying so. We're the perfect class for Alice. Thank you, Mrs. Lansing!"
"Yes!" everyone cried out, one after another. "Thank you, thank you!" Then the bell rang, and this time we simply could not ignore it, much as we would have liked to. For the rest of the day, we would be normal high school kids attending mundane, dull high school classes. It was pretty hard to take after Drama.
"Aww!" we cried out in the ritual chorus, and then one by one everyone filed out the door. I tried to hang around until last so that I could talk to Mrs. Lansing, but Jay wasn't having any of that, not at all.
"Come on!" he cried out, grabbing me by the elbow and grinning like the Cheshire cat that he might very well soon portray. "We're late! We're late!"
"Yeah," I answered weakly. "I guess we are at that." And with those words I let him drag me out into the bustling hallways.
The rest of the school day was every bit as humdrum as I'd expected it to be. I took a calculus test, watched a bad movie in American History, and took a nice nap in study hall. At lunch I sat right between Jay and Celia, listening to them chatter endlessly about Alice as I sat and quietly ate my greens. "You don't seem very excited, Berry," Celia pointed out eventually. "Is something wrong?"
"Well," I temporized. "I get to play a white rabbit every day. It's not like the part is going to be any kind of challenge for me. Besides, I'm really worried about Digger."
"Hmm," Jay replied thoughtfully. "You're such a natural for the part that I never thought of it that way. And I do hope that everything comes out all right for your brother. He used to be so nice!" Then they were off again, talking a mile a minute about their hoped-for roles.
On the ride home from school, I learned from Ray all about why the Marines still officially preferred the older M-14 rifle to the more modern AR-15, even though the Army weenies had forced the Corps to go with the inferior weapon regardless of the fact that they were wrong. Then I was off the bus and home at last. When I opened the garage Dad's car was inside, something very unusual. He was waiting for me in the family room.
"Hi, Berry. How was school today?"
"Not bad," I answered, closing the door behind me. "Have you heard from Digger?"
Dad's face fell, and I noticed that the liquor cabinet was open. Neither Mom nor Dad drank very often except when entertaining, but when they did you could be sure that something serious was bothering them. "No, son. Not a word. I came home early, hoping that he might come back in the afternoon when he thought that no one would be home. The minute I heard the garage door opener I was going to nab him. But he's still out."
I sighed and looked down. "He is so stupid!"
Dad sighed too, and then he stepped over and paced his forepaw on my shoulder. "I'm very proud of you for trying to stop him this morning, Berry. You're growing up to be a fine young rabbit."
I looked my father in the eyes; among we Lapists being referred to as a rabbit is a very high compliment. To us, the word has a far more profound meaning than to normal humans. "I've had a very fine rabbit to live up to," I replied after a long time. "Dad, Digger isn't evil, you know. He's just…"
"Shh, shh, shh!" my father hushed me. "We'll talk about Digger plenty later, I'm sure. But today is Wednesday. Or had you forgotten?"
"Of course not," I answered. Wednesdays and Sundays were always devoted to religious study and family activities. Dad had been tutoring Digger and I every Wednesday night in our faith for as long as I could remember. "But I thought that tonight…"
Dad smiled. "You thought wrong. I'll not have your brother's delinquencies affecting you any more than I can help it, Blueberry. It'll be just you and I tonight; your mother is working late at the lab. Have you got any urgent school homework that you need to take care of?"
"Not really." I was a good enough student that I rarely brought any work home at all, except on long holidays.
"All right, then. I've chopped you up some nice veggies; they're in the refrigerator. There's some really tasty melon juice in there too."
I nodded eagerly. Melon juice was my favorite drink.
Dad smiled. "I think I'd like to work on chapter twelve tonight. Would that suit you?"
"Sure." It really didn't matter to me. One chapter was as important as another.
"Good. You read up and eat dinner, and I'll see you at about… What, six o'clock?"
"All right," I agreed. On a sudden impulse I stepped over and hugged my father. "He'll be all right, Dad. I know it. Digger is a smart kid, in his way."
Dad hugged me back for a very long time before letting me go. "I sure hope so, Berry."
"I wish Mom was here, though. Why didn't she come home too?"
"She's a gengineer, son. There's a procedure in process. She can't just up and leave; someone is depending on her." Somehow, though, my Dad's voice sounded considerably less certain than his words would indicate. "Now you go and study your texts, Berry, and I'll do the same. Then we can have a nice discussion-time together."
I nodded, then dropped my schoolbooks on the coffee table and visited the kitchen. Dad had picked us up some fresh celery, crisp broccoli, and had run a very nice head of cabbage through the shredder. We rabbits are not much on heating things up; I simply took a large bowl out of the cabinet and filled it to the brim. Then I poured myself a nice, tall glass of melon juice and took everything to my room where I could study in privacy.
The Book of Peace was the primary philosophical work behind the Lapist movement; it had been written by a gengineer at the turn of the last century, right about the time that gengineering had really taken off and proven itself practical. Sweetgrass Bloomsniffer Rabbit had been the very first Lapist; he wrote the Book of Peace as a direct result of having his body reworked into lapine form. Sweetgrass had not sought out mystical insights through physical change, he explained in the introduction. Rather, he had merely wanted to try something new and was one of very few people at the time in a position to do so. But his experiment had borne fruits far beyond his wildest expectations. Once he had opened his eyes as a rabbit and seen the world through new and gentler eyes, he'd known instantly that the universe could never be the same for him again. As a rabbit, he strongly believed, he was a far better person than he could ever have been as a human. When the body changed, he reasoned, the soul could not help but change as well. Within a year the Book of Peace was written, and Lapism was born.
I smiled to myself as I pulled my own personal Book of Peace down from the shelf in my room. It was hard to believe | |
IMPORTANCE AND ULTIMATE FAILURE OF LAST TANGO IN PARIS
admin2017-11-12T18:38:19+00:00November 12th, 2017|Categories: CINEMA|Tags: Bernardo Bertolucci, Last Tango in Paris (1972), Movie reviews|
by E. Ann Kaplan
Last Tango in Paris is an important film because of the way it deals with film history. By showing the inadequacy of and parodying two recent influential film styles, 1950s Hollywood and French New Wave, Bertolucci critiques and condemns the outmoded ideas and attitudes which informed these styles. This important aspect of Last Tango has been ignored, partly because the film so quickly became a cultural object encrusted with layers of largely irrelevant criticism that diverted attention from deeper meanings. But the aspect was also ignored because Bertolucci did not present it clearly. I will argue that the film ultimately failed, largely for this reason, and then go on to show the confusion that resulted from casting Brando in the role of Paul. I will discuss sexism in the film and Bertolucci's failure to make clear statements about Jeanne. I will end by suggesting what I think Bertolucci is really saying about outmoded social forms and film styles. The insights are there, although they lie beneath the surface of the film. Bertolucci must be praised for his critique of bourgeois styles and attitudes, but criticized for not finding a technique adequate to express expressing his perceptions.
Bertolucci's failure to establish a coherent perspective on events in the film through style and tone makes Last Tango a particularly difficult film to interpret. The late 50s and early 60s French New Wave accustomed us to ambivalence in the directors' attitude to their films and even to their characters, but the overall tone, style and mood of each film indicated well enough what the director was expressing. Last Tango, however, lacks a consistent attitude on the director's part of the and thus has produced an especially confused and subjective critical controversy. Critics have differed in their interpretations of the film because Bertolucci has not placed the encounter between Paul and Jeanne within a framework that would clearly tell us what he is saying about the characters. The actors could, perhaps, have provided the perspective themselves. (Many critics suggest that the film would have been quite different with Dominique Sanda and Jean-Louis Trintignant.) But in contrast to this, Brando dominates the film.
Let me dwell on Brando for a moment because his overwhelming screen presence is at least partially responsible for the confusion about the film. Brando uses essentially the same acting style that had worked so well in his U.S. 50s movies. Here this clashes with Bertolucci's own more modern, European attitudes and style. The sheer strength of Brando's personality in a film like this is jarring. His old method acting, tough Hollywood style, is often quite out of place, as in the scene near the start of the film when Paul is reminiscing about his past with Jeanne. That style was fine for U.S. films like Streetcar and On the Waterfront. Here the effect of drawing the audience in close to the character is inappropriate in Bertolucci's very European kind of cinema. Brando's acting style makes us feel a closeness which is unsuitable for the brutality and insensitivity of the character here. Both Terry and Stanley, despite their surface toughness and male aggressiveness are essentially good guys. But there is nothing likable about Paul. He is selfish, self-pitying, indulgent and hostile. Yet as Brando's acting style draws us close to the character, it only leaves us puzzled as to what he is really all about, or what we are to feel towards him.
However, in one sense Brando was perfect for the part. If, as I'll argue, Bertolucci's film is as much about film styles as it is about sex and bourgeois society, then Brando was a good choice for Paul through whom Bertolucci is commenting on 50s Hollywood film attitudes and styles. Brando immediately conjures up Terry and Stanley, although, of course, here he is an embittered, alienated and aging version, living out attitudes in a society where they no longer have meaning or context. But Brando (understandably) is unable to parody himself. Instead he seems to use the film for his own ends, expressing his personal loathing for bourgeois life and attitudes. In this, he is similar to other contemporary heroes, such as Alex in A Clockwork Orange or, more recently, the two men in Going Places. All these men so hate a false middle-class way of being, with its phony niceness and artificial goodness, that they become monsters in revolt against the majority in their culture. In Last Tango, one often feels that Brando is not really acting, but that he is rather expressing a real hostility toward society. He obviously feels that it is better to be openly and deliberately ugly and brutal than to subscribe to bourgeois superficiality, and the film was a perfect vehicle for expressing such ideas.
The result, however, of Brando's using the film in this way is that he absolutely dominates the film and thus sends the whole thing off balance. To express what I think he wanted to express, Bertolucci would have had to establish a critical perspective on Brando. If one is looking for parody, one can find it in scenes where Paul's actions are so extreme as to be ridiculous. For example, even the opening shots can be seen this way. The camera is tracking backwards, focusing on Brando walking slowly underneath a bridge with an incredibly pained expression on his face. A train passes overhead, and he curses "Fucking God!" into the roar. Everything is just a little too slow, a little too belabored to seem natural. At one point, when Jeanne comes to see Paul, he is sitting with his head covered. For a moment he resembles Bottom, the weaver with the ass head in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Another time, we see Paul crying meaninglessly, sitting in a broken chair while Jeanne masturbates in the other room. The butter scene is nearly ridiculous. And in some way, it is also hard to believe in Paul's emotional outburst over his wife's elaborately decked-out body. The scene again borders on the ridiculous.
Many people missed the director's ironic tone in these scenes partly because the irony is subtle. Also, seeing it required familiarity with the consciousness and style in new films. Bertolucci takes types of people and attitudes common in new films. Then he exaggerates them so that we become distanced from the type or the attitude and look critically, often with ridicule. For example, in the opening scene mentioned above, Bertolucci constructs a very forced meeting between his two central characters. Paul is an exaggerated version of the typically alienated, lost, lonely modern hero as he plods slowly along with contorted face. The exaggeration of the familiar type makes it hard to take him seriously. The unreality of the scene caused by the emptiness of the streets and the echoing of Paul's steps distances viewers even more as we wonder why the camera is staying so long with Paul. The second pair of footsteps turn out to belong to Jeanne, and we know that she and Paul will end up together. Bertolucci again exaggerates the "first meeting" scene, distancing us and shocking us into awareness of the attitudes that underlie such meetings in many films we have seen. Instead of merely flirting a bit with a total stranger and setting up a date, Brando virtually rapes a rather willing Jeanne. Impersonal genital sex is the basic form for encounters between lonely people in our culture. The shock may make us absorbed in the actual sexual meeting. But the abrupt ending and the matter of fact way each smoothes out clothes | |
maybe, it was just break in the action. But there is some evidence that with the max grounding, the airline industry, in general, has tight capacity, tight capacity means that the airlines are very reluctant to take their aircraft down for upgrades. And upgrades are, essentially, what much of our IFE and IFEC sales are all about. So we've seen some evidence of some airlines that are particularly max dependent, that they want to delay their programs until the max situation is resolved.
And we, obviously, don't have any information on that beyond what everybody else has in the industry. But at this point, the max situation is clearly an evolving scenario. So those are my overall color comments, to begin the summary of the quarter. I'll turn it on -- turn it over to Dave now through some of the numbers.
Dave Burney -- Chief Financial Officer
OK. Thanks, Pete. As expected, heading into the quarter, sales in the second quarter were light compared with the trailing first quarter of the year. But still up about 5.4% on an adjusted basis from 2018 second quarter, when you exclude, from both periods, the sales of the semiconductor test business that we divested in the first quarter this year.
Aerospace segment sales were up 8.1 million or 4.9% compared with the last year's second quarter. The increase was broad-based across most product lines, driven by higher OEM build rates, increased content and airline retrofit programs. In particular, electrical power and motion sales were strong, up 16.4 million or 24%, driven by strong in-seat power sales. Lighting and safety was also strong, up 2.6 million, or 6%, with all that increase coming from the lighting products, partially offset by lower PSU sales.
Avionics was our weakest point in the quarter, down 10.6 million or 29% from the prior year's comparable quarter, primarily, due to decrease in sales of IFEC hardware. Test segment sales, excluding that divested semiconductor test business, were 14% to $12.6 million compared to the second quarter of 2018. Increase was driven broadly by an increase in volume from multiple A&D customers. Going to our margins.
On consolidated margins, our consolidated operating income decreased from 20.1 million to $10.6 million, due primarily, to the divestment of the semiconductor test business, which accounted for $10.2 million of operating income last year and $2.1 million this year. Adjusted income from operations, excluding the semiconductor activity from both periods, calculates the 8.5 million or 4.6% of adjusted sales compared with 9.9 million, or 5.6% on adjustment sales of 186.9 million and 177.2 million for 2019, 2018 second quarters, respectively. Still stalking to consolidated margins. Items affecting the quarter this year included tariff costs of 2.3 million, inventory reserve of $1.6 million, and a workforce reduction cost of 2.2 million; all told, about $6.1 million or about 300 basis points of margin.
Absent these charges, consolidated operating margin would have been roughly 8.6%. Regarding the tariffs, our supply chain management continues to work with our suppliers to reduce the impact of tariffs. Several of our suppliers are actively relocating or moving production from China to other low-cost countries, but the process doesn't happen quickly. In the long run, we expect to able to reduce the impacts; of tariffs, but it will not happen this year.
As we have said, going into the year, we're anticipating tariff cost to be in the ballpark of $10 million this year, and we saw 2.3 million in the second quarter this year, which was up from what we saw in the first quarter. Timing of tariffs really depends on the cadence with which we're importing some of our electrical components and cables from China. So looking to the segment operations. Aerospace operating margins were 8.3% versus 11% in 2018 second quarter.
Lower operating margins attributable to several factors. Two of the factors I spoke about affected the aerospace segment. The impact of tariffs during the quarter was 2.3 million and the $1.6 million inventory reserve. Absent these factors, aerospace operating factors would have been about 10.4%.
Also affecting the margins with a somewhat unfavorable sales mix, with a larger mix of slightly lower margin sales in the quarter. We initiated a restructuring effort in our antenna business that we talked about on the last quarterly. With that restructuring, we expect we will annual fixed cost by more than $3 million. The restructuring costs in the quarter were minimal, and we'll begin to see the benefits in the third quarter.
We're making headway regarding the operations of our three problem businesses. The losses for those three during the quarter, as Pete mentioned, totaled $7.7 million, with AeroSat accounting for about 75 -- 70% of the loss. As we said before, our goals this year is to move those three to breakeven, and we think we're getting there with two of the three. AeroSat will struggle a bit longer for the reasons Pete had mentioned about the satellite failure, but we're still waiting for alternatives and we expect the situation will evolve as we move through the year.
Additionally, we begin -- we will begin co-locating certain aspects of the Armstrong business from Itasca into a newly leased facility that CSC occupies in Waukegan. This will provide additional savings and synergies once the process is complete, over the next 12 months or so. On the test systems. Test segment operated at, roughly, breakeven for the quarter.
Adjusting out the estimated impact of the semiconductor test business, the segment would have had an operating loss of about $2 million compared with an adjusted operating loss in 2018 second quarter of $3.9 million. However, the quarter ended a $2 million charge -- or included a $2 million charge related to severance as we resized the test organization after the sale of semiconductor test business. The resizing will result in annual savings of about 5 to $6 million in that segment, which we expect to see in the third quarter. In July, we signed a deal to sell our non-core airfield lighting business.
Proceeds for that will be roughly $1 million, and we expect, in the third quarter, will result in a noncash charge of about $1.5 million, primarily, relating to the removal of the goodwill related to that business that was on our balance sheet. On to our balance sheet. The balance sheet continues to be strong. At the end of the second quarter, we had a $122 million of long-term debt outstanding, which translates to a multiple of about 1.2 times EBITDA, if you exclude the gain on the sale of the Semiconductor business.
Including the gain, we are levered for debt covenant purposes at about one-half times adjusted EBITDA. This gives us a great deal of flexibility in working capital deployment. We do have a $50 million share buyback plan in place and a 10b5 plan filed to repurchase shares at predetermined quantities based on market prices. We have not disclose the details of the plan and we did not purchase any shares during the quarter.
In addition to the share repurchase plan, our focus for capital deployment continues to be an M&A opportunities in both aerospace and test segments. I think, Pete, that concludes my comments.
OK. Turning to our sales forecast for the rest of the year, you saw in the press release that we are adjusting down our cumulative sales expectations, aerospace in particular, the test actually goes up a little bit. Aerospace is now predicted to be 680 to 700 million for the year. Last year, in 2018, we came in at 676.
So the midpoint of that range would represent about $15 million of growth. Test is now predicted to be 60 to $75 million. Last year, without Semiconductor, it was 48 million. | |
smelled.
He grabbed his glass of wine, gestured for her to take her seat at the island, and then chugged the pinot.
Oh yeah. His feathers were ruffled.
_Whatever_. She intended to eat.
The first bite had her moaning in spite of her best efforts to eat quietly. Until she'd started taking on so, you could've heard a pin drop in the room.
"Good?" he asked.
"Amazing," she confessed.
"Gina taught me this recipe. She takes cooking classes over at the Cook and Bake Company as a way to relax. She says it helps her achieve her Zen goals."
The deliciousness exploding in her mouth fizzled like a flat soda. "That's interesting." At least Gina taught him something useful. It took every ounce of restraint Jess possessed not to say exactly that. She had no right to be jealous of the woman. No right at all. But it was hard not to be. Gina Coleman was gorgeous and smart and a good cook who took lessons for her Zen whatever. La-tee-da.
Jess would bet a hundred dollars that the woman couldn't change a tire if her life depended on it. She probably couldn't qualify with a weapon either. Or take down a bad guy with a few precisely placed moves.
"Do you remember my cousin Ronald?"
Jess about suffered whiplash from the abrupt subject change. "Vaguely."
"He graduated high school two years after us," Dan went on. "Anyway, he and his wife had their first child. A baby girl named Serena. They've asked me to be her godfather. The christening is at two on Sunday. If you don't have plans, would you like to come?"
"I'd love to." Who wouldn't want to sit on a hard church pew and listen to a baby scream while everyone in the room oohed and aahed about how beautiful it was?
_Stop being mean, Jess_. For those who didn't have children, a christening wasn't exactly a fun time. It was hard to relate to people who had decided their entire lives should now be focused on this tiny human who had only higher taxes and fewer job opportunities to look forward to.
"I'll pick you up about one-thirty, then."
"Sure." If she had said no, would he have invited gorgeous Gina?
Then it hit her. The whole reason he had told her about Gina teaching him to make this lovely meal was so she would jump at his invitation. The sneaky—
"I don't want you to go back to your place tonight, Jess."
In spite of her very best efforts to stay strong, the worry in his voice tugged at her heart. She laid her fork down and turned to him. "We can't keep skating into dangerous territory, Dan. We already have enough trouble keeping our professional relationship professional. Black and the others aren't blind."
She needed more wine. She reached for the bottle but he beat her to it. He refilled her glass.
"I know we're supposed to be taking this slowly but I'm almost forty-three. I don't want to take it slowly anymore." He poured himself some more wine before putting the bottle down. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Jess. I want to love and protect you for as long as I live. If something happened to you..." He shook his head. "I couldn't bear it."
The whirlwind of emotions his words launched had her head spinning. "What're you saying?" Had he just proposed? And told her straight up that he loved her too. _Oh my God!_
"I'm saying that I love you. I want us to take it to the next level. I want a commitment."
"Boy, that was a mouthful." Reeling, she didn't know what else to say to his revelation.
"If you don't want the same thing, for God's sake say so and put me out of my misery."
_Take it slow and careful, Jess_. "I can't say that I don't want the same thing." Okay, that wasn't so hard.
"Then why the hesitation? Is it about having children?"
That she wasn't sure about. "There was a time when I was certain I'd be spending the rest of my life with you." She smiled but her lips wouldn't quite hold the gesture. "Being back here. Being with you feels right. It feels like it was meant to be but..."
As if Frances had abruptly walked into the room, her voice rang in Jess's ears. _It can also leave you lonely and needy when there's no one around to lean on because they've all been trained to stay out of your way._
"But..." he prompted, hurt in his voice and on his face.
"I'm terrified, Dan." Just tell him the truth. "It feels like we have this incredible and unexpected second chance. A _gift_. A do-over opportunity that most people don't have the privilege of stumbling upon. And I don't want to screw it up. We have to be careful. Take it slow and be patient. We have to, Dan. We just have to. This is too important to rush or jump the gun." She drew in a big breath. "I have to learn to lean on someone besides myself sometimes. You have to learn not to smother me."
"I just want you safe."
"I know you do but we have a job to do and at work you can't treat me different. We have to learn to separate those aspects of our lives. We talked about this last night. Otherwise your position as chief of police could be damaged. We have to be smart about how we do this. We have to do it right."
He took her hand in his. "You make a number of valid points. I shouldn't be rushing things but when I think of Spears getting close to you, I'm the one who's terrified."
Jess kissed him on the lips. "I love you, Dan." The happiness that lit in those blue eyes of his tightened her chest. If he could say it, she damn sure could too. "Thank you for admitting you're afraid too. I don't like being terrified alone."
He kissed her firmly, then drew back. "Eat." He winked at her. "Then you can tell Gina how much you appreciate all she taught me."
Jess narrowed her gaze. "That will cost you, mister."
He leaned down and kissed her again. His lips lingered until she melted against him and kissed him the way he wanted to be kissed. The way they both wanted to be kissed.
When they were gasping for breath, he whispered against her cheek, "I want to make love to you."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I hope this shirt didn't cost too much." Before he could say a word, she ripped it open. Buttons flew over the granite counter and the wood floor. Her hands were on his skin and she didn't care about anything else.
They made it as far as the sofa. She wasn't sure whose fingers fumbled the most; she only knew that it took them working as a team to get his trousers open. She wrapped her legs around his and somehow he got her panties aside and pushed into her.
He did exactly what he'd said he wanted to do... he made love to her. Fast and hard the first time and then slow and softly the second.
Jess didn't know why she had bothered to fight it... this was where she wanted to be.
At least until daylight... when duty called.
But she would always come back... because this was where she belonged.
#
_Cahava Valley Road, 11:01 p.m._
Aaron sat by the pool. The lights deep beneath the water were the only ones illuminating this sultry summer night. Even the stars were hiding from the devil that had been let loose. He almost laughed. Oh yes, he had always possessed a flair for drama. An uncanny ability to size up the situation and | |
mental and moral elevation of the human family.
163. There is, as it were, deliberation on the part of God before He enters on the creation of man: "Let Us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth" (Gen. I, 26). The compound nature of man, and his twofold origin, are distinctly marked in the narrative: "And the Lord formed man out of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life" (ib. II, 7). No one who accepts the Divine authority of the Scriptures (n. 55) can refuse to see here a different origin for the body and the soul of Adam. In consequence of this revelation, and also because reason teaches that matter cannot, by any modification, become capable of thought, it has long been the practically universal teaching of Catholic Doctors that each soul is created immediately by almighty God. This consent constitutes that ordinary teaching of the Church which is no less infallible than her express definitions. Hence we look upon it as a part of the course of nature, that a human soul is created and infused into each body as soon as the body is fit to receive it. The science of Biology suggests many reasons to think, and no reason to doubt, that the specific life-principle of every species of plant and animal begins its work as soon as there is produced a new organism of the species. Theology does not settle this point with regard to man, except on the practical side: it absolutely forbids all wilful and direct destruction of life in the human embryo from the first moment of its conception.
164. Every one is familiar with the theory of certain modern scientists which pretends that man has originated by a natural process of constant evolutions, or ascents in the scale of perfection, from a lower animal, and this from a still lower one; ultimately from a most imperfect organism, perhaps from the very clod of inorganic matter. There are two very different schools of evolutionists. The atheistic school considers all the marvellous series of evolutions as the outcome of mere accidental changes, or of blind forces of matter, always tending towards an increase of perfection in all existing things. This school runs counter to some of the absolutely certain principles of reason; for instance, that order cannot come from chaos by mere accident, that there must always be a due proportion between a cause and its effects, and that there can never be a perfection in the result which was not in some manner contained in the cause. A theory so evidently unphilosophical is not worthy of further consideration.
Theistic evolution is very different from this. It supposes, though it does not claim to prove conclusively, that the all-wise Creator brought about the existence of plants and animals by endowing imperfect forms of life with certain wonderful powers, which, either by steady tendencies, or by a succession of sudden transitions, have eventually produced all the species of plants and animals. Most Christian scientists except man from the series of evolutions; but a few are willing to allow that the body of the first man was evolved from the body of a brute animal, though they do not pretend to know from which species: it would then have been made out of the earth, but not immediately. They maintain, however, that the soul of man ways immediately created by the Almighty, and united with Adam's body, which thus became human.
165. If the more perfect study of the book of nature should show, in course of time, that there has been an evolution from inferior to superior organisms, this would make the works of God more wonderful still than we now suppose them to be. In this theory, God would indeed have produced all the species of life, but He would have done so by mediate, not immediate causation. It would be as if a very skilful mechanic would construct a machine so ingeniously contrived that it would gradually evolve new capabilities. We may also grant that many assumptions of this theory do not conflict with the Holy Scriptures. But we must, by all means, take exception to the derivation of Adam's body from that of a brute animal; since this appears to be totally at variance with the inspired narrative. It is certainly so, if we take into account, as we must, the details of the formation of Eve from the body of Adam. (See Hurter's Comp. Theol. Dogm. II, n. 307).
But even with this retrenchment, the theistic view of evolution is so far from being demonstrated that we can scarcely call it a truly scientific theory. For to be such, it should give at least a plausible explanation of the leading phenomena of nature. We will briefly point out some of its important shortcomings in this respect.
We have no quarrel with what is called "the Nebular theory", though it too is not demonstrated. But, 1. The derivation of living from non-living bodies is totally opposed to all known facts; and, in Huxley's own words, after the scientific labors of Pasteur, spontaneous generation "has received its coup-de-grâce" (Origin of Spec., p. 79). There is no more evidence in nature of the evolution of any plant into an animal than there is of inorganic matter into an organism. 2. Many scientists maintain to the present day that there is not, either in the vegetable or in the animal kingdom, a single well authenticated case of the transition of one species into another. This is almost universally admitted by the learned as far as existing species are concerned. Thus Huxley granted that selective breeding had never produced a new species (Man's Place in Nat., p. 107); much less had natural selection been known to do so. It is pretended by some scientists that a few transitional forms between certain species have been found in a fossil state, in particular some strivings of nature to produce the horse. But they fail to prove that the specimens found do not represent perfect species. Besides, it must be remembered that the theory supposes every one of the known species of organisms to have been preceded by incipient stages. Why have all those missing links perished? 3. The explanations suggested by Darwin as accounting for evolution are now generally acknowledged to be unsatisfactory; and no better ones have been advanced in their stead. 4. Even Darwin grants that man's body could not have been evolved from the highest species of known brute animals, but only from some other supposed species of which all traces are lost. It was confidently asserted at first that further explorations would soon supply the missing links; but they have failed to do so.
166. It is a dogma of the faith that all men are descended from Adam; for the statement of this fact is clear from Scripture, and on it rest the doctrines of original sin and of Christ's atonement: "As by the offence of one unto all men to condemnation, so also by the justification of One unto all men to justification of life" (Rom. V, 18; nn. 177, 197). The Council of Trent calls Adam the first man, and speaks of all the human race as his offspring (Sess. 5). It was formerly objected that the various races of men could not have sprung from a common stock; if churchmen had said this, scientists would now sneer at their ignorance; but the objection came from scientists.
167. The age of mankind on earth is not | |
Eight Questions to Ask About Roth IRA Conversions: ADVICE Column
By Andrew Rice, Staff Writer | August 27, 2010 at 08:00 PM
Is a Roth conversion in your client's best interest--or is it a roll of the dice?
Editor's Note: Andrew Rice won the fi360 Call for Papers -2009 with an article cautioning advisors about Roth IRA conversions, "The Gamble of a Lifetime" (InvestmentNews, February 1, 2010). As there is more to say on this topic, and as WealthManagerWeb.com will be working with fi360 on the Call for Papers for the upcoming year, we are happy to publish Andy's additional work on this subject. Our focus as always, is: what is in the client's best interest?–Kate McBride
By Andrew D. Rice
In a previous article, I couldn't tackle all the issues associated with this complicated conversion dilemma, nor can I completely finish them here. However, I'd like to propose a number of additional issues worth considering, based on feedback to my original article, in the hope that it, as well as other discussions, will prompt advisors to step back and at least re-think their opinions on the Roth very carefully.
From my perspective, most recommendations for conversion are not completely and factually accurate. Therefore, I offer these additional thoughts that should also be taken into consideration when considering a Roth conversion for a client:
1. Know that Roth conversion calculators can provide inaccurate analysis
2. Compare apples to apples when doing the analysis
3. Realize required minimum distributions could be viewed as a different type of partial conversion
Let's look at these more closely:
One assumption used in some online Roth conversion calculators is that outside assets are available for a 100% conversion in order to pay the tax bill. My issue with this comparison is that instead of only comparing the two assets of discussion (IRA money converted to Roth IRA money), some calculators incorrectly slant the presentation by assuming that tax dollars owed for the conversion are paid with outside assets, instead of assets from within the IRA. This slants the presentation unless both sides of the future projected comparison are balanced. If one assumes outside assets will be used to pay the conversion taxes, the comparison of the non-converted IRA has to have the outside assets remain as an addition to a client's complete portfolio value. You can't use one pot of money on one side of the equation, and then exclude it from the other side in the future projection comparison.
Some online conversion calculators do try to accommodate this point, but in what I believe to be an inefficient manner. They assume earnings on the outside assets are taxed annually at a user-defined future tax rate, which is also the same future tax rate applied to traditional IRA distributions. In reality, those outside assets, depending on the type of after-tax money, could pay taxes at many different rates such as dividend tax rates, short-term capital gain rates, long-term capital gain tax rates, or ordinary income tax rates.
When further analyzing the application of the future tax rate, it's inaccurate to assume the highest tax rate for the options above, as it slants the opinion toward converting. As we know, qualified dividends and long-term capital gains are currently taxed at a
maximum of 15%. In addition, consider that if those outside assets are invested in tax-exempt bonds, there may be no taxation at all (excluding capital gains and alternative minimum tax). Therefore, many of the most comprehensive conversion calculators inaccurately assume higher taxes on outside assets, which in turn, decreases the future projected value of those assets when presented as a comparison.
It's also critical to compare apples to apples in any analysis. I believe it's inappropriate for supporters of the conversion to recommend that a client take outside investable assets and use those to pay the tax bill, just to get the benefit of future tax-free growth on a separate pot of money. They further validate this assessment by presenting a simplified conversion calculation of the growth between a $500,000 IRA and a $500,000 converted Roth. In order to factually apply what most conversion experts are recommending, you have to compare the $500,000 IRA to a converted $375,000 Roth, net of the assumed 25% tax rate, and then answer the following questions to thoroughly project whether the future tax-free growth is really worth the conversion:
o How long will it take for the tax-free Roth to make up the difference of forfeited taxes, paid up front, when assessing the "lost opportunity cost" of future tax-leveraged earnings, which would have been generated from all the tax dollars if left in the converted IRA?
o Moreover, has the "lost opportunity cost" associated with having the proposed outside assets as after-tax investments been considered? The client had to pay taxes on that money at some point in the past, and now some are recommending clients exchange those assets as tax deposits just so they can have tax-deferred assets become tax-free assets.
o Granted, required minimum distributions are made from an IRA and not a Roth, but to be fair to the equation, did you reinvest the net after-tax income from the IRA distribution in an after-tax account to balance the equation, when assuming no distributions from the Roth during this same timeframe?
o Have you included a client's income needs from an IRA without also applying the same income needs against the Roth?
o Are you able to accurately predict each client's individual, spousal, child and grandchild's specific tax and income situations, year-by-year, over the next 50 to 100 years?
o Do you have factual information on what our country's tax laws will look like year by year over the next 50 to 100 years?
Lastly, many colleagues are recommending a partial conversion option to balance a client's complete financial position between after-tax assets and taxable assets. While I definitely see a more reasonably calculated gamble with a partial conversion versus the full conversion, I still have a few concerns about this approach. Based on current IRA laws, a client turning age 70-1/2 has to start required minimum distributions
(RMD) from their IRA account. When looking at required minimum distributions from a slightly different perspective, one could argue that the client is already being forced to make small partial conversions each year after age 70-1/2, just in a different form.
While you can't convert RMDs to a Roth, you can reinvest the net after-tax distribution into an after-tax account, assuming the client doesn't need the income. I realize this isn't exactly the same as a Roth's future tax-free growth; however, you don't have to deal with the five-year Roth holding rule after conversion. The after-tax account would pay taxes based on dividends and capital gains, which are only 15% if properly tax-managed, whereas with a Roth, you wouldn't. However, on the flipside, an after-tax account would allow a tax-deduction for realized capital losses, whereas a Roth doesn't. Also, an after-tax account could take a stepped-up basis to the fair market value at the date of death, depending on the total inherited assets at the time of death, which could involve some form of tax-free gain similar to a converted Roth.
So, when considering the assessment that a partial Roth conversion could be somewhat similar to an RMD, does your client really need to partially convert at all?
Obviously, the conversion issue is a very comprehensive situation with many unknown variables involved both now and in the future. Lacking a crystal ball, my question is, "What's the big rush, since the law now allows Roth conversions in any year going forward?" Having an IRA still allows your client to make a conversion decision at any time, but a 100%-converted Roth completely cements the client's position (once past the allotted reversal period), leaving them with few | |
the winter.
You are reading "Does it Snow in Australia?" Back to Top or More tourism, attractions for couples, food, things to see near me today
Top things to see near me, beaches, cruises, parks near me, underrated tourist attractions downtown, travel blog, attractions, places near me right now, vacations, family weekend breaks, mountains, open now, tonight, breakfast near me, affordable rental, campgrounds near me: CO, Seattle Flagstaff, Napa, Portland, MN, Winston-Salem, Scottsdale, Dallas, SC
The winter season, Photo: Michael Walker/stock.adobe.com
Winter rainfall in Australia, Photo: otman/stock.adobe.com
Can you go skiing or snowboarding in Australia, Photo: Taras Vyshnya/stock.adobe.com
Spotting the wildlife, Photo: TashaBubo/stock.adobe.com
Christmas in July, Photo: Joscha/stock.adobe.com
Want to go hiking, Photo: Sander/stock.adobe.com
Snowshoeing on Mount Kosciusko, Photo: kurgu128/stock.adobe.com
Cover Photo: Courtesy of Michael Meijer - Fotolia.com
More Ideas: Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is located in Australia. Visitors to the rainforest will enjoy its pristine nature, untouched by artificial structures and real time wildlife sightings. The rainforest takes its name from the photographer and geologist, Richard Daintree. Daintree was born in 1832 and dies in 1878.
The Daintree Rainforest encompasses the Daintree National Park, privately owned land that includes a residential community with a population of five people, and some parts of State Forest. The land north of the Peninsula Range is gradually purchased from private owners and is used for conservation.
The rainforest is home to thirty percent of the marsupial, frog, and reptile species in Australia, ninety percent of the butterfly and bat species. Seven percent of the bird species in Australia are located in this part of the country. The Daintree Rainforest boasts twelve thousand species of insects. The diversity of the rainforest makes up 0.1% of Australia's landmass.
Roads north of the Daintree River wind through the forest. They were developed in a way that minimizes the impacts of travel on the ancient ecosystem.
Daintree Rainforest practices genuine ecotourism with interpretation from expert long-term resident guides. The rainforest contains the World Heritage centerpiece and is the oldest rainforest in the world. There are several tour options for the rainforest, but tours are generally two or four hours of guided walking through the rainforest. Packages include the following:
· Greater Wilderness Experience- This tour uses the knowledge of inhabitant guides to present the old-growth rainforest. The tour is intensive and provides insight into the intricacies of the ancient ecosystem. The tour lasts four hours and is about a six and half kilometer walk.
· Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour- This tour takes visitors to the heart of the rainforest. The local guides are experts on the biodiversity and complexity of the ecosystem. The evolutionary progress through the last one-hundred and eighty million years has made the rainforest a living museum of primitive and rare animals and plants. This tour is two hours and requires a moderate level of fitness to traverse the flat terrain.
· Walk Cruise Combination- This tour combines the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour and a one-hour cruise through the most diverse mangrove area in the world. The cruise explores the habitats of crocodiles and cassowaries. The tour and cruise combo allow visitors to explore the Cooper Valley at the base of Thornton Peak. It has rich ecosystem that includes primitive fauna and flowering plants that cannot be found in the world anywhere else. The guides are experts and will explain the Daintree Rainforest beginning with it's development and evolution through time, to the numerous primitive, endemic, and rare species located there. The tour and cruise combination lasts three hours.
· Walk Cruise Extension- This package combines the Greater Wilderness Experience and a one-hour cruise through the mangrove community. The tour and cruise combined will last five hours. The combination tour and cruise explores an old growth Gondwanan rainforest and the mangrove community that is home to a diverse set of wildlife including the estuarine crocodiles.
· Daintree Rainforest River Combination- This package combines a two-hour wildlife cruise with either the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour or the Greater Wilderness Experience. If combined with the Grand Fan Palm Gallery tour, it will last four hours. If combined with the Greater Wilderness Experience, it will last six hours.
· Walk Cruise and Dine- This package combines the Grand Fan Palm Gallery Tour with a cruise that last one hour and is interpreted by experts and a lunch at one of the nearby Heritage Lodge, followed by a tea in the afternoon at one of the local tea houses. The total time for this package is five hours.
· 7-Hour Package- This package combines the Daintree Rainforest Walk, Cruise, and Dine Package with the Greater Wilderness Experience. The cruise last one hour and is interpreted by experts. For more information on what this package includes see the website.
· Private Charters- The Daintree Rainforest provides private tours that can tailored to specific interests. Those who prefer the private tour may choose to focus on interests such as plants, insects, photography, or the part humans play in changing the environment. Depending on the amenities and type of tour a visitor is looking for, the times for these tours will vary.
The Daintree Rainforest allows field trips for university and secondary schools. Guides with expert knowledge interpret the rainforest and its uniqueness and evolutionary process. The Rainforest also provides boundless opportunities for research as it is the most diverse rainforest, biologically in the world.
Daintree Rainforest, Australia, Phone: +61-74-09-89-16
More Places to Visit in Australia
You are reading "Does it Snow in Australia? " Back to Top
More Ideas: Australian War Memorial
For those who have served with the Australian Army, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the good of their nation, and those who still serve, honorably, fighting injustice in the world alongside Australia's allies, this war memorial serves them, and the people who wish to honor the sacrifice, courage, dedication, selfless service, fortitude, and commitment to their great nation. The Roll of Honour dedicates the achievements and sacrifices of over 102,000 Australians who gave their lives, and everyone else who'd served at home, and abroad.
This war memorial is unlike most others. It has spent all the years since November 11th, 1941, on Australia's national Remembrance Day, to fill the archives, gather the documents, display the war paintings, preserve the artifacts, and educate the population. The history of the war memorial is just as fascinating and rich as the history within its walls. The Australian War Memorial is internationally recognized as one of the greatest memorials and national monuments in the world. The building itself has Byzantine style architecture, with etchings, carvings, and contrast among distinct Australian settings around eucalypts and lawns surrounding the large ceremonial avenue.
Charles Bean was the inspiration and main lobbyist for the war memorial being built in 1941. Charles Bean and others had tried for several years to lobby for it, and it was accepted, but during the period between 1927 and 1941, there was no local architectural designers that were worthy of winning the contest that was made to find the best architect for the huge job. Two stood out from the rest though, John Crust and Emil Sodersteen were encouraged to collaborate instead of introducing individual bids, and finally, their proposal was accepted, and the building was successfully constructed on that Remembrance Day in 1941. The perfect collaboration occurred when Emil envisioned and designed the overall building and wings, and with John designing the Roll of Honour to name 60,000 heroes.
Along with Charles Bean, who was the official war correspondent during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, a man named John Treloar, who was a Captain in the Australian Imperial Force at the time, was appointed to lead the Australian War Records Section, located in England. He was then responsible for acquiring relics, artifacts, records, and all the other history of Australia's military history. John Treloar was nominated | |
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here are some reporting sites with alot of links to report scams and fraud around the world. they are associated with law inforcement around the world.
I dont know if it will help, but when I did my own investigating it helped me.
MY Prize letter had the sanme wording as everyone esle's.
Im an averagly intelligen guy and this looked real to me but fishy.
SOmeone should tell "LOTTO, READERS DIGEST, PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE, SWEEPSTAKES" corporate lawyers to go after these sleazebags.
But I wont even bother.
THANKS FOR PUTTING UP THIS FORUM!
Hope it helps othere not get fooled!
Coulda used the money tho!
Main Brance; 323 Bay Street. Nassau, Bahamas.
Sponsors; DIGEST, PUBLISHER'S CLEARING HOUSE, SWEEPSTAKES.
SUBJECT: AWARD CLAIM FINAL NOTIFICATION.
People's Vision and thinking determines their success in life, and the reason for your good fortune is clear. After numerous attempts to reach you have failed, we are pleased to inform you through this letter that our network system shows you as the lucky winner of unclaimed prize money in the amount of 43,000 USD (Forty Three Thousand Dollars). The system indicates that you won the award on March 2nd, 2007 sweepstakes draws.
All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from Reader's digest, Publisher's Clearing house, Computer games, sweepstakes date base, are from Australia, New Zealand, Europ, North and South America, South Africa and Asia, as this is our International Promotions Program, which is conducted annually CONGRATULATIONS!!
It is important to remind you of the federal and International Laws guiding the fairness in personal collection of cash prizes. The law requires a winner to pay applicable Taxes and Processing feesbefore all the funds are relased. The same laws also prevent you from paying with your personal money but from your winning money.
Your funds are now deposited with us and are now insured in your name. Please find enclosed check of 2,975.00 USD. payable to you and must be deposited only to the payees account cashed and part sent to the registration, processing and paying office to finalize your claims. This amount is in adcance for processing out to you upon receipt of your confirmation. We adcise that you keep your lot and claim numbers confidential until your claim had been proberly processed and funds are remitted to you as this is part of our security protocol to acoid any DOUBLE CLAIMS.
we hope you'll give urgent attention to this mail byy contacting your claims agent Paul Zuma at 1-289-888-1394 Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm, Sat 9 am-4pm ET. NOTE: all prize money must be claimed not later then April 17th 2007 at which any unclaimed funds shall be forfeited. Once again congratulations from all our staff and thank you for your trust in our services.
*this all sounded so real to me... Seariously, I am un educated and cant spell or read that great, so when I was reading this it all looked so perfesional.... I am still not sure if there are any mis spellings. But Thank god my mamma taught me NEVER to trust what is not believable.... Too bad too. I could have REALLY used that money. I am on the verge of being aviceted. and if that money was real. I could have bin just fine..
got one of those bad real checks today . your right chuck it does look real but something in the back of your mind says something is wrong with this picture. so we looked it up and found this page. thanks for confirming whdat we already thought this is a scam. did you know that the name and symbol on the check is for a real mortgage place but they aren't in new jersey. hope they don't sucker anyone in cause like you said people could use the money.
This scam has many victims . . . the people who get the letters and the companies that get their information or logos stolen and used in these scams.
Do you have a website? Have you posted anything on there that your logo and company name has been stolen and is being used by scammers?
Post subject: Tower Processing Center, Cantech Industries, Inc.
I received one as well. My guard came up when I noticed the stamp on the envelope was Canada 93, my letter was from Tower Processing Cener in St. Thomas Virgin Islands which stated I was a winner of their "monthly Global Draw held in Dublin, Ireland and that I needed to call Susan Edwards, an accredited agent of United Kingdom Random Lotto AND my check was from Cantech Industries, Inc. in Johnson City, Tennessee AND the bank it was drawn on was Sun Trust Bank in Nashville, N.A. or Sevierville, TN. I immediately wondered why there were so many different locations being used, and none of them more than once in this simple mailing? The check looks great. Watermark and all. I did not call anyone, yet, other than the number in the letter. I got some men with heavy accents who kept telling me "please hold on a moment" after I told them I was calling about a letter I received. Then Mr. Williamson instructed me to deposit the check and hurry. He wondered why I hadn't yet. He said "as soon as you deposit it, call us and we can get your funds released after you follow our instructions." I said, "Why can't you go ahead and give me those instructions now? He said he could not, and actually it would be Sharon Howard who I would have to speak with. She was the only one with clearance to release my funds. The whole time, I was never asked my name, my check amount, vendor # on the check, nor my reference number. I realized then that this must have been a mass mailing. Mr. Williamson was disgusted I was asking so many questions and keeping him on the phone so long.
Anyway, I have copies of my letter, check and envelope to help assist anyone out there who is investigating this or who needs more documentation for this case that I can email.
I, too, am glad I found this forum before I deposited it like my husband wanted me to. Even if I had deposited it, I was not going to send them any money.
Please feel free to contact me (by using the PM or email links below) if you are working on a case against these or any related people.
I received a letter stating that I was the winner of $46,500.00 USD as the winner of the North American Utilities draw selected through a computer ballot system drawn from thousands of telephone numbers and utilitiy bills. Along with the letter came a check for $3,200.00 and a phone number to call. I was to contact Mr. Anthony Owens or Mrs. Sylvia Watts at 1-306-351-2764. I spoke with "Mr. Owens" sho assured me this was legit and was told to deposit the check and call back when the check cleared. Well, the check DOES NOT CLEAR!... DO NOT DEPOSIT THE CHECK!!!. Thankfully, I did some research before depositing the check and found out it is bogus. After several days, "Mr. Owens" called me back and told me the check cleared on his end and that I was supposed to wire $2,390.00 to a Ms. Rose Turney in Montreal to cover taxes and other fees.
I told him I knew it was a fraud and he then told me to go f... myself along with some other choice words. I have called back several times to hassle him and he still answers his phone, which is kind of fun. Anyway, the number I was told to call is in British Columbia, the address to wire the money is in Quebec, the address on the | |
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Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians 633 | $30.92 2021
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Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 8,050 | $38.86
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers 2,646 | $28.98
Major Aerospace Companies
Machinists 6,261 | $20.17
INDUSTRY | HOSPITALITY
Major Annual Events by Attendance (2019)
The Dallas-Fort Worth region has a robust hospitality industry presence that can handle meeting and convention events of all sizes and types, whether an annual meeting for a major national association or a short-lead executive board meeting requiring the utmost security and service. The market includes a large base of hotel facilities, ranging from budget to luxury within 15 minutes of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. This helps make the region a convenient destination for meetings that require travel from points throughout the United States. Central business districts in Dallas and Fort Worth are half an hour from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, while downtown Dallas is just 10 minutes away from Dallas Love Field. Both Dallas and Fort Worth— as well as the surrounding suburbs—offer major convention facilities with flexible space, along with robust entertainment and lodging amenities at a wide range of price points.
Dallas Marriott City Center Fairmont Dallas Four Seasons Resort Dallas @ Las Colinas Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Grand Hyatt DFW Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine Guild Victory Park HALL Arts Hotel Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton Hilton Anatole Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre Hilton Dallas Plano Granite Park Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center Hotel Crescent Court Hotel St. Germain Hotel ZaZa Dallas Hyatt Regency Dallas Hyatt Regency DFW
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State Fair of Texas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,514,637 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,216,140 Addison Kaboom Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500,000 Toyota Dallas Holiday Parade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450,000 Main Street Fort Worth Arts Fest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400,000 Grapefest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261,000 Fort Worth Mayfest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade and Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,000 Scarborough Renaissance Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200,000 BMW Dallas Marathon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | |
is forced to retreat, swearing that members of his blood would return in their thousands to destroy the wearer of the Silent Armor. Trigon has since set his plans into action, only to run into the problem of most of the mothers of his children being unable to survive mating with him, leaving Trigon with only three sons, all of whom he considers failures. Then, one day, he is brought a human woman from Earth, Arella, who gives him his first daughter Raven, the most powerful of Trigon's children, and the reason why Trigon now targets Earth for conquest.
During the DC Rebirth event, Trigon was killed by Bizarro.
Powers and abilities
Trigon is strong enough to gut Ares, the God of War and knock around the members of Superman's Regime, fast enough to keep up with the likes of Superman and Flash and is virtually impervious to most methods of attack having shrugged off attacks from the Teen Titans and reality-warping imp Mister Mxyzptlk. He can fly, teleport himself and others to various locations and can even break through the barriers of other universes with enough power. His common methods of attack are his energy and hellfire blasts. His energy blasts are powerful enough to one-shot both the Teen Titans and the Justice League and his hellfire blasts were strong enough to burn Mister Mxyzptlk. He also likes to attack his enemies with energy blasts fired from his eyes. He's also extremely skilled at using telekinesis, being able to use it on such a scale that he can manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe and distort the space-time continuum. He can additionally manipulate matter, transmute elements and warp reality to the point where he's been able to effortlessly turn the Earth and all its inhabitants into stone, bring people back to life as skeletons and dissipate the atoms of his minion Psimon through light whilst still allowing him to remain conscious. Trigon can also create, summon and materialize dark energy, shape-shift and manipulate his size to either become as tall as a skyscraper or as small as the average man. Being a Demon, Trigon also has a habit for devouring souls but on a massive scale having once devoured the souls of an entire universe. Also in the New 52, Trigon devoured the evil Heart of Darkness artifact which causes him to be hungry for evil and allows him to grow stronger in the presence of evil energies or beings by feeding on their evil. He's also a master of sorcery, being able to fire blasts of mystical eldritch energy at opponents, mind control thousands of beings, cast powerful illusions and even temporarily or permanently grant other beings with superpowers like the time he transformed an ordinary guy into someone with vast psychic powers. When Trigon does get hurt he has a powerful healing factor to fall back on which allows him to regenerate from virtually nothing, though the speed at which he can heal at is unknown. Alongside this, his mind is unblocked to the entire universe meaning he has extensive knowledge of events before they happen and often knows his opponent's next move before said enemy even decides it and is aware of practically everything that is going on in the plane of existence he's in thanks to his upper eyes. So, he essentially is Omniscient.
Other versions
In the DC Bombshells continuity, Das Trigon was a primal mountain spirit in the German Alps who had a change of heart after his lover Azaria gave birth to his daughter, Rachel. After Azaria's death, Trigon reverts to his monotonous ways and accepts Killer Frost's offer for a place in their new world. Raven has visions of her father's horrendous actions and confronts him in Russia, where he was one of the mythological creatures working for Captain Cold. Raven offers her father a chance at redemption as he aids her in confronting Faora. Faora kills Trigon, resulting in Raven's magic becoming unstable and transforming her into a demonic beast. As she calms down, Faora injects herself with a sample of Raven's unstable demonic blood to become Doomsday.
Trigon appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us comics. He is seen when Raven scares away several nomadic tribes in the Sudan, and is mentioned by the alternate Wonder Woman when Diana questions Raven's loyalty. Raven admits that she is Trigon's servant, and not Superman's, and that "all shall bow down before him!"
Trigon makes appearances in Tiny Titans as Raven's father and occasional substitute teacher. This version of Trigon is depicted as a silly, bumbling, but devoted father who often walks Raven to school. He enjoys skating wearing silly wigs, barbecuing if he can get the grill going, spending time with Raven and a toddler Kid Devil and he also enjoys surfing with Principal Slade from the school when they leave Lunchlady Darkseid in charge.
In other media
Television
Trigon appears in Teen Titans, voiced by Keith Szarabajka in the first season and by Kevin Michael Richardson in the fourth season. He serves as the main antagonist of the fourth season. More or less the same as his comic book counterpart, he is evil incarnate and probably the most terrible threat the Teen Titans face. He possesses vast reality manipulation powers, enabling him to reshape the surface of the Earth on a whim, revive the dead, and rip the fabric of space to move across vast distances. He can bring a person's inner darkness to life, creating an exact replica of that person, down to their powers and memories. He also possesses more generic superhuman abilities such as firing energy blasts, creating force fields, and pyrokinesis. In the season one episode "Nevermore", he first appears unnamed and as a manifestation of anger within Raven's mind. As the main antagonist in the fourth season, Trigon reappears with a different appearance. Trigon resurrects Slade Wilson to force Raven into releasing him upon the Earth. In the three-part finale "The End", Trigon finally emerges and destroys the Earth; the Teen Titans are spared by a fraction of Raven's power before releasing Trigon. The Titans and Slade launch an all-out assault on Trigon, but he quickly defeats them. In the end, Raven defeats Trigon using her own strengthened mystical abilities of pure light to obliterate Trigon, undoing the destruction he had caused in the process. It has been mentioned by the show's writers that Trigon was a nightmare of a villain to them due to his near-omnipotent powers, meaning that, realistically, the Teen Titans would stand no chance against the villain if he attacked them. The original 'Terror of Trigon' story contained a solution, due to the writers also being faced with the same problem, and the show adapted it from the comic books.
Trigon appears in the New Teen Titans segment of DC Nation Shorts, with Kevin Michael Richardson reprising his role. In one short, he arrives at Titans Tower to visit Raven. When Raven tries to shut the door on him, Trigon sticks his huge fingernail in the door's way and gives Raven a stuffed bunny. Raven uses her powers to chop off his fingernail so the door will close and then uses her powers to tear the stuffed bunny to pieces.
Trigon appears in Teen Titans Go!, voiced again by Kevin Michael Richardson with no connection to the original Teen Titans series. This version is a bumbling dad who wants what is best for his daughter, which is for her to accept her demon heritage and join him in destroying universes. The Teen Titans did not know that Trigon was Raven's father before his debut in "Dog Hand". Trigon's appearances have a reoccurring theme of tempting | |
law school, he clerked for U.S. District Judge John Gleeson in the Eastern District of New York and Judge Karen Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also worked as a litigation associate at the law firm of Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York City.
Henry Hosung Byun
Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Henry Hosung Byun, CFP® is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner who works with clients that include business owners, entrepreneurs, individuals and their families, and corporate executives and professionals. People looking to improve their wealth outlook, build financial independence, and leave a legacy, work with Henry. Before joining Merrill Lynch, Henry was part of Goldsmith Wealth Advisors, an office of MetLife and involved in client acquisition, financial and estate planning, investment and retirement planning, college funding, protection planning, and special needs planning. His ability to uncover the issues, develop action steps, and help his clients modify their behaviors and implement solutions, is supported by his previous experiences in asset management operations, medical devices, information technology and healthcare services. He graduated with a M.B.A. from Boston College and a B.S. from McGill University. Henry enjoys giving back to the community and helping those in need, especially children. He has been an active supporter of underprivileged children for over 20 years through Children International. He also supports organizations such as Charity: Water, multiple minority bar associations, Korean Community Services of Greater New York, Junior Achievement, Koreanamericanstory.org, as well as volunteers his time through Better Money Habits and its partners like United Way and Dodgers Foundation. Henry currently resides in Westlake Village, California with his family, while continuing to build his bicoastal financial planning and wealth management practice.
Jeanie Chang
Founder, Your Change Provider, PLLC
Jeanie Chang is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is passionate about effectively serving individuals, couples, and families including children and adolescents by promoting a solution-focused and multicultural competency approach in the home, schools, and workplace. She received her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pfeiffer University. Ms. Chang has a diverse career background; first starting her career as a broadcast journalist in Washington, D.C. during the Clinton administration. She also attended business school at Johns Hopkins University from which she received an M.S. in Marketing. Ms. Chang has worked in public relations, marketing, and client success management in the corporate sector. She followed a calling to get her license in marriage and family therapy, and in recent years has specialized in treating children, adolescents, and families particularly with anxiety and depression with a solution-focused approach. Chang co-launched the behavioral health program at Avance Primary Care (Raleigh, NC) in 2016, and co-created in 2017, an Emotional Eating program integrating behavioral health with nutrition services for primary care patients. Ms. Chang is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) with experience in grief, loss, and trauma, and a Certified Facilitator for Prepare/Enrich, a program used for pre-marital, marital counseling, and marriage enrichment. In addition, Ms. Chang holds specialized training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She is an accomplished national speaker; leading workshops in corporate and in the school system on mindfulness, self-care, and wellness. She also facilitates skills groups and provides psychoeducation for adolescents and families through various organizations around the country. Ms. Chang serves as President of the NC Chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals, where she is spearheading the NAAAP Wellness program, a national initiative to launch in 2020. She also volunteers as VP of Membership on the executive board for the Business and Professional Women of the Triangle and sits on the advisory board of the Western Wake Tennis Association.
Daniel M. Cho
Assistant Executive Director, New York City Campaign Finance Board
Daniel Cho is the Assistant Executive Director for Candidate Guidance and Policy at the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB). He serves on the Executive team and manages policies and procedures that affect candidates and their campaign staff in complying with the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules. Mr. Cho oversees the communications and advice related to all campaign financial disclosures and the public matching funds program. He has served in various roles at the CFB as Director of Candidate Services, Payment Coordinator, Auditor and Compliance Analyst. Mr. Cho is a past Co-Chair of the Programming Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) and participated in the New York City Leadership Institute. He also was selected by the New York Korean Consulate General to participate in and moderate at the Future Leaders' Conference in Seoul, South Korea. He is a past Chair and Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for the Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA). He currently serves as the Vice-President of Civic Engagement for the Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY) and is an associate member of the Council of Korean Americans. Mr. Cho holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College.
Eugene Cho
Founder, One Day's Wages and Founder & Executive Director, Q Café
Eugene Cho is also the founder and visionary of One Day's Wages (ODW) – a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The vision of ODW is to create a collaborative movement that promotes awareness, invites simple giving (one day's wages) and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with smaller organizations in developing regions. Since its launch in October 2009, ODW has raised over $7 million dollars for projects to empower those living in extreme global poverty. ODW has been featured in the New York Times, The Seattle Times, NPR, Christianity Today and numerous other media outlets. For his entrepreneurial work and spirit, Eugene was recently honored as one of 50 Everyday American Heroes and a recipient of the Frederick Douglass 200 – included in a list of 200 people around the world who best embody the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass, one of the most influential figures in history. Eugene was also the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from Princeton Theological Seminary. Eugene Cho is the founder and former Senior Pastor of Quest Church – an urban, multi-cultural and multi-generational church in Seattle, Washington. After 18 years, Eugene stepped aside at Quest in 2018. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Q Café, an innovative non-profit community café and music venue which closed due to relocation in 2015. Eugene recently released his first book, Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? He is currently writing his second book which is set to release in February 2020.
Hannah Cho
Senior Policy Advisor, LA City Council President Herb Wesson
Hannah Cho is the Senior Policy Advisor for Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson. In this role, she provides strategies and counsel regarding public policy issues and special projects throughout the 10th district, which encompasses Koreatown. She also serves as the Council President's liaison to the greater Los Angeles Asian American Pacific Islander community. Prior to her role at the City of Los Angeles, Hannah's professional experience includes serving as a District Director in the California State Senate and many years in various roles in the nonprofit, and political sector. Her portfolio includes policy initiatives, programming, and advocacy campaigns with organizations such as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the California Democratic Party, Operation HOPE, CARE, the Clean Air Campaign, and the US National Park Service. Hannah is a member of the Executive Board of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the California Democratic Party, the Glass Leadership Institute of the Anti Defamation League, and Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political | |
My Encounters with the Animal World
A sneak preview of:
Lori Morrison
The Shaman's Guide to Power Animals
It was a rainy day in the Pacific Northwest. I lifted my five-year-old body into my father's delivery van. Our cargo was buttermilk pancake mix, maple syrup, bacon, potatoes, carrots, and canned goods. We were heading to my family's logging camp on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State in the early 1960s. The road narrowed after we got to the Quinault Indian Reservation. Because over one hundred inches of rainfall there each year, the fir trees towered above us like a cathedral as we drove between them. Moss hung like lace from their branches. My father slowed the vehicle to allow a family of Elk to cross the road.
This trip is my first memory of being out in the woods far away from the bustle of civilization. Although dedicated to logging, my father's heart was so grateful for the forests that he was always proud of his efforts to ensure they were replenished after clearing the land. Many of the trees he planted on the Olympic Peninsula are mature and thriving fifty years later. His heart walked a tightrope between human development and preservation, a complicated balancing act in those early years of logging.
Continuing down the logging road with its rain-cut crevices, we soon arrived at the camp. Young and old loggers smiled as we pulled up to the makeshift kitchen ready to provide them the ingredients for their next meals. My father jumped out the driver's side and called for some help to unload the van. After greeting us, the cooks checked items off the list of things they had ordered by radio a couple days before. Invited to sit down to a lumberjack breakfast, seven plate-size pancakes appeared on the table in front of me. I did my best to dig into them, but my stomach was swiftly overwhelmed. For his part, my father chowed down heartily. We'd been driving for several hours.
After breakfast my father took me by the hand and we walked along the banks of the Quinault River, me more successfully than him, as my weight was perfect to prevent me from sinking deeply into the clay and mud of the shoreline. Arriving at the edge, I was awestruck. Thousands of bright coral Salmon were in the water flip-flopping and struggling to make their way upstream to their spawning grounds. My father pointed upstream to a community of Bear engaged in a feeding frenzy. They had no interest in us as their focus was on the mass migration of Fish that was taking place.
This was the first moment in which I realized that something greater and wiser than me existed beyond the walls of my colorful nursery full of stuffed animals. There was a natural power ready to be discovered out in the world.
On the way back home, we bounced down the same dirt road and this time we saw a Duckling that was alone on the side of the road. I remember my mind wondering if this fluffy creature was a sign from nature intended for us.
My father stopped the van and got out and, after much searching for Duck's mother, realized it had been abandoned. He picked up the tiny Duck, put it in an empty carton and handed it to me. I felt so blessed by this gift from the forest as I held the box with the duckling on my lap all the way home.
During my childhood I often spent time in nature alone. In those days, a young girl could venture about the bustling logging town of Aberdeen, Washington, on Grays Harbor in safety. Our neighbor had a large Koi pond where I would sit for hours watching pairs of Dragonfly dart about as several Koi peeked out from under the lotuses. Frogs would sit waiting for the next insect to land on their lily pads. The pond was a microcosmic world of its own, the world of the water spirits.
Life changed as I grew older. My connection to nature diminished as I embraced a more materialistic view of the world. Other than an occasional zoo visit, or a Sunday evening spent watching Wild Kingdom on television, the animal world was a distant thought or interest.
Moving to El Salvador in my late twenties changed that, as I became the keeper of eighty acres of land on the slopes of a dormant volcanic crater that held Lake Ilopango. I was handed my first machete and bought myself a good pair of sturdy boots, and with my civil engineer husband, Tino, started to open a road through the peninsula that we owned. Months of adventure ensued as we darted to avoid Snake, peeked at Panther and Fox, helped Armadillos make their way, discovered an audience of Iguanas watching us from the trees, and enjoyed the curiosity of a multitude of tropical birds. In the late afternoon, Vultures would prepare for the hunt and Opossums would climb up the palm trees for the night. Agoutis would feed on the tender vegetation and Duck, Egret, Kingfisher, Owl, and other creatures abounded on and around the lake.
Every night, Tino and I would drive our boat to a cliff where trees hung over the water to see the arrival of hundreds of birds who would sleep in its branches overnight. I was steeped in the circle of life; the animal kingdom was my neighborhood. Our dedication to the protection of this property evolved into maintaining a private sanctuary for many animals that were brought to us after being rescued from being offered for sale as pets in the central market.
Our love of wildlife took us on many other adventures. We traveled to Yellowstone National Park in the United States—another volcano! —and had thrilling experiences there with Bear and Buffalo. In Alaska, we flew by helicopter to the top of glaciers and spent time with Brown Bears that we discovered on Dog sleds as we ventured into the snowy banks near Juneau. We watched Whales in Prince Rupert Sound and enjoyed Seals floating on chunks of ice. More travels took us to Antarctica where we saw pods of Killer Whale and Leopard Seal, and I spent a day sitting on the beach in the Falkland Islands with a colony of Penguin.
Shortly after that, my husband and I took a trip that truly captivated me and deepened even more my perception of the animal world. We went to Africa. With local trackers for our guides, we went off the beaten path to find a male Leopard. Giraffe galloped alongside our jeep and Rhinoceros and Water Buffalo often stood only a few feet away. One day I sat for hours watching a female Leopard and her two cubs playing in the sunshine. During an outdoor lunch, my meal was stolen by a Baboon.
The moment that was most profound was when seven Lionesses joined us, moving stealthily alongside our open jeep as we moved along slowly. I could have reached out and touched them, although that would not have been a good idea. As the Lions were in stalking mode, I sat insanely still. Suddenly a Lioness took off perpendicularly to us, while the others stopped in front of the jeep and waited. Moments later, a herd of Gazelle came running in front of us, right into the trap that had been set. One Gazelle couldn't escape the ambush and became the victim of a feeding frenzy that I reluctantly watched. When finished, the seven Lionesses all lifted their bloody faces from the carcass and walked off.
Our next stop was Botswana, where I enjoyed watching Elephant swimming across the river from us with their trunks like | |
PAALF
Equity Lens
October 2017 Equity Lens
Welcome to this edition of the Equity Lens! This edition provides a fresh look at the work of our members, partners, and community leaders.
Here's a quick overview of this edition of the Equity Lens:
CCC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
CCC PARTNERSHIP WITH OREGON JUSTICE RESOURCE CENTER
CCC'S RESEARCH JUSTICE EFFORTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH METRO
CCC MEMBER FALL GALA OVERVIEW
WELCOMING NEW CCC LEADERS TO HACIENDA CDC & PORTLAND AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP FORUM
A Halloween Quiz!
CCC Member Spotlight: VOZ Portland
Romeo Sosa
Executive Director, VOZ Portland
Voz is a worker-led organization that empowers diverse day laborers and immigrants to improve their working conditions and protect civil rights through leadership development, organizing, education and economic opportunity. We provide day laborers with leadership development opportunities as well as classes aimed at providing them with the skills they need to secure long-term employment. Voz uses Popular Education methodology in our leadership development and grassroots organizing, and we have a strong history of community engagement as a worker-led organization. Romeo Sosa has been Executive Director since 2004.
Where I came from:
The Mayan story is a story that goes back thousands of years. It is a story of struggle to defend our language, our tradition, our culture, and our religion from the Spanish who invaded us. As a Mayan growing up during 36 years of Guatemalan civil war, it was important to understand political justice-- why I was seeing bodies and houses burning. At eight, I learned rich people were taking land and the poor were fighting back to defend the land-- sacred, Mother, and life giver in my culture.
What is a day laborer?
When I came to the U.S., I discovered the irony of the American Dream: I did not find riches, but instead I worked in the fields and the first thing handed to me was a shovel. I was changed by the exploitation of workers and racism we experienced. In the past ten years, we challenged some of the community assumptions about day laborers and immigrants: that they are drunks, homeless, drug dealers, or terrorists. They are people seeking work, food, safety, and peace. I worked in the fields, cut Christmas trees, picked tomatoes and blackberries, worked as a janitor, and took care of people with disabilities. Too many jobs to count just to survive. I discovered VOZ when I worked in the St. Francis dining hall feeding day laborers.
How Voz formed:
VOZ began in 2000 and is becoming one of Portland's strongest organizations pushing for immigrant rights. One of the main reasons VOZ exists is that we want day laborers to organize themselves, to stand up and speak up about the issues they face, and to ensure they are seen as equal. We are empowering people to change their own reality by creating solutions. We also founded the National Day Laborers Organizing Network so day laborers from across the country can share their experiences.
And we are seeing victories through our coalition work. We united with Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition and, with the help of the City of Portland, we established the first worker center in the city. There we offer skills, health and safety training and art, computer, and English classes while people wait for work. Because we need to have voices of day laborers in decision making processes, VOZ developed leadership development curriculum. Day laborers are becoming aware of their rights (and we put these on a "green card"), particularly regarding wage theft and immigration enforcement.
Over the past few years we have been integrating environmental and climate justice and disaster resilience into our work. This is particularly relevant with historical hurricanes and earthquakes battering our communities across Central America, Caribbean Islands, and North America. Day laborers are the first responders to natural disasters, yet the most exploited-- no access to safety precautions, facing wage theft, or even being deported when the job is done (so as to avoid payment). Day laborers need safety, rights, and green jobs training like we are doing with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Our communities need green jobs-- not a decision between health, safety and work.
Our Fights are Connected
Now, more than ever, we must see the intersections between policies of the new administration, immigration and criminal justice, workers rights and climate justice. It is encouraging to see people uniting and working together around immigrant rights like I have never seen before. For example, OPAL organized a march to support immigrant rights because it is clearly connected to the dangers day laborers face when cleaning up from human induced climate change disasters. Rights for immigrants and workers is climate justice.
Oregon Justice ResOURCE Center's (ORJC) new advocacy guide focuses on disrupting mass incarceration at the local level
The United States is widely known as the world's jailer. In recent months, the problem of racialized mass incarceration has gained increased attention, around the country and in Oregon.
"With the recognition that too many people have been criminalized, and that sentences have become overly punitive beyond a point of effectiveness, comes a push for radical transformation starting in the communities where stakeholders live, work, and answer to the people who elect them."
— ORJC
A new Advocacy Guide, "Disrupting Mass Incarceration at the Local Level," released earlier this summer by the Oregon Justice Resource Center provides a starting point. The Guide illustrates that locally-elected leaders at the city and county levels have tremendous power to drastically change systems of over-criminalization if pushed to do so by the communities they serve.
OJRC's strategic local focus seeks to increase opportunities for engagement. Local level engagement removes some of the barriers to participation that too frequently prevent communities most impacted from having their voice heard, such as the time and travel needed to advocate with state legislators.
County and municipal actors also have great potential to perpetuate or eliminate the extreme racial disparities embedded within our criminal justice system. The Guide illustrates how local elected officials have a wide array of power and discretion to either decrease or increase our reliance on incarceration including local policies around whether to stop, to search, to arrest, to fine, to divert or charge someone, how long of a sentence to seek, and whether they will stay in county jail or go to a state prison.
The Guide provides a resource to build community power to make progress around racial justice and civil rights by holding elected leaders accountable. Increasingly, there is a push to direct limited tax dollars to fund more effective approaches and community led programs outside of the criminal justice system, including culturally responsive community supports that are more effective at prevention. There are multiple opportunities to engage in the budget process such as the county budget hearing hosted by the Coalition of Communities of Color.
For communities of color there is an added degree of urgency to this work that goes beyond the glaring racial disparities currently embedded within the justice system. Recently, some policy reforms across the country have led to a decrease in overall incarceration numbers but an increase in racial disparities. This troubling trend illustrates the necessity for communities of color to be included at the table in decision-making early on and to engage locally long after elections are won or reform bills are passed.
Currently, the Oregon Justice Resource Center is seeking community feedback, collaboration and ideas on approaches to transform the justice system at the local level. Presentations and assistance with facilitation are available free of charge. The Guide is publically available to download on the OJRC website here.
CCC & Metro Partnership: Leveraging the Value of Community Expertise When Making Important Decisions
Washington county's Communities of Color
African American Community
African Immigrant Community
Asian American Community
Latino Community
Pacific Islander Community
Slavic Community
Native American Community
Middle Eastern & North African Community
"Community-led research is at the foundation of our efforts to understand the lived experiences | |
'Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns'
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Friday released the 87-page report about "Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns."
Following is the summary of the report.
In late 2013 and into 2014, mass protests erupted in Kyiv, Ukraine, demanding integration into western economies and an end to systemic corruption that had plagued the country. At least 82 people were killed during the protests, which culminated on Feb. 21 when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abdicated by fleeing the country. Less than two months later, over the span of only 28 days, significant events involving the Bidens unfolded.
On April 16, 2014, Vice President Biden met with his son's business partner, Devon Archer, at the White House. Five days later, Vice President Biden visited Ukraine, and he soon after was described in the press as the "public face of the administration's handling of Ukraine."
The day after his visit, on April 22, Archer joined the board of Burisma. Six days later, on April 28, British officials seized $23 million from the London bank accounts of Burisma's owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. Fourteen days later, on May 12, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma, and over the course of the next several years, Hunter Biden and Devon Archer were paid millions of dollars from a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch for their participation on the board.
The 2014 protests in Kyiv came to be known as the Revolution of Dignity — a revolution against corruption in Ukraine. Following that revolution, Ukrainian political figures were desperate for U.S. support. Zlochevsky would have made sure relevant Ukrainian officials were well aware of Hunter's appointment to Burisma's board as leverage. Hunter Biden's position on the board created an immediate potential conflict of interest that would prove to be problematic for both U.S. and Ukrainian officials and would affect the implementation of Ukraine policy.
The Chairmen's investigation into potential conflicts of interest began in August 2019, with Chairman Grassley's letter to the Department of Treasury regarding potential conflicts of interest with respect to Obama administration policy relating to the Henniges transaction.
During the Obama administration, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved a transaction that gave control over Henniges, an American maker of antivibration technologies with military applications, to a Chinese government-owned aviation company and a China-based investment firm with established ties to the Chinese government.
One of the companies involved in the Henniges transaction was a billion-dollar private investment fund called Bohai Harvest RST (BHR). BHR was formed in November 2013 by a merger between the Chinese-government-linked firm Bohai Capital and a company named Rosemont Seneca Partners. Rosemont Seneca was formed in 2009 by Hunter Biden, the son of then-Vice President Joe Biden, by Chris Heinz, the stepson of former Secretary of State John
Kerry, and others.
Access to relevant documents and testimony has been persistently hampered by criminal investigations, impeachment proceedings, COVID-19, and several instances of obstructive behavior. Accordingly, this investigation has taken longer than it should have. The Chairmen's efforts have always been driven by our belief that the public has the right to know about wrongdoing and conflicts of interest occurring within government, and especially those conflicts brought about by the actions of governmental officials. This is a good-government oversight investigation that relies on documents and testimony from U.S. agencies and officials, not a Russian disinformation campaign, as our Democratic colleagues have falsely stated.
What the Chairmen discovered during the course of this investigation is that the Obama administration knew that Hunter Biden's position on Burisma's board was problematic and did interfere in the efficient execution of policy with respect to Ukraine. Moreover, this investigation has illustrated the extent to which officials within the Obama administration ignored the glaring warning signs when the vice president's son joined the board of a company
owned by a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch. And, as will be discussed in later sections, Hunter Biden was not the only Biden who cashed in on Joe Biden's vice presidency.
This report not only details examples of extensive and complex financial transactions involving the Bidens, it also describes the quandary other U.S. governmental officials faced as they attempted to guide and support Ukraine's anticorruption efforts. The Committees will continue to evaluate the information and evidence as it becomes available.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY of the report about "Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption"
Key findings of the report: "Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption"
In early 2015 the former Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, George Kent, raised concerns to officials in Vice President Joe Biden's office about the perception of a conflict of interest with respect to Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board. Kent's concerns went unaddressed, and in September 2016, he emphasized in an email to his colleagues, "Furthermore, the presence of Hunter Biden on the Burisma board was very awkward for all U.S. officials pushing an anticorruption agenda in Ukraine."
In October 2015, senior State Department official Amos Hochstein raised concerns with Vice President Biden, as well as with Hunter Biden, that Hunter Biden's position on Burisma's board enabled Russian disinformation efforts and risked undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine.
Although Kent believed that Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board was awkward for all U.S. officials pushing an anti-corruption agenda in Ukraine, the Committees are only aware of two individuals — Kent and former U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein — who raised concerns to Vice President
Joe Biden (Hochstein) or his staff (Kent).
The awkwardness for Obama administration officials continued well past his presidency. Former Secretary of State John Kerry had knowledge of Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board, but when asked about it at a town hall event in Nashua, N.H. on Dec. 8, 2019, Kerry falsely said, "I had no knowledge about any of that. None. No." Evidence to the contrary is detailed in Section V.
Former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland testified that confronting oligarchs would send an anticorruption message in Ukraine. Kent told the Committees that Zlochevsky was an "odious oligarch." However, in December 2015, instead of following U.S. objectives of confronting oligarchs, Vice President Biden's staff advised him to avoid commenting on Zlochevsky and recommended he say, "I'm not going to get into naming names or accusing individuals."
Hunter Biden was serving on Burisma's board (supposedly consulting on corporate governance and transparency) when Zlochevsky allegedly paid a $7 million bribe to officials serving under Ukraine's prosecutor general, Vitaly Yarema, to "shut the case against Zlochevsky." Kent testified that this bribe occurred in December 2014 (seven months after Hunter joined Burisma's board), and, after learning about it, he and the Resident Legal Advisor reported this allegation to the FBI.
Hunter Biden was a U.S. Secret Service protectee from Jan. 29, 2009 to July 8, 2014. A day before his last trip as a protectee, Time published an article describing Burisma's ramped up lobbying efforts to U.S. officials and Hunter's involvement in Burisma's board. Before ending his protective detail, Hunter Biden received Secret Service protection on trips to multiple foreign locations, including Moscow, Beijing, Doha, Paris, Seoul, Manila, Tokyo, Mexico City, Milan, Florence, Shanghai, Geneva, London, Dublin, Munich, Berlin, Bogota, Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, Hong Kong, Taipei, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Johannesburg, Brussels, Madrid, Mumbai and Lake Como.
Andrii Telizhenko, the Democrats' personification of Russian disinformation, met with Obama administration officials, including Elisabeth Zentos, a member of Obama's National Security Council, at least 10 times. A Democrat lobbying firm, Blue Star Strategies, contracted with Telizhenko from 2016 to 2017 and continued to request his assistance as recent as the summer of 2019. A recent news article detailed other extensive contacts between Telizhenko and Obama | |
and Taylor was fired two years later. Ironically, it was also the occasion of his greatest contribution to machining technology, the discovery of high-speed tool steel.
Ship plate and ship cannon production required very large-scale planing and boring operations, so Taylor immediately focused on the machine shop, introducing the full panoply of his management ideas. By the second year of the engagement, however, although the shops were running more smoothly, managers complained that they weren't actually _producing_ any more than usual. To their irritation, they discovered that Taylor had still not begun work on the time studies and piece rate systems, which was the main reason he had been hired.
The fact is, Taylor had found something more interesting to do. For some twenty years he had been gnawing at the problem of optimizing machining operations, along the way experimenting with a great variety of cutting tool steels. Early in the Bethlehem assignment, he recommended a favorite tool steel from Midvale, and was embarrassed when it performed badly in a bakeoff with other steels. Checking further, he found that when it was forged, the toolsmith had overheated it to "dull cherry" (steel heat was still measured by color), which, as the smith should have known, made it soft and crumbly under pressure. Taylor had wangled a full-scale lab setup at Bethlehem, so he did some experiments on his own, corroborating that the Midvale steel got very hard just below cherry, but lost its integrity above that point. Then, to his amazement, he discovered that as he increased the heat through "salmon" to "yellow," the steel went through yet another phase change and got _super_ hard.
That was a big deal, and Taylor knew it. With the assistance of Maunsel White, the Bethlehem metallurgist, he spent much of the next year on a model set of empirical experiments that completely specified the detailed processes for making the new steel. Along the way, experimenting with the newly invented pyrometer, they succeeded in replacing all the color-based heat descriptions with precise temperatures, so "light cherry" became "845°C." Centuries of lore, and the traditionalists' beloved color categories, were swept away into the attics of industrial museums.
The performance of the new tools was startling: they typically ran at double or triple the speed of standard tools, heating all the way to "cherry" (about 1000?C) without any loss of cutting efficiency. A spectacular Taylor-White tool exhibit at the 1900 Paris Exposition got the attention of the entire industry—it was a giant lathe cutting at high speed, and positioned in semidarkness to highlight the cherry-red glow of the tool and the blue glow of the stream of hot chips. High-speed steel swept through the industry, and by 1902 machine makers were creating entirely new lines of equipment to take advantage of the new tools. (But it took some years to take full advantage of them. Re-gearing motors to triple the speed of the cutting tool was easy enough, but it was much harder to redesign, say, a heavy planing table to feed three times as fast, and still stay true.) Although the Taylor-White patents secured his fortune, Taylor, ever the obsessive, downplayed their importance, insisting that they were just a _component_ of the comprehensive "Taylorized" shop system. He was even disappointed at the rousing reception accorded his 1906 ASME presidential address, "On the Art of Cutting Metals," because the audience focused only on the new tools, ignoring the functional foremen, the stopwatch timing, the piece rates, and the rest of his apparatus, which he regarded as equally fundamental.*
After Taylor was ushered out of Bethlehem—he had managed to antagonize a remarkable number of people, from top management down to the shop floor—he effectively retired from active business, building a large house near Philadelphia, working hard at his golf game, and serving as a kind of mountaintop guru for the cause of "scientific management." He frequently played host to small groups of businessmen, treating them to lunch and a Taylor disquisition. Taylor could be a mesmerizing speaker, and his stories and successes steadily improved with each re-telling; as one biographer delicately put it, "potential dramatic appeal . . . outweighed any consideration of historical accuracy." The day would wind up with a tour of a local factory run by a friend and admirer, James Dodge, who had installed one of the few examples of a pure Taylorized operation. Many of those tours resulted in consulting assignments, which he parceled out among a still small but growing band of disciples.
And there, under normal circumstances, Taylor's story would have ended. Although he was little known outside of professional circles, his machining contributions would have warranted a special note in industrial histories. One imagines that the ASME might have honored him with a statue, much as they did Holley. What happened instead is that in 1910, Louis Brandeis decided to take up the cudgels for Taylorism.
### Enter Mr. Brandeis
We last met Brandeis as the sworn opponent of reckless financial management at Pierpont Morgan's New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. In the midst of that long struggle, all the major eastern railroads made application to the Interstate Commerce Commission for a 10 percent tariff increase based on rising wages and other operational costs. The subsequent hearings, in the so-called 1910 _Eastern Rate_ case, were a major event, and Brandeis leveraged himself into the role of public representative.
Brandeis was a matchless advocate—a brilliant lawyer, unusually thorough in his preparation, and with a lethal flair for publicity. He heard of Taylor's little band of efficiency gurus through a factory-owning friend and, after some inquiry, decided it was a promising line of attack. Brandeis thereupon plunged into an immersion-style education, meeting several times with Taylor, spending time at Dodge's model factory, and organizing a group of Taylor's disciples as advisers and witnesses. Besides Gantt and Dodge, there was Horace Hathaway, another Midvale veteran, and two more recent adherents, Harrington Emerson and Frank Gilbreth. Emerson was a former language professor, and a born promoter who, after an indifferent business career, had read Taylor's books and become a management consultant. Gilbreth was a building contractor, who had made a fetish of "motion studies." Where Taylor had considered an action like "filling a shovel" an elementary task, Gilbreth used a high-speed camera to analyze micro-motions, which he called "therbligs"—for Gilbreth spelled backward—insisting that the therbligs were "the same whether a hand held a scalpel, a trowel, or a monkey wrench."*
Brandeis carefully scripted the order and style of their presentations. He wanted the Taylorites to project dogmatic certainty and absolute consistency (Taylor must have loved it), and he wanted a headline-grabbing name for what they did, and midwifed the selection of "Scientific Management." At the hearings, Brandeis posed a seemingly innocent set of questions to a series of executives. They ran more or less:—"What is the cost of [some railroad activity]?"—"I'm afraid I can't answer that."—"Is it performed efficiently?"—"Of course."—"How can you be sure?"—"Well, through the long experience of our managers." His traps laid and sprung, Brandeis then trundled out his parade of Scientific Management witnesses, who announced that since the executives did not practice Scientific Management, they couldn't possibly know what they were talking about.
Gantt declared that management's transition to a "science" was "very recent; not more than three or four years at the most." While "systematized management" imposed order on routine tasks, Scientific Management was based on a "scientific investigation in detail of each piece of work and the determination of the best method and the shortest time in which the work can be done." As Gilbreth put it: Scientific Management "separated the planning from the performing. Put that in writing in the form of an instruction card . . |