text:
What About the Springfield Armory XD-E?
By Tom McHale
While impossible to count due to states with no permit requirements, somewhere over 16 million Americans legally carry concealed. With that many people, you're going to see a plethora of different feature preferences and manufacturers are stepping up to the plate with options for everyone.
The Springfield Armory XD-E has two standout features. First, it's a peace of mind gun for those who want extra layers of operational safety. Hold that thought; we'll come back to it. Second, the slide is designed to be very easy to rack. Compact semi-automatic pistols have a reputation for tough controls like racking the slide and operating the slide release. This hammer-fired pistol is designed specifically to appeal to folks who may struggle with those tasks.
While it shares part of the name with the XD-S, the XD-E is quite different. It's hammer fired for starters.
Unlike the striker-fired XD-S, the XD-E is a hammer-fired double-action / single-action pistol, but with a twist. As the DA / SA design implies, the first trigger press is longer and heavier (about 10 pounds) as it both cocks the hammer and releases it. Subsequent shots operate in single-action mode with a 4.75-pound trigger press.
Unlike most double-actions, the frame safety locks the hammer.
Here's the twist. While other guns like the Beretta 92FS and Walther PPK have combination safety / de-cocker levers, they aren't true safeties that lock the hammer in place like a single-action pistol. The frame-mounted safety on the XD-E does exactly that, so you can technically carry it either cocked and locked like a 1911 or hammer down like a traditional double-action pistol. In either condition, the operation is the same. Flip the safety lever and press the trigger. If the hammer is cocked, the gun will fire in single-action mode. If it's down, you'll experience a double-action press.
The XD-E differs from the XD-S in a couple of other ways too. It features the newer GripZone texturing, which I liked. It's also slightly larger. The standard capacity magazine is 8+1 and 9+1 with the extended magazine that also adds extra room for the pinkie finger. A fiber optic front sight is paired with low-profile combat sights in the rear.
The pistol shoots for a compact. Using a rest and rail mounted handgun scope, I eas able to fire five-shot groups from 25 yards measuring between 1.8 and 2.25 inches with American Eagle 124-grain FMJ, Sig Sauer V-Crown 115-grain, V-Crown 124-grain, and V-Crown 147 grain. Not too shabby.
Since the original XD-E hit the market, the company has introduced a .45 ACP model and two larger XD-E pistols, both of which are chambered in 9mm – for now.
Tom McHale is a committed learning junkie always seeking a new subject victim. As a lifelong student of whatever grabs his attention on any particular day, he thrives on beating rabbit trails into submission. In between his time as a high-tech marketing executive, restaurant owner, and hamster cosmetology practitioner, he's published seven books and nearly 1,500 articles about guns, shooting, and the American way.
Tags9mmconcealed carrySpringfield ArmoryXD-ESpringfieldXD
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I'd like to see and hole one of these pistols. And see if it fits my hand and points naturally for me. My first handgun was a Colt GM in .45 ACP. So I don't have any problems with a pitol having a safety.
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text:
Acton Institute Powerblog Archives
The Imaginative Conservative reviews Samuel Gregg's new book
It is a bright note of hope, set against the present daunting darkness, that shines throughout Samuel Gregg's "Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization," both illuminating the past and shedding much-needed light on the present situation, says Carl Olson, in his recent review for The Imaginative Conservative. Continue Reading...
Why has the West's integration of reason and faith fallen apart? An interview with Samuel Gregg
Pathologies of reason and faith have greatly affected history. Pathologies of reason are defined by an abandonment of God in search of truth, resulting in a prioritization of empirical data and the natural sciences to gain knowledge. Continue Reading...
The integration of reason and faith is what defines the West, says Samuel Gregg on Ave Maria Radio
The West is defined by more than just ideas such as freedom, dignity and equality, Samuel Gregg recently remarked in an interview about his new book, "Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization." Continue Reading...
Samuel Gregg on a bishop in France's public square
Michel Aupetit, the Archbishop of Paris, was rather new to his role when the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris fire pushed him into the spotlight. But Aupetit was more than ready to take his place in the public square, says Samuel Gregg. Continue Reading...
James Wilson Institute interviews Samuel Gregg about new book
The James Wilson Institute's Deputy Director Garrett Snedeker and intern Jake Rinear recently conducted an interview with Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, about his new book "Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization." Continue Reading...
Book review: Samuel Gregg's new book offers cautionary tale
What happens when the relationship between reason and faith is eroded? Samuel Gregg addresses this question in his latest book, "Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization." "Samuel Gregg wishes to see the human spirit soar, and his new book…offers a concise intellectual history of the West through the prism of the relationship between faith and reason," writes Free Beacon Media Analyst, Jeffrey Cimmino, in his book review. Continue Reading...
A 'predictable' story of religion and business
We are in the midst of a surge of academic interest in the historical relationship between religion and business in America. Notable recent studies include those by Timothy Gloege, Darren Grem, Sarah Ruth Hammond, and Amanda Porterfield. Continue Reading...
Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization is . . . . AVAILABLE!
After a long gestation, I'm happy to report that my book, Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization, published by Regnery Gateway, has just been released and is available for purchase at Amazon. Continue Reading...
A one-volume user's manual for operating Western Civilization
Later this month, Gateway Editions will be releasing Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization, the new book by Acton research director Samuel Gregg. John Zmirak, senior editor at The Stream, has an early review of what he calls "a user's guide to western civilization": Read. Continue Reading...
Religious faith: It's a market?
When a market is mentioned, buying, selling, and everyday business activities usually come to mind. Economists Rachel M. McCleary and Robert J. Barro have a broader focus in their new book, The Wealth of Religions: The Political Economy of Believing and Belonging. Continue Reading...
< Previous 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 Next >

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This motherboard supports the latest Intel® Core™2 processors in LGA775 package. With new Intel® Core™ microarchitecture technology and 1066 / 800 MHz FSB, Intel® Core™2 processor is one of the most powerful and energy efficient CPU in the world. The ASUS AI Lifestyle motherboards are designed for Peace Quiet and Comfort. Those were great, but if you had something other than peace in mind, the P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe will suit you just fine. This mobo is for those who doesn't shoot for self-defense, who doesn't pass another car because one is late, and who despises mercy rules in sports. Challenge your system for the highest performance and be ready when the next graphics revolution comes with dual x16 PCI-Express SLI. Get tough, get competitive, get on top of the game and stay on top of the game.
More links for "**B Grade** P5N32-SLi SE Deluxe nForce4 SLi X16 (Socket 775) PCI-Express Motherboard"


text:
Our-amazing-planet
Ancient 'Wave of Poseidon' Was Real Tsunami
By Andrea Mustain
The sun sets over the Greek peninsula of Kassandra, where scientists conducted fieldwork. Mount Olympus looms in the distance. (Image credit: Klaus Reicherter)
SAN DIEGO – When the ocean rose up and saved a Greek town from a marauding Persian army nearly 2,500 years ago, renowned Greek historian Herodotus chalked it up to an act of the gods.
Yet new evidence suggests his account of divine intervention is firmly rooted in the earthly realm, and was actually a tsunami, according to a researcher who spoke here today (April 19) at the annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America.
"This is historical stuff, but you have to interpret it in a scientific way," said Klaus Reicherter of Germany's Aachen University, who studied geological evidence of the event.
Pressed Persians
Some 50 years after the 479 B.C. event, Herodotus wrote his account. "There came to be a great ebb of the sea backwards, which lasted for a long time," he wrote.
This figure shows the study area in Greece (Thermaikos Gulf). Red stars indicate drilling sites, where researchers have found high-energy layers, which are interpreted a of a tsunami origin. (Image credit: Klaus Reicherter, RWTH Aachen University)
As the sea rolled back before them, the Persians surged forward toward modern-day Kassandra, a peninsula in northern Greece, to finish a town now called Nea Potidea. But before the invaders could reach dry land, their good luck turned sour.
"Then there came upon them a great flood-tide of the sea, higher than ever before, as the natives of the place say, though high tides come often," Herodotus wrote. The Persians were washed away and the town was saved.
Herodotus, like the villagers, saw the savior wave as the avenging hand of Poseidon, god of the sea, punishing the invaders for some offense, but Reicherter said the account accurately describes the phases of a tsunami. Tsunamis, he said, pose a far greater threat to the northern Aegean Sea region than many realize.
"We wanted to see if these historical accounts are correct and then try to get an assessment of the coastal areas — are they safe or are they not safe?" Reicherter said. The question is especially important in light of the region's popularity with beachgoers during summer months, he added. [History's Most Overlooked Mysteries]
Tsunami forensics
The telltale signs of tsunami action are buried not just in ancient texts but in the ground near the town described by Herodotus, where research teams uncovered layers of sand apparently carried far inland by a tsunami.
Furthermore, geological conditions in the area would have provided the ideal means for producing large waves, Reicherter told OurAmazingPlanet.
The image shows excavated deposits that provided evidence of the ancient tsunami. (Image credit: Klaus Reicherter, RWTH Aachen University)
Earthquakes and landslides in the region, combined with a colossal, bathtub-shaped basin in the seafloor near the northwestern Greek coast, are capable of producing tsunamis from 7 to 16 feet (2 to 5 meters) high, according to models Reicherter and colleagues ran based on available data.
To further back their suspicions, the team dated shells found in the sand deposited by the tsunami. "They fit quite nicely: around 500 B.C., plus or minus 25 to 30 years," Reicherter said.
The research is part of an ongoing effort to hunt down and assess ancient tsunamis. The work can help show what areas are vulnerable to damaging waves and can help officials better prepare for the next big one, Reicherter said.
This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to LiveScience. Reach Andrea Mustain at amustain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaMustain. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.
Andrea Mustain
Andrea Mustain was a staff writer for Live Science from 2010 to 2012. She holds a B.S. degree from Northwestern University and an M.S. degree in broadcast journalism from Columbia University.
Eerily perfect galaxy-shaped spiral appears over Hawaii. What is it?


GMPMax pure steam units are designed for the production of sterile, pyrogen free pure steam for pharmaceutical applications.
GMPMax pure steam generator consists of two main components, an evaporator and a vapor-liquid disengaging section, combined as one cylindrical column.
Heating steam flows through the shell side of the evaporator section, while the feed purified water flows through the internal tubes, from the bottom to the top, the pure steam generated within the evaporator section flows upward to the vapor- disengaging section.
The vapor liquid disengaging section is positioned at the top portion of the vertical cylindrical column. The high velocity of steam, coupled with enhanced centrifugal separation provided by the vapor liquid disengaging components, ensures the extremely high quality steam is produced.
The Immediate start up: due to the design as per "accumulating boiler" technology, the pure steam is immediately available. The unit is able to pass from stand-by to full capacity in a few seconds.
• High Flexibility: the production capacity can be varied automatically from 0 to 100% according to the demand.
• Unique purification system: gravitational purification principle for better guarantee of steam, purity.
• High Quality Steam: the quality of produced steam is constant in terms of pyrogen contents, superheat value and dryness fraction, independently from pressure and production flow rate.
• Simple and clean mechanical construction: baffle free decontamination chamber - no welding. Granting the best inspectability, minimized corrosion risk, for the longest expected life of the equipment.
• Extremely limited maintenance. No moving parts, expansion joints or mechanical seals. No extra space in height is needed.
• Compact construction and low weight. Little extra head room needed for dismounting and inspection.
column eliminate any possible impure water droplets entrainment.
A pressure transducer, installed in the evaporator, controls the feed of industrial steam to the heat exchanger, thus granting constant pressure of the produced pure steam.
The feed water flow is controlled by a level transmitter installed in the evaporator.
The plant is completely made in AISI 316L stainless steel. Standard finishing of the active surface is pickled and passivated; mirror or electropolishing can be made on request.
The heat exchanger is a DTS type; the pipes are expanded into the plates, avoiding any welding for a totally hygienic execution, and a better resistance against dilatation stress.
The design and construction of the decontamination chamber, which is a totally empty column, ensure the best inspectability. The absence in this area of welding dramatically reduce the risk of corrosion, for a very long expected life of the equipment.
The general construction design, coupled with the described decontamination process, ensure a very compact layout, together with an extremely limited space needed for maintenance.


text:
#ifndef RefCountedArray_h
#define RefCountedArray_h

#include <wtf/FastMalloc.h>
#include <wtf/StdLibExtras.h>
#include <wtf/Vector.h>

// This implements a reference counted array for POD** values, which is optimized for:
// - An empty array only uses one word.
// - A copy of the array only uses one word (i.e. assignment means aliasing).
// - The vector can't grow beyond 2^32-1 elements.
// - In all other regards this has similar space usage to a Vector.
//
// ** This could be modified to support non-POD values quite easily. It just
//    hasn't been, so far, because there has been no need. Moreover, even now,
//    it's used for things that aren't quite POD according to the official
//    defintion, such as JSC::Instruction.

namespace WTF {

template<typename T>
class RefCountedArray {
public:
    RefCountedArray()
        : m_data(0)
    {
    }

    RefCountedArray(const RefCountedArray& other)
        : m_data(other.m_data)
    {
        if (m_data)
            Header::fromPayload(m_data)->refCount++;
    }

    explicit RefCountedArray(const Vector<T>& other)
    {
        if (other.isEmpty()) {
            m_data = 0;
            return;
        }

        m_data = (static_cast<Header*>(fastMalloc(Header::size() + sizeof(T) * other.size())))->payload();
        Header::fromPayload(m_data)->refCount = 1;
        Header::fromPayload(m_data)->length = other.size();
        ASSERT(Header::fromPayload(m_data)->length == other.size());
        memcpy(m_data, other.begin(), sizeof(T) * other.size());
    }

    RefCountedArray& operator=(const RefCountedArray& other)
    {
        T* oldData = m_data;
        m_data = other.m_data;
        if (m_data)
            Header::fromPayload(m_data)->refCount++;

        if (!oldData)
            return *this;
        if (--Header::fromPayload(oldData)->refCount)
            return *this;
        fastFree(Header::fromPayload(oldData));
        return *this;
    }

    ~RefCountedArray()
    {
        if (!m_data)
            return;
        if (--Header::fromPayload(m_data)->refCount)
            return;
        fastFree(Header::fromPayload(m_data));
    }

    size_t size() const
    {
        if (!m_data)
            return 0;
        return Header::fromPayload(m_data)->length;
    }

    T* data() { return m_data; }
    T* begin() { return m_data; }
    T* end()
    {
        if (!m_data)
            return 0;
        return m_data + Header::fromPayload(m_data)->length;
    }

    const T* data() const { return m_data; }
    const T* begin() const { return m_data; }
    const T* end() const { return const_cast<RefCountedArray*>(this)->end(); }

    T& at(size_t i)
    {
        ASSERT(i < size());
        return begin()[i];
    }

    const T& at(size_t i) const
    {
        ASSERT(i < size());
        return begin()[i];
    }

    T& operator[](size_t i) { return at(i); }
    const T& operator[](size_t i) const { return at(i); }

private:
    struct Header {
        unsigned refCount;
        unsigned length;

        static size_t size()
        {
            return (sizeof(Header) + 7) & ~7;
        }

        T* payload()
        {
            char* result = reinterpret_cast<char*>(this) + size();
            ASSERT(!(bitwise_cast<uintptr_t>(result) & 7));
            return reinterpret_cast_ptr<T*>(result);
        }

        static Header* fromPayload(T* payload)
        {
            return reinterpret_cast_ptr<Header*>(reinterpret_cast<char*>(payload) - size());
        }
    };

    T* m_data;
};

} // namespace WTF

using WTF::RefCountedArray;

#endif // RefCountedArray_h

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
TikTok Sued by Content Moderator Traumatized by Graphic Videos
Content moderator Candie Frazier says in her proposed class-action lawsuit
in Business, Leading Stories
TikTok's 10,000 content moderators are exposed to a regular diet of child pornography, rapes, beheadings and animal mutilation, according to a lawsuit filed against the video-sharing platform and its parent, ByteDance Inc.
It gets worse. Content moderator Candie Frazier says in her proposed class-action lawsuit that she has screened videos involving freakish cannibalism, crushed heads, school shootings, suicides, and even a fatal fall from a building, complete with audio.
And there's no escaping it, Frazier claims. TikTok requires moderators to work at a frantic pace, watching hundreds of videos per 12-hour shift with only a hour off for lunch and two 15-minute breaks, according to Thursday's complaint in federal court in Los Angeles.
"Due to the sheer volume of content, content moderators are permitted no more than 25 seconds per video, and simultaneously view three to ten videos at the same time," her lawyers said in her complaint.
TikTok was a member of a group of social media companies including Facebook and YouTube that developed guidelines for helping moderators cope with the images of child abuse their jobs required them to view, according to the complaint.
But TikTok failed to implement the guidelines, which include providing psychological support and limiting shifts to four hours, according to the suit.
Frazier, who lives in Las Vegas, said she suffers from post traumatic stress disorder as a result of all the disturbing videos she has had to watch.
"Plaintiff has trouble sleeping and when she does sleep, she has horrific nightmares," according to the complaint.
Frazier, who seeks to represent other TikTok content screeners, is asking for compensation for psychological injuries and a court order requiring the company to set up a medical fund for moderators.
TikTok didn't immediately respond after regular business hours to a request for comment.
Source: Robert Burnson
Via: Bloomberg
Tags: Content ModeratorGraphic VideosTikTok


From Kunming we travelled by train 200 km to the east, to Dàlī, which sits between Ērhāi Hú (literally 'ear-shaped lake'), another of Yúnnán's plateau lakes, and the Cāng Shān mountains. These rise to about 4000 metres and still, even at this time of year, have patches of snow near their summits. Dàlī's old city has escaped the ravages of modernisation that have blighted many Chinese cities and we spent hours wandering the narrow streets lined with the traditional Bai architecture, along with a very large number of Chinese tourists.
On one day we hired bicycles and cycled along quiet roads lined with market gardens to reach the lake, then turned north and followed the lake shore for about five kilometres. There were many areas of semi-natural shoreline along this stretch, with a fringe of wetland, but the filamentous algae (mostly Cladophora) coating the rocks that had been piled up along the settled parts of the shoreline told their own story. This lake is clearly in better health than Diān Chí but it, too, is nutrient-rich.
A fringe of filamentous algae, along with floating leaves of Trapas natans(Eurasian water chestnut) growing on a jetty beside Ērhāi Hú.
Just after midday we pulled into a small family-run restaurant at the edge of a village. A short conversation between the waitress and Ed (our only Mandarin-speaker) revealed that they specialised in serving fish from the lake so that seemed to be the obvious choice for our lunch. The waitress disappeared, then reappeared with a net which she dunked into a tank behind our table and, with a couple of deft flicks, pulled it up with two carp wriggling inside. These she quickly dispatched, cleaned and took into the kitchen. About twenty minutes later she reappeared with a delicious stew comprising the whole fish cut into chunks, a generous seasoning of dried red chilli and tongue-numbing Sichuan pepper, lightly-pickled vegetables (white radish, celery and turnip) and some green leaves. This, along with rice and endless green tea, and with Ērhāi Hú as a backdrop, created a perfect lunch for appetites whetted by our exercise.
From tank to table in twenty minutes: our fish stew made from carp from Ērhāi Hú.
We had seen some locals fishing with poles, and there is also some commercial fishing using cormorants in the area. However, the abundance of fish on the menu confirmed my hunch that the many booms we could see across bays along the lakeshore were fish farms (maybe 'fish ranches' is a more appropriate term when the fish have, relatively speaking, plenty of space in which to roam and forage). The nutrients pouring into the lake here are, at least, able to support a economically-viable industry rather than undermine the supply of resources, as is the case for Diān Chí.
Of course, the story is not that simple. In the past, Ērhāi Hú, like Diān Chí, had some endemic species, found nowhere else, but these have not been recorded for about 20 years. Pollution from surrounding cities is the most likely explanation and, if Ērhāi Hú is in a better state than Diān Chí, then this is partly because the lake is larger and deeper, the catchment area is bigger and the scale of urban development is smaller (Dàlī is about a twentieth of the size of Kunming). That said, local scientists have identified a significant declining trend in water quality, particularly over the past 25 years. Importantly, however, they also note that it is not too late to do something about the situation.
Fishermen cleaning their nets beside Ērhāi Hú.
In brief, nutrient concentrations in Ērhāi Hú are increasing. That leads to a more productive ecosystem which is, up to a point, good for commercial fishing but also means that oxygen concentrations drop, which is bad for the fish. High nutrient concentrations also mean more algae but, at the present, these are not so high that cyanobacterial blooms develop as they have done in Diān Chí. That means that the water in the lake can still be used as a drinking water supply for Dàlī and its environs. However, if nutrient concentrations rise further then oxygen concentrations may pass a tipping point when it becomes almost impossible to manage lake phosphorus concentrations.
This is because phosphorus and other nutrients accumulate over time in lake sediments. Phosphorus is not very soluble in the presence of oxygen, but becomes more soluble as conditions in the sediment and overlying water turn anoxic. That means that when dissolved oxygen concentrations fall to the point where there is none at the sediment surface, the sediments are no longer a 'sink' for excess phosphorus, but become a 'source', releasing the stored nutrients back into the water. From this point forwards, eutrophication in the lake becomes self-perpetuating and no amount of regulation alone will reverse this.
Better regulation now, on the other hand, might prevent the lake reaching this stage. That, in turn, will protect the drinking water supply for the region, the economic benefits from the fishery and other ecosystem services. A survey of the local community revealed a willingness to pay an extra 27 Yuan a month for five years continuously in order to achieve this. This is a small sum in absolute terms (27 Yuan is just over £3), but represents, on average, 1.7% of household income. The economics of water quality improvement must look even more attractive to the regional government: if Ērhāi Hú crosses this tipping point then the investment in alternative water supplies, as was required in Kunming, will be equally expensive. Looking at it from this perspective, applying a sensible 'polluter pays' policy now should be no more painful for the average resident than having to pay for new reservoirs to replace the resource on their doorstep.
The stretch of lakefront along which we cycled also had a steady trade in photographs, with photographers ready with diaphanous dresses for prospective models, and a number of ways for them to pose. The girls in the photograph below posed, informally, on stones whilst friends photographed them using smartphones, but some photographers placed their models on the tops of jeeps or in hanging chairs, with an uninterrupted view of the lake behind. In their own way, they were valuing the broad scale panorama that the lake offered, just as we had enjoyed more local offerings during our lunch. The challenge for the next decade, then, is to make the links between these valuations and the ecology of the lake, so that any price increases are recognised as sound investments in the future of Dàlī rather than as yet another form of negative taxation.
Wang, H., Shi, Y., Kim, Y. & Kamata, T. (2015). Economic value of water quality improvement by one grade level in Erhai Lake: a willingness-to-pay survey and a benefit-transfer study. Frontiers of Economics in China 10: 168-199.
Wang, S., Zhang, L., Ni, L., Zhao, H., Jiao, L., Yang, S., Guo, L. & Shen, J. (2015). Ecological degeneration of Erhai Lake and prevention measures. Environmental Earth Sciences74: 3839-3847.
Zhang, K., Dong, X., Yang, X., Kattel, G., Zhao, Y. & Wang, R. (2018). Ecological shift and resilience in China's lake systems during the last two centuries. Global and Planetary Change165: 147-159.
Saturday's excursion saw us travelling to the southern end of the Kunming metro and joining a procession of locals trekking up the wooded slopes of the Xī Shān hills to the settlement of Lóng Mén ('Dragon's Gate'), which gave us some spectacular views over Diān Chí (Dian Lake) stretching away into the distance, After a lunch of fried noodles from one of the many takeaway stalls at Lóng Mén, we travelled back down to lake level by cable car, which gave us our second panoramic view of Cyanobacteria in three days. The lake, China's eighth largest, had a very conspicuous Cyanobacterial bloom that serves as the 'yin' to the Green Lake's 'yang'.
The environmental problems of Diān Chí are well known with an article in Newsweek describing it as the 'ground zero of China's toxic algae problem'. The problems starts with Diān Chí's location on a high plateau (1886 m above sea level) in Yunnan, which means that it has a relatively small catchment area relative to its size (40 km long, about 300 square kilometres area and with an average depth of 4.4 metres). The city of Kunming sits at the north end of this lake and now has a population of over six million people. For a long time, their untreated sewage was pumped directly into the lake, leading to high concentrations of phosphorus which, in turn, fertilised the lake water, allowing blooms of Microcystis aeruginosa to develop. Many genera of Cyanobacteria, including Microcystis, produce potent toxins that attack the liver or nervous system, and which can cause skin rashes.
Unfortunately, the city of Kunming depended upon Diān Chí for its water supply in its past but now, due to this contamination, it has to rely upon reservoirs upstream of the city. It has, according to the Newsweek article, invested $660 million dollars to reduce industrial pollutants, building sewage treatment works, intercepting polluted water and banning detergents containing phosphorus but that, as my photograph from the cable car shows, has had little effect. There are two reasons for this. The first of these is a reluctance to control fertiliser use in the productive agricultural areas to the west of the lake (China is not unique in this respect; a similar tardiness can be found in the West, where agriculture is a potent political lobby). The second is that much of the phosphorus that was pumped into the lake in the past is still there, sitting in the sediments and being constantly recycled by the algae. In small lakes it might be possible, albeit expensive, to dredge out this sediment but on a lake the size of Diān Chí this is an unimaginable prospect.
Another paper that I found online demonstrated a dramatic loss of higher plants and fish from Diān Chí. Since the 1950s, over half of all native higher plant species have been lost, along with 84 per cent of native fish. Diān Chí also had a number of unique species, which evolved in this remote habitat, but 90 per cent of these, too, have been lost since the 1950s. That is a catastrophe in biodiversity terms, but the collapse of the lake ecosystem also led to the loss of valuable commercial fisheries. In the past, some of the fish and shellfish that we ate in local restaurants might have been bought from fishermen who worked the lake; now they have to be imported.
A view from the cable car over Diān Chí, with yellow rafts bearing reaeration apparatus visible on the lake surface. The picture at the top of the lake shows one edge of the Cyanobacteria bloom, with clearer water along a channel flushed by inflow from a lagoon.
We can see, in other words, another interesting case study in competing ecosystem services emerging. We might imagine a time in the far past when there was a balance between the use of the lake as a supply of resources (drinking water, fish and shellfish, irrigation water) was not compromised by the use of the lake's natural biogeochemical cycles to break down any waste products that flowed in from the catchment. More likely, human and animal wastes would have been recycled more directly as manure for local agriculture so, again, some sort of equilibrium would have pertained. Now, we see the 'provisioning' services compromised due to the overuse of the 'regulating' services and, at the same time, opportunities for 'cultural' services such as recreation are also much reduced.
A view south along Diān Chí with the far shore, 40 km away, just visible in the distance.
Liu, J., Luo, X., Zhang, N. & Wu, Y. (2016). Phosphorus released from sediment of Dianchi Lake and its effect on growth of Microcystis aeruginosa. Environmental Science and Pollution Research23: 16321-16328.
Wang, S., Wang, J., Li, M., Du, F., Yang, Y., Lassoie, J.P. & Hassan, M.Z. (2013). Six decades of changes in vascular hydrophyte and fish species in three plateau lakes in Yunnan, China. Biodiversity and Conservation222: 3197-3221.
Zhu, L., Wu, Y., Song, L. & Gan, N. (2014). Ecological dynamics of toxic Microcystis spp. and microcystin-degrading bacteria in Dianchi Lake, China. Applied and Environmental Microbiology80: 1874-1881.
Notes:many authors, Western and Chinese, refer to 'Dianchi Lake'. However, as 'chí' means 'lake', I have just referred to 'Diān Chí' throughout. See "Lake lakelake lake" for more about this. "La Grande Assiette de Lac Léman" describes a similar conflict between ecosystem services in Lake Geneva, albeit with more positive outcomes.
Our guest house in Kunming is a few hundred metres from the Green Lake, which sounds like an obvious magnet to someone with an interest in algae. The name itself seems to embody the well-publicised problems of water pollution in this huge country and I walked down to the edge fully expecting to gather material for a post about extreme eutrophication.
This is not a post about extreme eutrophication. That's partly because it is not easy to get close enough to the water itself in order to look closely at the algae. I did see some floating cyanobacterial scums amidst the duck weed and lotus plants, but I'm also not equipped with a high-power microscope whilst on my travels, so would not have been able to make a detailed diagnosis, even if I could have got a sample. However, my feelings about the lake have changed over the four days that I have been here, and as I believe that travellers should prepared to be changed by what they encounter, I thought I should explain my change of heart.
Green lake is a small lake with a perimeter of about two kilometres and an area of about 15 hectares set in the middle of Kunming. According to a book I have been reading, this whole area used to be part of the much larger Dianchi Lake (which will be the subject of a future post). However, during the Ming Dynasty, about 600 years ago, the area that we now know as Kunming was reclaimed, leaving Green Lake as a low-lying remnant. At this time it was known as "Caihaizi", the vegetable lake, perhaps because of the lotus plants that grew there. If you want to apply a very basic measure of 'naturalness' to a lake, you could start by measuring the proportion of the perimeter that is artificial. In the case of Green Lake, the perimeter is 100 per cent artificial, unless you add in the islands and the causeways leading to these, in which case the proportion of artificial margins rises to 200 per cent or more.
A corner of Green Lake, showing duckweed blooms in the foreground and one of the causeways on the right. The upper picture shows the lake with lotus plants in the foreground and Kunming rising up in the background.
Yet the lake margins and the islands are thrumming with activity: joggers use the lake margin as a running track, badminton players set up nets between trees and thrash shuttlecocks back and forth whilst elderly men show off wiry torsos on the gym equipment. Then there are the more quintessentially Chinese activities: groups of people practising Tai'chi and Quigong just a few metres from a dance class practising some moves. On one of the islands about half a dozen different styles of dance are taking place, each moving to an amplified tune, all of which seem to bleed into one another. We sat and ate cold noodles (local speciality: better than it sounds) in a café at one side until the noise drove us away. A little further from here, on a bandstand on one of the causeways, a group of musicians played traditional instruments. There were also pedalos and motorboats for hire on some of the sections of the lake, plus shops selling Yunnan tea and coffee and other souvenirs.
Cultural ecosystem services at Green Lake, Kunming. The top image shows a group practising tai'chi and the bottom image shows a dance class nearby.
After a few days here I am growing to love Green Lake. It is a small 'green lung' set in the heart of a large, busy city to which local inhabitants, especially the elderly, seem to gravitate. I have not written about ecosystem services – the benefits humankind derive from natural systems – for some time. When I last touched on this subject, it was to consider the conflict between conservationist's desire for naturalness and 'cultural ecosystem services' (see "More about ecosystem services"). Green Lake seems to encapsulate this conflict very well: it is about as far from a 'natural' lake as it is possible to get yet, at the same time, it plays a role in the health and vitality of the local community partly as a result of the many modifications that have occurred over time.
To paraphrase jay-z, China has 99 [environmental] problems but Green Lake ain't one. I'll come back to one of these in the next post but, meanwhile, I'm going to take one more stroll through the elaborately decorated gates at the entrance to the closest causeway and enjoy the pleasures of Green Lake for a final time before we move on.
A gateway to one of the Green Lake's causeways in Kunming.
The book to which I refer is "Green Lake: Reflections from the Surface of China" by Hardy Wieting Jr (www.chinagreenlake.com), a conservationist who happened to be staying at the Lost Garden Guest House, near Green Lake, at the same time as us.
A change in location from the previous post: this one is being written on the roof terrace of a guest house in Kunming, in Yunnan Province, China, whilst sipping a cup of the local pu'er tea. I'm in China with my family visiting my eldest son who works in Chengdu, a sprawling metropolis of 11 million people in Sichuan Province, and have escaped to the warmer climate and more sedate environs of Kunming (only 6 million people) for a few days. We'll then move on to Dali (a mere village, by comparison, with less than half a million people) before returning to Chengdu.
From Kunming we travelled about 120 km southeast to Shílín, the site of a strange Karst phenomenon known as the "stone forest", a collection of upright pillars of limestone often with other limestone blocks perched precariously on top. In geomorphological terms, we are looking at a limestone pavement on a huge scale, but with substantial erosion of the "grykes" (the gaps between the "clints"). Geologically, it is a little more complicated than that, with the Permian limestone being later overlain by basalt which was subsequently eroded away to leave a red soil. However, that is enough to give you some context for what follows.
The photograph at the top of the post gives you some idea of what the stone forest looks like, and also some idea of the crowds to be expected at mainstream tourist attractions in China. At times, the mass of people and, in particular, the overlapping amplified commentaries from tour guides, dressed in the costumes of the local Sani ethnic minority, made the experience almost unbearable. But then, as is often the case, you turn a corner, the hubbub dies away, and you are able to enjoy the ethereal landscapes almost undisturbed. In our case, however, we turned a corner too many, found ourselves outside the officially-sanctioned tourist beat and were unceremoniously ejected by an officious security guard.
The Major Stone Forest at Shílín from the inside. The photo at the top of the post shows the Major Stone Forest from the main public viewing area.
The limestone from which the stone forest is made is largely slate-grey in colour, rather than the creamy beige that I normally associate with this rock. Only after reading one of the interpretation boards in the park did the penny drop, and I realised that I, and thousands of other tourists, had each spent 130 RNB to stare at algae. After my brush with officialdom in the morning I was not in the mood to scrape at the rocks to collect a sample but am guessing we are looking at the Cyanobacterium Gloeocapsa alpina or something similar (see "The mysteries of Clapham Junction …"). We were visiting the park close to the end of the long dry season but for the next few months the climate here will be much damper, creating a more conducive environment for these microorganisms to grow.
A few of the rock faces, particularly those associated with seepages, had multicolour streaks, with the grey supplemented with pinks and greens. The former may well be other Cyanobacteria (possibly Schizothrix) and the greens could be Apatococcus, Desmococcus or a relative (see "Little round green things …"). There were also a few orange-red patches of Trentepohlia (see "Fake tans in the Yorkshire Dales"). All of these are forms are familiar to me from the UK and, whilst it would be rash to assume that the species were identical to those I find back home, the genera are generally cosmopolitan, so some extrapolation can be permitted.
Algal crusts on rocks in the Major Stone Forest at Shílín, April 2019. The left hand image shows a mixture of Cyanobacteria and (possibly) green algae on a vertical surface associated with a seepage; the right hand image shows Heather photographing a growth of Trentepohlia nearby.
Trentepohlia growths inin the Major Stone Forest at Shílín, April 2019. The picture frame spans about 10 centimetres. Photograph: Heather Kelly.
I did hunt around for some verification for these names but it is not possible to access Google Scholar in China without a VPN. I am limited to whatever Bing throws up, and have not yet been able to find any papers on the algae of Shílín. What I did find, during these searches, however, was an article about the world's largest Haematococus farm, which is very close to here. I've described Haematococcus in earlier posts (see "An encounter with a green alga that is red") and mentioned that it was the source of the food colouring astaxanthin. The combination of the limestone geology, warm weather and the huge market for food additives in China makes this possible. Travelling in China with two vegetarians makes me realise that, even in this enormous, technocratic country, the market for natural products is growing.
My most recent visit to Ennerdale and the River Ehen almost did not happen: unexpected overnight snowfall led to my wheels spinning on the Whinlatter Pass before I retraced my steps to Braithwaite and followed roads at lower altitudes around the outskirts of the fells. Fieldwork in the morning took place amidst intermittent snow showers but, by the afternoon, it was dry if not quite as balmy as the visit I described in "Croasdale Beck in February". "Unseasonable", I was reminded, is a two-edged term.
There was little incentive to linger with my arm in the agonisingly cold water, so this post is about some algae growing on dry land that caught my eye. Amidst the gravel in a farmyard in Ennerdale Bridge I saw some dark brown leathery growths that I recognised straight away as the Cyanobacterium Nostoc commune (see "Nosing around for blue-green algae …"). It looks rather nondescript, even slightly unsavoury, with the naked eye but, under the microscope, the rosary-like structure of the filaments suspended within a jelly-like matrix is revealed. The slightly larger cells with thicker walls and lighter contents are the heterocysts, responsible for fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere (fulfilling the same function as the nodules on the roots of legumes).
A patch of Nostoc communein a farmyard in Ennerdale Bridge in April 2019. The picture frame covers about 30 centimetres.
Nostoc communefrom Ennerdale Bridge under the microscope. Scale bar: 10 micrometres (= 100thof a millimetre).
This type of coarse, well-drained gravel is a good habitat for Nostoc and, once you know what you are looking for, it is a common sight on gravel driveways, usually to the annoyance of the owners. If there is only a small amount, the best way to control it is simply to pick up the colonies and toss them onto the compost heap. However, once it is established, this can be a big undertaking and many people are quite happy to tolerate some of this brown gunk on their driveways. On the other hand, it can sometimes get out of hand and the consequences of not doing anything are well illustrated by the photograph below. The Nostoc colonies have spread but these, in turn, have created a habitat into which first mosses and later grasses can establish.
This small farmyard on the edge of the Lake District contains, in short, the first stage of an ecological succession. We could think of a gravel driveway as a mini-desert, as the copious Cumbrian rainfall will not be retained in the surface layers, making it hard for plants to survive. However, if a tough organism such as Nostoc is able to establish itself, then this, in turn, will trap water and make the driveway more amenable to slightly more fussy organisms such as mosses. As the moss and Nostoc grow together so, eventually, grasses are able to establish too. Were there to be no interruption to this process then, eventually, decades later, we might even see trees growing on this driveway.
It is hard to imagine, but just about every type of terrestrial habitat started out, aeons ago, as a bare rock surface. Various forms of physical weathering start the process of breaking this up allowing, over time, organisms such as Nostocto get a foothold and convert the virgin surface into a mature ecosystem (you can read about another example in "How to make an ecosystem"). It may take centuries for this to happen in the natural world, so it is particularly fortuitous to see this human-assisted succession so well developed. At some stage, I suspect, the owner will decide that enough is enough, and rake the gravel. Meanwhile, however, we have a rare opportunity to reflect on the role that primitive micro-organisms play in shaping even the grandest of our natural habitats.
A lawn of Nostoc, moss and grass growing on a gravel driveway in Ennerdale Bridge, April 2019.
Miles, J. & Walton, D.W.H. (1993). Primary Succession on Land. Special Publication of the British Ecological Society 12, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
When I signed up to a trip to Cyprus in late March I was anticipating feeling some warm Mediterranean sun on my skin after the ravages of the British winter. I did not expect snow and sleet. However, as one of our destinations was the Troodos mountains, the location of Cyprus' only ski resort, maybe it was a case of unrealistic expectations. Fortunately, we realised our mistake just in time to pack some warm clothes, and the unseasonable weather did, at least, mean that the spring flowers at lower altitudes were, even by Cypriot standards, particularly impressive.
I was in Cyprus primarily as a camp follower on a reconnaissance trip for a geology and botany excursion next year. Cyprus is, to put it in layman's terms, the outcome of a collision between the African and European continental plates. The Troodos mountains are a geologist's paradise, having a wide range of features arising from this and from associated volcanic activity. As the molten rocks cooled, minerals precipitate out and the resulting geological strata reflect differences in the melting points of these minerals. Some of these minerals, such as chromite, are commercially valuable and have been mined for centuries. Indeed, the name Cyprus itself is derived from cuprous, the Greek word for copper, which was mined here since 4000 BC.
The Hadjipavlou mine is set amidst pine forests close to the highest point of the Troodos. It was an active chromite mine from 1950 to 1954 and from 1979 to 1982 but was abandoned when cheaper sources of chromite became available in South Africa. Over a million tonnes of ore were extracted in the period when the chromite mines in the area were active, but now there are few obvious signs apart from this adit driven into the hillside. A small stream bearing water that has percolated through the rocks and collected in the mine's galleries emerges from the mine entrance and tumbles down the hillside to join the stream below. This, on closer inspection, has some quite interesting microbial growths.
First of all, having been told that this is a chromite mine, you might expect the water to carry toxic concentrations of heavy metals. So you might also be surprised to see abundant growths of bright green algae thriving in the stream immediately downstream of the mine entrance. This is, in fact, a common phenomenon in mine waters and happens, we think, because the fast-growing algae evolve metal tolerance whilst the animals that feed on them are slower to adapt. This is, literally, survival of the fittest and, with nothing to eat them, the algae grow prolifically.
These filaments belong to the genus Tribonemawhich, despite being bright green in colour, actually belongs to the yellow-green algae, the Xanthophyta, rather than to the green algae. This group is actually more closely related to the diatoms than to the green algae, though it can be hard to understand why simply by peering through a microscope. One useful test is to add a little iodine solutionto the slide: this binds to the starch inside green algae cells, staining them a dark brown colour. The Xanthophyta, by contrast, do not have starch as their storage product so the cells are not stained by iodine. The only other member of this group that I have discussed in this blog is Vaucheria, a very different alga (see "Who do you think you are?").
Tribonema cf affinein the channel draining the Hadjipavlou chromite mine in the Troodos mountains, Cyprus, March 2019. a. close-up of the alga in situ; b. microscopic view of filaments; c. fragments of disintegrated filaments showing the H-shaped cell endings. Scale bar: 10 micrometres (= 100thof a millimetre).
Tribonemahas simple, unbranched filaments with two or more plate-like chloroplasts arranged around the cell periphery. One other feature is the arrangement of the cell wall, which tends to consist of two overlapping halves. When filaments disintegrate (as they often do) the fragments have an H-shape, with each end forming half the cell wall of a different cell. The cells are, in fact, cylindrical but this is not apparent with the flattened perspective of a high magnification objective. This feature is not universal in the Xanthophyta, nor is it unique to this group (a few green filamentous algae show the same characteristic) but it is a useful hint that you may be looking at Tribonema.
Whilst lush growths of algae is a common feature of streams draining mines, the species that form these growths can vary. In the northern Pennines, I am used to seeing green algae in these habitats, but there are at least three different genera that I find. Typically there is just one filamentous alga in this location, and they tend to be constant over time: they are reliable sources for material for undergraduate practical classes as a result. There is more to this story but I will have to come back to it at some point in the future. .
There is also more to the algal flora of the Hadjipavlou chromite mine but, again, that will have to wait for another post. I should also confess that, although I visited the mine briefly last year, these samples were collected by Heather, whilst I was sitting snugly below the snow line.


Augmented Reality: How to bring your cans to life - quite literally!
Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the buzz words from the past few years. It allows you to add an extra dimension to your product. Cans have endless possibilities when it comes to AR, they're the perfect carrier for it. Blippar, a mobile augmented-reality startup, already worked together with big brands, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, to launch their AR campaigns.
It's important to point out that there is a difference between AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). VR immerses you 100% in a whole new world. You are – when you put the special glasses on – completely shutting yourself off from the real world. Augmented Reality is different. With AR, you place an extra 'layer' over the real world. Pokémon Go is a good example of this, but also think of what Google Glass or Snapchat filters can do. AR gives users extra information, for instance when they scan a product package, it comes to life. A can could become a face and start talking, it might show what's inside or have pop-ups with extra information. The possibilities are endless, yet the number of real-world cases is not. Coca-Cola had a partnership with Spotify and transformed the can into a jukebox. The technology though, is definitely ready for it.
How can the beverage market profit from this technology?
Add a little extra to the product (fun, entertainment).
Coca-Cola had a partnership with Spotify and transformed the can into a jukebox. By using the Blippar app to scan the can, it came to life. Every week it offered free Spotify music. With fantastic results: the average engagement was more than 3 minutes. A simple beverage can became a complete experience.
Pepsi Max: During the 2016 World Cup, Pepsi cans each showed a different image of a soccer player. When scanned, the can became a soccer game. You could score goals and win prizes from Pepsi. Again, the engagement was enormous: 2 minutes and 54 seconds per user. Pepsi attracted 1.2 million users and obtained more than 3 million interactions.
Mikela: "A lot of the content is already there, but people have difficulty finding it. AR is the perfect way to bring it to life, by using the packaging. People find extra information, recipes, how-to videos…"
Are people ready for this?
There is no doubt that the time for AR is now. For starters, the penetration of smartphones and the availability of mobile internet is enormous, and this all over the world. Also, people are looking for more information about the products they buy - not only in terms of what they drink and eat, but the origin of the product is also increasingly important. This sort of information is impossible to explain on your packaging, no matter how clever your design is.
AR ensures that all information is bundled in your product. It is a win-win: consumers know everything about the product they have in their hands, while the manufacturer knows exactly what the consumers are looking for. Now you know what happens after the product is sold – there's no more guessing what happened next. AR literally opens a new world. The time has come to discover that world.
Blippar is a technology company that specialises in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision. It develops software that enables smartphones or other devices to scan objects in the physical world to overlay them with digital content, as well as self-service tools to let anyone create content without needing coding skills. Since 2011 they have worked with big FMCG-brands to create augmented reality content to make their packaging interactive.
Metal Packaging Europe gives Europe's rigid metal packaging industry a unified voice, by bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, and national associations. We proactively position and support the positive attributes and image of metal packaging through joint marketing, environmental and technical initiatives.


It has you in its grip.
With one eye open wide.
Peter Kilby says he has been writing poems ?for as long as I can remember." Brought up from the age of two in various homes (his compelling memoir was published by Penguin in 2013), he learned to love poetry as a child and, as an adult, has published several poems for children. A veteran of Royal Navy, merchant navy and army service, Peter is now retired from a career as an architect and lives in Gloucestershire, England.
I certainly can relate to this. It is nice to hear from a Gloucestershire poet. That is my mum's home county, and my second home.
You've nailed the feeling! And the stages we move through to make sure nothing (nobody) is there.
I've had bad dreams but nothing like this. Awful.
Loved it. I know exactly how he felt.


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Q: Richfaces 4 autocomplete new value I am trying to implement a dropdown+textbox kind of element in UI. Was using rich:autocomplete to achieve that. It worked, with one issue.
The client requirement is that the textbox should be able to take new values in it. i.e. If the values values are in the dropdown, it will take the dropdown values, otherwise it will take the new values entered.
Is there anyways to achieve that using rich:dropdown? Any other suggestion are also welcome. My application is using JSF2.0 + Richfaces 4.3.4.

A: Looking at your requirement I can suggest you can use tag input widget, see the reference link url:http://jquery-plugins.net/tag/tag-input

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Google plonks down cash for Foxconn's head-mounted display patents
'Our Glass division will have those, thank you'
Neil McAllister in San Francisco Fri 23 Aug 2013 // 19:08 UTC
Google has snapped up a parcel of patents from Hon Hai Precision Industry, the Taiwanese electronic manufacturer more commonly known as Foxconn, in a move seemingly designed to bolster its Glass headsets against potential competitors.
In a statement obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Hon Hai described the patents sold to the Chocolate Factory as "Head Mounted Technology" that can create virtual images "superimposed on a real-world view."
No further details were revealed, and the price of the sale was not disclosed.
Hon Hai said it doesn't know whether Google plans to use the patents for Glass, adding that the patents are "commonly used in aviation and tactical/ground displays, engineering and scientific design applications, gaming and video devices as well as training and simulation tools."
If protecting Glass is the goal, however (and it seems likely), this wouldn't be the first move Google has made to shore up its portfolio of wearable-computing tech. In July, the web advertising giant bought a 6.3 per cent stake in Taiwanese chip designer Himax Display, which produces components for Sergey Brin's high-tech headsets.
Similarly, Foxconn is widely believed to be the frontrunner to build Glass for Google – possibly in a new, stateside facility in Santa Clara, California – but Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou has dismissed such reports as "speculative."
Google buying up Foxconn's patents could strengthen the relationship between the two companies, but it could also make it easier for Google to take Glass to any number of other manufacturing partners without being stung by intellectual property issues.
The patents could also be used to swat away would-be Glass competitors. Chinese search firm Baidu is reportedly planning to horn in on Google's action, as is Meta, a startup founded by Columbia University neuroscience researchers that has recruited Canadian wearable-computing guru Steve Mann to help develop a commercial augmented-reality headset.
Or the move could be purely defensive. Glass is currently only available in a limited "Explorer Edition" intended for developers and wearable-computing enthusiasts, but Mountain View is expected to release a version for the general public in 2014. By building up its wearable-computing patent war chest now, Google may be hoping to avoid the seemingly never-ending patent battles that have plagued its Android business.
Google did not immediately respond to The Reg's request for comment. ®


Respondents complain of a small number of applicants, candidates without the needed work experience, competition from other employers and candidates' lack of technical skills.
HR professionals complain of a small number of applicants, candidates without the needed work experience, competition from other employers and candidates' lack of technical skills.
Human resources professionals have found recruiting to be a challenge since the end of the last recession. But what is the level of difficulty they must face? And what's causing these obstacles?


Home / Mac, Windows, & Web, Team, Windows / How Can I See the List of Quadrant 1 Items that I Have Due the Upcoming Week?
How Can I See the List of Quadrant 1 Items that I Have Due the Upcoming Week?
As you can see in this case I would like to see all my team members tasks that are due next week.


FYI to everybody that starting Friday (27 July) I'll be travelling for two weeks, and unlikely to post more than once a day or so. I'll try to keep up with the map as my main priority.
acodispo wrote: FYI to everybody that starting Friday (27 July) I'll be travelling for two weeks, and unlikely to post more than once a day or so. I'll try to keep up with the map as my main priority.
Very sorry to hear that Makofan! That is a major bummer.
Hope you manage to recover anything you need from the drive, and will look forward to your return!
I'll be away Aug 8-17 and unlikely to post during that time.
I am back at work, so I have access to a computer.
The good news is I managed to successfully connect the laptop drive as an external drive and rescued all my RPG files.
I'll keep popping in to check status, but I'll assume the likely hood of actual game play to be minimal at least until the 17th, which is four days away. I am glad that you could reclaim your RPG files Makofan.
Makofan wrote: I am back at work, so I have access to a computer.
Glad you could recover your files! Take what time you need to get through your emails. We'll still be here.


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Q: Handling output data from flink datastream below is the pseudocode of my stream processing.
Datastream env = StreamExecutionEnvironment.getExecutionEnvironment()
env.setStreamTimeCharacteristic(TimeCharacteristic.EventTime)

Datastream stream = env.addSource() .map(mapping to java object)
    .filter(filter for specific type of events)
    .assignTimestampsAndWatermarks(new BoundedOutOfOrdernessTimestampExtractor(Time.seconds(2)){})
    .timeWindowAll(Time.seconds(10));

//collect all records.
Datastream windowedStream = stream.apply(new AllWindowFunction(...))

Datastream processedStream = windowedStream.keyBy(...).reduce(...)

String outputPath = ""

final StreamingFileSink sink = StreamingFileSink.forRowFormat(...).build();

processedStream.addSink(sink)

The above code flow is creating multiple files and each file has records of different windows I guess. For example, records in each files have timestamps which ranges between 30-40 seconds, whereas window time is only 10 seconds.
My expected output pattern is writing each window data to separate file.
Any references or input on this would be of great help.

A: Take a look at the BucketAssigner interface. It should be flexible enough to meet your needs. You just need to make sure that your stream events contain enough information to determine the path you want them written to.


text:
Belfast firm Huhtamaki Foodservice Delta turnover up to £62.3m
Pivoting to PPE helped Huhtamaki Foodservice Delta during last year
Report: General manager Ciaran Doherty
Margaret Canning Twitter Email
April 06 2021 07:02 AM
A west Belfast company which pivoted from making packaging for McDonald's to visors for NHS staff during the pandemic has reported turnover of £62.3m in its latest accounts.
Huhtamaki Foodservice Delta had pre-tax profits of £3.5m for 2019, down from £4m.
However, turnover went up 13% from £55m to £62.3m, the accounts show, with staff numbers also up 20% to 428.
The business, based at Kennedy Way Industrial Estate, also makes packaging for other fast-food firms like KFC and Nando's, as well as food companies like Kellogg's.
Delta Print was set up by businessman Terry Cross in 1981. It was sold to Finnish firm Huhtamaki in 2016, and is now led by Huhtamaki Foodservice UK general manager Ciaran Doherty.
In a strategic report with the just-filed accounts, the company said the opening of a second factory with a new production line had brought additional costs early in 2019 but added more revenues later in the year. In the pandemic, the second factory was used for the production of visors in a project with Bloc Blinds, Magherafelt.
The strategic report said the Covid pandemic had hit the company's work. "This impact was mitigated by the reconfiguration of some company assets, in order to produce personal protective equipment. Demand for normal operations has returned to expected levels from mid-2020."
It added: "The business continues to focus on growing sectors within the core foodservice market, while continuing to review the cost base throughout the year.
"Significant capital investment has continued to be made in automation and infrastructure in order to support the continued growth of our customers."
The company said it faced risks from currency variations as it bought raw materials in euros but made sales in sterling though the company used forward foreign currency contracts to manage the risk.
It had also worked on Brexit planning. "Where key supply items are currently sourced from EU, we have taken steps to ensure we are carrying a minimum of one month's stock... we have secured additional warehousing space to facilitate raw material stock build.
"We have worked extensively with Belfast port to understand any current risk in material movements as a result of increased paperwork. We also have a contingency plan to utilise Dublin Port for raw material coming from EU to minimise port delays."
The report also referred to the company's ability to continue as a going concern in light of the impact of Covid-19. The company was expected to be able to continue to generate cash though it relied on its parent company, the Huhtamaki Oyj Group, for cash support. However, the group confirmed it would still support the business.
A government grant of £246,000 was received to help with funding new plant, machinery and equipment.
Staff numbers also grew from 354 to 428 with the pay bill growing from £11m to £12.3m. The highest-paid director received nearly £212,700, including company contributions to a defined contribution pension plan.
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text:
Eine Auswahl von Wahlen, die im Jahre 1915 stattfanden:

 In Dänemark das Folketing
 Im Mai in Griechenland Parlamentswahlen
 Im Dezember in Griechenland Parlamentswahlen
 In Norwegen Parlamentswahlen
 Am 13. Juni in Portugal Parlamentswahlen
 Am 20. Oktober in Südafrika Allgemeine Wahlen
 Am 22. Mai fand im australischen Queensland die Wahl zur Queensland Legislative Assembly 1915 statt
 2. November: Gouverneurswahl in Massachusetts 1915

!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
David Lidington called on to champion civil service equal pay as SCS gender gap widens
Cabinet Office minister told by FDA trade union that gender pay gap "will not close on its own"
David Lidington, minister for the Cabinet Office. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA
By Tamsin Rutter
The FDA has called on David Lidington to champion fair and equal pay in Whitehall following the release of official statistics revealing that the gender pay gap for senior civil servants widened in the year to March 2018.
The trade union representing the Senior Civil Service said the minister for the Cabinet Office must act because the gap "will not close on its own".
Despite a narrowing of the overall civil service gender pay gap, it increased for the SCS from 4.2% in March 2017 to 5.5% in March this year, according to the Office for National Statistics' latest release on civil service employment stats. The ONS said the "largest gender pay gap was that of part-time Senior Civil Service responsibility level, increasing from 11.5% to 15%".
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The data revealed that the median gender pay gap for all civil service employees decreased from 12.7% to 12.2% in the year to March 2018.
In the SCS, men are paid a median annual gross salary of £83,650 while women are paid £79,060, according to the ONS.
Victoria Taylor, FDA national officer, told Civil Service World: "Since the publication of the gender pay gap in the civil service last year, the FDA has been ready and willing to work with departments to address the issues that lead to the gender pay gap. This includes issues with the pay structure itself such as frozen pay progression and limited flexible working opportunities – part-time work should not be the only option.
"The slow progress in improving the position – or indeed maintaining the current level of disparity – of women delivering crucial public services is disappointing; if the civil service is committed to increasing representation of women in senior leadership positions, they need to show that they reward and value women as much as men."
She added that a system that allows women to be paid less than their male colleagues cannot continue unchallenged. The union is "calling for David Lidington, as minister for the Cabinet Office, to be a champion for civil servants' pay and this also means championing fair and equal pay", she added.
"The gender pay gap will not close on its own, it will only close when there is the political will to meaningfully engage with the FDA and other civil service trade unions to find solutions."
A government spokeswoman said: "As the prime minister has said, equality for women is a right, and our whole society is the poorer as long as it remains unrealised. We are continuing to look into the factors behind the gender pay gap across the civil service and to further improve the gender balance at all grades and roles."
The ONS stats also showed that the proportion of female employees working at SCS level was 42.7% as of March this year, up almost 11 percentage points on 2008 figures. The number of part-time staff increased by 0.5% (almost 500 people) in the year to March 2018, which was much less than the increase in full-time staff, at 3.2% (more than 10,000 people).
Women at all grades in the civil service are more likely than their male colleagues to work part-time, but in particular in the two lowest grades, according to an analysis by the Institute for Government think tank.
The ONS is handing over responsibility for the collection and publication of civil service statistics to the Cabinet Office from October, with the next publication of data due in the summer of 2019. This is to allow the Cabinet Office to develop workforce statistics alongside other data collections to support workforce policy priorities and deliver an analytic service.
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A stripped-down version of Childish Gambino's "Feels Like Summer" is performed over the lone radio in the sweatshop. A woman leans over, instinctively, and turns the volume up above the factory buzz. The scene rapidly changes and the song is mixed with ocean waves as someone fishes with their radio sitting steadfastly by their side. After a few seconds, the scene shifts again and now Gambino's acoustic sound turns into splashing water as three women do their laundry in a river. Gambino's stilling vocals then lace the conversation of four men in an office. In the most powerful shot to not feature Rihanna's character Kofi on screen, two men share silence over cigarettes as the music fills the air before static replaces the guitar and the dial is adjusted. At the same moment the signal returns, Gambino's hum replaces the abrasive sound of static, and a vision of music that is lived in and crosses physical separation comes into clear view.
In 2019, our concept of real-time is less about the experience and more about the reaction. It matters far less for us to be consumed in the spirit of whatever thing we're watching or listening, and matters far more for us to react to it. Maybe having a platform to respond is a good thing—hell, it's the only reason I'm even able to share these words—but in this particular scene, the inability to consume and respond in real-time meant the music was being lived in as it sat underneath every action it soundtracked.
Therein lies the true beauty of Guava Island: Glover can offer context to all the music he's released over the past year, to soak each song in community. For example, while "This Is America" became a GRAMMY-winning single earlier this year, its explosive appeal meant the images Gambino attempted to keep rooted in a specific experience were quickly swept up, parodied, and reproduced by people who couldn't even recognize the ad libs littering every line of the record.
"This Is America" was fueled by its visual accompaniment, but there was too much gas for Gambino to control the fire. In Guava Island, however, Glover repurposes the music, slipping "This is America" into a scene which recontextualizes its message. Instead of an anti-capitalist rallying cry, the record becomes a hyper-specific fable warning the exploited Afro-Caribbean working class of the fate of their entrepreneurial spirit.
"Summertime Magic," released in 2018 alongside "Feels Like Summer," sprouts new life as Deni performs the record for an apprehensive Kofi, at least until she adoringly wraps her arms around him. An unreleased song preemptively titled "Saturday" is performed by Deni at the festival driving the film's plot; the track is devoted to getting people to dance and bringing them together. It succeeds at both, and in doing so gives Deni the legacy he always wanted.
When "Feels Like Summer" plays during Deni's radio show, it's given a new communal context, one that extends beyond buildings and touches people in different walks of life. For the eight billion people Glover imagined experiencing the heat of summer, the record fills the intersection of individuality and the implied connection in knowing you aren't the only one tuned in to the broadcast.
Post-Because the Internet, this sensation of connection has been Donald Glover's goal. Childish Gambino has dipped his toes in musical stylings of yesteryear, a sound his younger fans are likely unfamiliar with but have lapped up with every breathy falsetto. Written on the walls of this decision is an intentional desire to create community—a community that links generations together over Bootsy Collins grooves.
Guava Island is burdened by some confusion, namely in the cacophony of accents its inhabitants use, but its sociopolitical critiques are blunt and its imagery is soft thanks to the virtuoso directorial eye of Hiro Murai. Every spot of Havana caught on camera is radiant, everywhere Glover galivants with the shirt he hasn't closed since 2015 and every spot Rihanna slinks in the foreground with her light-bending gravity is a place to be cherished.
As Glover melds his varying polymathic talents, we're treated with stories and settings so well crafted, visualized, and soundtracked, a twinge of voyeuristic grief sets in as we watch the lives of these inhabitants unfold. For two seasons, we've experienced the magical realism of Glover's Emmy-award winning drama Atlanta. If the challenge is to keep these stories rooted in the communities they represent, to that end, Guava Island delivers.


text:
A Midsummer's-Day Dream
San Francisco News Letter/October 24, 1868
EDITOR NEWS LETTER—One pleasant day last summer I strolled into the cemetery at Lone Mountain, and finding a shady nook in respectable proximity to a splendid family vault, sat down and began to ponder over the probable hereafter of those slumbering around me. From this my thoughts strayed to the day of resurrection, and the lively time which may be expected in that vicinity when Gabriel shall give the signal for a general getting up to breakfast. The subject was somewhat too much for me, so I betook myself to an opiate I had in the tail pocket of my coat, and soon went to sleep. I know now how long I lay thus, but I was suddenly conscious of someone kicking me, and strangling a magnificent snore I sat up. Gabriel stood at my side, and was just lifting his boot for another admonition, but at my appealing look he relented, and hitting me over the head with his bugle, told me to "get out of that." I did not care about resenting the injury to my hat, and got up and strode contemptuously away, rubbing my eyes, I observed that the cemetery had increased somewhat in population since I had lain down, and now extended over the entire peninsula, with the exception of here and there a few hundred acres of homestead lands. A gang of stout demons, mostly Chinese, were advancing in line among the graves, each armed with a corkscrew some seven feet long. These they wormed into each grave, and drawing forth the occupant, stood him on his feet, extracted the screw by a dexterous turn of the wrist, and proceeded silently to the next. I observed that about one grave in ten thousand was already vacant before they came to it, and while seeking for an explanation, there suddenly popped into my head the words, "and the dead in Christ shall rise first." I afterward learned that this admirable arrangement was adopted to prevent fighting. The righteous were already out of the way, awaiting their reward in the bar-room of the Cliff House. I seated myself comfortably upon an old rusty metallic coffin, lit a cigar and took observations. It was really delicious to see those fellows snaked out, and I was surprised to see that whenever a parson was drawn forth, the screw had entered his body to a totally unnecessary depth, and the final twitch of extracting the steel was unjustifiably staggering. At such times the solemn countenances of the resurrectors relaxed an instant into something like a smile. There were some half-dozen who as soon as they were drawn out squirmed round, and digging their fingers into the soil endeavored to take the entire cemetery along with them. They brought away whole handfuls of earth and jammed it into their pockets. These, I afterwards learned, had been supervisors, and their graves had been placed in a circle, or "ring." While I was wondering at these things, my attention was attracted to a particularly active old fellow with nothing remarkable in his appearance, who was going about among the resurrected with a big book under his arm, and stopping before each one. He seemed to have come from a long distance, and his clothes were covered with dust which emitted a strong smell, like that of your last match as it expires in gloom. He would first approach a rejuvenated corpse and ask him his age at death. Upon receiving a reply, he marked down a long number in a column of his book headed "years." I noticed the number was large in proportion to the age given. He would then inquire the date of arrival in California, and those who came early caught a sweet thing in figures. Some who came in '49 got so many numerals opposite their names that there was not room for them on the page. the next question was in regard to occupation, and the brokers and editors suffered most. then various other questions were put in regard to politics, churches, attended, etc. The final question was this:"Did you ever during life belong to the Young Men's Christian Association?" If this was answered in the affirmative, the judge took a piece of charcoal and marked on the back of the unhappy wight, "Furnace No. 697,000—hot." The dapper old gentleman soon came up to where I was sitting and smiled. "What's your age, sir?" "Forty-seven." Down went 459,000,000 years; the old gentleman merely smiling and muttering: "New trial at the end of that time." Then, without looking up from his book: "How long in California?" "Six weeks." this staggered him, and he said, "My friend, you don't belong in this crowd, do you?" I nodded sorrowfully, ad he added only 3,000,000 years for that. "What's your occupation?" "Bohemian." (593,872,951,347 and six months.) "What did you die of?" "Starvation." He crossed out one month. "What paper did your talents adorn?" "The News Letter!" You just ought to have seen that particularly active old gentleman take leave!
(Source: California State Library, Microfilm Collection)


Chioggia. Pronounced "Key-o-gia" Round red beet with alternating white/red stripes inside. The sweetest beet you will ever eat. Even people who do not like beets love these. Tops are very nice and braised like spinach. Plant from date of last frost. Make succession plantings every 3 weeks or so. Pick when 2-4 inches across. 8 gram packet.
To see our growing guide for beets, click here.
My first try at growing this variety has been a disappointment. Not sure why but the beets are not sweet at all. Plants look very good, but roots lack flavor. I boiled and the color ran out so maybe roasting would be better?
I had this beet in Italy and it was delicious. I had to have them in my own garden. Over 20 years this is the marker by which we judge every other beet. Great greens. This makes the absolute best pickled beet. We grow these all spring and then again in the fall. Through the winter we have the pickled beets in salad. Beautiful inside and lovely outside. Roasted, pickled, boiled, sauteed always sweet and delicious. This is a great beet.
seedling jump out of the ground!
We have grown many types of beets in the past, but these came up so strong! We usually over plant to insure germination, but with franchi seeds, we planted to stand with 2 year old seed and 125 out of 130 came up, most with 3 or more at each site! Strong seedlings. Wonderful,sweet, tender beets perfect for roasting.
Beet Bikores. Round, dark red beet; good solid color throughout the entire beet. Thin skin. Very sweet. Resists bolting. 7 gram packet. To see our growing guide for beets, click here.