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"Previously on "dexter"..." "You'll notice we have some new faces here." "Are we under investigation?" "Sloppy bloodwork." "I asked myself, "how the hell did that happen?"" "Bay harbor butcher is one of our own." "Dexter and I broke up." "Does that mean he doesn't like us, either?" "Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" "I'd love to have dinner with you." "Your past was a bigger mystery than fucking jimmy hoffa." "It's time to make doakes go away." "Sergeant james doakes is on administrative leave" "Pending an internal affairs investigation." "Are we through here, sir?" "No, actually. we're just getting -- we're done." "Oh. there's my sponsor." "This woman sees me." "I didn't care what you did." "She's looking behind the mask, and she's not turning away." "You a friend of dexter's?" "I'm, uh, his decorator. love the hat." "Dexter!" "Help, please!" "I need to embrace who I am." "I need to kill the man who murdered my mother." "A secret cabin in the middle of the everglades " "What more could a rededicated serial killer ask for?" "It's kind of fitting, don't you think?" "Well, it's just that the door was open" "And you're the only other one with a key." "Rita, get out of the house. call the police." "I can't take you with me." "Someone was in this house." "Dexter, what's going on?" "please, just stay here." "Stay away from rita." "Stay away from me." "Resistance is Futile" "That's what I said." "That I'm always right?" "That you were right about lila." "She was bad for me." "And that I'm always right!" "Hurry the fuck up!" "I didn't realize how bad till last night." "Hey, vince. how's it going?" "She had me fighting with myself the whole time." "All that self-reflection is unhealthy." "Stop reflecting and move." "Sorry." "The fact is I already know who I am," "And I'm done fighting it." "So the battle's over. lila's over." "Morgan, clean this mess up." "It's a goddamn safety hazard." "Can't leave this shit lying around, bro." "Nice -- my subconscious isn't even bothering with symbolism." "That's what I get" "For leaving the remains of jimenez up in that cabin." "Bad time to get sloppy, with special agent lundy" "Putting everyone in law enforcement under a microscope." "Dexter?" "what are you doing here?" "I, uh just wanted to give you that." "You're in the same clothes as last night." "You slept here?" "Not intentionally." "I just wanted to make sure whoever broke in stayed away." "I guess I kind of fell asleep on the job." "Sorry." "Don't be." "Dexter!" "dexter's here!" "Hey, guys!" "Dexter, I made a killer robot that eats airplanes." "Want to see?" "Mom's making pancakes. you want bananas in yours?" "Actually, guys," "There's something I got to go deal with, so..." "Then why'd you come?" "Cause you needed one of these." "All right, guys," "Dexter's got work to do, so go eat pancakes." "Add extra bananas for me." "I didn't mean for them to find me here." "Well, it's okay." "I think they needed a hug, too." "Take care, dexter." "Wait." "I want to say something." "I'm sorry." "All right." "I feel..." "Such regret," "Which is rare for me." "But not that I don't mess up " "I do..." "Just never so stupendously." "I had you and them." "And I had us -- so much to have." "And just to demolish it," "I honestly thought that I was smarter than that " "Rude awakening." "Lila's one of the biggest mistakes of my life." "It means a lot to me, dexter." "But it doesn't change the fact" "That you slept with another woman." "I can't forgive that." "I don't expect you to." "I just wanted to say it." "All I can do now is pick up the pieces of jimenez." "He's one big pile of evidence " "Not that anyone will easily break into that cabin." "The thing's a bunker." "Still, I can't leave a kill lying around." "I'll have to call in sick at work." "It's not doakes -- fbi." "My feeble interview with lundy" "Might have put me on his short list of suspects." "Left turn to the cabin..." "Right turn to a change of clothes and work." "Glad I'm at peace with harry's code again." "It makes decisions easier " "Caution first, jimenez later." "Announcing the arrival of flight 274" "From santiago, dominican republic, gate 20-b." "Your call has been forwarded" "To an automatic voice-message system." "James doakes is not available." "To page this person, press 5 now." "You know what?" "fuck you, james." "Fuck you and your disappearing act." "You know, you didn't just stand me up last night." "You screwed yourself out of a six-figure security job," "Which means that being a cop" "Is one of the few options you have left." "So, stop pissing off the people that can help you." "Lundy's people have been trying to reach you." "They just want a hand with the bay harbor butcher case." "James, give it to them." "Show lundy that you are a team player." "Fake it." "And pick up when I call again." "I'm gonna keep calling." "I'm not giving up on you, james." "Your right eye is a little darker than your left eye." "And you weigh about 50 pounds." "I'm gonna have to fatten you up." "Didn't seem to bother you last night..." "Or this morning." "So much for taking it slow, huh?" "The slow part was nice." "I guess that's the perk" "Of dating a man who's experienced." "Read "old guy."" "Read what I said " "Experienced, as in technique..." "As in mad skills." "Are you always gonna be this touchy about the age thing?" "That will get old." "Sorry." "This is new territory for me -- dating in general," "Dating someone so young in particular," "And dating a coworker especially." "Ooh. so I'm the more experienced one -- cool." "You've dated coworkers?" "Okay, not that experienced." "Well, I've seen enough of them to see where they go wrong," "And experience tells me" "That full disclosure is the best way to go." "What, like..." "Tell people at work?" "Debra, I'm an aboveboard kind of guy," "And in the history of office romances," "Sneaking around has never worked." "I don't know." "Things are just so tense around the station right now." "So you're worried about making people tense?" "I just think the timing is bad." "Maybe we should wait until we can " "Lundy." "When?" "Notify d.c." "Then get cal to go sit on mendelsohn until he signs." "Yeah." "And then call the field office and get me more bodies." "Well, we need to move on this now." "Yes. okay." "What's up?" "not sure." "Something break on the butcher?" "I gotta go" "There's quiche. eat it." "Wait -- shouldn't we finish talking about this whole full-disclosure thing?" "Lundy's bees are buzzing." "Something has agitated the hive." "My money's on connolly down in property." "Looks like much ado about something in there." "Lundy's got a suspect for the bay harbor butcher," "And bro, it's one of us here." "That's...disturbing." "We're not sure that lundy's picked someone," "But if he has, it sure as hell isn't one of my people." "I'm sorry, lieutenant, but I confirmed it myself last night." "Everything points to someone in this house." "Who in this house?" "I don't know, but something must have broke this morning," "Cause lundy shut us p.d. out of the task force," "Brought more feds in." "So he definitely has someone in his cross hairs." "What about steinbauer in impound?" "dude's a freak." "I bet it's wykoff from records. chico, please." "What about loring in narcotics?" "Or it could be that murderous morgan in blood spatter." "Maybe I was being watched this morning." "But they'd be doing more than watching if they had proof." "What's going on in there?" "You tell us." "Why would I know?" "Come on. you're lundy's pet." "Fuck you." "Seriously, what's lundy got, or is he just blowing smoke?" "Seriously, I don't know." "But if he's got something, it ain't smoke." "Lundy's too good to blow smoke." "Man, no wonder you're his pet." "Fuck you twice." "Okay, enough. enough." "If you're not on the task force," "You're clearing cases for the day." "yes, you too." "Psst, morgan." "We've got company." "Yeah, I noticed." "Not there -- in there..." "Waiting for you." "Lundy brought in his own forensic techs." "What are they looking for?" "Think they'd tell me?" "I'm just the lfi." "Lead forensics investigator -- or at least I used to be." "Well, fuck them." "They can have their fucking title" "And the acronym that goes with it " "Fucking indian givers." "Dexter morgan." "In the flesh." "Please give me your access code for the forensics database." "I'd like you to walk me through your filing system." "I'll need a breakdown of procedure and protocol." "Is there something particular I can help you with?" "We just need your help navigating the lab." "Your code, please." "May i?" "If they're looking for proof, they won't find it " "Not here at least." "I may have briefly rebelled against harry," "But I learned my lessons well." "Come on, dex. tell me." "Um, make sure they deserve it." "Dexter, this is life-or-death stuff." "It's that important." "Why do you think I pulled all those strings to arrange this?" "Dexter, now, come on. tell me." "What is the number-one rule?" "Don't get caught." "And what are all the other rules for?" "So I don't get caught." "You ready for this?" "I'm ready." "Why are they looking at us like that?" "They don't know why you're here," "Why you need to see this." "But I want this seared into your mind, son." "The chair?" "The chair?" "Cross-check our data with interpol." "See where it leads. yeah." "Hi." "Hey." "So, bats out of hell" "Move slower than you did this morning." "I know." "I'm sorry." "But as you can see " "Something's up." "Something's up." "Cause I wondered if maybe you were also cheesed" "About my whole not-disclosing thing." "I don't want you to think" "I'm unsure or..." "Embarrassed or anything." "Why would you be embarrassed?" "I'm hot." "Mm-hmm. yeah. you got that right." "Hey, look, it had nothing to do with you," "Except that it made you feel bad, which was not my intention." "It's just " " Something's up." " Something's up." "What?" "I really can't tell you." "Why not?" "Honestly, you don't want to know." "It's a ghost from my past." "I wasn't sure I'd be able to find you." "I'm in the phone book now." "Last place you look, eh?" "It's good to see you, leones." "My father-in-law will be happy" "We have a customer with american dollars." "Looks like you're in the travel business now, huh?" "Orbitz, man -- it's killing us." "And people only think of haiti for war and poverty." "But the brave ones still come." "We arrange tours between the islands." "No more sneaking people over the border in the middle of the night?" "My wife would castrate me." "I work only for her father now." "The man is satan on wheels." "I hope the dog will bite him." "So, what can I arrange for you?" "Maybe the rosewood resort on little dix, huh?" "Only the best for my old friend." "I was thinking more like the hospital in dom rep." "You are sick?" "No. but I need a -- a discreet lab." "A relaxing cruise is better." "There's a shuffleboard tournament" "On the jewel of the seas -- big stakes." "Leones, you were always the one to see," "No questions asked, whenever we needed shit." "I am not a fixer anymore," "And you are not in black operations." "I'm a travel agent, and I like it." "No one tries to kill me or torture me except for him," "With his vicious dog and foul breath." "Listen, this isn't dangerous, man." "I just need some blood slides analyzed." "Leones, I need your help." "This is all you want -- the slides analyzed?" "And your most expensive tour package of the islands." "Give me the slides." "I'll see what I can do." "Confirm the arrangements first." "I'll bring them over by boat." "Avoiding customs." "Don't want to risk it with biological materials." "Just tell me, james." "Are you in trouble?" "No." "But someone else is gonna be." "Okay." "That takes us through 95's discoverable notes." "94." "How far back are you looking?" "Let's start with knife wounds." "To search by cause of death," "Go to the upper right-hand " "It's okay." "I'm good." "They're wasting their time here." "Now, if they had a warrant for my apartment," "They'd find blood slides and killing tools." "Got to move those." "Got to dispose of jimenez." "Instead, I'm waiting for the fat man to sing." "Why don't I just " " I've got it." "It will be faster " " I've got it!" "In fact, I think we can get along on our own from here." "And he sings." "I'm wearing green underpants." "Are you?" "Yeah, but when I bought them, they were white." "Too much information!" "Oh!" "Aha." "Look who's come out of his cave." "Lila, what are you doing here?" "She came to see me, bro." "Angel mentioned that he needed a decorator," "And, well, a slot just came up," "So I gave him a call." "I've always wanted a decorator." "Angel, come here." "She's not really a decorator." "It's not really my apartment that I want decorated." "So, hey, the boys here" "Have persuaded me to go for a drink." "Or 10." "Oh, god. should I be worried?" "Yes. you should." "Then maybe you should come with us," "Because who knows what secrets will come pouring out of me" "Once the drinks start flowing." "Hey, lila, um, I have 2,000 square feet" "That needs a total makeover." "You got 800 if you count your parking space." "She can do it twice." "I have to get to jimenez, but a dead man tells no tales." "A drunk, unstable woman very well may." "But do you call me" "Paddy the road builder?" "No, and me, with my own two hands," "I built the town library." "But do you call me paddy the library giver?" "No." "But you fuck one little goat..." "All right." "I got one." "Stop." "What?" "it's a good one." "Knowing you, it would be inappropriate in front of a lady." "She just did a goat-fucker joke." "Aw, you're such a protector, angel." "I do my best." "Like that time that you came to dexter's rescue" "At the bowling alley." "You just ran right towards that mugger," "No thought for your own personal safety." "That's my job." "Mine, too. it is not." "Don't do it, lila. don't bring jimenez up." "Did they, uh, ever catch that guy?" "Yeah, dex, did you ever file a report?" "I can still look into it." "I'm sure he's long gone by now." "Yeah." "Anyway, I'm gonna go to the loo." "The loo?" "How cute is that?" "It's -- right." "What the hell do you want?" "I'm concerned." "Usually, when someone quits their sponsor," "It means they're using again." "You can quit the sponsor bullshit." "I'm done with it and you." "Did I not make that clear last night?" "It's out of order." "There's still work we can do together." "No, there isn't " " I am who I am," "And I don't want you coming anywhere near me or my addiction." "Do you understand?" "Oh, I understand... how lonely you are." "Stop." "Those friends of yours out there " "They didn't even know you." "They just see the mask, but I see it all." "I can see how upset you are." "No, really?" "No." "It's more than just me that's eating at you." "There's something else." "You don't have to handle it alone." "I can help." "I know how heavy that mask is," "How tiring." "I'm the only one who can see behind it," "And it doesn't scare me." "It's like looking in the mirror." "It's why we belong together." "Hey, asshole, it's ladies only." "My mistake." "He giving you trouble?" "A little." "But I know he'll see I'm right." "I know you will." "You are not driving." "Fuck you." "Fine." "Can't live with her. can't kill her." "She's not going away." "Neither is that undercover car." "So much for paranoia." "Those feds are real." "Lundy found my slides." "It's over." "You're out of shampoo." "Sorry. yours is better than mine." "What are you doing here?" "My new place isn't set up yet." "I don't want to make a habit of staying at lundy's." "I mean, what if people find out?" "It would be a whole new reason to disrespect me." "Maybe they already know." "They keep assuming I have inside intel." "They're always asking me what lundy knows." "What does he know?" "tell me." "Fuck, dex, I'm talking about my feelings here." "What the fuck is your problem?" "Look, I know he's old, and it's complicated and whatever," "But I feel like he's someone I can, you know, count on." "That's good, deb." "You should have that, because I won't always be " "Who the fuck is that at this hour?" "Deb, don't." "What the fuck?" "Dexter morgan." "Special agent lundy wants to see you." "Please come with us." "Wait. lundy didn't say anything about this to me." "I'm sorry, deb." "I'm on the fucking task force." "I demand to know what " "I'm right behind you. they're calling us in." "I'm right behind you, dex." "We got him." "I should be panicked, terrified," "But lila was right." "The mask has been heavy." "I won't need it in surrender." "I can let it go." "The pain will come" "When Deb finally understands who her brother really is." "Rita's horror, the kids' tears." "My old friends, here to betray me." "Please sit down." "I'm sure that you heard" "We have a suspect in the bay harbor butcher case." "Put them on." "We now have the evidence to back it up." "We need answers, now." "Open it." "Explain it to us." "Trophies." "That's what I thought." "What happens now?" "I know this will come as a shock to you, Morgan," "But our primary suspect is someone you know well sergeant James Doakes." "Sergeant..." "Doakes?" "He was the lead case investigator" "On four of the butcher victims," "Which put him on my radar." "We looked into his background." "It turns out his father was a butcher and abusive" "Doakes was also a trained assassin in special forces." "That, along with his on-the-job shootings" "And excessive-force citations " "He fits the profile." "Yes." "He has a need to dole out personal justice." "Yesterday, Doakes walked out of an interview" "And disappeared." "This morning, we were alerted that he boarded a plane out of the country." "That enabled me to get warrants on his apartment and car." "He had the slides?" "Carefully hidden in the trunk of his car at the airport." "It all makes so much sense." "Everyone else in the precinct" "Was beyond shocked when I told them." "What exactly is sergeant Doakes' problem with you, Morgan?" "I kill people, for one." "But what was it sergeant Doakes said about me?" "I've always sensed" "There was something... off about him..." "Like he's hiding in plain sight." "I never concealed my doubts." "So he attacked you." "Well, he might try it again," "Particularly when he finds out he's our prime suspect." "Yeah. that should piss him off." "We've tried to keep an eye on you from a distance." "The undercover cars." "Not undercover enough, obviously." "I'm sorry for the abrupt pickup tonight," "But from here on out," "We'll want a protective detail on you at all times." "That could complicate my life." "Dexter, it will keep Doakes at bay." "Good point." "What happens now is we need you to analyze and match these slides immediately." "Me?" "I'm keeping the forensics in-house." "The public needs to see our strength now." "Their trust in us is about to take a major ass-fucking." "Now, I'm making you first forensic tech" "In the chain of custody with these slides." "I figure you have more motivation than most to see Doakes brought to justice," "So I know you'll be thorough." "The tsa is circulating Doakes's photo" "To all major airports." "Sergeant Doakes " "He peeked behind the curtain." "He saw who I am." "But it only put him in the line of fire." "There's an apb out on the eastern seaboard." "I still don't believe it." "Because it's not true." "I don't know." "Don't, vince." "Just -- just don't." "I didn't know." "I swear Lundy didn't tell me." "I believe you." "Big fucking manhunt mobilizing out there." "We'll get him, Dex." "And when you do, my story has to be stronger than his." "Don't worry, I'm gonna be with you every step of the way " "Me and this." "I have an even bigger favor." "Name it." "Move into that new apartment of yours." "Deb, if you got in the middle of this and you got hurt " "Hurt?" "I'm a fucking cop." "You're my sister first." "And I'm gonna worry like a brother, not a coworker." "Don't, god damn it. you have enough to worry about." "I can't help it." "Deb, the best thing you can do for me" "Is to get me and my protective detail a wide berth." "Fucker." "Fine." "I fucking hate it, but I get it." "One less pair of eyes to worry about." "You just can't get rid of me, can you?" "Laguerta." "You know I didn't do this." "You know me, Maria. that's not me." "Yeah, but they don't." "What do they have on me?" "They found something in your car." "Oh, shit." "The longer you stay out, the worse it gets." "The only way I can help you is if you turn yourself in." "No one will listen without proof." "Of what?" "Look, I don't want to pull you into this." "Look, the next time you see me, they'll be no doubt." "Until then, you won't be able to contact me." "Don't you disappear on me, james." "Maria, I have to do this." "God damn!" "Listen to me." "I just want you to know that you meant a lot to me " "More than you know, and..." "I just want to thank you for that." "What does that mean?" "Wait." "Wait." "Looks like I won't find any prints or dna on this box." "I can chalk it up to how careful doakes is." "Harry had strict rules about not hurting the innocent," "And for all his fury... doakes is innocent." "But there's also the number-one rule -- don't get caught." "Still, he'll fight this, and I'll have to disprove him." "He could win..." "Or he could end up paying for my crimes." "Morning." "Mr. morgan, uh," "Special agent lundy thought you might need our help." "Please come in." "Um, sorry about all the secrecy yesterday." "We were reviewing sergeant doakes' cases," "And -- well, you understand." "I need you to do" "The liquid extractions and centrifuging on these samples." "The cells just started digesting." "Then we'll, um, come back in 12 hours." "The samples should be watched at all times." "Don't let anyone in or out of the lab," "And don't let the incubator dip below 37 celsius." "And please, don't touch anything." "You understand." "That was satisfying." "Dex!" "Hey, bro!" "Are you okay, man?" "This shit with doakes is crazy " "Yeah." "I have to go, angel." "Whoa, whoa, whoa. hold on." "Are you pissed or something" "About lila and me?" "Oh, yeah. that." "Dex, I don't want it getting between us." "If you still want her -- god, no." "Lila's insane, destructive " "A naturally occurring disaster." "Okay, so you don't mind if I go for her, then. what?" "no." "Look, angel, here's the real truth " "Lila's just using you to get at me." "So what?" "So what?" "Look, dex, no one's used me for good or bad reasons" "Since my wife divorced me " "Damn sure no one as hot as lila." "You may be missing my point." "Look, first it was the divorce." "Then getting stabbed was no picnic." "And now this thing with doakes " "Dark days, my friend, too dark." "Man, I need a light at the end of the tunnel, man," "And lila's it, all right?" "Uh... all right, then." "Angel just doesn't get it." "Lila's no solution." "She's a problem..." "Shall we?" "...just like my little groupies." "I couldn't tell you." "Even with my brother at risk?" "We had him covered." "It would have forced you to divide your loyalties." "Plus, I didn't want to appear to favor you." "They all think you favor me anyway." "Maybe because I do." "Do you think they know?" "Not until you tell them." "Special agent lundy..." "You're giving doakes to the press?" "Best way to bring him in." "If you publicly accuse him " "I'm not accusing anyone." "Doakes is wanted for questioning," "And that's what my press release says." "It will still destroy him." "He's doing a fine job of destroying himself." "He is not your man." "He is, however, my prime suspect." "Look." "I'm willing to work with you on this," "But only if you let me take lead with the media." "Lieutenant, I am not letting you anywhere near the media." "He may be your ex-partner. he may be your best friend." "What he is to me is a suspect." "So you deal with that however you need to." "And you will give me your complete cooperation," "Or you may find yourself out of a job." "It's mine." "Hello?" "It -- it's me." "I wasn't sure I should call." "I'm glad you did." "It's probably best I move on," "But the kids were so happy to see you yesterday." "I wasn't, you know, unhappy." "Well, that's good, right?" "I just " " I need to know one thing." "Is it over with lila?" "Yes -- absolutely, completely over." "If I never see her again, it'll be too soon." "Hello?" "I have feelings for you." "I have feelings for you, too." "I'm not gonna fight them anymore." "I think we should get together and talk." "Tonight?" "That would be great -- really great." "But tonight's " "No, this... is a bad idea." "No, rita, it's the best idea you've ever had." "It's just we've got a big break in the bay harbor butcher case." "Things are kind of intense around here." "Oh, wow. did they catch him?" "Well, someone's gonna go down for it." "But tomorrow would be really great." "Okay. tomorrow." "I'll look forward to it." "We're getting together tomorrow." "Communication's the key." "The light at the end of the tunnel." "All clear." "We'll have a man stationed at the front and side doors" "And two in the parking lot." "Just, uh, give us a yell if anything arises." "Nothing's gonna arise," "Certainly not me -- not until tomorrow morning." "I'm exhausted." "Don't let anyone near this door for any reason." "Shoot them if you have to." "No problem. sleep tight." "Sleep would be nice," "But there's too much to do." "The good news is my new friends will keep doakes away." "The bad news is they make getting to jimenez difficult..." "But not impossible." "Fortunately, a car isn't the only way" "To reach the everglades," "And my new marina's only a 20-minute walk." "I'm on my way, jimenez." "Don't decompose just yet." "I'll be against the current on the way back." "With bagging, cleanup, and detour to the gulf stream " "Tight, but I should be home by daybreak." "It's time to get you out of my life once and for all." "You got to talk to lundy." "About what?" "Get him to hold off on putting doakes on the news." "Maybe you should talk to lundy." "Morgan, you're one of us. doakes is one of us." "He deserves the benefit of the doubt." "Look, lieutenant, I know he's your friend," "And we're all pretty fucked up about this," "But it is lundy's ballgame." "But he listens to you." "You're his right hand." "Right hand?" "just say it." "Fuck the euphemisms." "And okay, I may be sleeping with him," "But that doesn't mean he tells me shit" "Or listens to me about anything, so stop asking." "You're sleeping with lundy?" "I'm sleeping at your place again tonight." "Just one more trip." "Ahead of schedule." "That's right, motherfucker." "It's over." "How'd you find me?" "Gps tap on your boat." "Jesus christ, morgan." "Jesus fucking christ. you're the bay harbor butcher." "I really hate that name." "Jesus christ, man." "You said that." "Always knew there was something with you." "But this shit?" "What can I say?" "you were right about me." "I never held it against you." "I don't now." "My buddies thought I was crazy for becoming a cop." "I had skills." "I could have written my own ticket." "And lately, I thought they might have been right." "But this " "This makes it all worth it." "I'm happy for you." "Shut the fuck up." "Let's get this over with." "Put them on." "Morgan, you're done. give it up." "Would you in my position?" "I wouldn't be in your position, you sick fuck." "You sure about that?" "you might want to chat with Lundy." "Hey, you shoot me, who will prove your innocence?" "Maybe I'll just kneecap you." "All right. nice and slow." "Back the fuck off, Morgan!" "I'm just following your lead." "Slow down." "You're gonna have to kill me, Morgan!" "You're gonna have to fucking kill me, Morgan!" "Morgan!"

minipile

NaturalLanguage

mit

Q: How to fix issue when loading CR only delimited File text in Delphi 7 ? I have a big text file (about 100MB) and each lines are separated by CR character, and not CRLF. I tried to read this text file, line by line using TStringList.LoadFromFile() or ReadLn(F,..), but both methods require the lines are separated by CRLF. Do you have any efficient and fast method to read this kind of text file? Thanks. PS: I am using Delphi 7. A: This should do it. Read the text file into a memory stream. Then fill the string list with the contents. textList.Text accepts any combination of CR,LF and CRLF to form a line. function MemoryStreamToString( M : TMemoryStream) : string; begin SetString( Result,PChar(M.Memory),M.Size div SizeOf(Char)); // Works in all Delphi versions end; var memStream : TMemoryStream; textList : TStringList; begin textList := TStringList.Create; try memStream:= TMemoryStream.Create; try memStream.LoadFromFile('mytextfile.txt'); textList.Text := MemoryStreamToString( memStream); // any combination of CR,LF,CRLF interprets as a line finally memStream.Free; end; // do something with textList finally textList.Free; end; end; A: I have always wanted a solution for this problem, and so I wrote one, which is part of JvCsvDataSet. My problems were: I want to read a file that might have CR, CR+LF, or just LF endings. I want something like ReadLn, but which is really flexible about point #1, and which does not have ReadLn's well-known problems. So Ancient Pascal had the Textfile type, and the ReadLn procedure. A modern Class equivalent is needed. I would like it to be a stream-like object so I can read line by line, and not load my entire 3.7 gigabyte megabyte file into memory. Also, I want the Position to be Int64 type, and I want to be able to handle very large files (>2 gb). I want this to work in Delphi 7, and also in Delphi XE2, and everything in between. I wanted it to be very very very fast. So I spent some time optimizing block read performance, and parsing. So here is what you would write if you want to do this: procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject); var ts:TTextStream; s:String; begin ts := TTextStream.Create('c:\temp\test.txt', fm_OpenReadShared); try while not ts.Eof do begin s := ts.ReadLine; doSomethingWith(s); end; finally ts.Free; end; end; Okay. That looks easy right? It is. And it's even got a file mode flag (notice the read-shared option there?). Now all you need is Teh Codez For TTextStream, which are here: unit textStreamUnit; {$M+} {$R-} { textStreamUnit This code is based on some of the content of the JvCsvDataSet written by Warren Postma, and others, licensed under MOZILLA Public License. } interface uses Windows, Classes, SysUtils; const cQuote = #34; cLf = #10; cCR = #13; { File stream mode flags used in TTextStream } { Significant 16 bits are reserved for standard file stream mode bits. } { Standard system values like fmOpenReadWrite are in SysUtils. } fm_APPEND_FLAG = $20000; fm_REWRITE_FLAG = $10000; { combined Friendly mode flag values } fm_Append = fmOpenReadWrite or fm_APPEND_FLAG; fm_OpenReadShared = fmOpenRead or fmShareDenyWrite; fm_OpenRewrite = fmOpenReadWrite or fm_REWRITE_FLAG; fm_Truncate = fmCreate or fm_REWRITE_FLAG; fm_Rewrite = fmCreate or fm_REWRITE_FLAG; TextStreamReadChunkSize = 8192; // 8k chunk reads. resourcestring RsECannotReadFile = 'Cannot read file %'; type ETextStreamException = class(Exception); {$ifndef UNICODE} RawByteString=AnsiString; {$endif} TTextStream = class(TObject) private FStream: TFileStream; // Tried TJclFileStream also but it was too slow! Do NOT use JCL streams here. -wpostma. FFilename: string; FStreamBuffer: PAnsiChar; FStreamIndex: Integer; FStreamSize: Integer; FLastReadFlag: Boolean; procedure _StreamReadBufInit; public function ReadLine: RawByteString; { read a string, one per line, wow. Text files. Cool eh?} procedure Append; procedure Rewrite; procedure Write(const s: RawByteString); {write a string. wow, eh? } procedure WriteLine(const s: RawByteString); {write string followed by Cr+Lf } procedure WriteChar(c: AnsiChar); procedure WriteCrLf; //procedure Write(const s: string); function Eof: Boolean; {is at end of file? } { MODE is typically a fm_xxx constant thatimplies a default set of stream mode bits plus some extended bit flags that are specific to this stream type.} constructor Create(const FileName: string; Mode: DWORD = fm_OpenReadShared; Rights: Cardinal = 0); reintroduce; virtual; destructor Destroy; override; function Size: Int64; //override; // sanity { read-only properties at runtime} property Filename: string read FFilename; property Stream: TFileStream read FStream; { Get at the underlying stream object} end; implementation // 2 gigabyte file limit workaround: function GetFileSizeEx(h: HFILE; FileSize: PULargeInteger): BOOL; stdcall; external Kernel32; procedure TTextStream.Append; begin Stream.Seek(0, soFromEnd); end; constructor TTextStream.Create(const FileName: string; Mode: DWORD; Rights: Cardinal); var IsAppend: Boolean; IsRewrite: Boolean; begin inherited Create; FFilename := FileName; FLastReadFlag := False; IsAppend := (Mode and fm_APPEND_FLAG) <> 0; IsRewrite := (Mode and fm_REWRITE_FLAG) <> 0; FStream := TFileStream.Create(Filename, {16 lower bits only}Word(Mode), Rights); //Stream := FStream; { this makes everything in the base class actually work if we inherited from Easy Stream} if IsAppend then Self.Append // seek to the end. else Stream.Position := 0; if IsRewrite then Rewrite; _StreamReadBufInit; end; destructor TTextStream.Destroy; begin if Assigned(FStream) then FStream.Position := 0; // avoid nukage FreeAndNil(FStream); FreeMem(FStreamBuffer); // Buffered reads for speed. inherited Destroy; end; function TTextStream.Eof: Boolean; begin if not Assigned(FStream) then Result := False //Result := True else Result := FLastReadFlag and (FStreamIndex >= FStreamSize); //Result := FStream.Position >= FStream.Size; end; { TTextStream.ReadLine: This reads a line of text, normally terminated by carriage return and/or linefeed but it is a bit special, and adapted for CSV usage because CR/LF characters inside quotes are read as a single line. This is a VERY PERFORMANCE CRITICAL function. We loop tightly inside here. So there should be as few procedure-calls inside the repeat loop as possible. } function TTextStream.ReadLine: RawByteString; var Buf: array of AnsiChar; n: Integer; QuoteFlag: Boolean; LStreamBuffer: PAnsiChar; LStreamSize: Integer; LStreamIndex: Integer; procedure FillStreamBuffer; begin FStreamSize := Stream.Read(LStreamBuffer[0], TextStreamReadChunkSize); LStreamSize := FStreamSize; if LStreamSize = 0 then begin if FStream.Position >= FStream.Size then FLastReadFlag := True else raise ETextStreamException.CreateResFmt(@RsECannotReadFile, [FFilename]); end else if LStreamSize < TextStreamReadChunkSize then FLastReadFlag := True; FStreamIndex := 0; LStreamIndex := 0; end; begin { Ignore linefeeds, read until carriage return, strip carriage return, and return it } SetLength(Buf, 150); n := 0; QuoteFlag := False; LStreamBuffer := FStreamBuffer; LStreamSize := FStreamSize; LStreamIndex := FStreamIndex; while True do begin if n >= Length(Buf) then SetLength(Buf, n + 100); if LStreamIndex >= LStreamSize then FillStreamBuffer; if LStreamIndex >= LStreamSize then Break; Buf[n] := LStreamBuffer[LStreamIndex]; Inc(LStreamIndex); case Buf[n] of cQuote: {34} // quote QuoteFlag := not QuoteFlag; cLf: {10} // linefeed if not QuoteFlag then Break; cCR: {13} // carriage return begin if not QuoteFlag then begin { If it is a CRLF we must skip the LF. Otherwise the next call to ReadLine would return an empty line. } if LStreamIndex >= LStreamSize then FillStreamBuffer; if LStreamBuffer[LStreamIndex] = cLf then Inc(LStreamIndex); Break; end; end end; Inc(n); end; FStreamIndex := LStreamIndex; SetString(Result, PAnsiChar(@Buf[0]), n); end; procedure TTextStream.Rewrite; begin if Assigned(FStream) then FStream.Size := 0;// truncate! end; function TTextStream.Size: Int64; { Get file size } begin if Assigned(FStream) then GetFileSizeEx(FStream.Handle, PULargeInteger(@Result)) {int64 Result} else Result := 0; end; { Look at this. A stream that can handle a string parameter. What will they think of next? } procedure TTextStream.Write(const s: RawByteString); begin Stream.Write(s[1], Length(s)); {The author of TStreams would like you not to be able to just write Stream.Write(s). Weird. } end; procedure TTextStream.WriteChar(c: AnsiChar); begin Stream.Write(c, SizeOf(AnsiChar)); end; procedure TTextStream.WriteCrLf; begin WriteChar(#13); WriteChar(#10); end; procedure TTextStream.WriteLine(const s: RawByteString); begin Write(s); WriteCrLf; end; procedure TTextStream._StreamReadBufInit; begin if not Assigned(FStreamBuffer) then begin //FStreamBuffer := AllocMem(TextStreamReadChunkSize); GetMem(FStreamBuffer, TextStreamReadChunkSize); end; end; end.

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Featured in AI, ML & Data Engineering In this article, author shows how to use big data query and processing language U-SQL on Azure Data Lake Analytics platform. U-SQL combines the concepts and constructs both of SQL and C#. It combines the simplicity and declarative nature of SQL with the programmatic power of C# including rich types and expressions. Featured in Culture & Methods The book Agile Leadership in Practice - Applying Management 3.0 by Dominik Maximini is an experience report of the agile transformation journey of NovaTec. Maximini shares his experiences from applying principles and practices from Management 3.0, success stories, failure stories, and learnings from experiments. Featured in DevOps Yuri Shkuro presents a methodology that uses data mining to learn the typical behavior of the system from massive amounts of distributed traces, compares it with pathological behavior during outages, and uses complexity reduction and intuitive visualizations to guide the user towards actionable insights about the root cause of the outages. Test Driven Development with Visual Studio for Database Professionals For many years now, developers have had the upper hand when it comes to Test-Driven Development. No matter the language, there was a handy toolset to use - NUnit, JUnit, and xUnits for Perl, Python, Ruby, Delphi, and many others. But when it came time to implement the logic in the database, the options were few. Many people turned to developing their own unit testing solution - if they did unit tests at all. With the release of Visual Studio 2005, that changed for SQL Server developers. As part of Visual Studio Team System, an edition for Database Professionals (aptly named "Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Database Professionals") was released which helps answer the following: Where the true representation of the database is stored. How to enable developers to modify the schema of the database and send those updates to DBAs for approval in a standardized fashion How to be able to make changes to the schema (like renaming a column) and understand the impact across the database How to unit test stored procedures, including how to generate data for those tests While the first three points are great - and solve a lot of problems for teams - the fourth point is often overlooked. Because unit testing and data generation are first class citizens in DBPro, developers can integrate stored procedure development into their Test-Driven Development cycle. This provides a lot of power and confidence to the teams to know how well their system is working and a deeper understanding of the things affected by changes to the schema. Related Sponsor Before we dive into doing Test-Driven Development in DBPro, let's look at how developers take advantage of unit testing frameworks to create business logic in their code. Say we have a requirement to calculate the discount for a given order. The discount matrix looks like: $0-$99.99 -> No discount $100 - $299.99 -> 2% discount $300 - $999.99 -> 4% discount $1000 or above -> 7% discount Using Visual Studio .NET, we can create a test project and write the business logic test-first. Our first test might look like: And we could continue on with our tests and class until we had implemented our table. However, this would mean that any changes to our discounts would require a recompilation of code, or, at the very minimum, a change to a configuration file. If this logic was instead stored in a table, we could call a stored procedure with the order amount and it could look up the values. However, if we just went right out and created a table and a stored procedure, we'd have some questions quickly come up. How should the table be structured? How should we represent the low and high end of the ranges? What about those edge cases? This is exactly the kind of thing unit testing in DBPro helps answer. Let's take a look at how to implement this in SQL Server using stored procedures and tables in a test-driven fashion. In order to follow along, you will either need Visual Studio 2005 or 2008 Beta 2 with Team Edition for Database Professionals (DBPro) and Team Edition for Testers or Developers installed. You can download a 180-Day trial from http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/teamsystem/default.aspx. To begin, we need a database. Tests in DBPro are executed against a real database. Typically it is best to avoid touching file systems, databases and other external sources in unit tests (Feathers, Michael, Working Effectively with Legacy Code, Prentice Hall PTR, 2004) as it slows down your test suite. However, you would probably treat these as integration tests, and the power of the tests offsets the slowness of them. To help with the speed of the tests, we are going to be executing them against a local SQL Express database. From Visual Studio go to View->Server Explorer. Right click on Data Connections and choose "Create New SQL Server Database": Enter your database server (we're using (local)\SQLEXPRESS to connect in this example) and enter a database name of OnlineStore: You should now see the connection to the database listed in Server Explorer. Next we need to set up a project to write our business logic against. From Visual Studio, choose File->New->Project. In the Project Types column, you should see an entry for "Database Projects". Expanding that, you'll see an entry for "Microsoft SQL Server". Click on that and select the SQL Server 2005 Wizard. Name the project OnlineStore: When you click Ok, you may get a warning that your SQL Server doesn't support full-text indexing. This is because SQL Express doesn't. You can safely ignore this if you are following along.) We now go through the 2005 Wizard. You can click next on all of the screens until you get to Configure Build/Deploy. DBPro is actually an offline representation of our database, and we can deploy the project very similar to any other .NET project. Click the Edit button next to Target Connection and point it to the database we set up earlier: With that set, click Ok, and then click Finish on the Wizard. It will give a summary page of what is happening behind the scenes. Click Finish once it has finished creating the project. At this point we have a test database on SQL Express and a project which represents both an offline view of our database and a place where we can determine the true schema of the database. We're finally ready to start writing this business logic. Right-Click on our solution and choose Add->New Project. Add a new Test Project, and name it OnlineStoreTests: This will add a test project to your solution. You can close out of the files that are opened, and delete the AuthoringTests.txt, ManualTest1.mht and UnitTest1.cs files that were generated. Next, right click on the Test project and choose Add->New Test. From the Add New Test dialog, choose Database Unit Test and name it OrderDiscountTests.cs: When you click Ok, a configuration wizard pops up. This allows us to specify what connection we want to run the tests under. It also allows us to specify a second connection to validate the tests. This is great for situations where the test should run in the context of a normal user, but perhaps the stored procedure modifies tables the user account doesn't have access to. For now, we'll choose to execute the unit tests using the connection we set up earlier, so choose the OnlineStore connection from the drop down. Since we are going to be developing our stored procedures in our database project as we write our tests, we'll also set the configuration to automatically deploy any changes we've made to the database project before the tests are run. This will lead to a delay before the tests are executed, but may save you from wondering why a test pass and finding out it was because you didn't deploy the changes. Your screen should look like: Note that we could also generate test data before the unit tests are run. This is a very powerful capability that we won't go into here, but one that you would be encouraged to explore. With our configuration complete, click Ok. You'll now see three main areas in Visual Studio that are important for writing the unit tests. The first is the current test area: This has dropdowns to choose which test we are looking at, whether we are examining the Test, Pre-test or Post-test scripts, and some buttons to add, delete and rename tests. The second area is our main test writing area. It has the message: Tests will be written using T-SQL as we'll see in a bit. The last area is the Test Condition section: This is where we specify what should happen after the test script has run, and is analogous to Asserts in xUnit testing frameworks. We have one more housekeeping step before we get started. When we created our OrderDiscountTests class, it created a default test for us. Click on the Rename button and call it ZeroDollarOrderShouldHaveZeroDiscount. Now, click on the "Click here to create" button. Delete out the comment and enter the following: exec sp_calculate_discount_for_order 0.00 We want our test to call our stored procedure with an order amount of $0.00. Based on our table from the beginning of the article, this should return an discount amount of 0.00. So we need to add a Test Condition to compare what was returned with what we are expecting. In our Test Conditions section, delete out the Inconclusive result (by clicking the red X), then choose Scalar Value from the drop down list and click add: This allows us to compare the result in a specific row and column from the result set to an expected value. Right-Click on the row and choose Properties, and edit it so that we expect 0.00 from Row 1, Column 1: Now, run our unit tests by going to the Test menu and choosing Run (in 2005 choose to run without the debugger). You'll notice that it takes a while for the test to run. This is because it is comparing the database to our database project to see if any deployments need to happen and setting up some other first time settings. You should see the test fail because it can't find the sp_calculate_discount_for_order. So let's fix that. Right-Click your database project and choose Add->Stored Procedure: Name it sp_calculate_discount_for_order and click Ok. Notice that what comes up is a SQL definition for a stored procedure. Modify it to be: Out of the box we get support for analyzing ResultSets. So our stored procedure will return the discount amount we are expecting. Once you've change the stored procedure to match the above, save the file. At this point we have the definition stored in our database project but not in our database. You can open the database we created to verify that it currently doesn't have any stored procedures. Let's run our test again: It passed! You may have noticed a delay again before this test was run. That's because it was deploying out our changes to the test database. Let's add another test to check the other side of the zero discount. From your test screen, click the green plus and name the test NinetyNineNinetyNineOrderShouldHaveZeroDiscount. Modify the script to call our stored procedure and change the test condition to verify that we received a zero discount from the stored procedure: With that set up, run the tests again. You should notice they run much faster this time, and both pass: Let's now write a test for the next discount level. Orders from $100.00 - $299.99 get a 2% discount. Add a new test called OneHundredDollarOrderShouldHaveTwoPercentDiscount. This time, the scalar value we are expecting is 0.02: Now run our tests: The first two pass, but the third fails that it expected 0.02, but got 0.00. We could put the logic to make this test pass in the stored procedure, but since we are in the database already, let's create a table to store the values. Right-Click on the database project and choose Add->Table, naming it OrderDiscounts with the following definition: Since we want to control what is in this table to test that our business logic works, we'll create a script that runs before all of our tests to insert the proper values into this table. From our OrderDiscountTests.cs file, choose the drop down with the test names and select (Common Scripts): Notice that the drop down next to that gives us two options - Test Initialize and Test Cleanup. For our purposes here we'll only be using Test Initialize to populate the database. Make sure Test Initialize is selected and click the "Click here to create" link. Populate it with the following script: If we rerun our tests, we'll see the delay as our new table is pushed out, and we'll see the test we last added still failing. Let's get that green. Modify our stored procedure to select the discount from the table we just added: Green! However, there's something fishy going on. Go back to one of our tests and add a condition to make sure our stored procedure is only returning one row: Now rerun our tests. Do they pass? No! Even stranger, look at the reason why: 9 Rows? Let's go look in the database to see what's going on: Woah! It looks like our test data is getting inserted over and over. This is a very important lesson - when working with database, data can hang around and impact your tests without realizing it. Let's go back to our test scripts and fix that. Click over to OrderDiscountTests and choose our (Common scripts) then modify it to add a truncate statement at the beginning: All green! Before we finish out the rest of our test cases, there's one thing some of you may wonder. All is fine and dandy if the order amount is exactly the low_range or high_range, but what if it is in between the high_range and the low_range of the next level? In other words, what happens if our order amount is 99.997 through some accidental calculation? Instead of wondering, let's find out and add guidance on what should happen in that situation. Add a new test to our OrderDiscountTests file called NinetyNineNinetyNineNineShouldHaveZeroDiscount. Your business may want it the other way - anything over $99.99 goes to the next level. Execute our stored procedure and add a test condition to make sure 0.00 is returned: exec sp_calculate_discount_for_order 99.999 And run our tests. Do they pass? No. If you look at the error message, it was because no rows were returned. We could change the data we are inserting into the table, but what if someone else made the same mistake? Given the business logic we have, it looks like we only care about 2 decimal places, so the money type is overkill. Let's change the stored procedure: All green! Time to get to work implementing all of the other cases. However, that will be left as an exercise for the reader. As you can see, with Team Edition for Database Professionals, developers familiar with Test-Driven Development can continue their familiar Red-Green-Refactor cycle even when working with Stored Procedures. Developers not doing Test-Driven Development can still take advantage of the offline representation and unit testing features to ensure business logic implemented in the database is functioning appropriately. About the author When not spending time running after with his two daughters, Cory enjoys programming test-first in a variety of languages including Ruby, C# and Java and speaking at Code Camps and User Groups. Cory currently works for Microsoft as a Field Engineer, and writes regularly on his blog at http://www.cornetdesign.com. Intro another DB unit testing tool Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you for participating in the discussion. Good article! Now I am glad to share one database unit testing tool. It is named as AnyDbTest (www.anydbtest.com). AnyDbTest Express edition is free of charge. I know some guys are using DbUnit or other xUnit test framework to perform DB unit testing. I also tried to use them in my projects, but at last I had to give up these tools because I must keep focus on the database rather than switch to be as application developer. AnyDbTest is declarative style testing tool. We will not need to program at all. What we do is to express what we want to test, rather than how to test. We only need to configure an Xml test file to tell AnyDbTest what we want to test. Rather than painstakingly writing test code for xUnit test framework. So AnyDbTest is the right choice for DBA or DB developers. Features specific to AnyDbTest: *Writing test case with Xml, rather than Java/C++/C#/VB test case code. *Many kinds of assertion supported, such as StrictEqual, SetEqual, IsSupersetOf, Overlaps, and RecordCountEqual etc.*Allows using Excel spreadsheet/Xml as the source of the data for the tests.*Supports Sandbox test model, if test will be done in sandbox, all database operations will be rolled back meaning any changes will be undone.*Unique cross-different-type-database testing, which means target and reference result set can come from two databases, even one is SQL Server, another is Oracle.

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Could MicroRNAs be Regulators of Gout Pathogenesis? MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that mainly negatively regulate gene expression. miRNAs have important roles in many diseases, including inflammatory diseases. Gout is a common arthritis caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals within joints. Recent studies suggested that miRNAs may be involved in the development of inflammatory arthritis, including acute gouty arthritis. In the present review, we systemically discuss relevant publications in order to provide a better understanding on the possible role of miRNAs in gout. miRNAs may act as regulators of gout pathogenesis via several pathways. Targeting miRNAs may be a promisingstrategy in the treatment of gout.

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Berry and fruit liqueurs are rather sweet and have a relatively low alcohol content. They are flavoured with extracts from one or several types of berry or fruit, such as cloudberry, blueberry, raspberry, lingonberry, banana, apple, apricot, lemon or orange. Tips for use Berry and fruit liqueurs can be served with desserts or in mixed drinks. Berry and fruit liqueurs are served chilled on their own, mixed with soft drinks or other non-alcoholic drinks, and in cocktails. They are also ideal for flavouring desserts. How to serve Liqueurs are served chilled, at 10–12°C. The flavours of liqueurs are created using flavour extracts, flavour distillates or ethereal oils. The flavouring agents are added to a base spirit, which can be a neutral spirit or some other distilled alcoholic beverage. Fruits, wine, eggs, cream or milk can also be used to enrich the flavour and structure. Any allergens possibly contained in the beverages are mentioned on the label. The manufacturer and importer of an alcoholic beverage are responsible for the quality and composition of an alcoholic beverage delivered for consumption, as well as for ensuring that the product and its labels and other product promotion are in accordance with the relevant provisions and regulations. Please note! The product image or vintage can differ from the distributed product. SHOPPING CART Sign in. Forgot your password? Please provide your email address, first and last name. Follow the link from the email you receive to create a new password. If you have any problems or need help, please contact our Customer Support 020 692771.

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Q: How can I return a plot from for loop in R? I am trying to write a program for bisection method and try to plot the points also at each iteration. Here is the code I have tried. Bisec = function(f,a =1, b =2, max=1e10, tol = 1e-100){ midVals = c() for (i in 1:max){ c = (a+b)/2 midVals = append(midVals,c) if(abs(f(c)) < tol){ return(list(c,plot(f),points(midVals))) }else if(f(a)*f(c) > 0){ a = c }else{ b =c } } print("Maximum iterations reached") } x = var('x') f = function(x){x*x-2} Bisec(f,1, 3, max=1e5, tol = 1e-10) But I am getting the graphs like this. What do I need? the function f has to be plotted. the midpoints found in each iteration should be plotted in x axis. How to achieve this? Any hint may be helpful. I dont know where am I goint wrong. A: R notation can be a little different if you learned to program in a different language. Part of R's power is it's integration between an interpreted interface and (fast) compiled functions. Generally (although this may be an exception, I'm not focusing on that), for loops are avoided (many functions are vectorized, which means they do the looping within the compiled portion of the code). We also avoid defining empty variables, because they have to be copied and pasted EVERY time you want to add something to them. For your specific problem, plot is plotting f - it just doesn't know anything about the points command because it evaluates plot before it ever sees points. You might find ggplot2 gives a more dynamic solution, but I'll start with a base R approach to your function: Bisec = function(f,a =1, b =2, max_iter=1e10, tol = 1e-100){ midVals = rep(NA, max_iter) # I avoid using `max` since that's a function to find the maximum for (i in 1:max_iter){ x <- mean(c(a,b)) # I also avoid using `c` since that's a function to concatenate stuff midVals[i] <- x if(abs(f(x)) < tol){ plot(f, xlim = range(midVals, na.rm = TRUE)) points(midVals, rep(0,length(midVals)) return(x) } else if(f(a)*f(x) > 0){ a = x } else{ b = x } } print("Maximum iterations reached") }

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Crispy Masala Tofu The humble tofu. Bland and flavourless on its own, it readily takes on the flavour of whatever you season it with. A delicious crispy exterior is easily achieved with very little oil if you use a non-stick pan. When I buy tofu I always buy organic. Soy is one of the most genetically modified foods out there and buying organic ensures my tofu is GMO free. In this recipe, a few Indian spices is all it takes to elevate tofu to a whole other level. I chose to use a medium firm tofu over a firm tofu in this case as the outside gets nice and crispy and the inside stays creamy and soft, a melt in your mouth kind of texture. This can be made with firm or extra firm tofu also but it won’t have the same texture. As pictured above, this tofu can be served with scented basmati rice with peas! Add tofu to the pan when the oil is hot. Sprinkle the spices over the tofu evenly. The trick is to not touch the tofu until it has crisped up. When the bottom of the cubes are golden brown, turn over gently. Be careful not burn them. If your pan is getting too hot turn the temperature down slightly.

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In the United States Court of Federal Claims OFFICE OF SPECIAL MASTERS No. 17-0882V Filed: January 11, 2019 UNPUBLISHED DEANNE DOANE., Petitioner, v. Special Processing Unit (SPU); Attorneys’ Fees and Costs SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, Respondent. Michael G. McLaren, Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee, P.C., Memphis, TN, for petitioner. Claudia Barnes Gangi, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for respondent. DECISION ON ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND COSTS1 Dorsey, Chief Special Master: On June 28, 2017, petitioner filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, 42 U.S.C. §300aa-10, et seq.,2 (the “Vaccine Act”). Petitioner alleges that she suffered a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (“SIRVA”) following receipt of her September 19, 2016 influenza (“flu”) vaccination. Petition at 1. On September 21, 2018, the undersigned issued a decision awarding compensation to petitioner based on the respondent’s proffer. ECF No. 48. 1 The undersigned intends to post this decision on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website. This means the decision will be available to anyone with access to the Internet. In accordance with Vaccine Rule 18(b), petitioner has 14 days to identify and move to redact medical or other information, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy. If, upon review, the undersigned agrees that the identified material fits within this definition, the undersigned will redact such material from public access. Because this unpublished decision contains a reasoned explanation for the action in this case, undersigned is required to post it on the United States Court of Federal Claims' website in accordance with the E-Government Act of 2002. 44 U.S.C. § 3501 note (2012) (Federal Management and Promotion of Electronic Government Services). 2 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, Pub. L. No. 99-660, 100 Stat. 3755. Hereinafter, for ease of citation, all “§” references to the Vaccine Act will be to the pertinent subparagraph of 42 U.S.C. § 300aa (2012).  On December 7, 2018, petitioner filed a motion for attorneys’ fees and costs. ECF No. 53. Petitioner requests attorneys’ fees in the amount of $36,800.80 and attorneys’ costs in the amount of $2,325.64. Id. at 1. In compliance with General Order #9, petitioner filed a signed statement indicating that petitioner incurred no out-of- pocket expenses. ECF No. 53-3. Thus, the total amount requested is $39,126.44. On December 11, 2018, respondent filed a response to petitioner’s motion. ECF No. 54. Respondent argues that “[n]either the Vaccine Act nor Vaccine Rule 13 contemplates any role for respondent in the resolution of a request by a petitioner for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs.” Id. at 1. Respondent adds, however, that he “is satisfied the statutory requirements for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs are met in this case.” Id. at 2. Respondent “respectfully recommends that the Chief Special Master exercise her discretion and determine a reasonable award for attorneys’ fees and costs.” Id. at 3. Petitioner has filed no reply. The undersigned has reviewed the billing records submitted with petitioner’s request and finds a reduction in the amount of fees to be awarded appropriate for the reasons listed below. I. Legal Standard The Vaccine Act permits an award of reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.§ 15(e). Counsel must submit fee requests that include contemporaneous and specific billing records indicating the service performed, the number of hours expended on the service, and the name of the person performing the service. See Savin v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 85 Fed. Cl. 313, 316-18 (2008). Counsel should not include in their fee requests hours that are “excessive, redundant, or otherwise unnecessary.” Saxton v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 3 F.3d 1517, 1521 (Fed. Cir. 1993) (quoting Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 434 (1983)). It is “well within the special master’s discretion to reduce the hours to a number that, in [her] experience and judgment, [is] reasonable for the work done.” Id. at 1522. Furthermore, the special master may reduce a fee request sua sponte, apart from objections raised by respondent and without providing a petitioner notice and opportunity to respond. See Sabella v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 86 Fed. Cl. 201, 209 (2009). A special master need not engaged in a line-by-line analysis of petitioner’s fee application when reducing fees. Broekelschen v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 102 Fed. Cl. 719, 729 (2011). The petitioner “bears the burden of establishing the hours expended, the rates charged, and the expenses incurred.” Wasson v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 24 Cl. Ct. at 482, 484 (1991). She “should present adequate proof [of the attorneys’ fees and costs sought] at the time of the submission.” Id. at 484 n.1. Petitioner’s counsel “should make a good faith effort to exclude from a fee request hours that are excessive, 2 redundant, or otherwise unnecessary, just as a lawyer in private practice ethically is obligated to exclude such hours from his fee submission.” Hensley, 461 U.S., at 434. II. Discussion A. Hourly Rates The undersigned has reviewed the billing records submitted with petitioner’s request. Petitioner requests compensation for Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee at rates of $305 -$456 per hour for attorneys, $145 - $148 per hour for law clerks and $140 per hour for paralegals. ECF No. 53-2 at 28. The undersigned finds no cause to reduce these rates as they have been previously awarded to attorneys, law clerks and paralegals of Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee. B. Excessive and Duplicative Billing The undersigned has previously reduced the fees paid to petitioners due to excessive and duplicative billing. See Ericzon v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., No. 10-103V, 2016 WL 447770 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Jan. 15, 2016) (reduced overall fee award by 10 percent due to excessive and duplicative billing); Raymo v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., No. 11-654V, 2016 WL 7212323 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Nov. 2, 2016) (reduced overall fee award by 20 percent), mot. for rev. denied, 129 Fed. Cl. 691 (2016). The undersigned and other special masters have previously noted the inefficiency that results when cases are staffed by multiple individuals and have reduced fees accordingly. See Sabella, 86 Fed. Cl. at 209. Documentation submitted show that 3 attorneys, 2 law clerks and a paralegal billed time on this case. Many of the billing entries are for internal communications between the attorneys and staff including inter-office conferences, correspondence, and discussions.3 Electronic court notifications were also routinely reviewed by multiple attorneys and staff upon receipt. B. Administrative Time Upon review of the billing records submitted, it appears that a number of entries are for tasks considered clerical or administrative. In the Vaccine Program, secretarial work “should be considered as normal overhead office costs included within the attorneys’ fee rates.” Rochester v. U.S., 18 Cl. Ct. 379, 387 (1989); Dingle v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., No. 08-579V, 2014 WL 630473, at *4 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Jan. 24, 2014). “[B]illing for clerical and other secretarial work is not permitted in the Vaccine Program.” Mostovoy, 2016 WL 720969, at *5 (citing Rochester, 18 Cl. Ct. at 387). There are many examples of law clerks billing for tasks considered administrative 3Upon review of the billing records submitted, over 98 separate entries were billed in reference to internal communications. ECF No. 53-2, 1-28. 3 including forwarding emails, calendaring deadlines, scanning documents, creating folders, and printing records. For the reasons listed above, the undersigned finds a reduction of fees appropriated. The undersigned reduces the overall request for attorneys’ fees by 5%, for a total reduction of $1,840.04. III. Attorney Costs Petitioner requests reimbursement of attorney’s costs in the amount of $2,157.56. ECF No. 53-2 at 29. During his stay in Houston, attorney Chris Webb chose to have his car valet parked at a cost of $38.00. Id. at 48. Special Masters have previously declined to compensate counsel for valet parking absent a showing of necessity. See Kreten v. Sec’y of Health and Human Services, No. 15-0504V, slip op. at 8 (Fed. Cl. Spec. Mstr. Nov. 30, 2018) (reducing the costs incurred for valet parking when counsel "failed to substantiate why it was necessary to valet park her car each day she was there when other parking arrangements were no doubt available and less expensive.”). Mr. Webb does not state why valet parking was a necessity for him on this trip. Therefor the undersigned reduces the request for attorneys’ fees by $38.00. IV. Conclusion Based on the reasonableness of petitioner’s request, the undersigned GRANTS IN PART petitioner’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs. Accordingly, the undersigned awards the total of $37,248.404 as a lump sum in the form of a check jointly payable to petitioner and petitioner’s counsel Michael G. McLaren. The clerk of the court shall enter judgment in accordance herewith.5 IT IS SO ORDERED. s/Nora Beth Dorsey Nora Beth Dorsey Chief Special Master 4This amount is intended to cover all legal expenses incurred in this matter. This award encompasses all charges by the attorney against a client, “advanced costs” as well as fees for legal services rendered. Furthermore, § 15(e)(3) prevents an attorney from charging or collecting fees (including costs) that would be in addition to the amount awarded herein. See generally Beck v. Sec’y of Health & Human Servs., 924 F.2d 1029 (Fed. Cir.1991). 5 Pursuant to Vaccine Rule 11(a), entry of judgment can be expedited by the parties’ joint filing of notice renouncing the right to seek review. 4 

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Share “McDonald's cuts Angus burgers from menu” McDonald's cuts Angus burgers from menu McDonald’s is cutting the Angus burger from its menu, according to CBS News. The site reports the chain had said earlier this year that it was evaluating whether to continue selling the Angus Third Pounders, which were introduced in 2009. Photo via CBS News The changes come as McDonald’s looks to keep up with shifting tastes, even as it underscores the affordability of its food. Notably, the Angus burgers were among the chain’s priciest items, according to CBS News.

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Tim Miller, Brian Michael Bendis Team For KITTY PRYDE Film At Fox If you are from my generation, Kitty Pryde was your entry into the X-Men universe. She was the newest member of the team, close to your age when you started reading comics, and acted as your surrogate in the world of Marvel’s Merry Mutants. Therefore, fans like me have a soft spot in our hearts for her, and have been hoping for a standalone film for her for years. Well, hopes do come true. The Hollywood Reporter states that Fox has tapped Deadpool director Tim Miller and comic book scribe Brian Michael Bendis to work on a Kitty Pryde film. This news is surprising for a number of reasons. One, it means that Fox is not waiting for the sale to Disney to go through to put Marvel films into development. And Two, Bendis, who was a longtime writer for Marvel Comics and shaped both their print and cinematic output, recently switched sides and signed a contract with DC Comics. The split doesn’t seem to be all that acrimonious, but it will still odd to see a film for one of their character written by some one who works for the competition. Kitty Pryde was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne in 1980’s Uncanny X-Men #129. She was a 13-year-old girl with the power to “phase” or pass through solid objects. She was originally supposed to be a trainee of the team, but in a short time she became a full-fledged X-Man. Over the years, she has worked under aliases such as Ariel, Sprite and Shadowcat. She is also notable for being one of the few Jewish characters in comics. The project was announced earlier today under the codename 143. That number corresponds with a solo outing for Kitty in Uncanny X-Men where she has to battle a demon while stuck in the X-Mansion alone during Christmas. We don’t know if that gives us a hint as to what the plot of the film will be at this point and time, but there are many other worthy stories featuring the character to choose from. Also unknown is who will be playing her. She has been portrayed on screen by three actresses–Sumela Kay in X-Men (2000), Katie Stuart in X2 (2003) and Ellen Page portrayed the character in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). All the above actresses are now in their 30s and a little long in the tooth to be playing a teenage superhero. William is cursed with the shared love of comic books and of films. Luckily, this is a great time for him to be alive. His writing has been featured on Broken Frontier.com, PopMatters.com and in Comics Foundry magazine.

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About US$ 980 2x ***Purple & GOLD Combo Pack*** TWO PURPLE FERROFLOW automatic ferrofluid displays and TWO GOLD FERROFLOW automatic ferrofluid displays with 2 magnets (only $245 each). (FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE IN THE US!) Less

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Audacity, a popular open-source and cross-platform audio editor, has received a "maintenance" update that brings several improvements. Dubbed v2.1.3, the biggest new addition appears to be support for Windows 10 OS. For Mac users, Audacity now works.....»» Ever notice how international trailers show off more than the U.S. cuts? The latest Japanese trailer for Thor: Ragnarok trailer is no different, with new footage of Thor receiving a dire warning from a familiar face. The post A new international trai.....»» Windows Story Remix is one of the most hotly anticipated parts of the Fall Creators Update, but it seems that it might not be outfitted with its full range of effects and features at launch. The post Windows Story Remix will be in Fall Creators Updat.....»» In our 2018 Ford F-150 first drive review, we learn that Ford adds new technology to the same impressive mix of power, payload and reliability, but the dizzying array of options can be both confusing and very, very expensive. The post 2018 Ford F-150.....»» The Jetsons are coming back, and this time, they'll be more three-dimensional. ABC has a live-action reboot in the works, with Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis executive producing. The post ‘The Jetsons’ live-action reboot from.....»» Apple OLED TV rumors are heating up. Could this development come on the heels of their $1 billion investment in original content? We'll also discuss the iOS 11 'Cop Button', bio-robotics and much more. The post TWB Podcast: Apple Oled TV rumors, iOS.....»» Dating apps are taking a stand. In the wake of last weekend's events in Charlottesville and the ongoing fallout, several popular matchmaking platforms are taking steps to ensure their users feel they're in a safe space by banning hate speech and whit.....»» Skype is making a preview version of its new desktop design available for users to try out. Available today, Mac and non-Windows 10 PC users can download Skype Preview and see the new features that are in the works......»» As gyroscrope technology advences, developers are becoming more adventurous with their designs. One such example is the Uno Bolt, the world's first fat-wheeled electric unicycle with Gyro Force. The post Uno Bolt is a fat-wheeled electric unicycle wi.....»» Mozilla now automatically delivers the 64-bit version of Firefox to Windows users with compatible hardware, the open-source developer said this week. (Firefox can be ">downloaded here.)"Users on 64-bit Windows who download Firefox will now get our.....»» At the Monterey Car Week BMW just unveiled two new concept vehicles. Both are previews of planned production models of the Series 8 and Z4 Roadster. If the versions you'll find on the forecourt are even close to these concepts, there ar.....»» Ever notice how international trailers show off more than the U.S. cuts? The latest Japanese trailer for Thor: Ragnarok trailer is no different, with new footage of Thor receiving a dire warning from a familiar face. The post A familiar friend shows.....»» Folks generally want to cut the cable cord to save money, but fragmentation means you might have to subscribe to more than one service. Case in point is fuboTV, which focused on international soccer when it first launched a $10 monthly servi.....»» Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince has called for the implementation of a framework to govern how the internet’s gatekeepers deal with cases like The Daily Stormer. This comes after a number of tech companies have revoked support for the neo-N.....»» Print out and polish an electronics-themed chess set using metal-infused filament. Read more on MAKE The post 3D Print the Adafruit Circuit Playground Chess Set appeared first on Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers......»» Law enforcement authorities have been at odds with the legal system and mobile companies when it comes to gaining access to citizens' phones. One of the more notable instances was the FBI's attempt to get Apple to unlock the San Be.....»» Similar to an Android phone, your Windows 10 device has a type of casting built-in—but depending on your hardware you may not be able to use it. Right now, you can change that by picking up a Belkin Miracast Video Adapter from Verizon for $20. T.....»» Google added another 14 markets to its YouTube TV line-up today, growing the total from 15 to 29. This is the second big expansion in just under a month and also since the service first launched. The full list of new markets is: Baltimore Boston Cinc.....»» Apple has added a new security and privacy focused feature to the latest revision of iOS. By pressing the power button five times in quick succession, a new menu will open up. This new setting will allow users to quickly reach emergency services and.....»» These Pokemon are used often, and for good reasons. See why! There are a lot of Pokemon to choose from, even when using the official tournament format, but not all are created equal. We sought out popular Pokemon used by competitors at official.....»»

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The Ups, Downs, and Sideways Progress of a Woman Conquering Life with Chronic Illness Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Show Me The Tears This past weekend we watched the movie 50/50. It is a sad story built on a comedic foundation about a young man in his 20's who gets cancer. I won't ruin the film for those who wish to see it, for it was a good movie. But the whole thing was an overwhelmingly interesting experience for me, for quite a few different reasons. First off the fact I even watched a movie about something sad, well that is huge. I try to avoid things in life that make me feel, especially pain. I have felt so much already in my mere 35 years that quite some time ago I declared myself shallow and refused to ever watch a heart-wrencher again. Give me a shoot 'em up action flick any day. Interpretive historical movies, sure. Comedy of every variety works. Slapstick, sarcastic or dark, I am not picky there. I will even suffer through a Jennifer Aniston chick-flick if really pressed. But I hated every minute of the movie UP and refused to see Marley And Me on general principal, even if Jennifer Aniston was in it. There were spots in this movie which were sad and I appropriately shed a few tears. But the marked difference was I moved on as the story did, not dwelling on the sad part which conjured that flood of tearful emotions. And I didn't reach for the Xanax bottle once! This represents both tremendous emotional and cranial growth. For a mere few months ago I would have pushed "stop" and ran from the room wailing at the first sign of a forming tear. Living in pain for years on end and a frazzled system of neuropathways caused by my strokes left me far from capable of dealing with emotions, reality or the general public. I think I am progressing, folks. I think I am learning how to function in a world full of complexities and surprises again. For what is life if it is not complex and surprising? I would cry at the drop of a hat, or be struck by the lightening bolt of paralyzing anxiety every time the lady at the post office yelled at me, which she seemed to do a lot. But this movie experience showed me how much I have progressed and quite frankly, healed. The big combination of determination and physical repair I have been intent on fostering to get back to being the me I was before all this pain and sickness tried to slip into the drivers seat of my life. It has taken me years. Lots and lots of failed attempts. But I think I have not only reclaimed my position in the drivers seat, I have locked that pesky little bastard who tried to take over my life in the trunk. Now I just have to learn how to drive again... Social Media Subscribe Email Translate Network About the Author Disabled at the age of twenty-eight by the mysterious illnesses chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, five years later I survived two life-threatening strokes. Clinging to life and determined to change my trajectory, I embarked upon a journey to reclaim my lost health. Never easy but always worth it, I write to share the reality of both embracing and overcoming a life most unexpected. Thank you for joining my thorn-riddled stumble through the complexities of living with chronic illness. Recognition Disclaimer The author of this blog is a patient. All information contained in this blog pertains to my personal experience and is for informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation or suggestion for any other patient. Please consult a doctor for diagnosis and before beginning or stopping any treatment or medication. Copyright Notice All material, written and conceptual, contained within this "Chronicles of Fibromyalgia" blog are under copyright and the sole intellectual property of the author. Any use or reproduction of these materials is strictly prohibited without the expressed written consent of the author."Chronicles of Fibromyalgia" "The Ups, Downs, and Sideways Progress of a Woman Conquering Life with Chronic Illness" "The Fibromyalgia FunHouse" "Purple Pain Code: Lilac-Light, Mulberry-Medium, Amethyst- Awful" All Materials Copyright 2010-2017 Leah Tyler.

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Q: Error on linking custom actions to user interface push button control I want to trigger some custom action by clicking some button. I get return value 1 but the custom action did not run. This is my log: Action start 17:09:39: CA1. MSI (c) (08:00) [17:09:39:220]: Invoking remote custom action. DLL: C:\Users\ARKADY~1\AppData\Local\Temp\MSI87D6.tmp, Entrypoint: CustomAction1 MSI (c) (08:EC) [17:09:39:222]: Cloaking enabled. MSI (c) (08:EC) [17:09:39:223]: Attempting to enable all disabled privileges before calling Install on Server MSI (c) (08:EC) [17:09:39:224]: Connected to service for CA interface. Action ended 17:09:39: CA1. Return value 1. My custom action is: [CustomAction] public static ActionResult CustomAction1(Session session) { session.Log("Begin CustomAction1"); return ActionResult.Success; } As you can see no "Begin CustomAction1" entry in the logs. My custom action Config: <configuration> <startup useLegacyV2RuntimeActivationPolicy="true"> <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" /> <supportedRuntime version="v2.0.50727"/> </startup> </configuration> From wix code declaring CA: <Binary Id="CA" SourceFile="$(var.CustomAction1.TargetDir)$(var.CustomAction1.TargetName).CA.dll" /> <CustomAction Id="CA1" BinaryKey="CA" DllEntry="CustomAction1" Execute="immediate" Return="check"/> UI binding: <Control Id="ManualUpdateButton" Type="PushButton" X="14" Y="188" Width="95" Height="17" Text="Manual Update"> <Publish Event="DoAction" Value="CA1" Order="1">1</Publish> </Control> A: The custom action is running, it's just not logging anything. That's a limitation in MSI -- you can't write to the log from a custom action invoked by DoAction in the UI.

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Some wasps have developed bigger eyes, and thus better vision, to read the social cues written on the faces of their sister wasps, according to a new UC Berkeley study. “The Big Bad Wolf had it right,” said lead author Michael Sheehan, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow. “When Little Red Riding Hood said, ‘Goodness, what big eyes you have,’ he replied, ‘The better to see you with.'” For some paper wasps, Sheehan said, “We found convincing evidence that the wasps evolved better vision for the purpose of telling one another apart. This is consistent with the idea that hearing, smelling, seeing or other sensory capabilities in animals, including humans, may have evolved in response to communication signals like we see in the wasp.” Sheehan, a member of UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, and University of Michigan biologists Elizabeth Tibbetts and Judy Jinn published their findings this week in the journal Biology Letters, a publication of Britain’s Royal Society. Jinn is now a graduate student in UC Berkeley’s psychology department. Biologists have generally assumed that senses such as vision and hearing evolved to improve hunting success or survival, but were not affected by social interactions. Sheehan discovered instead that some paper wasps – those that have variable facial patterns recognized by other wasps in the nest – have more acute vision relative to size than do wasps without variable facial patterns. “Larger facets in their compound eyes mean better vision, but we found that as these wasps get smaller, they have larger than expected eyes,” he said. “This demonstrates that they evolved improved acuity relative to size in order to discriminate among different individuals in the colony.” The paper wasps with variable facial patterns are mostly species in which several queens sometimes cooperate to establish a colony, which would make the ability to discriminate among individuals important, he said. Depending on the species, wasps have evolved facial markings that act either like name tags for individual recognition, or like karate belts indicating a queen’s strength. “This doesn’t overturn evolutionary dogma, but extends the idea that feedback from the environment – in this case, communication signals among members of the same species – can drive change in our senses,” he said. Natural selection favors sharper vision Paper wasps are distributed around the globe and known for their open, honey-combed paper nests, made from chewed wood and attached by a stalk to trees and buildings. Like all insects, they have compound or faceted eyes, each a cluster of thousands of small, telescope-like omatidia with an outer lens that focuses light onto sensory cells inside the eye. Compound eyes are great for detecting motion – hence a fly’s ability to dodge a swatter – but provide poor resolution, though larger diameter lenses collect more light and generally provide sharper vision. Many flying insects have a high-acuity zone within the compound eye outfitted with larger diameter lenses and typically facing forward. Tibbetts, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Sheehan discovered three years ago that some paper wasps learn and recognize the colorful facial patterns of other wasps in the colony, just as humans recognize others’ faces. Sheehan reasoned that if patterns on the face were important for wasp social interactions, then natural selection might favor wasps that see better, and the lenses in the high-acuity zone on smaller species would be disproportionately larger. That is what he found when surveying 19 different species of paper wasp (Polistes), half caught in fields around the East and Midwest, and half obtained from museum collections, some of which were more than 100 years old. While the largest lenses on the eyes of big wasps were the same size whether or not the wasps could recognize facial patterns, smaller wasps differed. Those with variable facial patterns had larger lenses in their acute zone than those that do not have variable faces. Sheehan, who as a behavioral ecologist investigates how social interactions in animals affect behavior, evolution and cognition, plans further studies to see if these wasps evolve larger patterns, essentially creating a larger billboard, and how the visual abilities of wasps have shaped the evolution of the color patterns well. The work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (IOS-1146139). RELATED INFORMATION

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A new model for studying eosinophil migration across cultured intestinal epithelial monolayers. Eosinophils play an important role in some gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions. Stimulated eosinophils migrate across the vascular endothelial wall and into the intestinal epithelium where by-products such as proteases may contribute to intestinal epithelial damage. Little is known about the epithelial migration of the eosinophils in the gut. The lack of data is attributable in part to the scarcity of human eosinophils for studies. HL-60-differentiated eosinophils present a means to perform studies on eosinophil function and chemotaxis. HL-60 clone 15 can be induced to differentiate into cells closely resembling human eosinophils. The authors describe a novel model for studying eosinophil migration across the intestinal epithelium. Fluorescent-labeled HL-60 eosinophils were incubated for 150 minutes on the basolateral surface of confluent and inverted T-84 monolayers separated by fluoroblock insert membranes. Chemotactic gradients of n-formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP), eotaxin, and platelet aggregating factor (PAF) were used in variable concentrations. Changes in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) were compared with baseline values. Differentiated HL-60 eosinophils undergo migration in response to fMLP, PAF, and eotaxin. Migration is associated with a drop in TEER. In this model, HL-60-differentiated eosinophils migrate in response to stimulants chemotactic for human eosinophils. The transepithelial migration of eosinophils is associated with epithelial barrier dysfunction, which may contribute to the development of disease.

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To be honest, I don’t know where I first picked up this bit of advice (probably in some Medium blog!), but it’s been with me for close to three years now: “If you spend enough time carrying a book around, you’ll eventually read the damn thing.” It may be annoying at first. It may be outright stupid for weeks or more. But like any hobby, diet, or habit change that you want to commit to, you have to stick it out for the painful beginning no matter how badly you fail. Then, once you’ve endured the grueling embarrassment of admitting to your colleagues over and over that you still haven’t made it past the prologue — that’s where shame meets change. You start reading the damn book. Here are a few reasons carrying a book with me at all times has changed how I spend my time and my interactions with those around me: 1. People are always late to meetings. Always late. Don’t get pissed off, read a book. I would say in three out of five meetings, my appointment shows up at least five to ten minutes late. And I know it’s Washington, D.C. — the tardiest place on earth. So I’ve since taken practical steps to limit the outrage on my face when they show. What is it you usually do in those precious minutes as you await your date? You surf Twitter, scroll through Facebook/Instagram, or anything else to get your mind off the fact that you’re awkwardly finding refuge in a cold coffee shop, having yet to purchase anything. What about reading? I’m sure many of us read our work emails or skim through some articles. But that’s not the same — not by a long shot. I’ve found there’s nothing more comforting and relieving ahead of a blind date or important conversation than diving into a book you love (presumably you’ve picked it, so you enjoy it?). Reading things you want to vs. things you have to makes a huge difference. Just a few weeks back I sat at a coffee shop for 40 minutes. The person never showed (or responded to email), but had they appeared at 41 minutes, I would still have been happy to see them. Time flew by and, honestly, I spent the time how I wanted to: nose-deep in a book. 2. It’s a wonderful ice-breaker Meeting new people is always hard. Break the ice by talking about what you’ve read (and catch them up since they were ten minutes late). This has definitely been essential for me. Politics may be a group sport, but networking is everything in Washington. I meet a lot of strangers and it is important (perhaps more here than anywhere) to make a good impression to future employees and colleagues. It’s a fact that people are meeting you because they want to be interested in you. Whether for ambition or pleasure, no one really wants to suffer. However, not everyone has high emotional intelligence (EI). In fact, I have terrible EI. So, instead of taking sensitivity training or learning how to tap into my feelings, I’ve found that breaking the ice about my current read sets a wonderful tone for my conversations. I also find it helpful that reading a book is a physical act — an imprinting. Unlike an article, which is short-lived and difficult to recall (I should add that articles are usually shallow as well), a book gives you a full set of readily available arguments, chapters, or narratives to speak to; an endless tome of information you can offer to your fledgling conversation if you can’t seem to find anything else to discuss. 3. You’ll be more peaceful and social You’ll actually have something to do. Don’t believe me? One of the things I’ve noticed since donning a smartphone ten years ago was how reliant and neurotic I am when it comes to data and cell reception. Obviously it’s gotten better since the days when I had Suncom, but there’s still the problem of morning commutes, tunnels, and crowded parks. There are even bizarre moments in perfectly open areas of the city where THERE ARE LITERALLY NO PEOPLE that my signal drops and I can’t send a tweet or access my email. In those times, I lose my mind. Cortisol spills into my brain and I’m manically sliding my finger to refresh a dead feed. Humans are suckers for instant gratification. So in those moments of dead time (there are a remarkable number of these, by the way), I’ve found my physical, offline, no-plug-necessary book to be a huge benefit. Instead of falling asleep, droning into my headphones, or playing a stupid freemium game, I read. And it’s wonderful. And I know you are going to say: “just use an offline reader!” I do use Pocket a lot when there’s an especially good article I want to read. But even Pocket is vulnerable to the aforementioned data issues. I most often find myself refreshing to “get that article I just saved!” Bonus: additionally, I am forced to be present with the human beings around me, which is a huge plus since I am not a people person AT ALL. At first I figured being deep into a book would be the same as listening to music, but it’s not. Having your ears unplugged means you can react to people around you; when they ask for directions, or trip/fall, or do something small. I find it so easy to quickly look up mid-sentence and cue into what is going on around me. I’m sure everyone is different in this respect, but I find myself being more present than ever before. I speak with strangers often — even though they largely respect that I’m reading and make our chats short. But then, if I’m interested in continuing, closing a book is a clear indication of my intent. Unlike headphones and screens, which are ambiguous, when you close a book, you can no longer read it. And people get that. 4. You’ll actually finish a book. See. You were a skeptic. You didn’t think it would work. But after a month of carrying around that 200 page biography, you finally finished it! Reading is hard work. And in our ever-growing digital landscape, people are stopping altogether. Pew Research says “A quarter of American adults (26%) say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part in the past year.” How sad is that? But not you. You’ve set into motion a wonderful habit of finding little parcels of time throughout your day and resting in the warm embrace of a good read. If that’s not worth it, I don’t know what is. 5. You’ll pick up another and become a faster reader Reading = more reading! It’s science. Regardless of new technologies, multi-screen learning, or video tutorials, study after study continues to correlate intelligence and performance with just one thing: your ability to read. Don’t be lazy. If you let yourself become complacent or focus too heavily on screens to provide you with arguments and information, you’re going to miss out on all the benefits of a good, hard book.

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ulate ((-714)/(-1547))/(7/(728/(-12))). -4 Evaluate 2/(-14)*((-7035)/(-60))/67. -1/4 What is the value of 28/20*(192/(-28))/(-8)? 6/5 Evaluate (-10)/27*(-1170)/(-975). -4/9 Evaluate (8/(-20))/(288/(-16560)). 23 What is (4/40)/((-21)/(-28))? 2/15 Calculate -3*((-1)/(-4))/(((-219)/84)/(-73)). -21 Evaluate (16/24)/(48/18). 1/4 Evaluate (-11)/((-66)/(-156))*19/(-38). 13 Calculate (-25)/(-2)*30580/17375. 22 What is ((-17)/((-306)/12))/((-3)/(-153))? 34 What is the value of -8*((-465)/540)/31? 2/9 What is (78/72*(-40)/25)/((-6)/15)? 13/3 Calculate (2/4)/((-7)/(-420)*-6). -5 Evaluate ((-90)/252*(-2)/(-5))/(3/(-6)). 2/7 What is the value of 14/((-322)/299)*(-6)/(-6)? -13 What is the value of (-20)/25*45/(-567)*6/(-4)? -2/21 (-55)/99*((-96)/20)/(-8) -1/3 Calculate ((-88)/(-1089)*12/32)/((-2)/(-12)). 2/11 Calculate (2/(-2))/((-52)/624). 12 Calculate (182/(-364))/((3/(-2))/(-3)). -1 Evaluate 1/(5/15)*(-6)/(54/(-3)). 1 Calculate 42/36*(-3)/2*32/8. -7 3/(78/(-5))*6*16/(-120) 2/13 36/(-8)*(-8)/96*-1*2 -3/4 What is 1960/105*(-9)/(-12)? 14 Evaluate 1*37/(814/(-462)). -21 Evaluate (-1)/((96/(-8))/24). 2 What is the value of (16/(-364))/((-38)/(-133))? -2/13 Calculate ((-1)/(-3))/1*-4*180/(-24). 10 What is 85/136*6/(-15)? -1/4 Evaluate ((39/(-9))/((-2)/(-3)))/(15/30). -13 What is the value of 51/((-1071)/14)*(-45)/10? 3 ((-6)/15)/((70/(-100))/(-7)) -4 Evaluate (-2)/1*19/(1368/3). -1/12 What is -18*(-11)/396*66? 33 What is ((-19)/(9044/(-1224)))/((-6)/(-14))? 6 Calculate (1323/42)/((-120)/(-80)). 21 Calculate -1*-7*20/1260. 1/9 What is (4/1)/(-24)*(-4)/6*6? 2/3 What is the value of ((15/(-6))/(-5))/((-22)/((-792)/(-117)))? -2/13 What is the value of (156/1352)/(12/(-16))? -2/13 Evaluate (-288)/384*1*2/(-5). 3/10 ((-238)/136)/(3/(-12)) 7 Evaluate 1*-2*-2*(103082/(-148))/199. -14 What is (-18)/(-135)*-5*-24? 16 5/25*(-7)/(28/(-10)) 1/2 -204*112/2688*1*1*-2 17 1944/1215*(-15)/(-84) 2/7 Evaluate (70/385)/((-140)/(-11))*5/1. 1/14 What is the value of 3/(-1)*(-816)/144? 17 What is the value of 18*(-6)/(-4860)*9? 1/5 Evaluate ((108/(-8))/9)/(216/32). -2/9 What is the value of ((-228)/15903)/((-8)/36)? 2/31 What is the value of 5/(-18)*2*(-32976)/10305? 16/9 Calculate (2/(-20))/((-15)/30)*1. 1/5 (-35)/4*(-32)/28 10 What is the value of ((-2)/4)/((-6)/12*8)? 1/8 What is the value of 21/(-7)*156/(-36)? 13 Calculate (18/8)/(240/640). 6 Calculate 3*(7667/(-66))/41. -17/2 What is the value of (4/(-48))/((-14)/532*-19)? -1/6 (-33*67/6633)/(1/48) -16 ((-3528)/882)/(2*-2) 1 (36/819)/(22/(-77)) -2/13 Calculate (-12)/24*(-144)/(-90). -4/5 What is ((-52)/273)/((-200)/(-140))? -2/15 ((-14)/12*15/(-70))/((-5)/8) -2/5 What is (6/(-10)*4)/(4/((-100)/(-5)))? -12 What is the value of (10/75)/(10/20*4/10)? 2/3 What is 156/117*5/(-360)*-6? 1/9 Calculate (53/(5406/(-68)))/(46/9). -3/23 (6/(-4))/((56/64)/(6/72)) -1/7 What is the value of (-1)/4*(-30)/(-90)*18? -3/2 What is the value of ((-34)/(-136))/(((-6)/2)/18)? -3/2 What is (((-5103)/(-105))/(-27))/3? -3/5 Calculate ((-2)/8*32/(-60))/(32/(-48)). -1/5 Calculate (510/(-68))/((-24)/40*5/(-4)). -10 Evaluate 8/(-4)*27/(-351)*-26. -4 Evaluate ((-624)/(-28))/6*(-21)/(-6). 13 Calculate 246/2460*(-10)/(-4). 1/4 What is 68/51*(-15)/(-10)? 2 What is (-2)/(-7)*5544/144? 11 2/6*-2*(-177)/(-1770) -1/15 What is (((-16)/12)/((-12)/27))/((-9)/(-30))? 10 (((-1071)/(-14))/17)/15*4/(-3) -2/5 Calculate (-15)/(-84)*(750/600)/(75/(-24)). -1/14 Evaluate 2/(-3)*1*2*(-2)/(-8). -1/3 What is (-3*(-44)/(-66))/((-10)/(-3))? -3/5 What is the value of (2/20)/(412/2472)? 3/5 Calculate (-23)/((-9315)/(-120))*15/20. -2/9 Evaluate -10*(-26)/28600*5. 1/22 What is the value of (-360)/630*14/20*-1? 2/5 Calculate (90/135)/(2/(-8)*(-56)/(-483)). -23 What is the value of ((-345)/(-46))/((-12)/(-8))? 5 Evaluate (-427)/(-305)*8/28*-2. -4/5 What is the value of 4/8*768/(-832)? -6/13 ((-12)/(-14))/((-2)/14) -6 Evaluate (((-530)/106)/25)/((-5)/((-50)/(-28))). 1/14 What is 2/((143/65)/(-11))*2/28? -5/7 What is (4/150*1)/(528/(-2640))? -2/15 Evaluate -40*(-36)/(-75)*475/(-285). 32 Calculate 41/((-53751)/(-46))*3. 2/19 What is the value of ((-6)/(-5))/(((-3042)/(-1040))/39)? 16 ((-2)/8*140/(-35))/((-207)/(-18)) 2/23 Calculate ((-4)/(-11))/((-5)/((-32065)/106)). 22 What is ((-51)/85)/((-4)/(-60))? -9 What is (-870)/((-5307)/(-61))*2/14? -10/7 Evaluate -40*((-200)/25)/(-16). -20 Calculate (2/(-7))/((-5)/10*(-4)/28). -4 Calculate (3/4)/((-1080)/(-7200)). 5 23028/(-303)*(-18)/57 24 What is (((-12)/10)/((-462)/(-990)))/(2/(-21))? 27 Calculate 78/(-72)*(-30)/39. 5/6 Calculate (420/(-675))/7*6/((-6)/(-5)). -4/9 Calculate (8*1/49)/((-3708)/(-38934)). 12/7 What is ((-388)/(-679))/((-3)/(-42))? 8 42/14*20/15 4 What is the value of (3/7)/((10/315)/((-4)/(-36)))? 3/2 Calculate (-3)/(((-6)/(-105))/(128/(-480))). 14 ((-9)/6)/(87/580) -10 2*(-11)/20*-10 11 (36/(-21)*22/165)/((-28)/210) 12/7 ((36/135)/((-2)/(-5)))/(18/27) 1 (-1)/((-30)/12)*-5*8 -16 What is the value of (9*(-1)/3)/((-3)/(-15))? -15 What is 88/(-10780)*(6/9)/((-2)/21)? 2/35 What is the value of -2*(-128)/(-24)*(-81)/(-72)? -12 Calculate (-3)/12*20/(-245)*7. 1/7 Evaluate 95/(10830/(-513))*12/2. -27 Evaluate 6/(-8)*36/(-81)*(-140)/(-20). 7/3 What is ((-3)/(-4)*20/15)/((-30)/(-12))? 2/5 What is (((-18)/3)/1)/(-1)*(-1616)/(-1212)? 8 (16/4)/((-54)/(63/7))*-3 2 What is (-14)/21*39*-8*19/304? 13 (9/(-15))/((-2)/(-3)*(-9)/60) 6 What is 5*2*-3*(-6)/(-36)? -5 What is the value of (1/24)/((-74)/(-592))? 1/3 3*5/(-60)*(-3)/((-15)/(-20)) 1 Evaluate (8/(-7)*1*210/(-15))/(-2). -8 What is the value of -6*(-6)/(-63)*914/14624? -1/28 Calculate ((-240)/78)/10*(-6)/6. 4/13 Evaluate ((-288)/(-336))/((-9)/(-6)). 4/7 What is the value of ((-14)/(-4))/(10/((120/(-6))/5))? -7/5 Calculate (1/8)/(130/(18200/(-21))). -5/6 Calculate (3399/(-4532))/((-1)/(4/1)). 3 12/((210/175)/((-8)/(-10))) 8 Evaluate 6*((-104)/(-120))/(1/(-5)*2). -13 Evaluate (30/8)/(36/8*12/(-144)). -10 What is 12/(-18)*(-54)/4*(-35)/(-210)? 3/2 Calculate (38/855)/((-17)/102). -4/15 Evaluate (((-6)/(-10))/(7/(-35)))/(3/18). -18 Calculate -40*2/(-8)*3. 30 Calculate -1*12/((-36)/(-21)). -7 What is ((-87)/4524*-8)/(4/78)? 3 What is (66/15)/(158/(-395))? -11 What is 2/(((-187)/238)/(-11))? 28 ((-4)/(-10))/(26/364*98) 2/35 Calculate 210/(-168)*(3/(-3))/5. 1/4 Calculate 64/(-28)*553/158. -8 What is the value of (59/177*(-9)/4)/(6/176)? -22 Evaluate (5/((18/45)/((-84)/(-25))))/2. 21 Evaluate (-5*(-3)/(-4))/((-52)/(-208)). -15 2*(-9)/(-540)*15*(-8)/30 -2/15 What is (1*(-67)/134)/((-14)/4)? 1/7 (12/(-70))/(-6*(-37)/(-1554)) 6/5 ((-3)/18)/(((-140)/(-14))/40) -2/3 (-1225)/(-196)*10/100 5/8 What is the value of ((-9)/(-135))/(86/645)? 1/2 What is (-30)/(-340)*(-16)/(-72)*-2? -2/51 What is (14/2)/(((-18)/1)/54)? -21 What is the value of 1*(238/35)/17? 2/5 What is (-210)/56*(-416)/(-78)? -20 Evaluate 20/(-28)*308/(-10). 22 Evaluate 3864/(-2622)*57/6. -14 Calculate (-130)/100*4/(-65)*-20. -8/5 What is ((-64)/(-24)*(-36)/120)/(2/45)? -18 Evaluate ((-6)/(-27))/((-17)/((-187)/33)). 2/27 Calculate ((-3)/45)/((-621)/(-2070)). -2/9 10/(-120)*32/(-16) 1/6 (6*(-125)/600)/((-10)/12) 3/2 15345/2728*12/(-15) -9/2 What is (6/(-2))/(((-2)/(-3))/(4/(-42)))? 3/7 What is the value of (4/10)/((166/(-1162))/((-20)/(-14)))? -4 -1*(-135)/(-27)*(-1)/(-1) -5 Evaluate (-4)/6*(-1179)/(-1834). -3/7 What is the value of -1*-6*(-2)/62*(-26)/(-234)? -2/93 Evaluate (-2)/(-6)*((-78)/182)/((-3)/(-63)). -3 Calculate (4*4/(-16)*(-12)/(-110))/3. -2/55 Evaluate 31/((-6696)/80)*(-6)/(-15)*-3. 4/9 ((448/(-120))/(-56))/(-1*(-8)/(-36)) -3/10 What is the value of -60*69/460*-1*2/6? 3 Evaluate (-35)/120*-4*((-38)/(-28))/(-19). -1/12 Calculate 402/804*(-4)/4*44/10. -11/5 What is the value of (1309/21)/11*(-96)/32? -17 What is the value of -1*24/(-32)*(-160)/(-2100)? 2/35 30/90*(-54)/531 -2/59 What is (380/95)/(10*-1)? -2/5 What is the value of 0/(7*4/(-28))? 0 Evaluate (-7)/(-3)*1425/(-950). -7/2 -1*(-72)/336*14 3 Evaluate 39/(-26)*8/27. -4/9 What is (12/9)/((-1302)/2232)? -16/7 Evaluate (-54)/(-180)*-5*(-100)/(-6). -25 Evaluate 1235/(-1482)*((-16)/5)/(-4)*-8. 16/3 (3*(-16)/(-360)*6)/((-34)/5) -2/17 What is (-26)/(2*6/18*-3)? 13 Calculate 0/(11/11)*(-18)/(-72). 0 Evaluate ((-148)/37)/(2760/30). -1/23 ((-321)/(-428))/(6/104) 13 What is ((-46)/(-460

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Trying out the Oculus Rift CV1 for the first time Last night I got a chance to setup and spend a few hours with the long-awaited first consumer version of the Oculus Rift (aka Oculus Rift CV1). I'll describe my experience in some detail. Background This is not my first time trying on a VR headset. I've tried the first developer kit (DK1) a long time ago, but only for a few minutes. It was compelling enough to make me understand that the final release, scheduled a few years off at the time, would be incredible, but of course there were a few "must fix this and must make that better first" items remaining. I had to use my imagination to predict what it'd feel like in the end. I tried two experiences: a pretty basic unexciting demo of pong in 3D, and a virtual walkthrough through Japan in the form of a 360 video. The latter was great for making me feel the presence factor and ability to experience an exotic real-world location. Some time later, I tried the second dev kit (DK2) with a pretty sweet experience. There was a demo booth at a movie theater that was playing Interstellar, and they had a 5-8 minute Interstellar-themed experience. You sat in a nice, comfy chair, they put on the DK2 and a pair of high-quality headphones, and you were transported into a situation on board of a futuristic spaceship. It was a high-budget demo, so the 3D environment was professionally made with lots of detail. You could look around, and primarily, you could feel the sense of presence... Actually being in that spaceship, and exploring what it had to offer. My favorite parts were the section where they made you feel weightlessness. With a countdown from 3, the experience creators used a combination of motion, a "whoosh" sound, and the chair you were sitting in slightly dropping down, to very convincingly make you feel that suddenly gravity was turned off. The other part I loved was the end, where you got to a very detailed cockpit of the spaceship, complete with many controls, buttons, joysticks. When you looked out the windows, you could see some planet in the nearby distance... Initial setup Ok, fast forward to now and the experience of unboxing and setting up the consumer version of the Rift. From the moment you see the box itself, you can tell it's a very high-quality and well made product. As you release the side magnetically held in place and open up the briefcase, your immediate reaction is confirmed. This is a really cool product. The unboxing and setup experience is quite close to what you'll get with Apple products. If you appreciate that, you'll like this. I'm not going to talk much about the PC part of the equation (because I dislike it), so I'll say this to get it out of the way. We got an Oculus Ready PC from their recommended list. I think it's great they have that list so you can pick something you know will work, but it's not a great experience to setup, have and maintain a Windows PC in my opinion. I wish it'd "just work" with something like OS X (which I use) or Linux (because it's open source and makes a better potential foundation for everything), or possibly the PS4 or the future generation consoles. Until then, I had to setup Windows, uninstall McAfee anti-virus which was preinstalled and causing problems, and put up with Windows. If your standards are not as high as mine, you might be fine with it, but I didn't think it was great. If you want more reasons why Windows isn't great, just look at some tweets from Jonathan Blow, he points it out pretty often. When you open up the box, you see a large note saying "To setup your Oculus Rift, go to oculus.com/setup", which is pretty much what I'd hope for in 2016. You run their installer, and it says it'll take 30-60 minutes to set everything up. I found that to be quite accurate. It walks you through everything step by step with very friendly directions, and in general worked well (aside from McAfee thing causing it to not install at first). Having a computer that meets the system requirements is absolutely mandatory for you to have a good time. The only minor issue I ran into was getting a plastic tab out of the remote so that its battery would form a closed loop. I literally had to use pliers to pull the plastic tab out. After that, everything was fine (and everything was 100% smooth). The setup then proceeded to download and update the firmware on the tiny little remote, which was pretty telling of the age we live in, and then onto next steps. Putting it on Halfway through the setup, once everything is connected, you've placed the sensor, made some room, and learned how to adjust the straps so it can sit comfortably on your head, the setup asks you to put on your remote, and then the rift, in order to proceed with the rest of the setup... in virtual reality. The first thing you see is a futuristic, mostly all white scene, with cool smoke effects, and large text guiding you in front of you. You can also see the tracking sensor, which I've placed on the table in front, in VR. The coolest part is how it maps 1:1 to the sensor's actual location in the real world. The tracking and responsiveness felt absolutely perfect to me. There is full degrees of motion tracking, so you could move your head anywhere, tilt it, rotate it, and it all just worked. I did not think or feel that there is a computer rendering frames at a certain frame-rate (not until later, anyway, when I looked up some developer docs). Instead, it felt like magic. You felt as if you're inside a virtual world that you could comfortably look around. The setup concluded with a brief sample demo VR experience, made of a few short standing scenes. A cartoony field with a moose and rabbit in front of a campfire. Then, another planet with an alien standing right in front of you, looking at you while mumbling, and making some faces. It felt like he was right there, and I just stood still in disbelief of how realistic it felt. Then, a scene with a huge t-rex dinosaur walking up to you in a hallway. As I stood there, I couldn't help but grin in anticipation of learning what will happen next. "There's no way he'll try to eat me, this has got to be a friendly demo... right?" I was definitely a little freaked out by that possibility. The dinosaur gets pretty up close, but doesn't attack you, which was great. Top three experiences In the next few hours, I tried some of what the Oculus Home store had to offer and these are my top three experiences. Oculus Dreamdeck The Oculus Dreamdeck, which is a few additional scenes from the end of setup, is a great introduction and a sample of the interesting locations and situations that VR can instantly teleport you into, and make you feel like a part of. For me, it simply shows that content creators now have a really open new paintbrush to use in order to create interesting and compelling experiences. Previously, they were limited to books, photos, movies. But what can you achieve with VR? I think it's very interesting to find out. Lucky's Tale Lucky's Tale. A cute, family-friendly, traditional platformer game in 3D. But made for VR. It was absolutely cool how the world felt pretty small, because you were pretty up close to it. And you could look around just by moving your head... and looking around. This was a great sitting experience, played with a controller. VR allowed you to be a part of the world, rather than simply looking at it through a window in the form of your display. The most telling aspect here was the next day, when I remembered the experience of playing Lucky's Tale differently. I remembered being actually inside the 3D world and seeing all its details in front of me. I did not remember sitting in a chair, or looking at a TV, or what my environment was when I was playing the game. I remembered actually being inside the game's world. Live for Speed Live for Speed. It's a very realistic and well made racing simulator. Its developers have prioritized getting top-notch VR support with the latest patch, and it was incredible. The Oculus Rift currently suffers from not having a made-for-VR dedicated controller, so we have to use traditional input devices like keyboard, mouse, gamepad. There is no tracking of your hands, so when in VR, you typically feel as if you have no body. However, in LFS, the driver has a body, with his hands on the steering wheel and legs near pedals. It's pretty much where your body would be. When you put your headset on, you instantly end up being inside a car. It's probably the most realistic and believable experience. I could look around, look at the mirrors, look at the seats in the back, out the windows, etc., just by moving my head. Social One of the defining aspects of VR is its ability to instantly teleport you into a typically unattainable situation or environment. Want an entire stadium all to yourself? Or have an entire theater for your personal enjoyment? Or a sweet home theater setup? It's easy in VR. If you want to get away from people temporarily, VR can probably simulate that really well. But it can also make you feel very lonely quickly, if the environment you're in is really cool but you have no one to share it with. That's why social aspects are going to be big and very important. It's no surprise Facebook bought it. After trying it for the first few minutes, the first thing I wanted to do was to share this really cool experience with other people and tell them about it. Content and possibilities of the medium With the Oculus Rift, you get Oculus Home. It's impressive what they've been able to put together in such short time, but it clearly lacks behind the likes of Steam by a large margin. Over time, there will be more content and more experiences, games, and tools created for VR. But it's going to take hard work and money (to pay for the time). Still, it's very interesting to see what'll happen. I feel this is a whole new medium that is as exciting as the year TV became a reality. Imagine how you'd feel after seeing the very first movie in your life, knowing that directors can now share stories and come up with cool new experiences for that medium. Well, I can't wait to see what talented directors can do with VR, and what they'll be able to come up with when they control not just the vertical and horizontal pixels on a flat screen, but so many more of your senses. As any medium, it can be used in good ways but also abused. It's no different than books in this regard. It's also possible to ruin VR for yourself if you approach it adversarially. It's still quite basic and it's easy to push it to its limits and find ways in which it breaks, so if you want to prove you're not afraid of falling down a virtual ledge, it's not hard. The point is that if you can suspend your disbelief just a little, then the feeling of presence offered can be very compelling. That lets you be able to enjoy amazing experiences. Closing thoughts After trying the final consumer version, it's very clear to me how big this is and going to become. It's not a gimmick like the 3D vision goggles were 5-10 years ago. This is the real thing, finally happening now. It's a whole new medium that will unlock all kinds of possibilities that weren't possible before. It's a great time to be creative and artistic, because you can express yourself in whole new ways. It will take some time, after all, the preorders are still only beginning to ship, but I expect over the next few years, more and more people will have tried and understood VR for themselves, resulting it in being adopted by consumers en masse, not too dissimilar from how most people have mobile devices now. Eventually (some years later), as the technology improves and becomes more accessible and commonplace, and VR headset resolutions increase, the need for monitors will go away, and our work desks will start to look very different from now. They had paper on them first, then large CRT displays, replaced by LCD panels of today, and VR headsets in the future. Special thanks to Sourcegraph for getting a Rift for our office, so that we can start thinking about and looking for more ways to bring the future sooner.

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Is The Professional Sports Bubble About To Burst? Perhaps it should be replaced with ESPN’s trademark Da-da-da, da-da-dajingle following a massive round of layoffs last week including many longtime on-air personalities. I’m no media analyst, and I couldn’t run fast enough from a math course in college, but something’s in the wind. When a property like ESPN needs to swing the axe, it means trouble’s ahead. And make no mistake, for the professional sports industry, this news should be considered more a signal than noise. Consider: ESPN has seen a 12 percent decrease in subscribers over the past six years, according to Business Insider (March 1, 2017). That’s significant for cable’s most expensive channel, which takes in $7.21 per subscriber per month. Rough math, that’s an annual net loss of $1 billion in subscriber fees compared to six years ago (not adjusted for inflation). The network is paying more than ever to broadcast the major professional sports leagues. Annually, it is shelling out $1.9 billion for National Football League rights, $700 million for Major League Baseball and $485 million for the National Basketball Association. That’s $3 billion annually. That doesn’t even include the $470 million it pays annual to air the college football playoffs. Broadcast rights — not ticket sales, not concessions, not licensing and apparel, not corporate sponsorships — are the true lifeblood for pro sports. So what does it mean for the enterprise if the so-called “Worldwide Leader in Sports” is losing subscribers and ad revenue while paying more than ever for broadcast rights? It means the business model has come to mimic the housing market that led to the Great Recession. Think about it: Professional sports leagues are the overvalued houses. Broadcast rights are the adjustable-rate mortgages. ESPN is the feckless borrower. And cable subscribers? I suppose we’re the investment bankers. Once willing to pay $150 per month for cable — and here’s where the analogy breaks down — we have begun to self-regulate, and we’re no longer willing to take on the cost of broadcast mega-deals. Sadly, ESPN assumed we were too big to bail.

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Haffboot A Haffboot (plural: Haffboote) is the collective term for a type of sailing boat that is used as a fishing or cargo boat on the shallow Baltic Sea coast, in the Bay of Greifswald, the Stettin Lagoon and their neighbouring waterbodies until the 20th century. Using similar or identical designs for the ship's hull and its cargo hold, the fishing boats were built with wet or dry cargo holds. The flushed cargo hold, often called a Bünn in the Baltic Sea region, is not sealed hermetically from the water, but is filled with surrounding water. Small holes in the outer skin of the boat enable an exchange of water between the bünn and the outside water. The fish that are caught can thus be transported live. In a traditional fishing boat without cooling units, this allowed the time delay between catching the fish and landing them to be extended. Around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, haffboote were active on the Neuwarper See and in the lower Oder delta. They were built as shallow-draughted, broad-beamed clinker built vessels at small boatyards in Neuwarp (now Nowe Warpno), Anklam or Ueckermünde. Types The following types were classified as haffboote on the Stettin Lagoon: the zeeskahn, once the largest of the haffboote. It was 22 metres long, wide beamed and had a shallow draught. Its crew usually consisted of 3 men. Zeeskähne were usually under way for 48 hours and fished at night. Other types were the tuckerkahn, the polte, the zolle and the quatze. The haul was handed over to fish dealers (Quatzner). They went out regularly to the fishing zeeskähne and tuckerkähne in order to bring in the catch and take it to the markets. At the same time they supplied the fishermen with provisions and news. References See also Kurenkahn Literature Wolfgang Rudolph: Die Insel der Schiffer. Rostock, 2000, . Alfred Dudszus, Ernest Henriot, Friedrich Krumrey: Das große Schiffstypenbuch. Schiffe–Boote–Flöße unter Riemen und Segel. Historische Schiffs- und Bootsfunde. Berühmte Segelschiffe. transpress, Berlin, 1983. External links Model photos of a Quatze Category:Boat types Category:Sailing ships Category:Fishing vessels

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Comparison of Colvard pupillometer and infrared digital photography for measurement of the dark-adapted pupil diameter. To investigate the accuracy of pupil diameter measurement using the Colvard pupillometer and to determine the learning curve for inexperienced examiners. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA. In this population study, subjects with normal pupillary behavior were tested by 1 of 2 investigators (examiner A, examiner B). After 5 minutes of dark adaptation at 1 lux, digital infrared pupil photography of the right eye was performed, followed by measurement of the horizontal pupil diameter and vertical pupil diameter with the Colvard pupillometer. The photographs were digitally analyzed to determine the horizontal and vertical pupil diameters. During phase I of the study, examiners were masked to the results of infrared pupil photography; during phase II, they reviewed the infrared pupil photography results after each testing session. Bland-Altman plots were created to detect measurement bias; results were graphed by subject test sequence to assess learning. A test difference of less than +/-0.5 mm was considered clinically acceptable. Fifty-nine subjects were tested in phase I, of whom 39 had adequate infrared pupil photography for analysis; 40 were tested in phase II, of whom 34 were included. The mean age of the analyzed subjects was 27 years (range 18 to 44 years). For all subjects, the infrared pupil photography median horizontal pupil diameter was 7.09 mm +/- 0.75 (SD) (range 5.44 to 8.79 mm); the median vertical pupil diameter was 7.22 +/- 0.79 mm (range 5.45 to 9.10 mm). Examiner A initially had a negative bias (Colvard pupillometer value less than infrared pupil photography value) for both horizontal and vertical pupil diameter measurements, which resolved during phase I after 23 subjects were tested; 18 of the final 19 subjects tested (11 phase I, 8 phase II) showed a test difference of less than 0.5 mm for all readings. The pupil diameter did not affect the bias. Examiner B had a strong positive bias that persisted throughout the study. Testing 26 subjects in 5 sessions during phase II did not improve the accuracy. During the final testing session, 3 of 8 subjects had a test difference of 0.5 mm or more in at least 1 dimension. The pupil diameter did not affect the bias. The Colvard pupillometer is susceptible to user errors causing unidirectional bias and seems to have a steep and variable learning curve.

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In an interview with Gearnuke Repo stated that Oceanhorn 2 is developed with Unreal Engine 4 and that the currently engine does not support PS Vita. Repo explained further that even if Unreal Engine 4 would support the PS Vita, it could not meet the hardware requirements due to CPU and memory limitations.

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The Devil Inside​#2 the Hell's Gate Series God is missing… And Heaven is dying. And if that weren’t bad enough, I'm in a showdown with my brothers. I don’t care if they’re family—they pissed off the wrong sister. Those Arch Angels are going to pay the price for getting my lover, Levi Forrester dragged into another dimension by a vicious soul stealer. Retrieving Levi won’t be easy, but I’m Hellbent on taking back what’s mine. After all, when you play with fire, you’re going to get burned. Now, with God disappearing, lost souls multiplying, and a new threat on the loose, it’s up to me to make things right. I’m Lucy, the CEO of Hell, and come Hell or high water, I will get my way.

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Hyderabad becomes online with a link to the Gulf. Jeddah service AI-826 of Thursday extended to Hyderabad / Bombay / Hyderabad / Bombay sectors will be operated with Airbus. Bombay / Jeddah / Bombay will be operated with Boeing 747-200. 1 July 1985 Two Evergreen International Airlines DC-8 Series '63 and Series '73 all-cargo wet-leased in place of Overseas National aircraft. 14 June 1985 A new wing hangar near the new International Passenger Terminal at Bombay opened by Mr. H.C. Kapoor, Director of Engineering. 5 February 1985 Weekly Air India service to Lusaka withdrawn and replaced with Air India / Zambia Airways joint weekly DC-10 service. 27 October 1985 Aden became off-line. 30 June 1985 Operations to Toronto suspended. 8 April 1985 Contract for six Airbus A310-300 aircraft signed in Bombay. Capt. D.Bose, Managing Director signed on behalf of Air India and Mr. Ranjit Jayaratnam, General Sales Manager on behalf of the Airbus Industry. The first of the six A310-300 ordered will be delivered to Air India in February 1986, two in April 1986 and the rest before the end of the year. 19 January 1985 Toronto became online. Once a week Montreal service AI-181 re-routed to include Toronto as a stop. The first service with Boeing 747 VT EBN "Rajendra Chola" operated on the routing Bombay / Delhi / Frankfurt / Toronto / Montreal. The return flight route: Montreal / London / Delhi / Bombay.

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Q: How to put a Map/JSON object containing array values into local storage I want to store the following into local storage with a structure like so: { "stuff": [ { "user1": { "numbers": [ 1, 2, 3 ] }, "user2": { "numbers": [ 2 ] } } ] } How would I go about doing this? A: to save localStorage.setItem("name",JSON.stringify(Map)); to read JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem("name"));

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[Cardiac tamponade caused by aortic pseudoaneurysm with fistula in the right ventricle]. A 69-year-old woman, with an aortic replacement valve for rheumatic aortic insufficiency suffered a sudden cardiac tamponade caused by a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta which had its origin in the suture of the aorta performed 10 years earlier. The cardiac tamponade presented as syncope, absent central pulse, and respiratory failure. Hemodynamic variables recovered with early detection and start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers. After fluids were replaced and following catecholamine treatment, a transesophageal echocardiogram revealed a pseudoaneurysm and continuous flow between the aorta and the right ventricle. The aneurysm and an unusual right ventricular fistula were repaired surgically through an emergency exploratory sternotomy. Cardiovascular recovery was satisfactory although hospital discharge was delayed because of pulmonary complications leading to severe hypoxia, pleural effusion, and pneumonia, with tracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage cultures positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp, and Aspergillus flavus. We stress that immediate start of cardiopulmonary resuscitation prevented multiorgan failure and allowed for satisfactory recovery from surgery in spite of the presence of risk factors for mortality.

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Carl Edvard Johansson Carl Edvard Johansson (1864–1943) was a Swedish inventor and scientist. Johansson invented the gauge block set, also known as "Jo Blocks" ("Johansson gauge blocks"). He was granted his first Swedish patent on 2 May 1901, Swedish patent No. 17017 called "Gauge Block Sets for Precision Measurement". He formed the Swedish company CE Johansson AB (CEJ AB), Eskilstuna, Sweden in 1911. The first CEJ gauge block set in America was sold to Henry M. Leland at Cadillac Automobile Co. around 1908. At the end of his career, in 1923, Johansson started to work for Henry Ford at the Ford Motor Company, in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford bought the entire American company, CE Johansson Inc., that he had established 1918 in Poughkeepsie, New York and all the equipment was moved to Dearborn. Some of his Swedish employees that worked in Poughkeepsie were also employed by Ford. At the age of 72, he decided to retire and went back to Sweden. During his life he had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 22 times and spent a lot of time in America. He received a number of awards and honors, including the large gold medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, posthumously in 1943, shortly after his death. Johansson and the inch In the 1910s, the U.S. and U.K. definitions of the inch differed, with the U.S. inch being defined as 25.4000508mm (with a reference temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and the U.K. inch at 25.399977mm (with a reference temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit). When he started manufacturing gauge blocks in inch sizes in 1912, Johnanson's compromise was to manufacture gauge blocks with a nominal size of 25.4mm, with a reference temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, accurate to within a few parts per million of both official definitions. Because Johannson's blocks were so popular, his blocks became the de facto standard for manufacturers in both countries. When the inch was eventually redefined to be exactly 25.4mm in both the U.K. (in 1930) and U.S. (in 1933), this effectively endorsed what was already common practice worldwide. Family He was married to Margareta Andersson in 1896. They had four children: Elsa, Signe, Edvard, and Gertrud. References Bibliography . External links Starrett page "Wringability and Gage Blocks" by Dave Friedel, General Manager of Starrett's Webber Gage Division Category:1864 births Category:1943 deaths Category:Swedish scientists Category:Swedish inventors Category:Swedish engineers Category:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

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I kinda wish there was someway to link something like Geekatoo with your stackexchange reputation. So if a person on Geekatoo had a high rep on superuser? I might be more tempted to go with them. I guess what I am saying is that we need some kind of standardized Internet wide reputation system. To understand this story, you need to understand that grandchildren are like crack cocaine to grandparents. I'm convinced that if our parents could somehow snort our children up their noses to get a bigger fix, they would. And when your parents live out of state, like ours do, access to the Int... @Jeff, Any chance you will consider adding authentication via a X.509 certificate as an additional option on stackexchange? It sure seems like this should be pretty easy to implement. It seems like it should be as useful for proving the identity of someone as trusting 3rd party identity providers, or cookie based authentication. You already support multiple authentication providers adding another should be easy. Just setup a page, which requires a certificate. If you have never seen the public certificate before, ask the user if they wish to associate the certificate with an existing account or create a new one, store the certificate for future logins. If you have seen the public cert before, then look up the account details and log the user in. I would suggest that you should not care about what CA the certificate is signed by. Just accept any certificate signed by any CA, or self-signed. If you don't spend time trying to verify anything to do with CAs, certificate based auth basically just becomes trust on first use. Perhaps you've seen this recent XKCD about password choice? It prompted a spirited debate – even on our very own Security Stack Exchange – about the merits of the argument presented there. Now, to be clear, I'm completely on Randall's side here; I'm all for passphrases over passwords, and I...

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Q: Fiber vs. Point-to-point radio for campus network Looking for best practices and feedback on whether to use fiber or radio ("air fiber") in a certain situation ... === BACKGROUND === --- Project involves providing Internet access to several hundred endpoints in a residential/campus type of setting (approx 50 acres) --- Endpoints will have a WiFi hot spot, VOIP phone, and TV --- Typical bandwidth requirement at each endpoint is 5-10 Mbps --- For TV, amenable to a pure OTT video solution (e.g., video over TCP/IP HLS) versus multicast --- Have proposals from several providers to use a Gigabit Ethernet solution with a star topology connected via single mode fiber (runs up to 1/4 mile or more) --- But have also seen solutions using point-to-point radio instead of fiber at a fraction of the price of fiber proposal (e.g., Ubiquiti airFiber) === QUESTION === When/is point-to-point radio a viable alternative to fiber distribution in a case like this? What are the considerations and trade offs in terms of performance, quality of service, robustness, and long term value? Thanks for any feedback! A: In general, point-to-point wireless is a "last resort" solution -- either due to cost or lack of access to infrastructure (eg. right of way.) Over longer distances, it can be harder to setup (eg. aim.) And it will suffer from environmental factors (heat, rain, snow, birds, squirrels, etc.) The equipment will be rather expensive, but installation costs will be low. (nailing a dish to the side of a building isn't labor intensive) Fiber (single-mode) is a much more robust, and future-proof, solution. Bandwidth is only limited by what you attach to it. Fiber is fairly cheap, and plentiful these days. The main expense is in installation -- conduits, trenching, etc. But once done, fiber will last decades, and you'll have conduits to quickly add more when needed.

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Ödüllü Oyun Sitesi Totobo.de ” Co. Ltd. firmasının tescilli adresi: “Portomaso Business Tower”, 18th Floor, St. Julians STJ 4011, Malta. Totobo Co. Ltd. firması Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) tarafından denetlenir ve onun lisansına sahiptir. Bu resmi denetleme makamı, Maltada mukim her türlü talih oyunu etkinliğini denetleme sorumluluğunu taşır. Totobo Co. Ltd. firması 1 Mart 2016 tarih ve MGA/B2C/101/2004 nolu lisansa sahiptir. Muhteşem tasarım ve yüksek oranları ile oyun firmaları arasında en iyi alt yapıya sahip online oyun sitesi ödülü almıştır.

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Q: AWS Cognito authorizer not working with AWS SDK for Android In my Android project, I use the AWS SDK to register users thanks to Cognito and call APIs in API Gateway. In my Cognito user pool, I created a user pool group. The purpose of that group is to only allow the users in that group to call a specific API. In order to make it work, I try to follow this tutorial (especially the video). So I created a Cognito authorizer, added it to my method request in API Gateway, and try to call the API from my app using the AWS SDK: @Service(endpoint = "https://abcdefghig.execute-api.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/staging") public interface AwsdemoapiClient { @Operation(path = "/test-api", method = "GET") Empty testApiGet(); } The problem is: whether the user is authenticated or not, and in the group or not, I always get the following error, when I call testApiGet() in my app: 401 Unauthorized, even if I have the right authorization in my IAM roles. After some research, it looks like the id token is missing, which could be the reason why I get that error. But isn't it supposed to be automatically managed by the AWS SDK for Android? How can I fix that? Thanks for your help. A: Sending the id token in the header actually solved the problem: @Service(endpoint = "https://abcdefghig.execute-api.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/staging") public interface AwsdemoapiClient { @Operation(path = "/test-api", method = "GET") Empty testApiGet(@Parameter(name = "Authorization", location = "header") String idToken);; } You can get the id token by calling the following function: CognitoUserPool pool = new CognitoUserPool(context, userPoolId, clientId, clientSecret, region); pool.getCurrentUser().getSessionInBackground(...);

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Twin Town Watching the Halloween episode last night of Dark Angel, it was so awesome with a headless story! I love that effect of the headless person which is similar to the effect in "Sleepy Hollow" which is on my list of one of my fave films ever. Last night on Richard & Judy they had a discussion about what would you do if you had Siamese twins? Would you separate them or would you let them both die/or live as long as possible. They had a lady from America (really strange women , she was a big black southern gal, but she really had quite a thick black moustache of hair! It was clearly visible. I kept expecting her to say "I'm really a man!" maybe she has hormone problems. I shouldn't laugh at people I know), and a Dr for letting one twin survive and this Scottish women who was "pro life". I had never ever seen the pro life organisation in the UK. I only learnt about Pro Choice etc online, I never knew what Americans were talking about. (In the UK abortion is not really a discussion, people respect that people have the choice, it is a issue that is debated but not like America where it is HUGE). I disliked this women greatly. She said that twins should be left to live attached even if they live to 6 years old (like the American women) or die then. (god's will blah blah blah). But the thing that pissed me off and is REALLY true. Everyone in the world has different viewpoints and no one is the same. In my journal, I write my own personal views on things. I am very liberal and that is probably because of my parents are similar, but other are different..She said that killing one twin to save another is wrong. Okay that is her view, but then asked what she would think of a mother was in this situation and did this, she said that she would not respect them at all and hope they felt guilty when they had the single child and had to think about the other one. I found that awful. (the reason this topic was brought up, is cos there is a issue in this happening at the moment in the UK). She is against anything that is "against life" but everyone should do thesame as her in her view. That is awful and like the Christian advocacy groups in America. No one should have the choice of abortions because it is their beliefs. People should have their own choice of views and if the women decideswhatever she should not be judged or anything. At the end of the day the family is left with it all. Last year a family came from a small island, and had twins joined. (News Story)They did not want them separated for religious reasons, but they would both die. A UK court overturned the parents ruling meaning that they were forced to separate them and the girl is doing really well now. Siamese twins is horrid (two babies are joined together and often have joined organs). In this case now (News Story) they share a heart and the parents have agreed that they should be separated for one to live. It's a horrid decision cos both choices are horrid, but I personally would pick the choice that would allow at least one to live. If they could live together than fine and if they could live better and have a stronger chance to live, that I would separate them, even if it means the death of one :( The lawyer who represented the parents from abroad , said that the case goes to a court if the parents and Drs disagree about what to do. The thing that amazed me is that there is many court cases with Jehovah's Witnesses and such like who won't give their children a organ or blood replacement, because of their beliefs. The court has to make a decision about what to do. It's bizarre that they would rather die. The whole Jehovah's thing is very dodgy, because they claim there is a bit in the bible about not sharing blood or extending lives, but the bible is so open to interpretation!

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Officers will be on the water in a new $36,000 vessel purchased for the marine unit. When the decision was made last year to stop patrolling the rivers, officials said the resources could be better used elsewhere, particularly since the fire department has its own boat for patrols. But last year’s disaster changed the thinking, O’Brien said. "Really the floods I think demonstrated to us the importance of having the ability to get on the waterways,” he said. River safety warning Together with bylaw services and the fire department, Calgary police also issued a safety warning as the rafting season approaches. “Our rivers have changed since the 2013 flood and we want to make sure that anyone thinking about going on the rivers is aware of the many dangers,” said Ken Uzeloc, deputy chief with the Calgary Fire Department, in a release. “We’ve noticed several changes - from the flow of the river, to riverbanks that have been carved away and the debris that has been displaced in and around the rivers causing new hazards.”

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Disturbance in neuronal circuits critical for mediating reward and aversion underlies a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, genes and pathways that control the assembly and function of the reward and aversion neuronal circuits remain poorly defined. In this exploratory R21 application, we propose to employ larval zebrafish to study neuronal circuits underlying aversion, because the system offers great opportunity for high throughput genetic and drug screening in the context of a developing vertebrate brain. We have discovered that larval zebrafish find the dark environment aversive thereby preferring to stay in the light side. Our central hypothesis is that this dark avoidance behavior represents an excellent paradigm for understanding the development of neuronal circuitry underlying aversion at molecular and cellular levels.

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Is BDS working? In the United States, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has caused Jewish leaders considerable grief but achieved few tangible results. A handful of college student groups have passed resolutions on the subject, but no far no university has moved to divest itself of Israeli companies. Even in liberal Brooklyn, a move to boycott Israeli supermarket products was turned back. But columnist Larry Derfner believes things might be changing. At +972 magazine, he has collected evidence showing that pressure is mounting on Israel. He points in part to Thomas Friedman’s June 4th column, in which he wrote that the BDS movement “is creating a powerful surge of international opinion, particularly in Europe and on college campuses, that Israel is a pariah state because of its West Bank occupation.” Derfner goes on to list numerous other cases in which he sees BDS working, including the recent decision of British physicist Stephen Hawking to skip a conference in Israel. The evidence is largely anecdotal, but taken together it does suggest that those who took comfort in the belief that BDS was symbolically significant but practically irrelevant might need to take a second look.

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"You go through one door, come out another door, and you are a Singapore citizen." So read an eye-catching quote by then Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock in a Straits Times report on Oct 15, 1957. At a meeting with Chinese teachers, he sought to stress that an upcoming government campaign to register citizens - dubbed Operation Franchise - would be hassle-free. The message was received. Over a three-month window from November 1957 to January 1958, hundreds of thousands turned up to queue at registration points like the Singapore Citizenship Registry in Fort Canning Road, community centres and clan associations. "Labourers, hawkers and millionaires queued up holding their application forms," said a news report. In some cases, people waited more than an hour for their turn - but that did little to quell their eagerness, since some had waited decades for this moment. A COMMON UNDERTAKING There was in effect a new entity that required a sense of togetherness, a feeling of being one people, responsible for our own collective fate. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EUGENE TAN, on how awarding citizenship to the overseas-born helped them to commit to Singapore. The Chinese formed the bulk of those queueing, but there were also Indian and Malay registrants, and those of other races. Millionaire banker Lien Ying Chow, among the first to submit papers, hailed the moment as important for overseas-born residents like himself who had worked hard to build a new life in Singapore. India-born legislative assemblyman M.P.D. Nair registered, calling on others to follow, so that "they may help in shaping the destiny of our country". By the end of Operation Franchise, more than 320,000 mostly foreign-born residents in Singapore had "come out another door" as Singapore citizens. A very big majority of those eligible signed up. When added to a group of mainly local-born residents who were automatically considered citizens, the final tally was over 600,000 in total - the first people in history to be called Singapore citizens. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the enactment of the Singapore Citizenship Ordinance of 1957, the law that gave birth, unexpectedly, to a new national identity. What led to the passing of this ordinance? What was its significance? How did it shape the course of later events? And what future scenarios are possible for the Singapore citizenship? Insight speaks to historians and experts to shed light on the subject. TOWARDS SELF-GOVERNMENT The Singapore Citizenship Ordinance of 1957 rested in a larger, post-World War II context. "The coloniser (Britain) no longer was untouchable and omnipotent," says Dr Sikko Visscher of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, who studied this period. The Atlantic Charter between Britain and the United States put the self-government of colonies "firmly on the agenda". Britain was also under pressure from the British public "to give local society in their colonies a larger and more democratic say", he adds. In Singapore, the elites of each ethnic community began to lobby the colonial government for change. This was in part the result of the process of localisation - or "Malayanisation" - of the Chinese, Indian and other migrant communities in Singapore as they put down roots. SINKING ROOTS There was a realisation that the Chinese and Indians would not be rooted without being given citizenship. PROFESSOR TAN TAI YONG, on the importance of citizenship. Professor Kwok Kian Woon of Nanyang Technological University adds: "From the late 1920s, you begin to see the educated Chinese debate in their writings about how the Chinese living in Malaya should relate to Malaya. And there was also the development of a distinct body of literature called mahua wenxue, or Malayan Chinese literature. An incipient Malayan identity was growing among the Chinese." The fall of China to communist rule in 1949 accelerated the process, since the prospects of a return to China looked increasingly remote. Statements from China and India in the 1950s also encouraged domiciled Chinese and Indians in South-east Asia to take up citizenship. By 1955, Singapore's newly elected Chief Minister David Marshall was calling for citizenship for Singapore's overseas-born residents, as part of a move towards greater autonomy. The British had detached Singapore from Malaya constitutionally in 1946, with Malaya eventually achieving independence without Singapore in 1957. Singapore had to pursue its own path of constitutional change, with a vague eventual goal of independence through merger with Malaya. Mr Marshall resigned when constitutional talks in Britain ended in failure. But Mr Lim Yew Hock, who took over, led a second delegation to London and secured a substantial commitment on autonomy - in part because "Lim was prepared to be tough with the communists", says Professor Tan Tai Yong of Yale-NUS College. The deal was self-government, a fully-elected legislature and citizenship rights for an expanded electorate. "Self-government requires a representative legislative assembly. And for that assembly to be legitimate, you cannot have less than half the population voting," notes Prof Tan. Within two days of Mr Lim's return in April 1957, he announced plans for citizenship. Six months later, the law was passed. It created a new status - Singapore citizens. Those born in Singapore automatically qualified. Those born in Malaya, Britain or other British colonies must have lived here for two years. Those born elsewhere, such as China, must have lived here for eight of the last 12 years - reduced from 10 of the last 12 years, after lobbying from Chinese groups. Dual citizenship was only allowed for those born in Malaya and Britain. Those born in China or India had to renounce their citizenships. All registrants were also required to swear "to be faithful and bear true allegiance" to Britain's Queen and to the head of state in Singapore, and to "observe the laws of, and be a true, loyal and faithful citizen of Singapore". CITIZENSHIP SINCE 1957 The ordinance took a very liberal, open-door stance on those born in China. All who arrived in Singapore before the war could become citizens in one fell swoop. Criteria tightened considerably when Singapore joined Malaysia in 1963, and have been tight ever since. FITTING IN Integration is a two-way street. Singaporeans equally have to adapt to the changing demographics. This is where we might want to look back at 1957. The idea of a Singaporean identity then came about through an amalgamation of different cultures. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR ELAINE HO, on how Singaporeans have to play their part in helping new migrants integrate. Dr Seng Guo Quan of the National University of Singapore calls 1957 a "one-off political settlement". Dr Seng, whose grandfather became a citizen in 1957 (see other story), adds: "Singapore was looking forward to self-government and eventual independence through merger. It was simply not tenable to have a big group of immigrants in a state of limbo and thinking of another homeland." Says Prof Tan Tai Yong: "There was a realisation that the Chinese and Indians would not be rooted without being given citizenship." If the intention was to prod the overseas-born to make a commitment to Singapore, it does seem to have worked. Says Associate Professor Eugene Tan of Singapore Management University: "There was in effect a new entity that required a sense of togetherness, a feeling of being one people, responsible for our own collective fate." In 1959, a general election was held. The expanded electorate voted out Mr Lim Yew Hock, the man responsible for Operation Franchise - choosing instead as the new prime minister a young lawyer - Mr Lee Kuan Yew (see other story). In 1963, Singapore merged with Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. All who were Singapore citizens under the 1957 ordinance stayed Singapore citizens, and took on Malaysian citizenship concurrently. Dual citizenship for British citizens ended. In 1965, Singapore separated from Malaysia over irreconcilable differences on race issues. Conveniently and somewhat inadvertently, because the Singapore citizenship had existed since 1957, it did not seem absurd to many for Singapore to go it alone as an independent nation, despite the difficulties of nationhood for a small island. Related Story New voting bloc shows its clout Related Story Is Singapore ready for dual citizenship? Related Story Historian's grandpa among first batch of citizens In the early years after 1965, Singapore citizenship was mainly passed on by descent. There was naturalisation for some who moved here, but the numbers were small. There was also a tendency for foreigners in Singapore - including blue-collar workers - to eventually be granted permanent residency and citizenship if they sank roots. But as the Singapore economy grew rapidly, the country attracted many more prospective immigrants, and the Government could be much more selective. Today, most blue-collar workers are given work permits, with no path to citizenship. Skilled migrants can become citizens, but the criteria are fairly non-transparent. Applicants know that factors like education, income, length of stay and family ties matter, but they are not sure how they add up - unlike in countries that use a point system such as Canada and Australia. Associate Professor Elaine Ho of NUS says a move towards transparency is desirable. It reduces the emotional stress on applicants and helps them make informed choices. In 2004, citizenship laws were changed to allow children born overseas to Singaporean mothers - and not just Singaporean fathers - to get citizenship. The next significant milestone came around the 2011 General Election, amid unhappiness over the fast pace of immigration. Although new citizen numbers had risen at a much slower pace than non-resident and permanent resident numbers, it was hard for Singaporeans to tell who was a new citizen and who was a permanent resident or employment pass holder. Says Prof Eugene Tan: "Singaporeans questioned whether citizenship was being commoditised, and whether the ease with which to obtain (it) cheapened it." The state responded in a few key ways, notes Institute of Policy Studies researcher Debbie Soon - moderating the number of immigrants, stating there should always be a strong core of citizens, and sharpening the difference in benefits between citizens and permanent residents in areas such as housing, education and healthcare. As men who are naturalised as adults do not have to perform national service, "the state also moved to affirm the value of national service with measures such as vouchers to servicemen", she notes. What are some future scenarios for Singapore citizenship? And how might the 1957 ordinance inform the way Singaporeans think about these futures? One possibility is exploring dual citizenship (see other story). On the issue of accepting new immigrants, Prof Eugene Tan says that with low birth rates and an ageing population here, immigration will continue to be important, although the Government will have to calibrate the numbers carefully and ensure infrastructure construction does not fall behind. Prof Ho notes that the narrative so far has placed the burden on immigrants to integrate with Singapore. "Integration is a two-way street. Singaporeans equally have to adapt to the changing demographics. This is where we might want to look back at 1957. The idea of a Singaporean identity then came about through an amalgamation of different cultures," she says. And for Prof Kwok, 1957 also has implications for how Singaporeans think about multiracialism, both today and for decades to come. Because the vast majority of the overseas-born given citizenship in 1957 were Chinese, it created a much bigger Chinese majority than would otherwise have been the case. This must always serve as a reminder to the Chinese majority that "they have an additional burden - indeed, a responsibility - to be aware and respectful of minorities and uphold multiracialism", he says.

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Chisa Hayamizu is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 3-dan. Promotion history Hayamizu's promotion history is as follows. 1996, October 1: 2-kyū 1997, October 1: 1-kyū 2000, April 1: 1-dan 2005, June 21: 2-dan 2012, December 7: 3-dan Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks. References External links ShogiHub: Hayamizu, Chisa Category:Japanese shogi players Category:Living people Category:Female professional shogi players Category:1982 births Category:People from Meguro Category:Professional shogi players from Tokyo Metropolis

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The Heart Institute at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point continues its Tuesday Tutorials programming commemorating National Heart Month through March with “When Do You Need Open Heart Surgery & What... Ingrown Toenail Definition An ingrown toenail happens when a portion of the toenail curves into the flesh of the toe. It then imbeds itself in the soft tissue. It can occur on any of the toes. However, it usually occurs on one of the big toes. Causes Trauma and improper nail care makes the nail curve and overgrow into the flesh of the toe. Risk Factors The main risk factor that increases your chances of having ingrown toenails is having family members with ingrown toenails. Other risk factors include: Improper cutting or trimming of the toenail Wearing footwear that is too tight Repeated trauma to the toes, often due to sports activities Diabetes Fungal infections of the toenails Turner syndrome Arthritis Gout Symptoms Ingrown toenails often do not cause symptoms at first. Eventually, the following symptoms may develop: Pain—sometimes severe Redness Swelling Warmth Pus draining from the area Diagnosis In almost all cases, you or your doctor can diagnose an ingrown toenail based on the location and the symptoms. In rare cases, you may need an x-ray . For example, if your doctor suspects an infection may have spread to the toe bone. Treatment You may be able to treat an ingrown toenail yourself if you catch it early. If the condition gets worse or does not improve, you will need to seek medical care. If you have diabetes, you must seek medical attention for any infection or wound involving your feet or toes. Self-care Wear open-toed shoes or sandals until the pain and swelling of the nail subsides. This will reduce any pressure on the toenail. Soak your foot in warm water for 15 minutes, 3-4 times a day. After soaking, dry your foot and toe thoroughly. As the toenail grows out, cut it straight across. Promptly seek medical care for an ingrown toenail if you have any of the following conditions: Revision Information This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

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Rubber Pail Products Specifications: Product Description: Recycle rubber 4mm thickness Technique parameter: Item No. Size Packing M213401 12L 10pcs bulk Macro International is one of the credible Plastering Tool Series manufacturers and supplies in China; providing with free sample, you can purchase customized rubber pail made in China from our factory.

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This invention pertains to a method and apparatus for re-forming and maintaining the circular shape of a deformed roll of material and is particularly useful in conjunction with re-establishing the annular nature of a coil of material for use in a sheeting system wherein a web of material will be unwound from the coiled roll and portions of the web cut into predetermined lengths, i.e., "sheets". Such sheeting systems typically are found in the steel industry where a length of metal is wrapped as a coil and, ultimately, unwound as another machine cuts the web of steel into predetermined lengths. Heretofore, there has been some significant loss in the amount of useable metal contained in a given coil where the coil has, for example, been dropped and deformed prior to unwinding so as to cause the roll to be unbalanced during rotation. It will be readily evident that a coil which has been deformed in the foregoing manner will be unsuitable for mounting upon a rotating support spindle in view of the fact that the mass of the coil will be unevenly distributed therearound so as to cause erratic and slower feeding of the sheet material from the coil. Accordingly, there has been a need for "opening" otherwise crushed center openings of coils of material so as to re-form the coil for mounting upon a rotatable support spindle. In view of the fact that the coil is typically a metal coil wherein there will be some resilience within the coil after it has been wound, the center opening of the coil will necessarily have to be retained in its circular configuration after initially re-forming the opening so as to prevent the coil from returning to its earlier damaged shape.

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A Smart Way to Trim the Fat From the Federal Government Last week President Trump proposed merging the departments of Education and Labor, and that’s got people thinking about reorganizing government.

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Day: April 12, 2018 Alcohol and drug addictions are very common problems. Even though these problems eventually either directly or indirectly affect nearly every person in the United States, there seems to be a certain stigma attached to these issues. Addicts themselves do what they can to hide their over-indulgences in drugs and alcohol. This happens for a lot of reasons. Sometimes it is because the individual fears what other people will think of the lifestyle. In fact, being an alcoholic or an addict can have a negative impact on employment as well as… Eat For Warmth: Meals That Rev Up Your Metabolism Stoke Your Furnace Metabolism makes up all of the processes that gas our our bodies. The fixed want for vitality for all of the issues that make us alive is demanding, and the extra lively we’re, or the extra mass we’ve got, the extra vitality is critical to maintain us working. Consuming generally creates a thermic impact, that’s, because it requires vitality to breakdown and extract diet from meals, meals itself will increase our metabolism. That is nice, however there are… BOXED ADVERTISEMENT Recent Posts Dilaudid is a particular pain reliever mainly used in treating moderate up to severe pain. This is also known by the generic name of hydromorphone. Dilaudid comes in pill and liquid form. In the street, individuals often call this drug as dillies. Just like other prescription drugs or...

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“I cannot tell a lie. We have been using these balls in our indoor winter clinics and have yet to see a ball degrade. If anything, they actually seem to get “grippier” according to my players. Nice ball!” Joseph Haemmerle, Head Lacrosse Coach, Bergen Catholic HS “Our players love the consistency the Pearl balls provide! No more random errant throws and shots from the greaser balls.” David Zazzaro, Men’s Head Lacrosse Coach at Rhodes College “Guardian has finally addressed the slippery ball issue in lacrosse. I’ve been using the Pearls for well over a year now. It’s softer, safer, and holds the texture through all conditions. Even the few remaining from the very first batch have held up under all conditions. Turf, grass, cement, rain, dirt, mud…the ball holds up. So if you’re always on the wall working to improve your game, or you’re a coach looking to eliminate excuses for errant passes and shots, this is your ball. The Pearl may be the best equipment advancement in lacrosse in years.” Chazz Woodson, Professional Lacrosse Player and HS Coach “After using the Pearl for an entire year, I can honestly say our players love it! The ball gets more sticky over time and lasts forever. We have a new team rule, only Pearls in the ball bucket. It’s a game changer.” Unlike the average lacrosse ball, The Pearl will meet and hold NOCSAE’s current and 2017 safety spec. No more pegging your goalies with ‘cue balls’. THAT WAS ENGINEERED FOR PLAYER SAFETY Meets current NOCSAE ® 049-14m14 standard and 049-15m16 effective 2017. The Official Ball of US Lacrosse. A portion of proceeds from each ball sold goes to the US Lacrosse Sports, Science & Safety committee to make the sport safer.

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Organ donation and kidney transplantation ========================================= Excellent results of kidney and other organ transplantation resulted in an increasing number of end-stage organ failure patients seeking such treatment. The number of available organs is insufficient; hence, as someone had said, the waiting lists are becoming the waiting to die lists. Deceased organ donors are widely used in the western hemisphere; living donors are used all over the world. The results of organ transplantation depend on a number of factors -- the quality of donor (and an organ), living *vs.* deceased donation, magnitude of ischemic injury (and its prevention), and recipient-dependent factors. The quality of the donor kidney has a direct effect on important clinical outcomes such as acute rejection, delayed graft function, and patient and allograft survival. The term "expanded criteria donor" (ECD) was introduced by Kauffman et al. in 1997 to describe deceased donor organs that do not meet the standard criteria for organ donation (SCD) and is preferred over other terms in use, such as „marginal", „suboptimal", „compromised", „inferior" or „nonstandard". In 2002 UNOS established an ECD definition of deceased donors that can be summarized as follows: a standard-criteria (ideal) donor (SCD) is considered a young patient without hypertension or diabetes who died due to a motor vehicle crash. An expanded criteria donor (ECD) is one who, at the time of death, is age equal to or more than 60 years, or is age 50--59 but has any 2 the following 3 criteria -- cerebrovascular accident as a cause of death, history of systemic hypertension, and terminal serum creatinine over 1.5 mg/dL. Kidney transplantation from ECDs increases the risk of a graft failure by 70% (relative hazard ratio 1.70). In addition, the term ECD includes donors with more than 20% globally sclerosed glomeruli on the preimplantation biopsy, HBV- or HCV-infected, with malignant neoplasm, sepsis, or significant anatomic abnormalities. Donor age is considered as one of the most important risk factors affecting renal transplant outcomes, as demonstrated in several multicenter studies. However, the number of patients waiting for a kidney transplant and aged 65 years and above is steadily increasing as well. Within the Eurotransplant region, there has been a significant increase in renal transplants in recipients older than 65 years -- from 3.6% in 1991 to 19.7% in 2007. Due to the organ shortage, within recent years organs were also recovered from donation after circulatory death (DCD). The donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) refers to the situation when the patient does or does not meet the criteria for brain death and in whom cardiac standstill (or failure of circulatory function) occurs before the organs are procured. The cessation of cardiac function could have occurred spontaneously (uncontrolled DCD) or been allowed for deliberately (controlled DCD). Such donors also can be classified as "standard" or "expanded" DCD. Numerous reports have been published on the outcome of renal transplants from ECDs. ECD kidneys have worse long-term survival than standard criteria donor kidneys. A common conclusion of these studies is that patients younger than 40 years or scheduled for kidney retransplantation should not receive an ECD kidney, and that patients 40 years or older, especially with diabetic nephropathy, show better survival when receiving an ECD kidney than remaining on dialysis therapy. The results of kidney (and sometimes liver) transplantation from DCD donors are generally favorable, but worse in elderly transplant patients. Although ECD kidney transplantation is increasing, the substantial discard rates for ECD kidneys in the USA have not changed, with 20--30% of all ECD-recovered kidneys discarded in 2005, despite implementation of an ECD allocation algorithm designed to facilitate placement. The number of living donor kidney transplantation has also increased all over the world. The Amsterdam Forum established a consensus on the use of living donors. However, the shortage of organs has led to a more extensive use of live donors in kidney transplantation, and, most unfortunately, a new category of extended (sometimes called "marginal") living donors have also appeared. Good results of kidney transplantation from such extended living donors are reported \[[@b1-medscimonit-17-12-ra282], [@b2-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] but, unfortunately, no long-term follow-up data are available. Due to the organ shortage, many transplant centers broadened their criteria for organ acceptance, including history of a variety of co-morbidities in donors. The use of organs from donors with a medical history of malignancy, in order to reduce the waiting list mortalities, remains a dilemma. Nickkholg recently published a review (with a case report) on the need for vigilance in extended criteria donors with a history of malignancy \[[@b3-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The author concluded that in order to minimize the risk of tumor transmission, especially in the donors with a history of cancer, extensive evaluation including surgical exploration of all body cavities is a must. Any suspicious lesion should prompt a frozen section biopsy. Ischemia/reperfusion injury and delayed graft function ------------------------------------------------------ Ischemia/reperfusion injury in organ transplantation is a multifactorial process, which may lead to delayed graft function (DGF), and has a significant impact on short- and long-term graft survival. Occurrence of delayed graft function depends on a number of factors: donor hemodynamic stability, warm and cold ischemia time, and the storage method. Suszka-Œwitek et al. \[[@b4-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] studied changes in the proinflammatory markers in the initial period after transplantation in kidneys from deceased donors, and concluded that delayed graft function is accompanied by high CRP level in donors and prolonged rise of IL-1β content in blood serum on the 4th day after transplantation. IL-6 content in this period revealed a similar tendency in recipients' pairs that had been given kidneys from the same donor, reflecting the condition of the transplanted organ. Activation of the renin-angiotensin system may be important in the pathophysiology of DGF. Preservation solutions are thought to minimize ischemic injury, and appropriate choice of the solution should contribute to improved graft function and better prognosis for graft survival. Sulikowski \[[@b5-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] studied the effect of UW and EC preservation solutions on expression of selected genes in rat kidneys. Perfusion with UW and EC caused an increase of renin I, angiotensinogen and angiotensin I-converting enzyme genes expression. This increase was abated in kidneys perfused with UW solution in comparison to EC. Donor treatment with dopamine (DA) proved to be an effective modality to improve organ quality by reduction of hypothermic, ischemic and reperfusion (I/R) injury. It is unknown by which mechanism DA reduces edema formation and inflammation. Hanusch et al. studied the effect of dopamine on edema formation and inflammation of the lung in a rat model, and indicated that dopamine-mediated protective effects on I/R damage and inflammation in donor lungs most likely occur via adrenergic receptors \[[@b6-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Ultrasonography has an important role in diagnosis of the post-transplant graft dysfunction. Grzelak et al. \[[@b7-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] studied disturbances in perfusion of transplanted kidneys (KTx) following an acute occlusion of 1 of the supernumerary renal arteries (SRA). Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography may enable a precise evaluation of graft's ischemic foci due to occlusion of SRA in the early post-transplant period. The introduction of ultrasound contrast enhancement (US-CE) opened-up new directions in ultrasound diagnostics, especially in the assessment of tissue perfusion of parenchymal organs (eg, in the diagnostics of focal liver lesions). The use of ultrasound contrast enhancement is a highly promising diagnostic tool in kidney allograft recipients, but to date experience with its use in this clinical setting is very limited. Grzelak et al. assessed the usefulness of this new technique using sulphur hexafluoride in the early post-transplant assessment of graft perfusion \[[@b7-medscimonit-17-12-ra282],[@b8-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Time-intensity curves (TIC) were compared with hemodynamic flow parameters (resistive index: RI) in patients with good early graft function (EGF) and acute rejection (AR) or acute tubular necrosis (ATN) as a cause of delayed graft function (DGF). Results of the study showed that delay of contrast medium inflow strongly indicates delayed graft function, and may be of use in the differential diagnosis of delayed graft function. Apoptosis is a form of cell death observed in kidney grafts as a result of ischemia/reperfusion injury. Król et al. analyzed the intensity of apoptosis in renal tubules after cold storage in respect to early and 12-month post-transplant graft function. Their study showed that increased apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells after cold storage does not determine early and later kidney excretory function \[[@b9-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Kidney storage and preservation techniques ------------------------------------------ Acute graft dysfunction can be caused by ischemic damage or immunological injury leading to serious consequences both in the short- and long-term. Cold storage (CS) for less than 24 hours of cadaveric kidneys procured from hemodynamically stable donors is a safe procedure. The quality of the renal allograft and the efficacy of the preservation method are directly related to the rate of recovery of renal allograft function upon reperfusion. Although cold preservation with UW or HTK solution has been the standard for years, graft preservation with machine perfusion (MP) has become a method of choice for many centers, in part due to recent reports of superior efficacy. Kwiatkowski, in a small and non-randomized prospective study, documented that storage of kidneys by machine perfusion may improve graft survival by limiting chronic changes in renal allografts, and reduces the number of patients who return to long-term dialysis treatment post-transplant \[[@b10-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Moreover, the same authors compared the histological changes 5 to 10 years after transplantation in kidneys preserved with machine perfusion and with cold storage. In the CS group, histopathological lesions consistent with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy were more frequently encountered than in the MP group (90% *vs.* 64%, p\<0.05). Chronic rejection was more frequent in the CS group (9% *vs.* 3%, p\<0.05). The remaining lesions encountered in biopsies did not differ significantly between groups. They concluded that kidneys preserved by cold storage are more frequently affected by chronic rejection and interstitial fibrosis \[[@b11-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Over the past decade, the criteria for acceptable donor kidneys have been expanded to accommodate a rising demand for transplantation. High-risk donors include children \<5 or adults \>60 years of age, donors with significant comorbidities such as hypertension, vascular disease or diabetes mellitus, and those with renal impairment. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors pose a particularly high risk, as a combination of warm ischemic time (WIT) and CIT contribute to the level of the ischemia reperfusion injury, resulting in an extreme rate of DGF. The efficacy of the preservation method and the duration of the ischemic time, which are crucial in determining the potential for the recovery of allograft function, are even more critical when using DCD donors \[[@b12-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Moers et al. recently published results of an international, multicenter, randomized study of MP versus static CS on reducing the incidence of DGF in recipients of deceased-donor transplants \[[@b13-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Their results confirm earlier reports that preservation of deceased donor kidneys with hypothermic MP is associated with reduced incidence of DGF. Watson et al. reported the results of a multi-center trial of MP *vs.* CS for prevention of DGF in recipients of DCD organs \[[@b14-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The protocol of the study was similar to that of Moers et al. (one kidney from each donor was randomly assigned to MP and the other to CS to control for donor characteristics). Their findings do not support the general conclusions from the Moers study related to this group of high-risk donors (DCDs). Moreover, the study was stopped early after 80 patients were enrolled and no advantage of either preservation method was observed. Despite the documented positive effect of machine perfusion on a long-term kidney function, its wide use is limited due to higher costs. Wszola \[[@b15-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] analyzed the difference in costs of kidney transplantation in patients who received cold stored *vs.* machine perfused organ. Despite higher costs of machine perfusion in the first month post-transplantation, it is a cost-reducing method of renal preservation, and the costs equaled those of cold storage at the 16th month after transplantation. Since acute graft dysfunction after transplantation may lead to serious adverse consequences, there is a need for an ability to predict kidney function before transplantation. Likewise, biomarkers of immune and non-immune injury at different time-points of the transplantation are needed, beginning from potential kidney donors where acute kidney damage (AKI) can pass unnoticed, during the early post-transplant period to predict acute transplant dysfunction of various etiology, and during long-term follow-up to be aware of the cause of chronic histological changes. The implementation of novel biomarkers could increase the sensitivity of diagnosis and monitoring of kidney injury in transplant recipients. The most promising biomarkers in AKI for clinical use include a plasma panel consisting of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C, and a urine panel including NGAL, Il-18 and kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1). Most of these biomarkers were developed in a non-transplant AKI, so their role in clinical transplantation needs to be confirmed \[[@b16-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Machine perfusion has also been documented to allow forecasting delayed graft function before transplantation. Goldstein et al, in a retrospective study, analyzed the contribution of total cold ischemic time (CIT), cold static preservation time (CST), machine pulsatile preservation time (MPT), and donor and histologic parameters to delayed renal allograft function (DGF) in a cohort of 946 deceased donor kidneys, machine perfused before transplantation. They concluded that donor type, terminal eGFR, and MMRR can be used as pre-transplantation predictors of function \[[@b17-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Complications after kidney transplantation ------------------------------------------ Successful salvage of a renal allograft failing from compromised venous outflow due to acute deep venous thrombus (DVT) has not been reported in the post-operative setting. Fulton published a case report of successful renal decongestion by catheter-directed thrombolysis of the DVT with tPA through the ipsilateral popliteal vein over a 48-hour period \[[@b18-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Invasive mucormycosis is a very rare infection after kidney transplantation. In a retrospective study, Einollah reported 25 renal transplant recipients with mucormycosis \[[@b19-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The definitive diagnosis of mucormycosis was established by a biopsy specimen of the involved tissue. Overall mortality rate was 52% (n=13), and in recipients with pulmonary infection it was 100%; however, mortality rate in the rhino-cerebral form of the disease was lower (30.8%). Immunosuppression ================= In general, standard immunosuppressive regimens consist of calcineurin inhibitors (eg, tacrolimus or cyclosporine), anti-proliferative agents (eg, mycophenolate mofetil -- MMF) and corticosteroids to prevent graft rejection, along with high-dose corticosteroids, or polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies to treat rejection. Induction regimens to prevent early acute rejection have become increasingly common in recent years. Antilymphocyte globulin induction therapy has been shown to reduce the incidence of acute rejection episodes following kidney transplantation in high-risk patients as compared to induction or use of interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor antagonists. These findings are consistent with the recent recommendation from the KDIGO clinical practice guidelines. The positive effect of an ATG bolus administered during surgery has been well documented. Kaden \[[@b20-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] recently published results of long-term follow-up of kidney recipients who received deceased donor kidneys. Long-term (10 years) post-transplantation graft function was better than in patients who did not receive ATG. Schenker \[[@b21-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] recently published the results of single-dose thymoglobulin induction (1.5 mg/kg b.w. i.v.) effects of single-dose Thymoglobulin on graft and patient outcomes, with an emphasis on the differences between living-related donors (LRD) and living-unrelated donors (LURD). Despite the retrospective nature of the study, induction therapy in living donor kidney transplantation was associated with excellent patient and graft survival. Low levels of relevant complications were observed, particularly with regard to malignancy and infection rates over a mean follow-up period of 4.5 years. Dyslipidemia is an important complication affecting kidney transplant recipients. Statins, the first-line therapy, are often insufficient. Ezetimibe may be effective in combination with statin therapy. Ezetimibe is the first of a novel class of selective cholesterol absorption inhibitors recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment in the United States. Ezetimibe inhibits the absorption of biliary and dietary cholesterol from the small intestine without affecting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, triglycerides, or bile acids \[[@b22-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Rodrigues-Ferrero performed a retrospective study to determine the safety and efficacy of ezetimibe treatment in addition to statin therapy among 27 stable renal transplant patients with uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia \[[@b23-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The authors confirmed that, when combined with statin therapy, ezetimibe seemed to be a safe and effective therapy for uncontrolled dyslipidemia among renal transplant patients. Similar results were published by Niemczyk \[[@b24-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Generic Immunosuppressants ========================== Since a number innovative immunosuppressive drug patents have expired in 2009 and 2010, generic compounds have recently entered the market. There is considerable debate regarding the efficacy and safety of generic drug substitutions in solid organ transplant recipients. In November 2010, the Council of ESOT has commissioned an Advisory Committee to formulate recommendations on the use of generic drugs in solid organ transplant recipients \[[@b25-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. As a society, ESOT is not opposed to the use of generic drugs. However, in order to safeguard the substitution process of generic drugs, ESOT proposed to regulate generic substitution of the NTIDs in vulnerable patient populations. This applies to calcineurin inhibitors (ciclosporin and tacrolimus), mTOR inhibitors (sirolimus and everolimus) and mycophenolates (mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolate sodium). In order to achieve safe and controlled generic substitution, we propose detailed monitoring of the patients (ambulatory visits, drug concentration, and metabolic profile). Momper et al. \[[@b26-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] reported a study on converting liver and kidney transplant recipients from brand-name to generic tacrolimus. Drug concentrations fell on average by 15.9%, or 1.98 ng/mL in liver recipients and 11.9%, or 0.87 ng/mL in kidney recipients. The target level reported in this paper was 6--8 ng/mL for stable liver patients and 5--7 ng/mL for kidney patients. However, one-third (10/30) of the liver patients experienced a decrease of 25% or more, and one-tenth (3/30), as high as 50%. Furthermore, 2 of 30 patients had levels that increased by 50% or more. Of 30 kidney recipients, 12 had their levels fall by at least 25%, with 2 patients experiencing a decline of 50%. Only 1 patient experienced an increase of 25%. In a recent issue of the American Journal of Transplantation \[[@b27-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\], Klintmalm stressed that there is an urgent need for the US FDA to become involved in this issue and implement changes in its approval process for generics of critical-dose drugs. Several generic cyclosporine (CsA) formulations have been developed over the last decade and are now widely available. Kahn \[[@b28-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] reported results of conversion of 117 renal transplant patients to generic CsA formulation and the use of that generic preparation in 26 *de novo* patients. They concluded that stable and *de novo* renal transplant patients can be safely converted from Neoral to CicloHexal on a 1:1 dose basis. Durlik et al. \[[@b29-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] reported on the efficacy and safety of generic ciclosporin (Equoral) in renal transplant patients. Patients were administered an immunosuppressive regimen of azathioprine (or mofetil mycophenolate \[MMF\]), prednisolone and Equoral^®^ (10 mg/kg/day, given 12 hours before the patients' surgical procedure, and a maintenance ciclosporin dose of 4--6 mg/kg/day thereafter). The authors concluded that the generic ciclosporin Equoral^®^ is effective and has the usual safety and tolerability profile of ciclosporin when used as a calcineurin-inhibitor component of an immunosuppressive regimen in *de novo* renal transplant patients. Niemczyk recently reported on a 5-year follow-up of kidney transplant patients who were given *de novo* generic formulation of Cyclosporine A \[[@b30-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The patients treated with generic cyclosporine had an excellent 5-year patient and graft survival and it effectively prevented acute rejection episodes. However, most patients needed modification of the initial immunosuppressive regimen. Abdallah \[[@b31-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] reported on a comparison of original mycophenolate mofetil and its generic preparation in 18 patients who underwent kidney transplantation. The follow-up period was 2 years. Use of mycophenolate mofetil 500 provided safe and effective immunosuppressive therapy compared with mycophenolate. However, as the duration of the study was short, these results need to be confirmed in a long-term study. Abdulnour \[[@b32-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] reported retrospectively on the drug level and serum creatinine in 4 pediatric patients inadvertently switched from original tacrolimus or cyclosporine to generic preparation. Creatinine levels were similar pre- and post-switch (eGFR \>75 mL/min/1.73 m^2^) in the first 3 patients. Patient 4 experienced a biopsy-proven acute rejection immediately after switching. Mean creatinine rose from 1.15±0.05 to 2.168±0.07 after switch (p\<0.001). Given the mixed results of early data, the authors suggest careful monitoring of pediatric patients who get switched to generic tacrolimus. The main argument for the use of generic immunosuppressive preparations is that such therapy should be cost-saving. However, taking into consideration the costs of more frequent ambulatory visits with the need of drug level estimation, this may not be true. Hederman recently reported on the healthcare cost in renal transplant recipients treated with generic preparation \[[@b33-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Despite initial cost savings associated with generic CsA, *de novo* renal transplant recipients incurred greater total healthcare costs than those treated with brand-name CsA. Patients receiving generic CsA may need higher doses or other immunosuppressants to maintain the transplanted kidney than patients receiving brand-name CsA. Providers and payers need to be aware of potential differences in total healthcare costs between formulations of bioequivalent critical-dose drugs to make the best choice for patient care. Kidney Transplantation in Sensitized Patients ============================================= Despite recent advances in the field, antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains an important issue in clinical transplantation. Treatment options are limited and long-term outcomes are not good. Consequently, the presence of alloantibodies continues to be an important challenge to clinicians for providing sensitized patients or incompatible donor/recipient pairs with a suitable option for transplantation. Basu et al. reported first (n=68) and re-transplants (n=155) functional outcomes. No difference in graft survival was noted between first and re-transplanted patients \[[@b34-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Factors affecting patient survival on univariate analysis were age \>55 years (p=0.015), deceased donor transplant (p=0.009), first transplant patient (p=0.004) and diabetes mellitus (DM) as the cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) (p=0.005). On multivariable analysis, factors affecting patient survival were re-transplant *vs.* first transplant (relative risk \[RR\]=0.54, p=0.009) and cause of ESRD (DM *vs.* no DM, RR=1.91, p=0.012). Diabetes as a cause of ESRD was the only factor affecting graft survival on univariate (p=0.015) and multivariate analysis (DM *vs.* no DM, RR=1.63, p=0.017). The authors concluded that high PRA recipients of first transplants had poorer patient survival than did high PRA re-transplants. On multivariate analysis, diabetes etiology of ESRD and first transplantation were found to be independent risk factors for poorer patient survival. Results of kidney transplantation in untreated sensitized recipients with a pretransplant positive crossmatch are drastically inferior to patients with a negative crossmatch. A plasmapheresis-free protocol of desensitization of kidney transplant candidates with high Calculated Panel Reactive Antibody (CPRA) was initiated. Kozlowski et al. published the results of kidney transplantation in 5 patients with CPRA of 94±18% awaiting kidney transplant from living or deceased donors, who received rituximab (1 g × 2 doses) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG 2 g/kg × 2 doses) without plasmapheresis. Three out of 5 patients were sensitized only to class II HLA antigens. All of the candidates initially demonstrated reduction of HLA antibodies, but statistical significance was only obtained in 1 patient with class II antibody and in another with only class I. Depletion was transient, with swift antibody rebound. Rituximab effectively depleted CD20 cells in peripheral blood \[[@b35-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. They concluded that highly allo-sensitized patients with a CPRA above 85% may not benefit from a combination of rituximab-IVIG alone, and that an individualized approach to the treatment of highly sensitized patients is still required. The Roche Organ Transplantation Research Foundation (ROTRF) organized a symposium during the XXIII Congress of the Transplantation Society in Vancouver, Canada to discuss current understanding in ABMR and ways to prevent it. Bradley reported the summary of this meeting \[[@b36-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. As discussed by Dr. Denis Glotz, desensitization is the practice of eliminating pre-existing alloantibodies to reach a negative crossmatch and thus allow transplantation, as well as avoiding their adverse effects. Desensitization protocols are mainly based on the use of IVIg, either high-dose alone or in combination with rituximab, or low-dose in combination with plasma exchange. Pancreas and Pancreatic Islets Transplantation ============================================== Transplantation of the whole pancreas ------------------------------------- Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is associated with a high incidence of management problems and secondary complications. Simultaneous kidney and pancreas transplantation (SPKT) has become an effective therapy for a selected group of patients with end stage renal disease due to type 1 diabetes mellitus. The University of Minnesota Minneapolis Transplant Center has the world's largest experience in pancreas and pancreatic islets transplantation. Dr. Sutherland founded the International Transplant Registry, which collects the results of the procedures done all over the world. The results of pancreas transplantation published in 2001 \[[@b37-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] improved over the last decade. Gruessner \[[@b38-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] has recently analyzed the outcome of 25 000 cases followed-up over the course of 24 years at the International Pancreas Transplant Registry. Procedures were divided into 3 categories: simultaneous kidney pancreas transplantations (SPKT), pancreas after kidney transplantations (PAK), and pancreas transplants alone (PTA). The number of transplants was increasing until 2004 and then declined. The decrease was observed not only in PAK (50%), but also to some extent in SPKT. The tighter donor criteria could be observed (younger donors, trauma cause of death, shorter ischemia time). However, this might also have been due to improving results of islets transplantation. During the last decade incidence of serious surgical complications have decreased and immunosuppressive protocols have improved. This has led to significant improvement in patient survival and graft function in all 3 categories of pancreatic transplantation. Nevertheless, several complications still occur and affect early results of pancreas transplantation. The surgical technique used for organ procurement from deceased donors is of major importance. Different procurement techniques have been depicted for combined pancreas and liver graft retrieval, which ranged from a complete *in situ* dissection of the vascular supply before cold perfusion to rapid en bloc removal of both organs without warm dissection. Despite significant differences between these 2 techniques, duodenal stump closure is always required. Rapid en bloc technique for liver and pancreas recovery has been used by different groups around the world with slight modifications. Fridell \[[@b39-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] described multiorgan procurement technique, which can be used when both liver and pancreas are recovered for transplantation. Recently Ruy Cruiz \[[@b40-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] described a new promising technique of modified multivisceral graft procurement. Pancreas graft recipients still face a higher postoperative morbidity than in other types of solid organ transplantation \[[@b37-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Rejection and graft thrombosis are the main causes of early graft loss. Early diagnosis of pancreas graft rejection is important. There are some clinical non-invasive parameters, which let to recognize complications early, and can help to improve graft survival. Decreasing urinary amylase excretion is no longer in use since the bladder drainage technique of the transplanted pancreas is seldom used. Increasing serum amylase concentrations are not specific, and the rise of blood glucose is a relatively late indicator of pancreas allograft destruction. Complement activation might occur during rejection and thrombosis, leading to elevated complement split products. Suermann \[[@b41-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] investigated the value of serial complement split product C3d measurement in differentiation of acute rejection and graft thrombosis after pancreas transplantation. The authors found that plasma C3d levels increase during pancreas graft rejection, but not during kidney rejection. However, single C3d measurement has no predictive diagnostic value after SPKT, and routine testing cannot be recommended. The finding of decreasing C3d values suggests thrombosis. Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are among the most common causes of pancreatic graft loss and recipient death in the early period following simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK). Ziaja et al. \[[@b42-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] recently reported their experience in SPK with 46 transplants; IAI developed in 10 recipients (21.7%). More IAI recipients required transfusion of more than 2 blood units (90% *vs.* 47%, p=0.028) or relaparotomy (80% *vs.* 14%, p\<0.001) in comparison with patients without IAI. The authors concluded that perioperative blood loss requiring transfusion and necessity for relaparotomy increase the risk of IAI after SPK. Development of IAI after SPK may result in impaired kidney graft function and increases patient mortality in the early postoperative period. Pancreatic islets transplantation --------------------------------- Islet transplantation represents a good therapeutic alternative to whole pancreas allotransplantation, especially since the introduction of glucocorticoid-free immunosuppressive regimens. However, while 80% of cases achieve insulin independence at 1 year, islet function decreases steadily to 10% of insulin independence by 5 years after transplantation. Loss of islet function is not only due to immunological reasons (allotransplantation only) but also due to the site of grafting and instant blood-mediated inflammation reaction (IBMIR) and apoptosis \[[@b43-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Complications associated with intraportal islet injection and the progressive functional decline of intrahepatic islets encourages the exploration of alternative sites. Tchervenivanov was the first to show in pigs that transplantation of pancreatic islets into the submucosal space of the stomach offers minimally invasive access \[[@b44-medscimonit-17-12-ra282],[@b45-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Transplanted islets functioned well. Caiazzo also documented that autotransplantation of the islets into the gastric submucosa showed promising results and was considered a possible alternative site for islets transplantation \[[@b46-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Stomach and the gastric submucosal space are well vascularized, with a poor immunological status and easy access. Echeverri presented an interesting paper at the ATC in 2009 \[[@b47-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\], later published in the American Journal of Transplantation, documenting that islets can be transplanted endoscopically. Wszola published similar results \[[@b48-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The authors endoscopically transplanted allogeneic islets into the gastric submucosa in diabetic pigs (induced by injection of streptozotocin). Tx-group animals had a significantly lower insulin requirement and significantly lower mean glycemia since the first day post-transplantation. Liver Transplantation ===================== There has been continuous progress in surgical techniques, immunosuppressive therapy and post-transplant management in the field of liver transplantation. This progress is resulting in improved long-term survival rates, which at 1 and 5 years are now 90% and 85%, respectively, in children \[[@b49-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] and increase in graft half-life in adults to 8.5 years \[[@b50-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. This success, however, has resulted in more patients seeking liver transplantation than can be served with available grafts. To meet increasing demand, healthcare managers have been forced to look for other sources of transplantable organs, with growth of living donation programs, split livers, harvesting from donors after cardiac arrest, and intensive research in liver regeneration. Donors and recipients --------------------- A limit on deceased donor age was challenged and livers from donors over 70 years old have been used. Inferior survival was reported in univariate tests, but was not confirmed in multivariate analysis. Hepatitis C recurrence, often postulated to be graft age-dependent, in fact was not increased in this group \[[@b51-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The Berlin group were not able to find any difference in survival of \>50- or \>60-year-old donor liver recipients in comparison to younger donors. Moreover, fibrosis, inflammation and steatosis at 5-year follow-up biopsies were also similar \[[@b52-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The most experienced centers utilize the living donor pool, with development of adult-to-adult living donation programs, which although higher cost, offer improved survival and quality of life to a larger number of patients \[[@b53-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. To increase the living donation rate and meet the need in emergency situations, some centers accepted ABO-discordant donors with acceptable results after immunological preparation of the recipient \[[@b54-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] or, in very small children, even without any change in immunosuppression protocol \[[@b55-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. More and more centers have adopted DCD liver transplantation programs, with uncontrolled donors with circulatory definition of death constituting up to 10% of total donor population shortly after program initiation \[[@b56-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The results of these transplants are encouraging, with 88.9% death-censored 1-year graft survival \[[@b57-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Satisfactory results led also to broadening of the acceptance criteria of controlled DCD donors. This turned out to be completely safe for the recipients, as 1-year patient and graft survival in the extended criteria DCD group was 90%, and was not inferior to standard criteria DCD liver donors \[[@b58-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. However, to obtain results equal to those of standard brain-dead donor liver transplantation, it seems advisable to shorten cold ischemia time (CIT) of DCD livers as much as possible, as CIT is a strong predictor of primary nonfunction \[[@b59-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. A small DCD liver transplantation group of 14 pediatric recipients had outstanding patient and graft survival of 100% after a mean of 42 months follow-up, with short organ ischemia times \[[@b60-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. The sometimes desperate need for organs forces even further expansion of the limits. A discussion on utilization of extended-criteria livers from anti-HBc-positive donors was ongoing for quite some time; however, the Bolonia group have recently described a small series of transplants from HBsAg-positive donors, with satisfactory postoperative control of virus replication and no symptoms of hepatitis at 42-month follow-up \[[@b61-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Such a controversial allocation can be justified by the significant number of HBV-infected wait list candidates with HCC who, when transplanted early while still within Milano criteria, may enjoy excellent long-term results \[[@b62-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Progress in understanding liver regeneration has led to development of auxiliary liver transplantation programs for acute liver failure in young patients. Refined surgical technique, scrutiny in monitoring of the regeneration process, and slow weaning of the immunosuppression to allow graft atrophy without further complications have all recently resulted in improvement of survival, which now equals to that of whole liver replacement in acute failure \[[@b63-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. However, as acute liver failure is always an emergency situation and a transplant may not be available, research on repopulation of damaged liver with healthy hepatocytes, and thus regenerating liver function, is ongoing in animal models \[[@b64-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. There are strong suggestions that regeneration in acute liver failure may be enhanced pharmacologically with drugs such as plerixafor and G-CSF \[[@b65-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Another option for critical care in acute liver insufficiency can be artificial liver support to allow detoxification and time for auto-regeneration. Although MARS^®^ and PROMETHEUS^®^ showed no survival benefit, new devices and technologies such as albumin-leaking membranes are being tested \[[@b66-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. As hepatorenal syndrome remains an unresolved problem complicating liver failure and potentially leading also to irreversible renal failure, research on its pathophysiology and treatment is ongoing. Vasopressive therapy with terlipressin or norepinephrine has proved effective in short-term reversal of hepatorenal syndrome. Those not responding to vasoconstrictors and requiring prolonged dialysis (8--12 weeks) prior to transplantation can be good candidates for simultaneous renal transplant \[[@b67-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Those with a chance of renal function recovery can be managed with intraoperative hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration. Experience with 140 such procedures was summarized by Sedra and Strum \[[@b68-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Portopulmonary hypertension is another serious problem, with 100% and 50% mortality in liver transplant recipients with mean pulmonary artery pressure of \>50 or 35--50 mmHg, respectively. It has been shown recently that patients with portopulmonary hypertension can benefit from simultaneous liver and lung transplantation, yet very few centers worldwide are capable of performing this complicated operation \[[@b69-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Preservation ------------ In 2010--2011 some important progress in liver preservation could also be observed. Columbia University Medical Center completed a phase 1 clinical trial on hepatic machine preservation, with no case of primary nonfunction and 5% early graft dysfunction compared to 25% in the control group, lower serum injury markers and shorter hospital stay \[[@b70-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Regarding static preservation, results of a randomized study comparing IGL-1 and UW solution were published, showing similar effectiveness and significantly lower cost of IGL-1 \[[@b71-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Non-anastomotic biliary complications are severe complications of liver preservation injury, and their frequency increases with ischemia time. They constitute a major surgical problem, are very difficult to treat, and often lead to retransplant. It's difficulty is illustrated by the experience of the Neuhaus group, who after 25 endoscopic interventions in a single patient were finally forced to perform a left hemihepatectomy of the transplant \[[@b72-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Some patients may be genetically more prone to non-anastomotic strictures, and CCR5, MMP2 and MMP9 polymorphisms were known to be involved \[[@b73-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Surgical technique ------------------ Outstanding progress in surgical equipment in liver transplantation has improved technical devices, biological hemostatics, prevention and early diagnosis of coagulopathy, which all reduce the risk of intraoperative hemorrhage \[[@b74-medscimonit-17-12-ra282], [@b75-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\] and make the procedure feasible even in extreme risk Jehovah's Witnesses. In a recent review on full split liver transplantation for 2 adults, the Busuttil group showed that in selected, experienced centers this technique can be safely applied with excellent results and yields more liver grafts available for transplant, especially in emergency situations \[[@b76-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Studies on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment with liver transplantation remain the focus of various surgical teams. A new consensus for HCC treatment with liver transplantation after an experts meeting in Zurich was issued early November 2011 \[[@b77-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Among other issues, the guidelines address the problem of prioritizing HCC patients on the waiting lists over other etiologies against inferior long-term results of transplantation. Also, the role of bridge therapies -- although the level of recommendations remained low -- in prevention of waiting list dropout was emphasized. Post-operative management ------------------------- Improvement of the results in liver transplantation was in major part achieved with ameliorated post-operative medical treatment of the recipient. Emphasis shifted from treatment of rejection towards long-term survival and avoidance of immunosuppression-related complications. It is known that only a minority of long-term (\>12 months) liver transplant protocol biopsies present with normal histology, with 33% found to show features of mild but progressive idiopathic chronic hepatitis regardless of liver failure etiology, and 65% having fibrosis at 5 years. These patients are suggested to benefit from increased steroids \[[@b78-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\], yet few of them will benefit from standard anti-rejection therapies. On the other hand, many trials focus on tolerance induction and minimization protocols to reduce the rate of immunosuppression-related complications. Steroid sparing or withdrawal showed no difference in acute rejection rate, graft or patient survival \[[@b79-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Markers of operational tolerance are extensively sought, and protocols of weaning therapy in patients with stable long-term function and no signs of rejection have been tested, with 20% successful withdrawal rate \[[@b80-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. In terms of immunosuppression, a systematic Cochrane review performed in 2009 showed only minimal advantage of tacrolimus over cyclosporine for treatment of liver transplant recipients \[[@b81-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Since it can be safely converted to a once-daily regimen, tacrolimus may become a drug of choice \[[@b82-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Infections remain a serious post-operative problem in liver transplant recipients, with an increasing trend in multi-resistant bacteria. Colonization with MRSA in some centers is as high as 80% and up to 55% of VRE and infections with linezolid-resistant VRE were noted \[[@b83-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. CMV disease with aggressive forms of gastrointestinal tract infection, including gastritis, colitis and hepatitis with cholestatic pattern, are also a problem on the rise. CMV immunomodulation was lately found to occur via the interleukin 10 pathway and is responsible for higher rates of bacteriemia, and fungal and viral infections \[[@b84-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. More than half of invasive fungal infections are due to *Candida* spp. \[[@b85-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\], with a growing proportion of non-albicans species, inherently resistant to fluconazole. The most severe risk factors for Aspergillus infection are retransplantation and renal failure requiring dialysis, increasing the risk 30- and 25-fold, respectively. Mortality from invasive fungal infection remains high (25--77%), and some studies claim it to be higher than after any other organ transplantation \[[@b83-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Intestinal Transplantation ========================== The most important progress in recent years in intestinal transplantation was the significant improvement of survival, with unadjusted patient and graft 3-year survival close to 70% and 60%, and 1 year survival of 78.4% and 74%, respectively. In parallel, within the last 10 years survival on the waiting list has improved from 495 deaths/1000 patient-years at risk to less than 130 \[[@b86-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. There are more than 70 centers running or developing bowel transplant programs, with over 200 procedures performed each year worldwide. In 2008, recommendations to reduce mortality from intestinal failure, including intestinal rehabilitation, transplantation and interaction among these 2, were issued \[[@b87-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Lack of standard criteria for a deceased donor of intestinal graft remains a major obstacle to development of bowel transplantation programs, although the German Transplantation Society has issued their recommendations \[[@b88-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. In the beginning of intestinal transplantation, only the small bowel was used, to minimize the risk of complications. Lately, the majority of experienced centers consider inclusion of the colon in the transplant. Studies have shown the superiority of such a procedure in terms of quality of life, fecal continence and weaning off of parenteral nutrition \[[@b89-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. A percentage of multi-visceral transplants (which include liver and intestine and at least 1 other visceral organ: pancreas, colon or stomach) lately has risen substantially to over 25%, although they are more likely to develop GVHD, which occurs in 9% of recipients and is a potentially lethal complication \[[@b90-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. More than 70% of the recipients are on tacrolimus, and induction with antibodies (antilymphocyte globulins, daclizumab, alemtuzumab) was used in more than 80% \[[@b91-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Rejection continues to occur in approximately 50% of patients, and is an important cause of graft loss \[[@b92-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. It can be facilitated by infection, even a minor one -- in a group of 23 patients after intestinal transplant, who developed rotavirus diarrhea long-term after transplantation, acute rejection was diagnosed in 70% during or shortly after infection \[[@b93-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Noninvasive methods of testing for rejection are being sought, including bile acid analysis, laser Doppler flowmetry, serum gentamycin levels, granzyme B and perforin, plasma citrulline and stool calprotectin \[[@b94-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. Prognosis was better in recipients with negative donor-specific antibodies, those who did not have splenectomy, and those who had a liver-inclusive transplant \[[@b95-medscimonit-17-12-ra282]\]. **Source of support:** Self financing

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# Read/Write memory We've put the data into a register. But what if you have multiple data? For example, If we need to create an address book or manage credit for hundreds of students, but all data can not handle it with just a few registers. So we have to write and read data in memory. In a normal programming language, we think of a variable as a name. In C, ``int a;`` Specify a variable with the name a. But processor actually have no idea about variables. A variable is actually a name to specific location in memory. Programmers can remember the memory location because it has a name. In C, you learn the concept of pointers, which is the memory address. In assembly language, data must be available only as pointers, not name. The assembler allows you to create variable names, which is actually a gimmick. It just changes a specific memory address to a variable name. I will tell you again. The variable is gimmick. The processor does not know the name. It does not know what "a" is. The processor can understand only the address because the address is a number. (Do you understand why the number is the first one? Everything is number !!) Let's try an exercise. It is a little bit complicated, but it does not matter if you do not understand everything. Just think of code to represent the memory address. ``` org 100h mov ax, 0b800h mov ds, ax mov cl, 'A' mov ch, 11011111b mov bx, 15eh mov ds:[bx], cx ret ``` Run Notepad, type this code, save it as var.txt, and run emu8086.exe var.txt in the terminal. Then press the button called screen at the bottom of the emulator window. Then a blank window appears. Then run the program with the single step button. Did you see the pink letter A on the screen? Let's read the source. At first there is ``org 100h`` but let's ignore it for now. ``org 100h`` will just be put in the beginning of the program unconditionally. Briefly whenever you run the emulator, ip is set to 100h by ``org 100h``. So the program will be placed at 100h. It does not matter why do we need 100h, not other values for now. You can skip it because this is only for 8086 and it is not related to the processor these days. It then stores the address 0b800h in ds. You can not immediately store a value of 0b800h directly into a segment register, such as a ds register. This is a hardware limitation of the 8086 processor. It's just that the processor is designed to prevent it from doing so. So we first store the value in a general-purpose register that can be written immediately, and then copy the value of the register to ds. And ds appears again in ``mov ds:[bx], cx``. Here ``ds:[bx]`` is the representation of memory location. In the previous article, I mentioned that the memory address is represented by a combination of the segment address and the general purpose register. Since ds has a value of 0b800h and bx has a value of 15eh, ``ds:[bx]`` refers to the address 0b8000h + 15eh. And what is the [] for? ``mov bx, cx`` is a command to copy the value of the cx register to the bx register. If you have a memory address in bx and want to issue a command to put cx in the memory location stored in bx, wrap bx with []. So in the end it will be ``mov [bx], cx`` or ``mov ds:[bx], cx``. The ds can be omitted because ds is default segment register. When the processor calculates the memory address, it reads ds if no segment register is specified.(Note 1) Switch to ``mov [bx], cx``. The result is the same. Then 'A' is written to cl register. This is the character to be printed on the screen. You can use either of '1' or 'b'. The single quotes refer to the ASCII code of the character. If you don't know the ASCII code, just think of 'A' as the letter A itself. ch has a strange value, which means that the character will be white color on the pink color background. The bx register indicates a location of the character on the screen. Do you remember the old 386AT computer? It had black and white screen or green screen and it had a CRT monitor. At that time, the screen was not the screen where the graphic is displayed like the window of the present. It was able to print only 80 characters on a line and 25 lines on screen. That's the screen you see right now on the emulator. The emu8086 emulates the screen output of the old days. When printing one character on the old screen, you have to write 2 bytes. The screen is 160 bytes per line because a single line can output 80 characters. What is 15eh(350 in decimal)? The offsets of characters on first line is 0,2,4...158, the second line is 160,162,164...318, the third line is 320..., so 350 is displayed on the third line. And where is it printed in the third line? 350 - 320 = 30. And 2 bytes per character. So 30 refers to the 15th position. It is natural that you do not understand and think it is difficult. It would be comforting to know how many people do not understand the concept of C language pointers and then give up computer science and change their major in electronics / electrical engineering. It is natural if you have never used mathematics in this way. How to printing a character does not matter. If you do not understand, just turn it over. You only need to know ``ds:[bx]``. What we need to learn here is not how many positions are on the screen, but how to specify a specific location in memory. Again, ``ds:[bx]`` is the expression that ``ds:bx`` is a memory address and not a register value. The final ret command is the command to end the program. --- Note1: A regsister to store the memory address. Do not you remember something? Yes, the bx register is just a pointer to the C language. Pointers are just integer values when read. However, if you append an asterisk, it recognizes the variable as a memory address and accesses the memory. The ``*`` operator in C has become [] in the assembly language. To be precise, [] is inherited from C language to ``*``. Do you know that? The C language was created to make a language that is a bit easier for the assembly language programmer, but more powerful and flexible. So after you study assembly language, C language will look different. You will become a human compiler, you will see what assembly instructions correspond to C language code. It's becoming Neo of the Matrix.

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Peace in Israel: A Jewish Perspective Peace in Israel is possible, but ultimately not through the force of arms. The State of Israel may be 58 years old, but we are still fighting for our existence. We do not need the experts to tell us that this ceasefire is merely a respite; experience has taught us that lasting peace in the Middle East is a chimera. The Declaration of Independence in 1948 defines the State of Israel as a Jewish country. No other country on earth is defined in terms of its religion. There are many countries where the majority of the population is Moslem or Christian, but a Christian has no right of return to England or France or the United States, nor will Egypt or Iran accept every Moslem. Every Jew, however, has the right of return and can become an Israeli citizen on demand. Why? Because Israel is the Jewish homeland and a place of refuge for world Jewry. This is an inspiring concept, but it presents the Jewish people with an extremely challenging issue; how to define a Jew. It is absurd to call yourself a Jewish country if you have no clear idea of what being Jewish means, and yet that is precisely our situation. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE To appreciate the problem from a Torah standpoint, we need some historical perspective. At the time of the Exodus over 3,000 years ago, the world Jewish population stood at well over a million. All things being equal, the Jewish population today should be roughly equivalent to the Chinese; yet there are only 14 million Jews worldwide. No doubt this enormous discrepancy is partially attributable to our blood drenched history, but most of the attrition in our numbers is the result of fallout. It took a lot of self-sacrifice to be Jewish throughout most of recorded history, and many Jews elected to drop out under compulsion or when the opportunity presented itself. For example, in 1492 when the Jews of Spain were faced with the choice of conversion or expulsion, two thirds elected to convert rather than face exile. As the creation of the Inquisition attests, this conversion was no more than lip service, but over the course of generations these Jews disappeared entirely. Five hundred years down the road it is impossible to distinguish between the descendants of these conversos and ordinary Spaniards. We owe the survival of the Jewish people to the Jews who chose to pay the cost of being Jewish in a hostile world. We owe the survival of the Jewish people and therefore by extension, the existence of the modern Jewish state, to the Jews who elected to remain in the fold throughout the ages and pay the cost of being Jewish in a hostile world. The most recent evidence of the enormous cost of being Jewish is the Holocaust, an unprecedented phenomenon in human history. Not that genocide is rare, but systematic genocide on such an enormous scale when there is no territorial dispute between the contending racial groups to trigger the violence has no historic parallel. The Holocaust in particular has a special connection with the establishment of the modern State of Israel. The collective guilt and horror of the nations of the world at the immensity of the atrocity perpetrated against the Jewish people was the major factor behind the recognition granted by the international community to the nascent Jewish state. For a brief moment, the peoples of the world recognized the necessity of a Jewish refuge. The State of Israel was paid for with Jewish blood -- the blood of the six million victims of the Holocaust as well as all the Jewish blood spilled over the last 2,000 years. MODERN ISRAEL The majority of Israelis are secular and perceive themselves as members of the developed world; the aspirations of the modern Israeli are more or less the same as the aspirations of Western Europeans or Americans. Walking around Haifa or Tel Aviv feels little different than walking around Manhattan, Los Angeles or Toronto. The cars and buildings are not as big, but the people look and feel the same except that the language is Hebrew instead of English. We have a long, long way to go before reaching end of Jewish history. Is this what all the bloodshed, suffering and self-sacrifice of the past 2,000 years were about? Is this an appropriate culmination of the mighty heritage of the Jewish people? Did the heroic Jews of history surrender their lives to preserve their faith and stubbornly cling to their unique Sinaic covenant so that their descendants could enjoy the "good life" in the Holy Land and recreate a Hebrew speaking version of New York? Modern Israel is not the culmination of Jewish history. It may be a step toward the fulfillment of our destiny, but given the fact that there is nothing particularly Jewish about happily pursuing the "good life" sheltered and protected by the might of the Israeli army, it is clear that we have a long, long way to go before reaching end of Jewish history. THE DIVINE RESPONSE The Almighty has made a covenant and He will not allow Jewish destiny to slip into oblivion. If the present situation in Israel fails to justify the existence of a Jewish state, Divine Providence will by necessity react with a tailor-made response designed to deliver the clear message that the Jewish nation requires. Israel will not be allowed to simply live peacefully here in the Holy Land when a wake up call is in order. World Jewry and in particular Israeli Jews will be forced to confront the issue of their Jewishness and to reflect on the significance of living in a Jewish country. We are compelled to face these issues existentially when we are forced to pay a price for being Jewish in a Jewish country. Jews are an extraordinary people. When I encounter non-Jews, I always attempt to enquire if they have any idea how many Jews there are in the world. The general response is hundreds of millions. This makes sense to me. Who could really believe that a people who are less than one percent of the world population could accomplish so much? Jews have won 30 percent of the Nobel prizes in science since they were awarded. Much of the intellectual progress made in the 20th century was fueled by the ideas of three Jewish thinkers: Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. Jews are an appreciable percentage of the intelligentsia of the developed world; they are doctors, lawyers, professors, writers etc. out of all proportion to their numbers. In prestigious universities they are a large percentage of the student body. Jews are at the forefront of all movements for social justice, and despite their relatively tiny numbers are responsible for a lot of the philanthropy in the Western world. They have managed to rebuild the Jewish state after a 2,000 year hiatus and to revive a dead language, both unprecedented accomplishments in the annals of human history. Jews themselves are the only people in the world who do not realize how special they are. The desire to fit in and be like everyone else prevents them from focusing on the significance of their Jewishness and reaching clarity about what being a Jew means. There is little urgency in defining a Jew if Jews are identical to other people anyway. They need to be reminded that they have a unique historic mission which sets them apart, and it is essential to their security and well being to understand this mission and define it clearly. Divine Providence will present them with thought-provoking stimuli whenever they show signs of ignoring their Jewishness and abandoning their mission. CONFRONTAION There is no question that a terrorist is fully accountable for his evil acts. It goes without saying that anyone who commits indiscriminate horrors in God's name will ultimately suffer due retribution. In addition to this fact, let us touch on the behind-the-scenes workings of Divine Providence that transcend the willing agents of destruction. God will not let us ignore the question. The suicide bomber who blows up a bus and the Hezbollah terrorist who aims his Katyusha rockets at innocent people with the declared intent of killing as many Jews as possible are powerful spiritual stimuli. They force Israelis to confront the existential issue of their Judaism. Why us? Why is it our fate to suffer bloodshed no matter how reasonable we try to be and no matter how many withdrawals we make? Why is it necessary in today's world, where civil rights have finally become entrenched in all developed countries, to maintain a Jewish enclave in the Middle East at such great cost? If we are really no different than other people, why is it worth sacrificing our children's lives to maintain a Jewish State? Perhaps we would be better off in the U.S. or Europe? God will not let us ignore the question. The Jewish people signed a solemn agreement with God to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation". This undertaking is our social contract; it defines our place in the world as God's representatives. And this is especially true about the Land of Israel. The Almighty's promise to Abraham to deliver the land to his children is clearly conditional on their observance of their covenant with God. For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of God, doing charity and justice, in order that God might then bring upon Abraham that which he had spoken about (Genesis 18,19). Peace in Israel is possible, but ultimately not through the force of arms. Our forefathers who were driven out of Israel twice knew this well, and Divine Providence treated them with greater severity than it treats us. Instead of sending them a wake-up call, Divine Providence banished them altogether. In contrast, the typical modern Israeli is ignorant of the need to hold on to the Covenant of Abraham in order to hold on to his country. Providence will not banish him; it will provide him with stimuli to prompt a series of soul-searching questions that if taken to heart, could provoke genuine change. This is no doubt painful, but the thrust is entirely benevolent. In Jewish thought ignorance is never bliss and the acquisition of knowledge is always painful. But through the workings of Providence, the Jewish people are learning. When the lesson is fully internalized there will be lasting peace. Related Articles: About the Author While studying at the famed yeshivas of Chaim Berlin, Lakewood and the Mir in Jerusalem, Rabbi Noson Weisz also received a degree in Microbiology from the University of Toronto, MA in Political Science at the New School for Social Research and his LLB from the University of Toronto. Rabbi Weisz is currently a senior lecturer at Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem. Visitor Comments: 39 (39) Anonymous, August 28, 2006 12:00 AM This is so true, though I certainly encounter Jews in Israel who might not consider themselves religious as such but nevertheless are partially observant and/or proud of our heritage. I believe that we need to learn to be far less divisive though also sensitive to our differences, remembering that the many who hate us do not differentiate between those of us who are observant and those who are non-observant. All that matters is that we are Jews. People do not normally become more observant when treated disrespectfully, but are more likely to respond with kindness, acceptance and a genuine attempt to be understanding of where someone is at. I truly believe that Hashem is bringing His people home, home to orthodox Judaism and home to the country of Israel, with many baal teshuvas and also people not halachically Jewish but with Jewish neshamas who are converting in larger numbers than for many centuries. With regard to those treading the difficult path of a ger, all dayanim need to be aware that a genuine convert does not in reality "choose" his or her path any more than a born Jew - if the Jewish spark that Hashem gave you at birth has woken up and is sufficiently strong, you have to come home whatever it takes and can no longer truly live a life worthy of the name until you reach the mikvah. Unnecessary bureaucracy and lengthy delays in some places sometimes of up to several years, injustice and even downright cruelty from a few need to be replaced with fair, honest, just and sensitive scrutiny from all rabbis with a depth of spiritual understanding, integrity and wisdom, and a concern not to add any more suffering than is truly necessary to the immense trauma, confusion and pain that is already inherent in the genuine conversion experience. Beyond the criticism, because we are all human and can all make mistakes and sometimes be less than noble in our personal motivations, ultimately, I believe we need to be aware that the true protection for Israel comes from Hashem. It seems that sometimes what we perceive as bad at the time, difficult and unjust suffering, actually opens up the possibility of transformation and growth in ways that would otherwise not develop. And it is when we have tried our best and everything seems impossibly difficult that we need to trust Hashem and His protection which He has promised the Jewish people all the more, because that is when Divine Providence can step in, in unexpected and awesome ways. The same infinite G-d who opened a way through the Red Sea and sustained our ancestors with miracles in the Desert has not changed and has the same infinite power as before. And the covenants made with Avraham and with Moshe are just as binding today as when our people were at Sinai. If the Creator of the entire Universe chooses not to use His power or to reveal it in ways that we ask Him to do, it is not because He cannot do so but rather He has chosen not to at that time. But when He does, it can be totally beyond our wildest expectations. (38) Corena, August 27, 2006 12:00 AM An education I needed This is truly freedom of speech. (37) R.Wise(FFB), August 27, 2006 12:00 AM Rabbi Weisz, First of all, kol hakovod to you and others in the kiruv movement who are dedicated to bringing Torah to the uneducated. Your article seems to be focused on the typical modern Israeli who is "ignorant of the need to hold on to the Covenant of Abraham in order to hold on to his country." The key word that I picked up in your statement was "ignorant." And one who is ignorant of Torah or lacks an education is often referred to as a "tinok shenishbah." So if he is a "tinok shenishbah", he requires a role model to envelop him with love and to teach him. Who are the role models if not for the educated within the Orthodox community? But the role models are not necessarily demonstrating exemplary character traits. Perhaps the soul-searching questions should be asked by the role models. I wonder -- are they in fact modeling the 13 attributes of Hashem toward one another and toward the tinok shenishboh? (36) Miriam Grossman, August 26, 2006 12:00 AM from a BT Rabbi Weisz, It is very inspiring to see large observant families in cities like Toronto, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles. Israeli streets are filled with the young and the old who are steeped in Torah. In addition, we are living to see more and more Jews coming back to traditional Judaism. We are blessed that you and your colleagues are in the kiruv movement and that you dedicate yourselves to teaching thousands of Jews how to live more Jewishly. Just think of all that Aish HaTorah and other such organizations have done to repair the damage done by secularism. Those Jews who are less observant have fewer children and the non Orthodox Jewish movements are beginning to fail. It is very sad to see so many of our people losing their Jewish identities, but I believe that we are also seeing a rebirth of traditional Judaism. Please keep these positive thoughts in your heart. You touch many people with your wisdom. I cannot thank you enough.May Hashem bless Am Yisroel with a life of Torah and peace. (35) jeanne stern, August 25, 2006 12:00 AM excellent short biography Unhappily my daughter has no idea of the history of our people. She thinks we are taking the land from the Arabs. I'm horrified at her ignorance. Thank you for your help. (34) Natan, August 25, 2006 12:00 AM We are not prophets Great article, BUT:Although I agree that we need to adhere to Torah law, we are NOT prophets - we can not know with certainty why G-d has caused the recent war (or any of them). It may be a reward in the long term (we don't know how it will play out). Basically, we can't blame a particular segment of Jews for any particular problem. Maybe G-d caused the war because the observant Jews (I am observant) who should be doing better (because they know better) are failing in thier responsibilities.Also, you state:"Providence will not banish him; it will provide him with stimuli to prompt a series of soul-searching questions that if taken to heart, could provoke genuine change."There is no reason to assume that G-d will not banish Jews from Israel between now and Mashiach - it is a possibility. (33) rpd, August 25, 2006 12:00 AM When the lesson is fully internalized there will be lasting peace? So, wasn't the moshiach supposed to be the one to bring genuine peace (32) yaakov, August 24, 2006 12:00 AM Of course it's not all or nothing The point Moishe makes below is true -- we need to show the beauty of Judaism and the depth of its wisdom to interest non-religious Jews. Aish HaTorah is exceptional at doing this, and from what I've seen and heard, goes out of its way to point out that "it's not all or nothing." Just read the Bacon article that's on Aish.com this week -- that's the whole point of the piece!That said, all this needs to be balanced with the occassional dose of Truth, and Rabbi Weisz is making a number of essential points that very few seems to be saying. Intelligent Jews -- relgious and not relgious -- can handle it. (31) ray, August 24, 2006 12:00 AM from R.Aharon Leib Shteinman I read from Rabbi Shteinman that the problems today are due to selfishness: "The foundation and the root of all the troubles today is due to bad midos (character traits). Everyone looks only at himself and his situation. The whole world is burning and he's focused only on his own self." (30) Jack Harris, August 24, 2006 12:00 AM Finally, the truth. It is my desire to further propagate the truth that you have presented so well. Jack Harris (29) Anonymous, August 23, 2006 12:00 AM God bless Israel my prayers and concerns are for Israel i do not understand these other countries that are so full of hate, hate from satan himself,,God will protect Israel, God gave that land to Israel, God will NOT let the land of Israel go to anyone else no matter what they do. (28) RICHARD WALD, August 23, 2006 12:00 AM RABBI WEISZ HITSTHE NAIL ON THE HEAD RABBI WEISZ HAS POINTED OUT WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM US BY HASHEM. SADLY THERE AREJEWSWHO ARE SO FAR FROM YIDDISHKEIT NOT BY CHOICE BUT BY NEVER BEING SHOWN THE TRUTH THAT IT WILL BE A SLOW PROCESS TO OPEN THEIR EYES AND HEARTS. BORUCH HASHEM, SLOWLY BUT SURELY, THEIR IS A RETURN. AS IT SAYS IN NOVI (THE PROPHETS) THERE WILL COME A TIME OF HUNGER- NOT FOR BREAD OR FOR WATER BUT FOR THE WORD OF HASHEM. THAT TIME HAS COME. WHEN ENOUGH JEWS JOIN IN THE HUNGER, MASCHIACH WILL ARRIVE. HASHEM WILLING IT WILL BE SOON, IN OUR TIME. (27) moishe, August 23, 2006 12:00 AM correction and suggestion it is terrible to say that "the acquisition of knowledge is always painful"...and it is incorrect. and, if you really want to reach the Jews who don't know and aren't interested in their traditions, you're going to have to communicate in a way that brings them closer. one of the main problems religious people have in relating to the non-religious is the idea that you have to do everything. this kills any and all inspiration and hope. when you communicate a respect for gradual growth, respect for where the person is, and an appreciation for their situation, then the encouragement to be more observant takes a firmer hold. and, one cannot present Jewish history like you do, in such painful way, and expect non-observant people to be receptive. sure people need to know the truth etc; however, it is much more effective to show the beauty, depth, meaning and lasting value of, for example, the hassidic thought of the tanya, reb nachman, hassidic stories, applying the parsha to today. the intent of this piece is good, and the factual information is necessary, but the presentation misses the essential point: to bring Jewish people back to the home of their soul. when will the majority of observant Jews get this?? chabad seems to do a pretty good job. (26) David Cristalinas, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM History books are made by the victorious at the space of time. Ref: Peace in Israel,August 22, 2006. This Article is very interesting, and very complex, can lead to many different opinions and discussions. Sence this article addresses the witness of the divine, therefore I must address the terms required by the divine under the laws of the Torah, for Israel to be under the shield and protection of peace and blessings. It is important to study Torah every day and as often as possible, for it is not only a Spiritual enlightenting and moral guide, but also a written agreement between g-d and the Israelites past, present, and FUTURE.As said, the history of the grypto-Judio, is very complex and long to addresses in a simple paragraph as layed in this article. (25) Bob Bell, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM Repent Habakkuk ch.2,verse4 There is your beginning...seek him...his word...his Torah...a right relation with G-d thru faith...Abraham did (24) Anonymous, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM The present happenings in the middle-east has always saddened me and I pray for Divine intervention to bring peace to every country in the ME. Israel has always been close to my heart because the foundation of my faith (RC) began from the Jewish people. The few articles i have read so far has really touched my heart. We are all praying for you. (23) Rob van Dijk, Amsterdam, Netherlands, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM going on So might Rav Weisz's ideas in the wrong heads lead to selfrighteousness, bigottry and non-tolerance! (22) sonia soto, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM peace in Israel I`m not a jewish, I`m Puerto Rican woman, an as proud I`m feel, any human being deserve to feelthe proud of the heritage,and jews are not less value of any other human,your race,have the bleesing of our creator.through thatdivine word, we all can exist today.SHALLOM.Att.Sonia Soto (21) miri, August 22, 2006 12:00 AM brilliant article!!! the question now is- how do we get this powerful and urgent message to ALL jews? (20) Anonymous, August 21, 2006 12:00 AM Jewish -Religion or Culture In order to try to understand what is happening in the middle east, I find myself at different web pages, sites, with different perspectives. Here, I am still confused. I thought I understood that "Jewish" was "a people", a culture, and/or, for those following a specific religion, a Religion. Thus, there could be Jews who followed other religions or people of other cultures who followed the Jewish Religion. Is this not correct? In the article I was reading By Rabbi Noson Weisz he refers to the small number of Jews in the world and the establishment of the Jewish State as based upon the Religion, unlike other countries. Are there not many Jewish people, perhaps of the Jewish Religion, perhaps not, in the world? Is this a Religious State, rather than one based on a people? I am confuse. Thanks! (19) Ray Kliewer, August 21, 2006 12:00 AM Praying for the Peace of Israel. Though I'm a Christian, I've studied scripture enough to know that the roots of my faith rest solely on the Foundation is Judaism, Abraham, Moses and the Prophets. God chose Israel to be His and I believe they are (Israel) is still "The Apple of His Eye."I shudder to think that anyone could believe they are doing God's will by blowing themselves up or killing "His Children." Yes, tribulation and distruction will come but woe the one's who brings or indorses it. Personally, I do believe we will again see His Divine Intervention.I appreciate your thoughts and words - and I DO pray for the Peace of Israel. (18) Sigmund Alexander, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Jews are God's chosen people As a Christian, who studies the Bible,I am well aware that Jews are the chosen people; but I am eternally thankful that it is they brought God to the Gentiles. (17) David Solomon, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Our only legitimate claim to Israel is as The People of G-d Jews have not suffered the hatred of the world and repeated attempts by nations of the world to destroy us just so one day we could live in Israel and live lives totally divorced from G-d! We Jews are not like other nations! We are called--chosen, if you will--to be the vessel by which all mankind would be blessed! The security of Israel does not rest on military might and nuclear weapomns: Israel's security rest on the loving arms of The G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! (16) Anonymous, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Great article Your explanation of Jewish heritage and Israel's purpose of existence is the best I've heard ever!God Bless you. (15) Anonymous, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM One word BS"DDear Rabbi Noson.Only one word for our article:S U P E R B.By the way and using the opportunity to wright to the public view, I wander my self, if we could ask You something, Aish: why don´t You build a T.V. station, like Aish.NN and put all your stuff to the open public???Hashem Bless You All. (14) Michelle Bergeron, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Great I totally agree, thank you. Wonderful article!! (13) tarcisio martini, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM BEM LONGE, MAS PERTO DO SANGUE. I am very far, in thhere we arrived due to inquisition, e brazil. but, we make the difference. the difference of having Abraham's blood. (12) Gloria Armus, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Awakening... Rabbi Weisz has just opened my 71-year-old eyes! He is absolutely correct! If Jews are not behaving as God intended we are not serving our purpose. We, as Jews, have an obligation to the Convenant of Abraham. If we refuse to learn ourselves, what is it that we have the right to 'teach'? Here in the US (California, even the Kaballah is UP FOR SALE. Everything is a money-making proposition. Donations I can understand, but profiteering? Sometimes I think we're going backward instead of forward. It's too easy to get caught up in the creature comforts of the modern world and forget our origins... our PURPOSE. (11) Malka Goldgerg, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM I am a Jewess I appreciate your writing of the State of Israel, but I think we need to look at the weightier matters of the "state of Israel" and that God Almighty does indeed have a providencial plan for His people. The Jewish person of today is mixed into the crowd so well that we do not know where he or she is. But God did call us to be a peculiar people, sanctified, set apart from others. He chose Israel out of His own will to do this. Your people and mine, the Jewish people were given the land of Israel. Another way of describing the Jewish people from The Holy Scriptures is that God called us "stiff-necked". This means we are stubborn to God's leading and He was disappointed with His people. Don't you think that if we, as a people who are called by God to be His own would have done which is right? No, instead we have continues to complain as we have done from the Exodus till now. And if you really see the book of Judges, when we did right in our own sight, things continued to go wrong. There is a pattern with us. We never seem to listen to God, but to ourselves and that will always mess us up. God's way is the right way. We do not have eyes to see or ears to hear. Sometimes I believe if things are not changing we need to stop, and ask God "what am I missing" and He will show us. There will be peace in the state of Israel but only when the Jewish people truly look to God. (10) Dave Grilli, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Re: When When you call on his name the only name that saves will your enemies be laid at your feet. The name is in the Torah and Prophets. They are your enemies that want to drive you into the Sea and your Nation cease to exist. Take what is ours and don't look back. (9) Sol Chazan, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM The three people that you call most influential among 20th century thinkers,were totaly secular Jews.n\Any comment? (8) gila perach, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM who is the earthly arbiter? As you say yourself above, as a people, we are making our contributions. We do strive toward charity and justice and toward its ever improvement. "Secular" Israel IS different from the rest of the western secular world, despite similarities. What we need is Jewish unity and mutual respect for one another, Klal Yisrael. Each according to his abilites serves as a Gd's holy person on earth. (7) Paul Cohen, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Democracry not godly Israel is putting her trust in man. Democracry is not godly, as much of the West thinks and acts. It is not a form of government, but God Himself that Israel must put her trust in. (6) Hal, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Marx does not represent intellectual progress I liked most of this article, but I take strong exception to the statement that much of the 20th Century's intellectual progress was due to Marx, Freud and Einstein. Karl Marx founded a false religion which has the blood of about 100 million people on its hands, according to the "Black Book of Communism", which added the death tolls from the Ukranian famine, the Stalinist purges, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the Khmer Rouge, the North Korean famine, and purges in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere. 100 million people is equivalent to 1 out of every 3 Americans, or more than 16 times the size of the Holocaust. Marx should be a symbol of shame, not progress. (5) Charles H. Allen III, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Why are there so many Jews in this country, (USA), opposed to Israel? Why are they not more supportive? Why are their politics so liberal and anti-Jewish? (4) Folke Holtz, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM The only way-teshuvah Then I saw on Jerusalemnews about those that had return to the northen Israel, there was a view of young israelies in the discotec, dansing in the halfdark big room.I would have liked to see young israelies stanindg in the north after reatunring to the Northen Israel, be standing and praying to haShem. It must be a awaiking among all the young generation of the importance of the Torah and Hashem.Otherwise Israel could go under. (3) E.D., August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Mistakes in the article 1) "No other country on earth is defined in terms of its religion." Not true. The Vatican is officially Catholic, many of the Middle Eastern countries are officially Muslim, and some European countries are officially Christian/Democratic. 2) "The majority of Israelis is secular" - Should read "are secular," of course. 3) As an Israeli, I think the Rabbi has underestimated the Jews of Israel and painted them with a broad brush (many of us our religious, and even those who appear secular may be quite spiritual) (2) Rena Groot, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM Am Yisrael Chai!!!!!!! The article by Rabbi Weisz "Peace in Israel" is excellent. I pray Israel as a nation will soon wake up to their call to be a peculiar people ... a people of Covenant with Almighty God...set apart by God. Only then will they be safe... then God Himself will fight for israel as in days of old. Am Yisrael chai!!! (1) james l. wade, August 20, 2006 12:00 AM excellent article I am a Christian in the US who prays for your country and its people. This was a thought provoking writing! I trust the author and most of its readers will understand that GOD indeed, is in charge, and has a plan for Israel. I'm told that it's a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. This puzzles me, because to my understanding, it is not considered a good thing to become intoxicated, period. One of the characteristics of the at-risk youth is their use of drugs, including alcohol. In my experience, getting drunk doesn't reveal secrets. It makes people act stupid and irresponsible, doing things they would never do if they were sober. Also, I know a lot about the horrible health effects of abusing alcohol, because I work at a research center that focuses on addiction and substance abuse. Also, I am an alcoholic, which means that if I drink, very bad things happen. I have not had a drink in 22 years, and I have no intention of starting now. Surely there must be instances where a person is excused from the obligation to drink. I don't see how Judaism could ever promote the idea of getting drunk. It just doesn't seem right. The Aish Rabbi Replies: Putting aside for a moment all the spiritual and philosophical reasons for getting drunk on Purim, this remains an issue of common sense. Of course, teenagers should be warned of the dangers of acute alcohol ingestion. Of course, nobody should drink and drive. Of course, nobody should become so drunk to the point of negligence in performing mitzvot. And of course, a recovering alcoholic should not partake of alcohol on Purim. Indeed, the Code of Jewish Law explicitly says that if one suspects the drinking may affect him negatively, then he should NOT drink. Getting drunk on Purim is actually one of the most difficult mitzvot to do correctly. A person should only drink if it will lead to positive spiritual results - e.g. under the loosening affect of the alcohol, greater awareness will surface of the love for God and Torah found deep in the heart. (Perhaps if we were on a higher spiritual level, we wouldn't need to get drunk!) Yet the Talmud still speaks of an obligation on Purim of "not knowing the difference between Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman." How then should a person who doesn't drink get the point of “not knowing”? Simple - just go to sleep! (Rama - OC 695:2) All this applies to individuals. But the question remains - does drinking on Purim adversely affect the collective social health of the Jewish community? The aversion to alcoholism is engrained into Jewish consciousness from a number of Biblical and Talmudic sources. There are the rebuking words of prophets - Isaiah 28:1, Hosea 3:1 with Rashi, and Amos 6:6, and the Zohar says that "The wicked stray after wine" (Midrash Ne'alam Parshat Vayera). It is well known that the rate of alcoholism among Jews has historically been very low. Numerous medical, psychological and sociological studies have confirmed this. The connection between Judaism and sobriety is so evident, that the following conversation is reported by Lawrence Kelemen in "Permission to Receive": When Dr. Mark Keller, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, commented that "practically all Jews do drink, and yet all the world knows that Jews hardly ever become alcoholics," his colleague, Dr. Howard Haggard, director of Yale's Laboratory of Applied Physiology, jokingly proposed converting alcoholics to the Jewish religion in order to immerse them in a culture with healthy attitudes toward drinking! Perhaps we could suggest that it is precisely because of the use of alcohol in traditional ceremonies (Kiddush, Bris, Purim, etc.), that Jews experience such low rates of alcoholism. This ceremonial usage may actually act like an inoculation - i.e. injecting a safe amount that keeps the disease away. Of course, as we said earlier, all this needs to be monitored with good common sense. Yet in my personal experience - having been in the company of Torah scholars who were totally drunk on Purim - they acted with extreme gentleness and joy. Amid the Jewish songs and beautiful words of Torah, every year the event is, for me, very special. Adar 12 marks the dedication of Herod's renovations on the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 11 BCE. Herod was king of Judea in the first century BCE who constructed grand projects like the fortresses at Masada and Herodium, the city of Caesarea, and fortifications around the old city of Jerusalem. The most ambitious of Herod's projects was the re-building of the Temple, which was in disrepair after standing over 300 years. Herod's renovations included a huge man-made platform that remains today the largest man-made platform in the world. It took 10,000 men 10 years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount; the Western Wall that we know today is part of that retaining wall. The Temple itself was a phenomenal site, covered in gold and marble. As the Talmud says, "He who has not seen Herod's building, has never in his life seen a truly grand building." Some people gauge the value of themselves by what they own. But in reality, the entire concept of ownership of possessions is based on an illusion. When you obtain a material object, it does not become part of you. Ownership is merely your right to use specific objects whenever you wish. How unfortunate is the person who has an ambition to cleave to something impossible to cleave to! Such a person will not obtain what he desires and will experience suffering. Fortunate is the person whose ambition it is to acquire personal growth that is independent of external factors. Such a person will lead a happy and rewarding life. With exercising patience you could have saved yourself 400 zuzim (Berachos 20a). This Talmudic proverb arose from a case where someone was fined 400 zuzim because he acted in undue haste and insulted some one. I was once pulling into a parking lot. Since I was a bit late for an important appointment, I was terribly annoyed that the lead car in the procession was creeping at a snail's pace. The driver immediately in front of me was showing his impatience by sounding his horn. In my aggravation, I wanted to join him, but I saw no real purpose in adding to the cacophony. When the lead driver finally pulled into a parking space, I saw a wheelchair symbol on his rear license plate. He was handicapped and was obviously in need of the nearest parking space. I felt bad that I had harbored such hostile feelings about him, but was gratified that I had not sounded my horn, because then I would really have felt guilty for my lack of consideration. This incident has helped me to delay my reactions to other frustrating situations until I have more time to evaluate all the circumstances. My motives do not stem from lofty principles, but from my desire to avoid having to feel guilt and remorse for having been foolish or inconsiderate. Today I shall... try to withhold impulsive reaction, bearing in mind that a hasty act performed without full knowledge of all the circumstances may cause me much distress. With stories and insights, Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...

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Ishant Sharma to miss 1st ODI against England India Paceman Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the first One-dayer against England due to mild ankle sprain. Written by Indo-Asian News Service Read Time: 1 mins New Delhi: India suffered a big setback ahead of the first one-dayer against England with pace bowling hero Ishant Sharma being ruled out of the first game due to a mild ankle injury. The lanky Ishant, who bagged the man-of-the-series honour in the recent Test series against Australia with 15 wickets, has been advised rest for five days which has also put a question mark on his avaibility for the second match in Indore on Monday. "Ishant Sharma has got a mild ankle sprain and he has been advised rest for five days. He is undergoing his rehabilitation at present and is making good progress. Hence he would not be available for the first ODI against England", the BCCI said in a press release. The BCCI has not named a substitute for Ishant in the 15-member ODI squad which has three specialist pacemen in Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and Rudra Pratap Singh. Ishant's injury could now pave the way for RP Singh to feature in the opening match on Friday. Ishant has made a big impact with his exploits in recent times with many experts predicting a bright future for the 20-year-old Delhi speedster. England will play seven One-dayers and two Tests during their tour of India.

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In 2007, Russell Caso had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1343 and 1346, based on certain conduct during his employment as U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon’s chief of staff. Caso was sentenced to three years’ probation, including a 170-day term of home confinement. In entering its plea agreement with Caso, the government had forgone the right to charge Caso also with a violation of the false statements statute for failing to include certain payments on his annual disclosure statement required by virtue of his status as a federal employee. Shortly after Caso was sentenced, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Skilling v. United States, 130 S. Ct. 2896 (2010) – a decision that substantially limited the permissible reach of Section 1346, the honest-services fraud statute – with the result that Caso was indisputably innocent of the crime for which he was charged and convicted. The government did not dispute this point but nevertheless opposed Caso’s motion to vacate his conviction. The government argued that Caso had procedurally defaulted his Skilling challenge because he had not directly appealed his conviction on the ground that the conduct to which he pleaded did not constitute an offense, and therefore was barred from raising this issue on a habeas petition. The government also argued that Caso had failed to satisfy the narrow conditions for excusing such a default that the Supreme Court set out in Bousley v. United States, 523 U.S. 614 (1998): (1) “cause” for the default and “actual prejudice” resulting therefrom; or (2) that the defendant is “actually innocent.” In denying Caso’s petition (which argued only the second of these exceptions), the District Court agreed with the government, and focused on the Bousley Court’s rule that, “[i]n cases where the Government has forgone more serious charges in the course of plea bargaining, petitioner’s showing of actual innocence must also extend to those charges.” (emphasis added) Based on that rule, the District Court held that Caso had to demonstrate his “actual innocence” not only of the crime for which he was charged and convicted (honest-services wire fraud) but also of the separate uncharged offense of making a false statement, a crime that the government argued was at least equally serious as the honest-services fraud charge. Because Caso could not show his actual innocence of the false statement charge in light of the admissions he made as part of his plea agreement, the District Court denied his motion to vacate his conviction and sentence. The D.C. Circuit reversed this decision based its reading of what constitutes “more serious charges” under Bousley. In doing so, the appeals court rejected the government’s argument that seriousness is to be determined based on the statutory maximum sentence for each crime, and found it far more logical to base the question of seriousness on the way in which each crime is treated in the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Quoting the Supreme Court’s Gall decision, the court noted that Guidelines calculations are still “the starting point and initial benchmark” for every sentencing decision and that “district courts must begin their analysis with the Guidelines and remain cognizant of them throughout the sentencing process.” The court also noted that the United States Attorneys’ Manual, in directing prosecutors to charge “the most serious offense that is consistent with the nature of the defendant’s conduct,” explains that “[t]he ‘most serious’ offense is generally that which yields the highest range under the sentencing guidelines.” The court also noted that statutory maxima provide the parties with little useful information in the context of plea negotiations, in part because courts rarely sentence defendants to the statutory maxima. Because the Guidelines treat a violation of the false statements statute less seriously than honest-services fraud, the Court of Appeals held that the forgone false statement charge was not “more serious,” and that Caso need not show his innocence of that charge to support his claimed right to vacating of his conviction for honest services fraud. The fact that that the D.C. Circuit relied upon the Guidelines as the justification for its ruling is particularly interesting given that recent attacks on the reasonableness of some of the Guidelines (particular the Section 2B1.1 loss tables) have sapped the Guidelines of some of their authority. It is possible that this ruling could change the way in which prosecutors structure their pleas, but circumstances such as this one, in which a defendant is found innocent of convicted charges because of a change in the law, are rare enough that this is not likely. To the extent that courts face similar cases, they will have to address issues left unresolved by the D.C. Circuit, such as whether there must be contemporaneous evidence that prosecutors considered the forgone charge at the time, and whether a crime of “equal seriousness” (and not “more serious”) falls within the Bousley rule. DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. All the intelligence you need, in one easy email: * With LinkedIn, you don't need to create a separate login to manage your free JD Supra account, and we can make suggestions based on your needs and interests. We will not post anything on LinkedIn in your name.

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Indigenous body a non-starter: Brandis Attorney General George Brandis insists the idea of a First Nations People body was never going to happen and is happy with the government's decision to ditch it. A constitutionally-enshrined indigenous voice to parliament - a key recommendation of May's Uluru indigenous summit - was rejected by the Turnbull government last week. Senator Brandis said it would have effectively been a third chamber in the parliament. "This idea was a non-starter," he told Sky News on Sunday. "I have no confidence that such radical proposal, if put to the people at a referendum, would have passed. I am sure it wouldn't have passed." Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke said the government's decision comes when it is now looking at the constitution after it lost two ministers because they were found to have dual citizenship and ineligible to stand in parliament. He said it would be "outrageous" if there was a referendum to make life easier for politicians when it has rejected the requests for constitutional reform from the first Australians. Related Articles "To have a situation where the government decides - 'oh, that cause isn't popular enough' - and then to think that making life easier for politicians would be popular ... I can't see them going there," he told ABC television. "If they do, I can imagine how loud the response would be from the Australian people."

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Q: Creating a new scheduled task using powershell v1.0 I'm trying to create a simple scheduled task using powershell v1.0, and as I look through the Task Scheduler object on MSDN http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa383607%28v=vs.85%29.aspx I'm not sure I really understand what I'm doing... So far in my code I have the following: Function createFirefoxTask() { $schedule = new-object -com Schedule.Service $schedule.connect() $tasks = $schedule.getfolder("\").gettasks(0) $firefoxTaskExist=$false # Check if the firefox schedule task exists foreach ($task in ($tasks | select Name)) { if($task.name.equals("FirefoxMaint")) { $firefoxTaskExist=$true break } } # Create the scheduled task if it does not exist if($firefoxTaskExist -eq $false) { write-output "Creating firefox task..." $firefoxTask=$schedule.NewTask(0) $firefoxTask | get-member } } But the members assigned to the $firefoxTask don't seem to make sense to me. For example, how do I do something as simple as naming my new task? Here is the output I received... TypeName: System.__ComObject#{f5bc8fc5-536d-4f77-b852-fbc1356fdeb6} Name MemberType Definition ---- ---------- ---------- Actions Property IActionCollection Actions () {get} {set} Data Property string Data () {get} {set} Principal Property IPrincipal Principal () {get} {set} RegistrationInfo Property IRegistrationInfo RegistrationInfo () {get} {set} Settings Property ITaskSettings Settings () {get} {set} Triggers Property ITriggerCollection Triggers () {get} {set} XmlText Property string XmlText () {get} {set} None of the above members seem to make sense for what I'm trying to do if I drill further into them. A: to create a new task I usually create it manualy on one server then export it to .xml, with the following code you can import it on another server ( i've not verified this is working in V1.0 though) $sch = New-Object -ComObject("Schedule.Service") $computername | foreach{ $sch.connect($_) $root=$sch.GetFolder("\") $root.CreateFolder("SMAC") $folder =$sch.GetFolder("\SMAC") Get-childItem -path $task_path -Filter *.xml | %{ $task_name = $_.Name.Replace('.xml', '') #create a task base on the name of the xml file $task_xml = Get-Content $_.FullName $task = $sch.NewTask($null) $task.XmlText = $task_xml $folder.RegisterTaskDefinition($task_name, $task, 6, $cred.UserName, $cred.GetNetworkCredential().password, 1, $null) }

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Well- Saturday I removed the toilet and ripped out the vinyl flooring from the spare bathroom. Friday night I had ripped down the wallpaper border. Oh, on Sat. I also painted 3 of the walls in the bath. And drove to the tile store and picked up the floor tile and grout. On Sunday I got my husband to help me remove the large mirror from the bathroom. Then I ripped out the sink and base cabinet. Went to Home Depot and rented a wet saw, came home and dry fit the entire floor (including the fun job of cutting out the circle for the toilet waste pipe from one of the tiles). Then stirred up the mortar and laid all the tile! Both nights I was so tired I slept like a rock. Which was a good thing because there is major crap going on a work that is stressing me out. (I seriously needed to do something very physical this weekend to burn off some of my frustration). Today I came home from work and did the grout. I'll seal it on Wednesday and the toilet I ordered is supposed to come in on Thursday. If my husband is home long enough in the next few days, I need to go get a new cabinet base and sink top from Lowe's. I haven't seen much of my DH lately as he's worked 100+ hours in the past week (this included all day Sat and all day and night Sun). He came home at 6:30 this evening, ate dinner and he went to bed at 7:30pm. He was snoring within 3 minutes. He did look at the floor before he went to sleep to tell me it looked great. I need to get out and weed my garden, but I've been occupied with this indoor project for now. I start back to school next week, so trying to get everything on the bath finished up this weekend. Theresa Sac, CA zone 8-9 Donna wrote: Um---- you don't even want to know :) Fri-nature refresher courses (frogs)... Sat-shopping starting with breakfast and ending with after dinner drinks (the girls once a month day out) and Sun-garden railroad meetings/open houses/BBQ. Today it was back to work:( What has everyone else done? Donna I thought so, too, Jesse. But I was having a bout of aggravation with Earthlink and wasn't sure if it was Chat or the ISP. Still not.

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Crane Beach and Old San Juan I’m back from Nicole and Lino’s amazing wedding down in San Juan, Puerto Rico! I have so much more to blog from a busy, busy summer, but I thought I’d share some snapshots of some fun I’ve had along the way =) Emily of Emily Ku Photography accompanied me down to Puerto Rico for the wedding this past weekend. We were pretty exhausted the day after photographing the wedding (we left at 2AM, the party lasted until 4AM), but we managed to soak in the beauty that is Old San Juan for Independence Day! I hope the next time I do a destination wedding I can stay a little longer and plan for a day-after shoot in the city. It’s just so beautiful! We finished our touristy day at El Morro – the famous fort that guards San Juan Shang Chen Photography has rebranded to Saavedra Photography Based in NYC | Open for select photography commissions on Sundays only

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Q: What scale goes with the F#-7b5? I'm double checking what iRealPro has given iRealPro is giving the following scale for the F#-7b5 chord (F# minor 7th chord with flat 5). F#, G, A, B, C, D, E Can someone confirm that this is a valid scale for this chord? I'm asking because I thought the scale would be different (described below). Here is how I understand things. F# major has 6 sharps F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E# So for minor7, flat 5 I would use: A natural (flat 3rd) (due to minor) C natural (flat 5) (due to flat 5) E natural (flat 7) (due to dominant 7) So a scale that could be played over the F#-7b5 chord is: F#, G#, A, B, C, D#, E Thanks for your help. A: Since F#7b5 is part of the set of chords made up from notes of the G major scale, those very notes will work. It'd be called F# Locrian, centring on F#. Another way to regard this would be to use the notes of A jazz melodic minor, which are A B C D E F# G#. Again, centring on F#. There must be a theoretical reason, but it escapes me right now! But both sets of notes work fine. The D/D#/E bit comes from Am blues, and again works well. Could be also called D/Eb/E, of course. So now, we have the following notes which all 'work'. A B C D Eb E F# G G#. Maybe a simpler thing would be to say 'avoid A# C# and F'...

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Quantification of PET Myocardial Blood Flow. The aim of this review is to provide an update on quantification of myocardial blood flow (MBF) with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Technical and clinical aspects of flow quantification with PET are reviewed. The diagnostic and prognostic values of myocardial flow quantification have been established in numerous studies and in various populations. MBF quantification has also shown itself to be particularly useful in the assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction and in evaluation of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. Overall, myocardial flow reserve (MFR) and hyperemic MBF can lead to improved risk stratification by providing information complementary to that of other markers of disease severity, such as fractional flow reserve. Flow quantification enhances MPI's ability to detect both significant epicardial disease and microvascular dysfunction. With recent technological and methodological advances, flow quantification with PET is no longer restricted to cyclotron-equipped academic centers.

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Q: Should children be preemptively taught about drugs, alcohol, and sex? This is a follow up to When should you start talking with your children about sex?. Is it better for parents to preemptively educate children about taboo subjects such as drugs, alcohol, sex, or profanity before they are exposed it in school? Or is it better to let them discover them on their own through their friends? A: These things you list are a part of our lives, either because we use/do them or other people we know or see use/do. Discovering things through friends is rarely a good idea. That's how myths are spread, "you can't get pregnant the first time", "masturbation will make you impotent", ... "drugs are good". You should give your children the important information yourself. Drugs, alcohol and other substances which alter our behavior(energy drinks, pepsi, coffee, antihistamines, painkillers, etc. etc.) should in my opinion be discussed with kids. I think that a child around 10 is perfectly capable of understanding how alcohol or drugs work and what they can cause. Perhaps even earlier. But don't go into much details about drugs until some time later, I think. Children should definitely know about sex. Girls should know "the general idea" (penetration, sperm, egg, fertilization) before they begin menstruating, I think. Perhaps have the "sex talk" along with the "period" talk. And since it's not obvious when will that happen, 9-10 yo is a good age. For boys - it can be a year or two later. Watch the pajamas for the new kind of night wetting. If your child asks you "uncomfortable" sex or other adult questions on his/her own, use this as an opportunity to have a talk about those subjects. Say the truth, though, possibly, skip some age-inappropriate facts. Use common sense. Profanity is probably a part of their lives already. Even if you don't swear, they do hear it on the street. It should be addressed very early, at 3 years of age? A kid will catch the swear words very quickly and easily. Let them know that they shouldn't be used (...too much). Perhaps, as in many things in life, it is a good idea to limit the information given to the necessary minimum and let the unimportant rest be learned through friends or Internet. As much as necessary, as little as possible. A: Who do you think will be more likely to provide answers in a way that you would want your children to learn about drugs and sex, you as the children's parents or their peers (whose parent's might also evade the subject)? I don't know about you, but I trust my judgment on and knowledge about these subjects more than those of other children. Of course, given your question is about "children", this leaves a lot of wiggle room. Are we talking about a 5 year old who noticed her uncle acting funny at his dad's birthday party or are we talking about a teenager who might have access to drugs and sex (porn) if they want to? As a general rule, I wait for children to raise a question. And I make sure I only answer the child's exact question, and do not evade the question nor pile knowledge on the child it hadn't asked for. That is, if a 2yo asks where babies come from, "they grow in their mummy's tummy" is likely to be exhaustive. A 4yo will likely ask how they get into their mother's belly, or how they start growing. My first take on this would be "it takes a woman and a man being in love for a baby to get started". If the child wants to know more, it will follow up with a question. If the child does not want to know more, the description of the mechanism of sex might be too much for its age/maturity. IME, if you do this from the moment they ask their first question, you do not need to worry about when you should teach what subject to them: You just let them guide you through their education by having them ask you. Of course, reality isn't as smooth as this sounds. Still, this seems a lot better than wondering year after year when to finally breach the news to them that adults have sex and that all their peers are the results of this. For example, my oldest got interested in the details of making babies around the age of 8. Her next sibling just came to listen because he was interested, but when it got too detailed, he just went back to playing because he got bored. (He could do so because I wasn't talking to him.) OTOH, I have a ten year old now who had had a look at the book we bought for his oldest sister for about three times in the last two years, and always got bored by the subject. He's just not interested enough. (He does, of course, know the basics: why he's built different than his sisters, what's that for, etc. – he just isn't interested in any more detailed knowledge about love and sex.) A: Most of the other advice in this topic is excellent but a small item to add: This shouldn't need to be said but there seem to be a lot of parents in this world who prefer to try to control their children through lies. If you lie about sex, drugs and alcohol once they catch you in one lie they won't trust your other advice on the matter.

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The influence of outpatient insurance coverage on the microvascular complications of non-insulin-dependent diabetes in Mexican Americans. Does poor health insurance coverage contribute to increased microvascular complications (nephropathy and retinopathy) in Mexican Americans with non-insulin-dependent diabetes? Mexican-American subjects with diabetes were identified in a population-based cardiovascular risk factor survey, the San Antonio Heart Study. Retinopathy, nephropathy, source of health care, and type and extent of health insurance coverage were assessed in a special diabetes complications exam. Among Mexican-American subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes diagnosed prior to their participation in the survey (n = 255), 26% (n = 67) lacked any type of health insurance, and 28% relied on county- or federal-funded clinics rather than private doctors as their primary source of care. Among those with health insurance (188 of 255), only 68% (127 of 188) or 24% of the total sample had private health insurance, and, of those with private insurance, 48% (35 of 73) received reimbursement for outpatient doctor visits and 57% for outpatient medications. Microvascular complications were more common among those who received their health care from a clinic versus a private doctor, and among those who lacked health insurance coverage for outpatient doctor visits and medications. Thus, poor health insurance coverage in the outpatient setting correlates with higher rates of microvascular complications among Mexican Americans with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

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Michigan State has been a perennial powerhouse in the Midwest region. They are one of the oldest programs in the region, and have been a team to watch for their entire existence. This year, MSU has taken first place in three of the five tournaments they have attended (Great Lakes Conference, Glass City, Spartan Quidditch Bonanza), and reached the semi-finals in the other two (Midwest Regionals, Dumbledore Memorial). This has been a very successful year thus far for MSU, and they’re looking to continue that streak in Kissimmee. Best Wins: vs. University of Michigan x3 (90*-80, 80*-50, 110*-70), vs. Bowling Green (150^-120*), Worst Losses: vs. Purdue University (60*-30) Key Players: I have to mention keeper and team USA member Lawrence Lazewski, who has an incredible long shot and blazing speed. Lazewski tends to do the majority of MSU’s scoring, but he is in no way their only threat. Chaser/Seeker Jacob Heppe is every bit as fast as Lazewski, with an extra dose of physicality and the ability to power through defenders. In addition to his skill as a chaser, Heppe is an incredible seeker, and has won his team many close games with sensational snitch grabs. Beater Zak “Batman” Malott is a fearsome opponent and everything you could ask for in a beater. He has good speed, great awareness, brute strength, great catching, and is one of the most physical beaters you will ever come across. While Malott wasn’t even starting for MSU this past weekend at SQuiB, he made a huge impact every time he went on the pitch. He won back bludger control with seeming ease, either through clever dodges and beating the opponent to the bludger or spectacular catches while wrestling with another beater for a ball, Malott is a huge threat at the beater position. Players to Watch: Chaser/Keeper Nic Dziadosz is a regular contributor on offense and defense for the Spartan Spitfires. He is one of the taller players on their squad, and uses his size to make catches over defenders and score easy goals. On defense, he cuts down passes and shots that many players wouldn’t even try for. In addition, Chaser Ian Hoopingarner is a power threat, and can drive in against just about anyone. He pairs this ability with speed, and it is not uncommon at all to see Hoopingarner put the first ten points on the board before opposing teams have even secured their bludger. Chaser duo Meyessa Mansour and Danielle White can do some damage to unsuspecting teams. Mansour is a solid scoring threat, and White has great speed and determination, and will always get to loose balls first. While they’re not the scariest players on this roster, if they’re left unchecked, they can do some damage. Strategy: On defense, MSU plays a very unique zone defense designed to cut down long passes and shots. This zone is highly effective at stopping ranged scoring against all but the best of long shooters. Also, with beaters who stay near the hoops, this zone is effective at stopping close range shots as well. On offense, MSU relies heavily on a fast break offense, and tries to catch defenses off guard as often as possible. Strengths: MSU has incredible speed at every position, and their attack is balanced enough to put points on the board against anyone. Even if you can stop one or two of their players, the rest of the team is still deadly enough to put points on the board. Weaknesses: MSU doesn’t have any gaping weaknesses. They are a very solid team all-around. That said, they don’t have a whole lot of players with size, and prefer to rely on their speed. They can and do play physically, but against teams with a lot of size, MSU can be in some trouble. Prediction: I see MSU as a Sweet 16 team easily, with a chance to go as far as the final four if their seekers continue their incredible run they’ve shown this semester.

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Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here. Several states have issued orders mandating that everyone aside from nonessential workers stay home as most businesses are forced to temporarily close in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Although everyone would argue that they're essential to their employers, lawmakers have dwindled the list to several industries deemed too critical to be halted during the crisis. While states can designate what qualifies as essential, the standard definition of an essential employee is someone that performs work involving the safety of human life and the protection of property, according to the 2013 Essential Services Act. NEW YORK STATE WILL START CORONAVIRUS DRUG TRIALS The meaning generally applies to workers in law enforcement and public safety, food production, health care providers and emergency personnel, among others. As the pandemic continues to spread and states take tough measures to contain it, workers in other industries are being added to the list: Workers conducting COVID-19 research and testing. Pharmacy employees who are necessary for filling prescriptions. Workers who provide security services to hospitals and other critical industries. Mass transit and airport workers. Food and agricultural workers, to include those who work in grocery stores and restaurants. Many restaurants in a growing number of states are only providing delivery and takeout service only. Energy sector employees considered critical to sustaining utilities, telecommunications and natural gas, among others. Gas station employees are included. Mortuary and funeral service workers, including crematoriums and cemetery workers. Employees who manufacture safety and sanitary products, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and food processing. Workers who support national security commitments and the military. Water and wastewater employees needed to manage drinking water supplies. Bank employees needed to process transactions and payments, along with customer service workers at call centers. Payroll and certain insurance workers also apply. Some of those functions can be done remotely, as many companies are asking employees to work from home if possible. Vendors that provide essential services or products like logistics, child care services, along with hardware and supply stores. The news media. Building cleaners and janitors. Those who work in trash collection and disposal, animal shelters, certain warehouse and fulfillment centers, food banks and mail and shipping service centers. Certain charities also apply. In California, employees in the cannabis industry are deemed essential. The state has enacted some of the most far-reaching measures in the country to protect its 40 million residents. Governments across the country are urging residents to only venture outside for health care, to obtain necessary supplies or to engage in solo outdoor activities. In an effort to enforce the new restrictions, some California police departments are turning to drones to enforce lockdown rules. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As of Monday, 367,038 cases had been confirmed worldwide, 41,167 of which are in the U.S. The disease has accounted for at least 16,097 deaths around the world, including 485 people in the U.S. Fox News' James Rogers contributed to this report.

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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to image forming apparatus such as printing apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art Several different image forming methods or printing methods are used by commercially available image forming apparatus. Ordinarily, the user selects and uses an apparatus employing a printing method that suits the use to which the apparatus will be put, as noted in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-169474. Electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as laser printers and light-emitting-diode (LED) printers, referred to below as electrophotographic printers, forms a latent image by illuminating the surface of a photosensitive drum, develops the latent image by applying toner, and transfers the toner image from the photosensitive drum to paper or other printing media. Since electrophotographic printers can print at high speed with high quality, they are widely used in business work. Serial impact dot matrix printers have an impact mechanism with needle pins that strike an inked ribbon, thereby transferring ink from the ribbon to the printing media and forming an image made up of dots. The advantage of a serial impact dot matrix printer is that it can make copies, as the force of the impact is also transmitted to the lower layers of multiple-ply printing media. Disadvantages of serial impact dot matrix printers include slow speed, inferior printing quality, and noisy operation. Serial impact dot matrix printers are now used mainly for office work that requires the making of copies. Ink jet printers have a printing head with nozzles from which drops of ink are ejected, each ejected drop forming a dot on the printing medium. Ink jet printers can be classified as piezoelectric or thermal, depending on the method by which the drops are ejected. As both types are comparatively quiet and inexpensive, ink jet printers have become very popular for personal use. Thermal printers have a thermal head with heating elements that heat an inked ribbon, thereby transferring ink from the ribbon to the printing media. A ribbon of the film type is normally employed. An advantage of thermal printers is their very high resolution, resulting in sharp printed images. A problem with conventional image forming apparatus is that each apparatus employs only a single printing method. Accordingly, there is no single apparatus that combines, say, a multiple-ply copy-making capability with the speed and quality of electrophotographic printing. When copies of an electrophotographically printed document are required, it is necessary either to print the document again or to use a separate copying machine. Printing the document again takes time, however, and since it is impossible to distinguish between the original document and the printed copy, various problems tend to arise, especially in an office in which the document and copy are handled by more than one person. Typical problems include treating both documents as copies, so that the original document fails to be delivered to its intended destination; treating both documents as originals, so that the same document is delivered twice to the same destination; failing to make a necessary copy; making unnecessary copies; and losing track of copies, which may then fall into unintended hands. The same problems arise if a copying machine is used, because copying machines are also electrophotographic, making it difficult to tell a copy from the original document. Similar problems arise when a document printed by an ink jet printer is copied.

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Lord George Hamilton Lord George Francis Hamilton (17 December 1845 – 22 September 1927) was a British Conservative Party politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who served as First Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of State for India. Background Hamilton was the third son of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and Lady Louisa, daughter of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, and was educated at Harrow. He served with the Rifle Brigade and Coldstream Guards, achieving the rank of lieutenant. Political career Hamilton was Member of Parliament for Middlesex between 1868 and 1885 and for Ealing between 1885 and 1906. He served under Benjamin Disraeli as Under-Secretary of State for India from 1874 to 1878 and as Vice-President of the Committee on Education from 1878 to 1880 and was sworn of the Privy Council in 1878. He entered the cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty under Lord Salisbury in 1885, a post he held until 1886 and again between 1886 and 1892. In 1894 he was elected as Chairman of the London School Board, standing down after one year when the Unionists won the general election and he became Secretary of State for India under Salisbury, which he remained until 1903, the last year under the premiership of Arthur Balfour. In 1903 he was appointed a GCSI. In 1916 he was part of the Mesopotamia Commission of Inquiry. Other public appointments For a number of years, Hamilton was a member of the board of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) which ran the majority of London's Underground lines. He served as the company's chairman between 1915 and 1919, following the resignation of Sir Edgar Speyer in 1915. Hamilton also held the honorary posts of Captain of Deal Castle (1899–1923) and Major of Deal (1909) and received the degree of honorary LLD from Glasgow University and of honorary DCL from Oxford University. He was also a Justice of Peace for Middlesex and Westminster. He was also President of the Royal Statistical Society from 1910 to 1912 and from 1915 to 1916. Family and children Hamilton married Lady Maud Caroline, daughter of Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood, in 1871. They had three sons: Ronald James Hamilton OBE (1872–1958), who fought in the First World War, was wounded and in 1919 invested an OBE. He was awarded with the decoration of the Order of the Crown (Belgium). He served as First Secretary in the Diplomatic Service. In 1915 he married Florence Marguerite (Sarah Brooke) Hanna (d. 1959). They had one daughter: Maud Sarah Hamilton (1917–1995). In 1939 she married Squadron Leader Count Manfred Maria Edmund Ralph Beckett Czernin von und zu Chudenitz, DFC, DSO, MC, RAF (1913–1962). With him she had one son and one daughter. Major Anthony George Hamilton (1874–1936), who fought in the First World War and gained the rank of Major in the service of the East Kent Regiment. He died unmarried and without issue. Vice-Admiral Robert Cecil Hamilton (1882–1947), who fought in the First World War. In 1911 he married Edith Maud Paley (d. 1967), daughter of the barrister Algernon Herbert Paley. Hamilton died in September 1927, aged 81. His wife survived him by eleven years and died in April 1938. Ancestry References External links CricketArchive: Lord George Hamilton Category:1845 births Category:1927 deaths Category:People educated at Harrow School Category:British Secretaries of State Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Coldstream Guards officers Category:Rifle Brigade officers Category:First Lords of the Admiralty Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Category:Younger sons of dukes Category:Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society Category:UK MPs 1868–1874 Category:UK MPs 1874–1880 Category:UK MPs 1880–1885 Category:UK MPs 1885–1886 Category:UK MPs 1886–1892 Category:UK MPs 1892–1895 Category:UK MPs 1895–1900 Category:UK MPs 1900–1906 Category:Captains of Deal Castle Category:English cricketers Category:English cricketers of 1864 to 1889 Category:Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Category:People associated with transport in London Category:Members of the London School Board Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Category:Justices of the peace

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Bharti Airtel said its revenues from India operations grew2.8 per cent to Rs 15,345 crore in Q1 Bharti Airtel on Thursday reported a net loss of Rs 2,866 crore in the April-June period, as against a net profit of Rs 97.3 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. In a regulatory filing after market hours, the private sector telecom company said its revenue from operations stood at Rs 20,737.9 crore in the quarter ended June 30, up 4.74 per cent compared to the year-ago period. Analysts had on an average expected the company to report a loss of Rs 1,017 crore, news agency Reuters reported citing Refinitiv data. Bharti Airtel said its revenues from India operations grew 2.8 per cent to Rs 15,345 crore in the June quarter. Its Africa revenues rose 10.2 per cent. Bharti Airtel has operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. “The first quarter of the year has begun with a healthy and equitable growth across all our lines of businesses. Headline pricing remained stable, albeit at low levels," said Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO, India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel. New Delhi-based Bharti Airtel said its mobile average revenue per user stood at Rs 129 in the first quarter of financial year 2019-20. However, its monthly churn rate in mobile services business - a measure of the number of customers it lost - grew to 2.6 per cent for the quarter, compared with 2 per cent a year ago. "We continue to remain focused on providing value to customers through our rewards platform, Airtel Thanks. This has led to the second consecutive quarter of ARPU (average revenue per user) increase." In a statement, Bharti Airtel said its consolidated mobile data traffic on network grew 94 per cent compared to the corresponding three-month period a year ago. Shares in Airtel ended 4.10 per cent lower at Rs 323.95 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), underperfomring the benchmark Sensex index which fell 1.23 amid a broad selloff tracking global cues. In the fourth quarter of financial year 2018-19, Bharti Airtel had posted a net profit of Rs 107.2 crore, up 29.31 per cent on a year-on-year basis. Its net profit stood at Rs 409.5 crore in the financial year ended March 31, as against Rs 1,099 crore in 2017-18. (With inputs from Reuters)

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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an electroluminescent display device and more particularly to a display device in which a memory is arranged in each display pixel. 2. Background Arts A high-performance liquid crystal display device with low power consumption has been known in which a memory unit is arranged in each display pixel in a liquid crystal display panel, and display data is stored in the memory unit, so that an image can be displayed on the liquid crystal display panel even when there is no input signal from outside (refer to Patent Document 1 below). In the liquid crystal display device described in Patent Document 1, an X address circuit and a Y address circuit are arranged, and video data is written in a memory unit in a display pixel at a position selected by the X address circuit and the Y address circuit. Further in the liquid crystal display device described in Patent Document 1, the memory unit in each display pixel, the X address circuit, and the Y address circuit are configured by using thin film transistors using polysilicon as semiconductor layers. Further, the X address circuit and the Y address circuit are configured integrally with and on the same substrate as that on which the memory unit in each display pixel of the liquid crystal display panel is formed. The related art document relating to the invention is as follows: Patent Document 1: JP-A-2006-285118

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README_dos.txt for version 8.2 of Vim: Vi IMproved. This file explains the installation of Vim on MS-DOS and MS-Windows systems. See "README.txt" for general information about Vim. There are two ways to install Vim: A. Use the self-installing .exe file. B. Unpack .zip files and run the install.exe program. A. Using the self-installing .exe --------------------------------- This is mostly self-explaining. Just follow the prompts and make the selections. A few things to watch out for: - When an existing installation is detected, you are offered to first remove this. The uninstall program is then started while the install program waits for it to complete. Sometimes the windows overlap each other, which can be confusing. Be sure the complete the uninstalling before continuing the installation. Watch the taskbar for uninstall windows. - When selecting a directory to install Vim, use the same place where other versions are located. This makes it easier to find your _vimrc file. For example "C:\Program Files\vim" or "D:\vim". A name ending in "vim" is preferred. - After selecting the directory where to install Vim, clicking on "Next" will start the installation. B. Using .zip files ------------------- These are the normal steps to install Vim from the .zip archives: 1. Go to the directory where you want to put the Vim files. Examples: cd C:\ cd D:\editors If you already have a "vim" directory, go to the directory in which it is located. Check the $VIM setting to see where it points to: set VIM For example, if you have C:\vim\vim82 do cd C:\ Binary and runtime Vim archives are normally unpacked in the same location, on top of each other. 2. Unpack the zip archives. This will create a new directory "vim\vim82", in which all the distributed Vim files are placed. Since the directory name includes the version number, it is unlikely that you overwrite existing files. Examples: pkunzip -d gvim82.zip unzip vim82w32.zip You need to unpack the runtime archive and at least one of the binary archives. When using more than one binary version, be careful not to overwrite one version with the other, the names of the executables "vim.exe" and "gvim.exe" are the same. After you unpacked the files, you can still move the whole directory tree to another location. That is where they will stay, the install program won't move or copy the runtime files. Only for the 32 bit DOS version on MS-DOS without DPMI support (trying to run install.exe will produce an error message): Unpack the CSDPMI4B.ZIP archive and follow the instructions in the documentation. 3. Change to the new directory: cd vim\vim82 Run the "install.exe" program. It will ask you a number of questions about how you would like to have your Vim setup. Among these are: - You can tell it to write a "_vimrc" file with your preferences in the parent directory. - It can also install an "Edit with Vim" entry in the Windows Explorer popup menu. - You can have it create batch files, so that you can run Vim from the console or in a shell. You can select one of the directories in your $PATH. If you skip this, you can add Vim to the search path manually: The simplest is to add a line to your autoexec.bat. Examples: set path=%path%;C:\vim\vim82 set path=%path%;D:\editors\vim\vim82 - Create entries for Vim on the desktop and in the Start menu. That's it! Remarks: - If Vim can't find the runtime files, ":help" won't work and the GUI version won't show a menubar. Then you need to set the $VIM environment variable to point to the top directory of your Vim files. Example: set VIM=C:\editors\vim Vim version 8.2 will look for your vimrc file in $VIM, and for the runtime files in $VIM/vim82. See ":help $VIM" for more information. - To avoid confusion between distributed files of different versions and your own modified vim scripts, it is recommended to use this directory layout: ("C:\vim" is used here as the root, replace it with the path you use) Your own files: C:\vim\_vimrc Your personal vimrc. C:\vim\_viminfo Dynamic info for 'viminfo'. C:\vim\vimfiles\ftplugin\*.vim Filetype plugins C:\vim\... Other files you made. Distributed files: C:\vim\vim82\vim.exe The Vim version 8.2 executable. C:\vim\vim82\doc\*.txt The version 8.2 documentation files. C:\vim\vim82\bugreport.vim A Vim version 8.2 script. C:\vim\vim82\... Other version 8.2 distributed files. In this case the $VIM environment variable would be set like this: set VIM=C:\vim Then $VIMRUNTIME will automatically be set to "$VIM\vim82". Don't add "vim82" to $VIM, that won't work. - You can put your Vim executable anywhere else. If the executable is not with the other Vim files, you should set $VIM. The simplest is to add a line to your autoexec.bat. Examples: set VIM=c:\vim set VIM=d:\editors\vim - If you have told the "install.exe" program to add the "Edit with Vim" menu entry, you can remove it by running the "uninstal.exe". See ":help win32-popup-menu". - In Windows 95/98/NT you can create a shortcut to Vim. This works for all DOS and Win32 console versions. For the console version this gives you the opportunity to set defaults for the Console where Vim runs in. 1. On the desktop, click right to get a menu. Select New/Shortcut. 2. In the dialog, enter Command line: "C:\command.com". Click "Next". 3. Enter any name. Click "Finish". The new shortcut will appear on the desktop. 4. With the mouse pointer on the new shortcut, click right to get a menu. Select Properties. 5. In the Program tab, change the "Cmdline" to add "/c" and the name of the Vim executable. Examples: C:\command.com /c C:\vim\vim82\vim.exe C:\command.com /c D:\editors\vim\vim82\vim.exe 6. Select the font, window size, etc. that you like. If this isn't possible, select "Advanced" in the Program tab, and deselect "MS-DOS mode". 7. Click OK. For gvim, you can use a normal shortcut on the desktop, and set the size of the Window in your $VIM/_gvimrc: set lines=30 columns=90 For further information, type one of these inside Vim: :help dos :help msdos :help win32

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The present invention relates to an ornamental casing assembly for a ceiling fan, and more particularly to an improved ornamental casing which can be easily assembled, repaired, and transported. The former ceiling fan is generally formed by a motor exposed in the air and a fan impeller fastened to the driving shaft of the motor. Subsequently, for ornamental purposes, a ceiling fan having an ornamental casing is proposed, such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ceiling fan includes an ornamental casing 2 placed above the fan impeller 10, and enclosing the motor 1. The ornamental casing 2 is made up of an upper shell 21, a lower shell 23, and a hollow glass cylinder 22. The hollow glass cylinder 22 is integrally formed, and located between the upper and lower shells 21 and 23. The upper shell 21 and the lower shell 23 are connected by four bolts 3 with the glass cylinder 22 retained therebetween by means of their folded peripheries. Four lamps 4 are mounted to the inner surface of the upper shell 21 respectively. Accordingly, the lamps 4 combined with the glass cylinder 22 can provide an ornamental lighting. However, such a ceiling fan having an ornamental casing still has several shortcomings as follows: (a) Since the glass cylinder is fixed merely by the bolts and the peripheries of the upper and lower shells, the glass cylinder is frequently broken due to vibration, pressure, or external impact during transportation. In addition, since the glass cylinder is integrally formed, the entire glass cylinder must be replaced when it is broken or cracked, and so the cost increases undesirably. (b) It is troublesome to replace the broken glass cylinder, and the lamp. Firstly, the fan impeller and the elements mounted under the lower shell must be removed, and the lower shell is separated from the upper shell by disengaging the four bolts. Then, a new glass cylinder or new lamp is mounted. Finally, the lower shell, the fan impeller, and the removed elements are remounted. (c) Further, when replacing the glass cylinder or the lamp, the dust accumulated within the ornamental casing will fall onto the body or into the eyes of the repairman.

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Canada’s new Liberal government has taken the first tentative step toward adopting the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade, investment and regulatory deal. International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government’s decision to sign onto the pact next week doesn’t necessarily mean Canada is committed to it. Technically, that’s true. In Canada, a government decision to sign an international treaty amounts to little more than agreement in principle. The country won’t be legally committed to the TPP until cabinet has ratified the agreement, a decision it can make only after Parliament passes any laws needed to put the deal into practice. That could take months. But Freeland’s announcement Monday, that Canada will take part in a TPP signing ceremony Feb. 4 in New Zealand, does say something about the government’s intent. That the Liberals are amenable to the 12-nation pact should come as no surprise. Trudeau has made it clear that he favours such deals. In fact, his position on them is near identical to that of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. In 2013, when Harper announced another trade and investment pact, this one with the European Union, Trudeau congratulated him and promised that his Liberals would support the deal in principle. Trudeau was not quite as blasé about the Trans-Pacific pact. During last year’s election campaign, with the deal under attack from Quebec dairy farmers and Ontario auto workers, the Liberal leader accused Harper of being overly secretive about the TPP negotiations. But Trudeau was careful not to oppose the pact itself, promising only that, as prime minister, he would hold a full debate in Parliament before making a final decision. Certainly, there are reasons to criticize the pact. Like the North American Free Trade Agreement, it gives foreign companies the right to challenge Canadian laws and regulations that interfere with profit-making. U.S firms used similar provisions under NAFTA to roll back Canadian environmental and public ownership laws. Auto workers are furious about a provision in the deal that would allow the big car companies to bring in 65 per cent of their parts from cheap-labour countries such as Thailand that are outside the TPP bloc. The big U.S.-owned auto manufacturers themselves are split on the merits of the deal, with Ford vocally opposed. Ford has indicated, however, that it might be mollified if Ottawa gives it and other auto giants bigger handouts. University of Ottawa law professor (and Toronto Star columnist) Michael Geist has been an unsparing critic of the deal, attacking the TPP on issues ranging from privacy to e-commerce. Iconic tech entrepreneur Jim Balsillie has been even harsher, saying that the TPP promises to be “the worst thing in policy that Canada’s ever done.” The deal’s intellectual property rules, he says, are biased toward the U.S. and will disadvantage Canadian innovators. Given Trudeau’s emphasis on encouraging high-tech innovation, the government might find Balsillie’s complaint particularly worrying. But the TPP has put the Liberals in a bind. Participating countries include Canada’s NAFTA partners, Mexico and the U.S. If these two ratify the new deal, they will be effectively changing the way NAFTA works — regardless of what Canada does. Auto companies in particular would have an incentive to locate in whatever jurisdiction can best serve TPP members (including Japan and Australia) as well as North America. If Canada stays out of the Trans-Pacific deal, it risks losing these potential jobs. In effect, the TPP presents Ottawa with a Hobson’s choice. If Canada wants to remain in the world of trade and investment deals, it will find it near impossible to stay out of whatever new pact comes along — even if the terms of that pact are demonstrably worse than the status quo. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Theoretically, the Trudeau government can avoid this trap by rejecting the trade-deal model altogether and setting out an entirely new economic strategy. But I don’t see any evidence of that happening. Thomas Walkom’s column appears Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. Read more about:

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Q: Редактирование файла app.config во время выполнения программы Я добавил в программу Settings с именем lastRun и типом string и Value="NoRun". Подскажите, есть ли в C# штатные средства, с помощью которых я могу редактировать Value в файле App.config? Т.е допустим во время выполнения программы, я присваиваю настройке lastRun="Success". А при следующем запуске программы, я считываю lastRun, а в нем находится значение Success. A: А зачем вам редактировать app.config? Присвойте новое значение в lastRun и запишите Settings. Не забывайте, что ваше значение должно быть в пользовательских параметрах, а не параметрах приложения (ясно, почему?) Обычно это выглядит как Properties.Settings.Default.lastRun = "Success"; и после этого (немедленно или в конце программы, как вам кажется правильнее) Properties.Settings.Default.Save(); Документация на MSDN.

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Daniel Snyder isn’t alone in standing by the use of “Redskins” as a team name. A school board committee in Pennsylvania passed a policy this week that prohibits a school newspaper from banning the word from its pages, according to an article that appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times. In October, the staff for the school paper, the Playwickian, voted to ban the word, which describes the school’s teams and mascot. But on Tuesday night, a Neshaminy school board committee decided the newspaper does not have that right, with one board member citing the First Amendment rights of students who want to contribute to the publication. “If my son wants to write something proud about being a Redskin football player, the students on that paper, under the law, have no right to tell him he has to take the word ‘Redskin’ out of there,” school board member Steve Pirritano said, according to the Courier Times. The use of “Redskins” as a team name has come under increased scrutiny in the past year, with tribal leaders, lawmakers and civil rights groups describing it as racial slur against Native Americans. Nationally, several media outlets have banned the term, and some sports commentators, including NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas, have spoken out against it. Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins football team, has repeatedly defended the name, calling it a “badge of honor” in a letter to fans. The Playwickian’s editor, Gillian McGoldrick, told the Courier Times that the newspaper’s staff voted 14 to 7 to ban the word after conversations and research on the subject. “What we are trying to do is not to compel speech, we’re just editing as editors do,” she is quoted as saying. “And also my name goes on this, and when my name goes on that paper just as Neshaminy school district’s name goes on that paper and I don’t want to be publishing something that is racially offensive.” The article says that the policy could go in effect May 6 and that the newspaper’s staff plans to consult its own counsel before deciding on a next step. Regardless of what happens, it seems the newspaper has already been successful in limiting the word’s use in its area. The article ends with this note: “Following the school newspaper’s ban of the word ‘Redskin,’ the editorial boards of the Bucks County Courier Times and its sister papers, The Intelligencer and The Burlington County Times, approved a similar policy. The word will not be printed in the newspapers, used online or stated in video reports in reference to Neshaminy sports teams or Washington’s NFL franchise except in stories dealing specifically with the controversy surrounding the name.”

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Galbi-jjim Galbi-jjim () or braised short ribs is a variety of jjim or Korean steamed dish made with galbi (갈비, short rib). Beef galbi is sometimes referred to as "gari" (가리), so the dish can be called "garijjim". Galbijjim is generally made with beef or pork(돼지, dweji) short ribs. In the latter case, it is called dweji galbijjim (돼지갈비찜). History In traditional cuisine, galbijjim was traditionally eaten at Chuseok along with songpyeon, namul, taro soup, chestnut dumplings (밤단자), chicken jjim and autumn fruit. As galbijjim is usually made from only the center part of ribs from a calf while the rib ends used to make soup stock, galbi was more expensive than other cuts of beef in South Korea, and has been regarded as a high-class dish. Preparation and serving Ribs are cut to size and excess blood should be removed. Knife cuts are made in the meat till the bone to allow seasoning to seep in. Surplus fat is removed from the ribs, either by cutting or removing after parboiling. Soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, minced garlic, pepper, ground sesame with salt (깨소금), ginger juice, and sugar are mixed together with the ribs and are simmered in a large pot on a mid-flame. The cooking is done slowly, occasionally stirring. When the meat is almost cooked additional seasoning is added with jujube, ginkgo nuts, carrots, and pine nuts and boiled once again. Chestnuts, shiitake, and seogi mushrooms are added near the end of the dish. Galbijjim is usually served in a bowl rather than a plate and was traditionally served in a hap(합, bowl with cover). Galbijjim by region There is a galbijjim street in the district of Dongin-dong, Daegu, in South Korea. It is known as the original home of hot and spicy galbijjim (매운갈비찜), as a restaurant owner served the first plate of hot and spicy galbijjim as anju for makgeolli in 1972. The district still maintains its reputation as being the place to go for tasty galbijjim. Jong-galbijjim (종갈비찜) is a variety of pork galbijjim from the Gyeonggi-do region. Pork ribs are marinated in ginger juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, sesame oil, ground sesame with salt, and pepper. The dish is cooked on a high flame and the sauce is reduced accordingly. Gallery See also Jjim Galbi Jorim Korean cuisine List of steamed foods References External links Cooking Video : Kalbi chim at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea Baejeob galbijjim recipe at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea Galbijjim recipe Galbijjim recipe at AsianSupper Category:Beef dishes Category:Korean meat dishes Category:Pork dishes Category:Steamed foods

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Lesbian couple FAKED hate crime by painting their OWN home with 'Kill the Gays' to frame neighbors after spat over dogs Caught: Aimee Whitchurch, 37, left, and Christel Conklin, 29, right, are accused of forgery, false reporting and criminal mischief A lesbian couple that claimed their neighbors spray painted 'Kill the Gay' on their condo are being accused by the police for doing the deed themselves. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Colorado has issued a warrant for Aimee Whitchurch, 37, and Christel Conklin, 29, for forgery, false reporting and criminal mischief. In October of 2011, the women claimed they were the victims of a horrible hate crime, saying that members of their Homeowner's Association threatened their lives, keyed their car and left a noose at their doorstep. Last year, Conklin and Whitchurch made headlines after they publicly lashed out at their neighbors. 'For someone to target us for our lifestyle - it's ridiculous,' Conklin said to 9News at the time. Conklin and Whitchurch had been together for four years and lived at their condominium in Parker for just six months. They said that their dogs were a point of contention with the community and that their Homeowner's Association was accusing them of not picking up after the animals. 'It ridiculous. We have a Mastiff and a Great-Dane, two of the largest breed dogs, if we didn't pick up after them this entire place would be covered. It's completely invalid. That's just common sense,' Conklin told the network. Hoax? A lesbian couple that accused their neighbors of spray painting 'Kill the Gay' on their condo are being fingered by the police for doing the deed themselves Finding the Truth: The women claimed they were the victims of a horrible hate crime, saying that members of their Homeowner's Association threatened their lives, keyed their car and left a noose at their doorstep The incident drew lots of media attention, with support groups popping up online. Even the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation league sprang to their defense. 'This is where we live. We should feel safe. I am afraid to walk outside my place now,' Whitchurch said. But an investigation revealed that there was no plot to target the two women, it was all just an apparent cry for attention. 'The two women involved were responsible for the words that were spray painted on the garage and the placement of the noose on their own front door.' Sheriff's spokesman, Cocha Hedyen 'Through the investigation and from witness statements, it was determined that allegations of the incident were false,' said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cocha Hedyen to KDVR on Thursday. 'Detectives were able to determine that the two women involved were responsible for the words that were spray painted on the garage and the placement of the noose on their own front door.' The FBI quickly became involved in the investigation and the women's palms were checked for spray-paint residue. Couple: Conklin and Whitchurch had been together for four years and lived at their condominium in Parker for just six months when the 'crime' occurred Puppy Problems: They said that their dogs were a point of contention with the community and that their Homeowner's Association was accusing them of not picking up after the animals Support: The incident drew lots of media attention; even the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation league sprang to their defense They were offered the chance to take a lie detector test but declined, according to KDVR. Still, the two women maintained their innocence. Whitchurch said that a drug addict that was staying with them lied to officials and accused them. 'There was someone who was staying with us for a little bit of a while,' Whitchurch said. 'She told a bunch of lies about us.' The two women have surrendered to officials and face a $1,000 bond each, according to the Denver Post.

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Q: How does hyperbolicity of space time affect our lives? My main research has been in hyperbolic geometry and geometric group theory. I always thought that the only real "application" of my work was that the universe is a 3-manifold. But recently I found out that hyperbolic 3-space arises in a natural way from relativity: according to the work of Einstein and others, there is a (3,1) quadratic form on space-time that is invariant under transformations. In the Riemannian pseudometric obtained from this form, the "sphere" of radius -1 is a hyperboloid; the pseudo metric on this hyperboloid (or on one branch of it) becomes a real metric, making it a copy of hyperbolic 3-space. I found this very exciting, because it meant that my research applied to real life. But now, I've had difficulty seeing exactly how it applies. The physical interpretation of the hyperboloid is that it is the set of all points in spacetime that an observer starting at the origin can reach in one unit of their own, "proper" time. It is difficult to imagine the physical meaning of the hyperbolic metric. That leads into my question. What are the physical meanings of the basic tools of hyperbolic geometry? For nstance, what does the thin triangles condition say about spacetime? Do the existence of closed hyperbolic 3-manifolds imply the existence of spacetime universes with bounded space coordinates? Thanks for your help! A: I would suggest John Barrett's essay on The Hyperbolic Theory of Special Relativity as a comprehensive answer. The principle of relativity corresponds to the hypothesis that the kinematic space is a space of constant negative curvature. The value of the radius of curvature is the speed of light. The relativistic law of combination of velocities can be interpreted as the triangle of velocities in hyperbolic space. New formulations are given in optics relating hyperbolic velocity with logarithmic redshift and in dynamics including a reformulation of Newton's 2nd law in terms of hyperbolic acceleration.

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Confederate Monument in Augusta The Confederate Monument in Bracken County, Kentucky, in Augusta, Kentucky, honors eight unknown Confederate soldiers who were killed attacking Augusta in September 1862. Confederate Colonel Basil W. Duke led a force of Confederate soldiers to raid the town, on September 27, 1862, only to be driven back by a home guard force numbering 100 and backed up by gunboats. Eight Confederate soldiers of the 21 who died were buried in Payne Cemetery. In 1903 the present monument was placed at their burial spot. The monument is a granite tombstone four feet high with a base three feet wide. At the top of the tombstone is the Confederate battle flag. The stone was placed where the unknown soldiers were buried, forty-one years after the skirmish in which they were killed. The John B. Hood Camp of the United Confederate Veterans was responsible for the funding for the monument, which totaled $550. On July 17, 1997, the Confederate Monument in Augusta was one of sixty-one different monuments related to the Civil War in Kentucky placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as part of the Civil War Monuments of Kentucky Multiple Property Submission. It is the most northerly of the monuments on the list that honor only Confederates; the Veteran's Monument in Covington to the north honors both sides. The monument is best reached from the parking area by the flagpole on the river side of Kentucky State Road 8 west of town by descending the nearby stairs. The only other route involves walking across private yards and then up a steep 100 foot hill through Payne Cemetery. Gallery References Category:Civil War Monuments of Kentucky MPS Category:National Register of Historic Places in Bracken County, Kentucky Category:Buildings and structures in Bracken County, Kentucky Category:Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Kentucky Category:1903 sculptures Category:Granite sculptures in Kentucky

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Q: JavaScript.replace(), To Remove Tag and Contents i have a tag with some veriable content inside. i would like to be able to remove that tag and all its contents using a javascript srt.replace(). i would usually use something like jQuery('.tag-class').remove() but jQuery isn't an option in this case. i believe a regular expression is what i am looking for but after poking around for quite some time, i am no closer than when i started. i need to do this. var myContent = 'bla bla bla <div class="remove-me">variable content here</div> something something'; // run some cool replace() here and get // bla bla bla something something any suggestions would be great! A: var myContent = 'bla bla bla <div class="remove-me">variable content here</div> something something'; myContent = myContent.replace(/<div[\s\w"\=-]*class="remove-me"[\s\w"\=-]*>[\s\w]*<\/div>/g, ""); alert(myContent); https://jsfiddle.net/umL1tswn/

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ANC lashes out at Wikipedia ‘censorship’ Share this article: Share Tweet Share Share Share Email Share The African National Congress feels the “censorship” done to their entry on Internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, is “outright vandalism” and uncivilised, it was reported on Wednesday. Certain phrases on the webpage that described information about alleged corruption within the party were blacked out. ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza told News24 online that the changes to the webpage were not consistent with a civilised society. “How does that assist any cause or anybody to tamper with information?” he asked. “Interfering with information undermines the very need of (information providers).” Wikipedia currently allows any internet user to edit or change their pages. The changes made to the ANC page were made in protest against Protection of State Information Bill which was passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday. The bill was adopted with 229 to 107 votes by the 400-member chamber, and two abstentions. Civil society organisations and members of the media reacted with outrage following the passing of the “secrecy bill”, saying it was an attack on media freedom. They promised that they would engage in acts of civil disobedience and would go to the Constitutional Court to have a public interest clause put into the bill. - Sapa

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If you're a law abiding US citizen, a team of armed undercover US Air Marshals could be following you on your next flight, taking minute-by-minute notes whether or not you engage in such threatening behavior as sleeping on the plane, using a phone, going to the bathroom or talking to other passengers. The Boston Globe has revealed a new federal program that profiles and surveils ordinary US citizen travelers who otherwise have no legitimate reason for being profiled. The secret program, called "Quiet Skies", was set up to monitor US citizens with no prior record and who don't result in red flags being raised at the airport. The people surveiled and followed in this program are, according to a TSA memo cited by the Globe article, "not under investigation by any agency and are not in the Terrorist Screening Data Base". In essence, the program gives the TSA the option to monitor and track whoever it likes for any reason whatsoever, effectively granting TSA agents a green light to violate anyone's personal privacy even as the legal and constitutional implications of such profiling remain unknown. And, understandably, internal pushback against the relatively new program has emerged as some Federal Air Marshals have noted that it is a drain on resources and is way too time consuming and costly. Further, concerns have been raised by legal experts, like Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, who said that "if this was about foreign citizens, the government would have considerable power. But if it’s US citizens — US citizens don’t lose their rights simply because they are in an airplane at 30,000 feet." Predictably, the TSA defended the program to the Boston Globe when asked and declined to note for the article whether or not the program has been successful in stopping any threats. In fact, it wouldn’t even confirm that the program existed. But documents provided to the Boston Globe by FSA sources confirm that this highly controversial program does, in fact, exist. So if you're not on any terrorist watch list and you are not under investigation by the Federal Government, what exactly do armed Air Marshals look for when a "small team of them" watches you as you fly or home to visit relatives for the holidays? Amazingly, the red flag "triggers" for in depth surveillance involve behaviors that essentially all passengers are susceptible to, such as: whether or not passengers fidget whether or not they are using a computer on the flight whether or not they stare off into space face touching exaggerated emotions whether or not a subject has lost or gained weight from the information provided to authorities whether or not the subject has facial hair, tattoos, piercings, whether not they slept during the flight whether not they use the bathroom on the flight how they were picked up when they arrive. The full "behavior checklist", uploaded on the Boston Globe website, is both astonishing and frightening. A casual skim of the above "threats" narrows down the list of potential suspects to - well, everybody who flies or has ever flown in an airplane. And yes, Air Marshal have been instructed to focus especially on people who have "gained weight", have a beard, checked their baggage, and either talk on the phone or have a computer: almost as if the government has granted explicit permission for the FSA to profile just about anyone, for any reason whatsoever. The article did not reveal how people are initially chosen for the screening, and the TSA naturally refused to share the information. However, what we do know is that once one has made the list and is selected for surveillance... ...a team of air marshals is placed on the person’s next flight. The team receives a file containing a photo and basic information — such as date and place of birth — about the target, according to agency documents. The teams track citizens on domestic flights, to or from dozens of cities big and small — such as Boston and Harrisburg, Pa., Washington, D.C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. — taking notes on whether travelers use a phone, go to the bathroom, chat with others, or change clothes, according to documents and people within the department. Despite its relative recency, the program is already operational across virtually all major airports. And just like Edward Snowden and the NSA, the Globe points out that pushback against this kind of indescriminate profiling is rising as "dozens of air marshals have raised concerns about the Quiet Skies program with senior officials and colleagues, sought legal counsel, and expressed misgivings about the surveillance program, according to interviews and documents reviewed by the Globe." Sensing an avalanche of legal fees, experts that specialize in civil liberties and citizens' rights believe that the program may not be lawful: Experts on civil liberties called the Quiet Skies program worrisome and potentially illegal. “These revelations raise profound concerns about whether TSA is conducting pervasive surveillance of travelers without any suspicion of actual wrongdoing,” said Hugh Handeyside, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project. “If TSA is using proxies for race or religion to single out travelers for surveillance, that could violate the travelers’ constitutional rights. These concerns are all the more acute because of TSA’s track record of using unreliable and unscientific techniques to screen and monitor travelers who have done nothing wrong.” George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Quiet Skies touches on several sensitive legal issues and appears to fall into a gray area of privacy law. The biggest irony, as several Air Marshals observed, is that that potentially illegal program which infringes on the privacy and constitutional rights of US citizens, is also being paid for by those very same US citizens. Just like with the NSA. Even the president of the Air Marshal Association has spoken out against the program: Several air marshals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, told the Globe the program wastes taxpayer dollars and makes the country less safe because attention and resources are diverted away from legitimate, potential threats. The US Federal Air Marshal Service, which is part of TSA and falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has a mandate to protect airline passengers and crew against the risk of criminal and terrorist violence. John Casaretti, president of the Air Marshal Association, said in a statement: “The Air Marshal Association believes that missions based on recognized intelligence, or in support of ongoing federal investigations, is the proper criteria for flight scheduling. Currently the Quiet Skies program does not meet the criteria we find acceptable. “The American public would be better served if these [air marshals] were instead assigned to airport screening and check in areas so that active shooter events can be swiftly ended, and violations of federal crimes can be properly and consistently addressed.” Finally, for those unlucky enough to have "gained weight" since their last observations - or heaven forbid grew a goatee - and triggered the TSA's red flag, once selected for the list they are surveilled for up to 90 days or for their next three encounters, whatever comes first. While the long running practice of Air Marshals Performing surveillance on those who are the focus of government investigations makes sense – this clear abuse of power and disregard for the rights of US citizens is so egregious that even those tasked with enforcing it can’t get behind it.

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Q: Create AWS's launch configuration for Autoscaling I am working for the AWS's Autoscaling. One thing I am confused is new launched instances from Autoscaling is based on the AMI of that instance. I have one instance that is created from an AMI of a snapshot of one volume. My concern is that if new instances are launched based on that AMI, those new updates in the instance will not be included in the new launched instances using that AMI. Because only instance has new updates and that AMI is fixed and never update. Is that consideration valid? If that is true, how to make sure newly launched instance by Autoscaling has all what the scale in instance has. A: You are correct. An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a point-in-time snapshot of an Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) Volume. Therefore, any Amazon EC2 instance launched by Auto Scaling will contain an EBS Volume that exactly matches the contents of the AMI as at the time that the AMI was created. This is fully intentional and working as expected. The intention is that you can create an AMI that contains all the software and configuration that is necessary for the EC2 instances being launched by Auto Scaling. Each instance will have its own copy of the AMI as its boot disk. If your intention is to replicate/share data between multiple EC2 instances, then you should store your data somewhere that all instances can access, such as: A database An Amazon S3 bucket Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) (shared storage amongst multiple instances) A disk share between the instances (configured in the operating system)

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Sea Spa Glow Body Treatment Enhance the youthful and healthy glow of your skin. Our Sea Spa Glow Body and Foot exfoliator creates an essential deep pore cleansing from head to toe, removing rough, dry skin and leaving skin smooth and refreshed. Once the salts are removed in a shower, you will be treated by a second massage with a seaweed body cream.

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Q: R DEoptim() function: How to select parameters to be opimised? I wish to estimate parameters for the following Example: But how can I make DEoptim to only optimise say 2 of the 3 parameters? - Is there a direct method to do this? rm(list=ls()) t <- seq(0.1,20,length=100) Hobs <- 20 + 8*exp(-0.05*t) Hsim <- function(p,t) {p[1] + p[2]*exp(-p[3]*t)} upper <- c(30,10,1) lower <- -upper resFun <- function(p, t, Hobs) { r <- Hobs - Hsim(p,t) return(t(r)%*%r) } DEoptim(resFun, lower, upper, Hobs = Hobs, t = t, DEoptim.control(NP = 80, itermax = 200, F = 1.2, CR = 0.7, trace =FALSE)) I found a workaround cf below. But is there a more elegant way of doing this? rm(list=ls()) t <- seq(0.1,20,length=100) Hobs <- 20 + 8*exp(-0.05*t) #Hkorr <- rnorm(100,0,0.2) Hsim <- function(p,t) {p[1] + p[2]*exp(-p[3]*t)} upper <- c(20,10,1) lower <- c(1,1,0.001) sel = c(0,1,1) ini = c(20,NA,NA) # correct upper and lower to selected parameters upper <- upper[which(sel==1)] lower <- lower[which(sel==1)] resFun <- function(par,t,Hobs, sel, ini) { p <- rep(NA,3) p[which(sel == 0)] <- ini[which(sel==0)] p[which(sel == 1)] <- par r <- Hobs - Hsim(p,t) return(t(r)%*%r) } DEoptim(resFun, lower, upper, Hobs = Hobs, t = t, sel = sel, ini = ini, DEoptim.control(NP = 80, itermax = 200, F = 1.2, CR = 0.7, trace =FALSE)) A: You can set the upper and lower parameter value to be equal for whichever parameter you want to hold constant. # Hold the first parameter constant at 20 opt <- DEoptim(resFun, c(20, -10, -1), c(20, 10 ,1), Hobs=Hobs, t=t, DEoptim.control(NP=80, itermax=200, F=1.2, CR=0.7))

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Abstract The language of nonlinear dynamical systems and ergodic theory is used to present a theoretical framework for the study of mind. The basic space X consists of the collection of all brain images (clusters of activated neurons) that are relevant to consciousness. The dynamics of the brain is modelled by means of a discrete time transformation T which takes a cluster of activated brain cells into another cluster of activated brain cells. The space X is partitioned into subcollections of brain images, namely those generated by the five senses and by other processes that produce brain images relevant to consciousness. It is argued that T is a Markov transformation with respect to this partition of X. This leads to the existence of an object μ, referred to as an SRB measure which possesses properties that make it a candidate for mind: μ is ‘aware’ of the brain images in its support; μ is time-invariant and acts as an attractor into which all orbits of (conscious) brain images settle. Furthermore, the dynamical systems model for mind allows the estimation of brain information rates and provides a framework in which a number of mind related issues can be discussed.

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Which New Middle East? An Iraqi man waits in line to obtain a visa to visit Turkey at the Turkish Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, Oct. 27, 2010. Turkey’s influence is greater in northern Iraq and broader, though not deeper, than Iran’s in the rest of the country. Turkey exerts so-called soft power, the assertion of influence through culture, education and business. (Photo: Ayman Oghanna / The New York Times) Berlin - Regardless of whether democratization in the “new Middle East” succeeds or authoritarian forms of government prevail once again, one fundamental change has already become clear: no one will be able to govern without taking into account domestic public opinion. This change will shift the foreign-policy parameters of the Middle East conflict (understood as both an Israeli-Palestinian conflict and as a conflict between Israelis and Arabs more generally). Despite wars in Lebanon and Gaza, and the intifadas in the occupied West Bank, these parameters have proven surprisingly stable for decades, anchored by the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan and the Oslo accords with the Palestinians. All this is about to change. And, while the tectonic shift in the region was triggered by the “Arab Awakening,” its players are not limited to the Arab world or to the confines of the Middle East conflict. The United States, Europe, Turkey, and, in a certain sense, Iran all play a role – some more directly than others. Let’s begin with the US. President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo two years ago created great expectations, but few or none have been fulfilled. Instead, the US allowed a political vacuum to form in the absence of any movement on the part of Israel’s government. This vacuum has now been filled by the Arab Awakening. Europe, meanwhile, is preoccupied with its own crisis. But, in the last few years, the Europeans, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have de facto slammed the door to European Union accession in Turkey’s face. As a result, Turkey has embraced a “neo-Ottoman” foreign policy, in which the Arab world – even more than the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Balkans – plays the central role. Of course, Turkey, in accordance with its political, security, and economic interests, has no choice but to pay close attention to its southern neighborhood, and must try to prevent chaotic developments there. Turkey would be facing the same risks even if it were integrated into a European context, but its priorities would then be completely different. Because of Europe’s short-sightedness, Turkey has in effect abandoned its ambitions for EU membership and opted for the neo-Ottoman project of becoming a Middle Eastern power – a policy shift that reflects both interests and ideology. On the one hand, Turkey views regional dominance as a stepping-stone to a greater global role; on the other hand, it views itself as a role model for successful modernization of the Middle East on an Islamic-democratic basis. This bid for regional preeminence will sooner or later bring Turkey into serious conflict with neighboring Iran. If Turkey prevails, Iran and the radicals in the region will be caught on the losing side of history – and they know it. While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s government is trying to maintain good relations with Iran, its ambition to become the leading Sunni power means that Turkey must sooner or later contest Iran’s influence in Iraq, as well as in Syria and Palestine. And that means conflict. The drastic deterioration in Turkey’s relations with Israel is related to this emerging Iranian-Turkish rivalry. To be sure, this rivalry also has a positive side from the Israeli point of view – the weakening of Iran and other regional radicals. But, for Turkey as an aspiring regional leader, the interests of the Palestinians are naturally more important than its relations with Israel. This has become all the more true in light of the revolutionary changes in the Arab world, and is at the root of Erdo?an’s foreign-policy reorientation. As a result, Israel is in an increasingly difficult situation. Without a strategic re-orientation of its own – to remain passive is a risky endeavor in a rapidly changing world order – Israel would further delegitimize and isolate itself internationally. A viable Israeli answer to the dramatic changes in the region – and to their already foreseeable consequences – can only take the form of a serious offer of negotiations to Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian government, with the objective of signing a comprehensive peace treaty. Security questions must be taken seriously, but they carry less and less weight, because a sufficiently long period can be left between the treaty’s conclusion and its full implementation to resolve them by mutual agreement. But Israel’s current passivity – with all of its negative long-term consequences for the country – is likely to continue as long as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu considers his coalition’s survival more important than a decisive peace initiative. At the same time, the pressure of the Arab revolutions is transforming the Palestinians into a dynamic political factor. For example, in view of the looming fall of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, the pressure of the Egyptian revolution, and the new role of Islamism in the region, Hamas’s alliance with Iran is becoming increasingly problematic. It remains to be seen whether, in the end, the “Turkish course” will prevail against the radicals in Gaza or not. In any case, Hamas faces some risky and consequential decisions of its own – all the more so should its main rival, Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, succeed in its current diplomatic campaign at the United Nations. Obama had promised a Palestinian state within one year, and Abbas is now building upon that promise. But what happens next is crucial. Will Abbas be able to keep the Palestinians on a diplomatic path, or will the situation degenerate again into violence and another disaster? And what will the Palestinian road towards peace look like after the UN decision to recognize some form of statehood for Palestine? Given the current pace of change in the Middle East, we might not have to wait long for answers – or for more questions. Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years. Which New Middle East? An Iraqi man waits in line to obtain a visa to visit Turkey at the Turkish Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, Oct. 27, 2010. Turkey’s influence is greater in northern Iraq and broader, though not deeper, than Iran’s in the rest of the country. Turkey exerts so-called soft power, the assertion of influence through culture, education and business. (Photo: Ayman Oghanna / The New York Times) Berlin - Regardless of whether democratization in the “new Middle East” succeeds or authoritarian forms of government prevail once again, one fundamental change has already become clear: no one will be able to govern without taking into account domestic public opinion. This change will shift the foreign-policy parameters of the Middle East conflict (understood as both an Israeli-Palestinian conflict and as a conflict between Israelis and Arabs more generally). Despite wars in Lebanon and Gaza, and the intifadas in the occupied West Bank, these parameters have proven surprisingly stable for decades, anchored by the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan and the Oslo accords with the Palestinians. All this is about to change. And, while the tectonic shift in the region was triggered by the “Arab Awakening,” its players are not limited to the Arab world or to the confines of the Middle East conflict. The United States, Europe, Turkey, and, in a certain sense, Iran all play a role – some more directly than others. Let’s begin with the US. President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo two years ago created great expectations, but few or none have been fulfilled. Instead, the US allowed a political vacuum to form in the absence of any movement on the part of Israel’s government. This vacuum has now been filled by the Arab Awakening. Europe, meanwhile, is preoccupied with its own crisis. But, in the last few years, the Europeans, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, have de facto slammed the door to European Union accession in Turkey’s face. As a result, Turkey has embraced a “neo-Ottoman” foreign policy, in which the Arab world – even more than the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Balkans – plays the central role. Of course, Turkey, in accordance with its political, security, and economic interests, has no choice but to pay close attention to its southern neighborhood, and must try to prevent chaotic developments there. Turkey would be facing the same risks even if it were integrated into a European context, but its priorities would then be completely different. Because of Europe’s short-sightedness, Turkey has in effect abandoned its ambitions for EU membership and opted for the neo-Ottoman project of becoming a Middle Eastern power – a policy shift that reflects both interests and ideology. On the one hand, Turkey views regional dominance as a stepping-stone to a greater global role; on the other hand, it views itself as a role model for successful modernization of the Middle East on an Islamic-democratic basis. This bid for regional preeminence will sooner or later bring Turkey into serious conflict with neighboring Iran. If Turkey prevails, Iran and the radicals in the region will be caught on the losing side of history – and they know it. While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s government is trying to maintain good relations with Iran, its ambition to become the leading Sunni power means that Turkey must sooner or later contest Iran’s influence in Iraq, as well as in Syria and Palestine. And that means conflict. The drastic deterioration in Turkey’s relations with Israel is related to this emerging Iranian-Turkish rivalry. To be sure, this rivalry also has a positive side from the Israeli point of view – the weakening of Iran and other regional radicals. But, for Turkey as an aspiring regional leader, the interests of the Palestinians are naturally more important than its relations with Israel. This has become all the more true in light of the revolutionary changes in the Arab world, and is at the root of Erdo?an’s foreign-policy reorientation. As a result, Israel is in an increasingly difficult situation. Without a strategic re-orientation of its own – to remain passive is a risky endeavor in a rapidly changing world order – Israel would further delegitimize and isolate itself internationally. A viable Israeli answer to the dramatic changes in the region – and to their already foreseeable consequences – can only take the form of a serious offer of negotiations to Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian government, with the objective of signing a comprehensive peace treaty. Security questions must be taken seriously, but they carry less and less weight, because a sufficiently long period can be left between the treaty’s conclusion and its full implementation to resolve them by mutual agreement. But Israel’s current passivity – with all of its negative long-term consequences for the country – is likely to continue as long as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu considers his coalition’s survival more important than a decisive peace initiative. At the same time, the pressure of the Arab revolutions is transforming the Palestinians into a dynamic political factor. For example, in view of the looming fall of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, the pressure of the Egyptian revolution, and the new role of Islamism in the region, Hamas’s alliance with Iran is becoming increasingly problematic. It remains to be seen whether, in the end, the “Turkish course” will prevail against the radicals in Gaza or not. In any case, Hamas faces some risky and consequential decisions of its own – all the more so should its main rival, Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, succeed in its current diplomatic campaign at the United Nations. Obama had promised a Palestinian state within one year, and Abbas is now building upon that promise. But what happens next is crucial. Will Abbas be able to keep the Palestinians on a diplomatic path, or will the situation degenerate again into violence and another disaster? And what will the Palestinian road towards peace look like after the UN decision to recognize some form of statehood for Palestine? Given the current pace of change in the Middle East, we might not have to wait long for answers – or for more questions. Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years.

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325 F.Supp.2d 991 (2004) REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE ST. LOUIS REGION, INC., et al., Plaintiffs, v. Jeremiah W. NIXON, et al., Defendants. No. 99-04231-CV-C-SOW. United States District Court, W.D. Missouri, Central Division. July 9, 2004. Arthur A. Benson, Jamie Kathryn Lansford, Arthur Benson & Associates, Curtis E. Woods, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Lana Michelle Knedlik, Stinson, Morrison & Hecker LLP, Kansas City, MO, Dara Klassel, New York, NY, for Plaintiffs. Michael Pritchett, Missouri Attorney General, Jefferson City, MO, for Defendants. ORDER SCOTT O. WRIGHT, Senior District Judge. Before the Court is plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. # 84), which is fully briefed. Plaintiffs' motion requires this Court to assess the constitutionality of the Missouri Infant's Protection Act, Mo.Rev.Stat. § 565.300 (WESTLAW through 2004 legislation). The United States Supreme Court's decision in Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914, 120 S.Ct. 2597, 147 L.Ed.2d 743 (2000), compels the conclusion that the Missouri Infant's Protection Act violates the United States Constitution. Accordingly, this Court grants plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment. I. Background The Missouri Infant's Protection Act creates the Class A felony of infanticide, which is defined as causing the "death of a living infant with the purpose to cause said death by an overt act performed when the *992 infant is partially born or born." Mo.Rev.Stat. § 565.300.3 (WESTLAW through 2004 legislation). The Act defines "living infant" as "a human child, born or partially born, who is alive, as determined in accordance with the usual and customary standards of medical practice and is not dead ... and has not attained the age of thirty days post birth [.]" Id. § 565.300.2(2) (citation omitted). It further defines "partially born" as "partial separation of a child from the mother with the child's head intact with the torso. If vaginally delivered, a child is partially separated from the mother when the head in a cephalic presentation, or any part of the torso above the navel in a breech presentation, is outside the mother's external cervical os. If delivered abdominally, a child is partially separated from the mother when the child's head in a cephalic presentation, or any part of the torso above the navel in a breech presentation, is outside the mother's external abdominal wall." Id. § 565.300.2(3). Finally, the Act defines "born" as "complete separation of an intact child from the mother regardless of whether the umbilical cord is cut or the placenta detached[.]" Id. § 565.300.2(1). Of particular relevance to this lawsuit is Section 565.300.5 of the Act, which reads: "A physician using procedures consistent with the usual and customary standards of medical practice to save the life of the mother during pregnancy or birth or to save the life of any unborn or partially born child of the same pregnancy shall not be criminally responsible under this section." Id. § 565.300.5. It is undisputed that the Act does not contain a health exception. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 930, 120 S.Ct. 2597 (Nebraska statute unconstitutional because statute "lacks any exception for the preservation of the ... health of the mother."); see also State of Missouri v. Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Inc., et al., 97 S.W.3d 54, 63-65 (Mo.Ct.App.2002) ("[W]e find nothing in either the language of the Act or its limited legislative history that supports the view that the Act provides an exception to liability for actions undertaken to preserve the health of the mother."). On September 17, 1999, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Dr. Robert Crist, M.D., commenced this action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Missouri Attorney General Jeremiah W. Nixon and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Dee Joyce-Hayes, both sued in their official capacities, were named as defendants. A temporary restraining order enjoining the Act was entered by this Court on the day the lawsuit was commenced. Four days later, this Court, pursuant to the agreement of the parties, set this case for trial on March 27, 2000, and extended the temporary restraining order until final disposition on the merits. On January 5, 2000, the State of Missouri filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for the City of St. Louis against plaintiffs seeking a declaration as to the scope and meaning of the Act. On January 21, 2000, this Court enjoined the state proceeding and refused to abstain from exercising federal jurisdiction. Soon after, the State appealed this Court's ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. On March 23, 2000, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit stayed the proceedings in this Court and allowed the state proceedings to move forward. The Honorable Robert H. Dierker tried the state lawsuit in a series of hearings commencing May 24, 2000, and concluding on August 17, 2000. On December 5, 2000, Judge Dierker issued a declaration as to the scope and meaning of the Act. State of Missouri v. Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Inc., et al., No. 004-00008 (Mo.Cir. *993 Ct., 22nd Cir., Dec. 5, 2000). Specifically, Judge Dierker ruled that the Act did not apply to the following abortion procedures: suction curettage or vacuum aspiration, induction, hysterectomy, hysterectomy, and dismemberment or nonintact dilation (dilatation) and evacuation ("D & E"). Id. at 52. Judge Dierker also ruled that the Act did apply to the intact D & E abortion procedure and a variation of the intact D & E abortion procedure known as intact dilation (dilatation) and extraction ("D & X").[1]Id. Moreover, Judge Dierker held that a health exception could be read into the act, although a health exception could not be found explicitly in the text of the Act. Id. at 53. Judge Dierker's ruling was appealed to the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District of Missouri. On November 19, 2002, the Missouri Court of Appeals reversed the part of the judgment that read a health exception into the Act and also modified the judgment to change the mens rea requirement. State of Missouri v. Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, Inc., et al., 97 S.W.3d 54, 63-65 (Mo.Ct.App.2002). Pursuant to the Opinion of the Missouri Court of Appeals, the following abortion procedures are banned by the Act: [I]ntact dilation (dilatation) and evacuation abortion procedure[s] (intact D & E), including the procedure known as an intact dilation (dilatation) and extraction abortion procedure (D & X), performed by a licensed physician, including defendant Crist, if and only if, prior to performing the abortion the physician plans and has a purpose to perform and in fact purposely performs the following acts: (a) serial administration of osmotic dilators (laminaria) over a period exceeding 24 hours; (b) manipulation of the position of the fetus in utero to ensure a footling breech delivery; (c) partial or complete separation of a living fetus from the mother with the child's head intact with the torso — if vaginally delivered, a fetus is partially separated from the mother when the head in a cephalic presentation, or any part of the torso above the navel in a breech presentation, is outside the mother's external cervical os; if delivered abdominally, a fetus is partially separated from the mother when the child's head in a cephalic presentation, or any part of the torso above the navel in a breech presentation, is outside the mother's external abdominal wall; and (d) intentional physical application of force, either by instrument or suction, to the body of the fetus itself, for the purpose of causing, and actually causing, cessation of circulation or respiration or both at or after complete or partial separation (as defined herein) of the living fetus from the mother.[2] Id. at 63, 64. On July 24, 2003, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued its mandate lifting the stay of the proceedings in this Court. Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment is fully briefed, and, consequently, this case is ripe for review. II. Standard Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), summary judgment is appropriate *994 if there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The initial burden is on the moving party to establish the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Dush v. Appleton Elec. Co., 124 F.3d 957, 963 (8th Cir.1997). "Once the moving party shows that there are no material issues of fact in dispute, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to set forth facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial." Donovan v. Harrah's Maryland Heights Corp., 289 F.3d 527, 529 (8th Cir.2002). III. Analysis Plaintiffs argue that pursuant to the United States Supreme Court's decision in Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914, 120 S.Ct. 2597, 147 L.Ed.2d 743 (2000), this Court must conclude that the Missouri Infant's Protection Act is unconstitutional because it "makes no exception for situations where the banned procedure is the most appropriate procedure to preserve the health of the pregnant woman." Plaintiffs' Suggestions in Support at 8. At issue in Stenberg was a Nebraska statute that prohibited "partial birth abortion" except where "necessary to save the life of the mother...." Id. at 921, 120 S.Ct. 2597. Similar to the Missouri Infant's Protection Act, the Nebraska statute banned certain intact D & E procedures, including the D & X procedure.[3]Id. at 926-30, 120 S.Ct. 2597. The Supreme Court specifically found that a health exception was necessary because "substantial medical authority supports the proposition" that banning these abortion procedures could endanger women's health. Id. at 937-38, 120 S.Ct. 2597. Thus, "a statute that altogether forbids D & X creates a significant health risk. The statute consequently must contain a health exception." Id. at 938, 120 S.Ct. 2597; see also Planned Parenthood v. Owens, 287 F.3d 910, 917-918 (10th Cir.2002) ("Stenberg also confirmed that the lack of a health exception is a sufficient ground for invalidating a state abortion statute."); Richmond Medical Center for Women v. Gilmore, 219 F.3d 376, 377 (4th Cir.2000) ("The Court has ... unequivocally held that any ban on partial-birth abortion must include an exception for the health of the mother in order to be constitutional."); Planned Parenthood v. Farmer, 220 F.3d 127, 152-153 (3rd Cir.2000) (Alito, J., concurring) (District Court must be affirmed because "the New Jersey statute, like its Nebraska counterpart, lacks an exception for the preservation of the health of the mother. Without such an exception, the New Jersey statute is irreconcilable with Part II-A of Carhart."). Because the Nebraska statute included only a life exception, and "lack[ed] any exception for the preservation of the ... health of the mother," the Court held the statute unconstitutional.[4]Id. The Missouri Court of Appeals' Opinion makes it clear that the Missouri Infant's Protection Act bans the D & X abortion procedure. The Opinion also makes it clear that the Missouri Infant's Protection Act fails to contain an exception to protect the health of the pregnant woman. Because there are no genuine issues of material *995 fact as to the presence of a health exception, this Court, pursuant to Stenberg v. Carhart, must conclude that the Missouri Infant's Protection Act is unconstitutional. IV. Conclusion Based on the foregoing, it is hereby ORDERED that plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. # 84) is granted. It is further ORDERED that defendants, and their employees, agents, and successors, are PERMANENTLY ENJOINED from enforcing the Missouri Infant's Protection Act, Mo.Rev.Stat. § 565.300 (WESTLAW through 2004 legislation). NOTES [1] For a description of these abortion procedures, see Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 924-929, 120 S.Ct. 2597. [2] The underlined portion is the modification made by the Missouri Court of Appeals as to the mens rea requirement. The language contained in Judge Dierker's Order is the following: "if and only if the physician intends to perform and in fact intentionally performs the following acts...." State of Missouri, No. 004-00008 at 52. [3] The Supreme Court stated that the terms intact D & E and D & X are sufficiently similar so that the terms can be used interchangeably. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 928, 120 S.Ct. 2597. [4] The Supreme Court also held that the Nebraska statute was unconstitutional because it imposed "an undue burden on a woman's ability to choose a D & E abortion, thereby unduly burdening the right to choose abortion itself." Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 930, 120 S.Ct. 2597.

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Q: ActionbarSherlock Action Item divider How can I show a divider in Action Bar item? I want: | ACTION_1 | ACTION_2 I think that I need to modify the ActionMenuItemView background png but I'm not sure. Thanks!! A: As explained by Jake in this answer, the divider is only shown when one of the following types of ActionButtons are used: Text-only followed by text-only Icon-only followed by text-only Text and icon followed by text-only If you wish to have it always display, refer to the answer and modify the ActionItemView.java source file within the ActionBarSherlock Library Project. Also see my comment on that answer to retrieve the location of the source file in question. Other than that, if you would also wish to style that divider, refer to this other great answer.

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[Cystadenocarcinoma complicating urachal cysts. A case report and review of the literature (author's transl)]. A 50-year-old man developed a cystadenocarcinoma on a large urachal cyst. Only 15 similar cases have been reported in the published literature, equivalent to less than 10 p. cent of cancers of the urachus. These tumours present certain clinical, radiological, endoscopic, ultrasonographic, and pathological characteristics. As against solid urachal tumours, there is little controversy as to their vestigial origin from the remains of the allantoid canal. Their prognosis is poor, regional recurrences and pulmonary metastases, and complicated or uncomplicated urachal cysts should therefore be systematically excised.

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WALKER, Mich. (WZZM)- It has been just over two months since the loss of Walker police officer Trevor Slot and we're we're getting our first look at the chase that ended with his death. The Michigan State Police released dashcam video of the October 13th chase through Muskegon, Kent and Ottawa counties. WZZM 13 News obtained the video through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Michigan State Police. We reviewed the video, and are not going to show the portion where Officer Slot was hit and killed. But, leading up to it, you can clearly see several police agencies chasing the blue Bravada. You can also see one of the suspects try to flee from the scene. It happened on October 13th. After robbing a bank in Ravenna, Kristopher Cheyne and Derryl Lafave led police on a high speed chase. They traveled east and west on I-96, firing shots at the officers. As the suspects get off on the Eighth Avenue exit, that is where they hit and killed Officer Slot as he was trying to put down stop sticks. After that, you can see one of the suspects trying to flee from the scene. Both Cheyne and Lafave were shot and killed by police. In a report from the Ottawa County Prosecutor, he stated the officers were justified in killing the two robbers.

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Q: getObjectInBackgroundWithId: using pointer [ Parse ] First i get the current user and the connected book to that user (It's a pointer to a book objectId). Then i want to find the book using the getobjectinBackgroundWithId method and then display the book name. When i change getObjectInBackgroundWithId:storeUserID to getObjectInBackgroundWithId:@"f4Dg92xC2" it works perfect! PFUser *currentuser = [PFUser currentUser]; storeUserID = currentuser[@"connectedBook"]; //Store book id in a string NSLog(@"%@", storeUserID); // what i get <Book:f4Dg92xC2:(null)> PFQuery *query = [PFQuery queryWithClassName:@"Book"]; [query getObjectInBackgroundWithId:storeUserID block:^(PFObject *books, NSError *error){ PFObject *bookObject = books[@"bookName"]; NSLog(@"bookName:%@", bookObject); }]; when i run this, the NSLog with the book name, shows: Error: bad special key: objectId (Code: 102, Version: 1.2.20) 2014-09-17 23:28:56.529 MyApp[18977:90b] bookName:(null) Thanks a lot in advance!! A: Your comment //Store book id in a string is incorrect. A pointer doesn't return the string object id, it returns the object itself. So you already have it and you don't need to call getObjectInBackgroundWithId:. The log <Book:f4Dg92xC2:(null)> even tells you it's a Book instance (not an NSString instance).

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Human papilloma vaccination to adolescents. Infection with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is extremely common worldwide. Persistent infection with high-risk strains can lead to genital tract premalignant and malignant lesions. Two licensed prophylactic HPV vaccines against cervical malignancy are commercially available. In naive patients both vaccines showed close to 100% efficacy against persistent infection and genital disease associated with the vaccine-targeted HPV types, as well as excellent safety over several years of study. Here we present a discussion on the appropriate age and gender in which to propose vaccination, and conclude that the most suitable recommendation is for vaccination of adolescents.

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Irish Top RedHawks Outdoors in Hockey City Classic 9:56 PM, Feb. 17, 2013 Freshman Kevin Morris scores Miami?s lone goal Sunday. Written by Peter Marx Courtesy of Miami University Athletics CHICAGO - Miami University battled Notre Dame until the very end, but came up just short as it fell, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field in front of 52,051 people. It was Miami's first outdoor hockey game in program history. "Playing outside in front of over 50,000 people was a great experience," said senior captain and Vernon Hills (Chicago suburb) native Steven Spinell. "It was definitely great to be a part of this." McKay added, "It was something I'll remember for a very long time." Despite the loss, MU still sits in first place in the CCHA, two points ...

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Sarah Palin hinted at a 2022 Senate run just hours after Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski voted against advancing Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The former Alaskan governor taunted the incumbent in a Friday afternoon tweet. “Hey, @LisaMurkowski – I can see 2022 from my house…” Said Palin. Hey @LisaMurkowski – I can see 2022 from my house… — Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) October 5, 2018 Murkowski is up for re-election in 2022. Also, Palin seeing anything from her house seems to be a reference to actress Tina Fey’s popular Saturday Night Live portrayal of Palin from the 2008 presidential election season where Fey’s caricature claimed she could see Russia from her house. Moreover, Palin’s tweet was delivered shortly after Murkowski voted no on Kavanaugh’s advancement while saying it was the most “difficult evaluation of a decision” she ever had to make. “In my view he’s not the best man for the court at this time,” said Murkowski. “This has truly been the most difficult evaluation of a decision that I have ever had to make.” The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!

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You are here The property owners of 403 Tweedsmuir, the Richmond Plaza Motel, have submitted a Zoning By-Law Amendment application to permit and develop at 6-storey mixed-use building with residential and hotel uses. The building is proposed to have a mix of 24 hotel units and 21 residential units, with the hotel use taking up the first three storeys and the residential units occupying the fourth, fifth and sixth storeys. The proposed development also includes an underground parking garaged proposed to include 25 parking spaces. More details on this application will become available over the coming weeks, and we are hosting an open house for residents to further review details of the proposed project.

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PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION, so we can show that Austin City Council's decision to change the road’s name was NOT supported by those who live and work on the road. Sign the petition if you are a small business or resident adversely affected by this measure. Sign the petition if you are a resident who will be unreasonably inconvenienced by this measure. Sign the petition if you do not believe City Council should be making decisions on your behalf without your input. Sign the petition if you believe there is no historical, legal or practical justification for this measure. Sign the petition if you believe it is way too late for such a financially disruptive change. Sign the petition if you REJECT the measure to change Manchaca Road’s name for any reason. Why is “Leave Manchaca Alone” fighting this? There is no justifiable or factual evidence supporting the new name’s derivation. The ordinance is unsupported by residents, via a petition currently over 5,500 signatures strong. The name change will cost taxpayers, including 1,569 small businesses and 33,360 homes along Manchaca Road, substantial time and financial burden. Leave Manchaca Alone is a non-profit association of property owners and businesses located on Manchaca Road. It seeks to overturn the City’s irresponsible and financially harmful decision, and encourages City Council to spend its time and resources on more important issues, such as homelessness and affordable housing, transportation, and public safety. Read on for a more thorough explanation... ______________________________ BACKGROUND: The Austin City Council approved the name change of Manchaca Road to Menchaca Road on October 4, 2018, WITH LITTLE feedback from businesses and residents who work and live on the road, WITHOUT regard to the costs small businesses and residents will incur as a result, WITHOUT regard to the cost to Austin taxpayers, and in SPITE OF a glaring lack of evidence to justify the decision. We seek to reverse or find responsible alternatives to City Council’s decision. Leave Manchaca Alone (“LMA”) took the City to court after the October 4th hearing, to argue that the City did not properly inform property owners along Manchaca Road about the public hearing to change the road name, as required by city law. City Council had quickly and quietly passed an ordinance for the change, with little input from the 50,000+ individual property owners, businesses and apartment dwellers that would be affected by the change. LMA prevailed at court. Judge Dustin Howell, who presides over the 459th District Court, ruled that the City did not follow its public notice rules and granted LMA’s application for a temporary injunction against enforcing the change ordinance in December of 2018. The injunction remains in effect to this day. But the fight is far from over. After winning our injunction, a trial date was set for September 16, 2019, allowing the parties time to resolve the issue before then. The City could have decided to forgo the trial and conduct a proper public notice and hearing process, drop the ordinance altogether, or honor Jose Antonio Menchaca in another way that does not cost taxpayers any money--all options that we suggested to them when they asked for a settlement after losing the initial court case. To this day, they have not decided to do anything. Instead, they will take the same losing argument about their process back to court, wasting valuable time, resources, and money for all involved. LMA remains hopeful that the Council will recognize that there is NO evidence-related justification for their decision and that the name change remains hugely unpopular with the people who live and work ON Manchaca Road. In the meantime, LMA is raising support and money for continued legal action and public relations. Follow the latest developments on our Facebook Page. The Original Argument: Hearsay or Evidence? At the October 4th City Council meeting, politically connected advocates led by Mr. Bob Perkins, president of the Justice for Menchaca organization, claimed that Manchaca Road has been erroneously misspelled for 170+ years. He claims that instead of being called Manchaca, the road should have been called Menchaca, after Jose Antonio Menchaca, an officer of the Texas Army who lived and died in San Antonio and fought in the Battle of San Jacinto in modern-day Houston. Opponents, led by LMA and the Manchaca Onion Creek Historical Association, insist that there is no historical evidence to support this claim. Advocate (Bob Perkins) assertions: Manchaca Springs, the village of Manchaca and Manchaca Road were named after Menchaca, but incorrectly spelled. On the night of April 21, 1836, after the Battle of San Jacinto, Jose Antonio Menchaca’s name was misspelled for the first time in Texas military annals. His name continued to be misspelled during his entire military service. After the war, Captain Menchaca stayed in the Texas Army, stationed in San Antonio. One of his responsibilities was to patrol against the Comanche, along where Perkins theorizes was Old San Antonio Road, which runs parallel to I35. He goes on to speculate that local residents were so pleased with his efforts that they named the nearby springs after him. Slave owners living in the area in the 1850’s switched the name from Menchaca to Manchac, pronouncing it as “Man-chack.” They preferred an Anglicized name because of prejudice against Mexicans that spiked in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War. Opposing (LMA) assertions: The Manchaca Onion Creek Historical Association, after extensive research, has wholly disputed the theory of Captain Menchaca’s relationship to the area, and has determined there is a similarity in name and nothing else. There is no documented proof that Captain Menchaca camped in the area known as "Manchac Springs" during his military travels. There exists no historical evidence of Captain Menchaca’s presence anywhere near Austin. Neither in his own extensive memoirs, nor in his obituary, was it mentioned that Menchaca knew anything about a place that was supposedly named after him while he was alive. Dr. Jesús de la Teja, former Professor of History at Texas State University and past president of the Texas State Historical Association, who edited and adopted Captain Menchaca’s memoirs, has found no evidence of Menchaca’s connection to the town’s name. Native Americans used the resources of Manchac Springs long before Anglo settlers came to the area. The springs could have been named after the Choctaw word Manchac, which meant “rear entrance” as it applied to their migratory use of such resources. The word Manchac also describes other waterways further north including "Manchac Bayou" and "Pass Manchac." The derivation of the word "Manchac" predates that of Jose Menchaca's existence. The earliest-known official map of the area dates back to 1849. In it the area is named "Manchac Springs." Sam Houston, who was Captain Menchaca's commanding officer, delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate in 1849 praising this map as “the most correct and authentic map of Texas ever compiled.” There are 1,763 property owners on Manchaca Road. Only 63 or 3.5% responded to a city opinion survey. Of these respondents, 82.5% opposed the name change. (Their rules do not require them to notify renters and business tenants, which number well above 50,000 people along the road). It has been determined in court that at least 200 property owners, and possibly more, did not receive notice of the survey nor of the hearing to change the name of their street. The City had erroneously sent notice to incorrect addresses. In the Council’s work session (see video) held two days before the public hearing, City Council members openly admitted they had been lobbied by Mr. Perkins for years, that they believed the narrative he provided without any tangible evidence, and that they had already decided to “vote for Menchaca” before hearing from historical groups at the October 4th hearing. Some council members even strategically polluted the debate by suggesting this issue was really about a racial divide. Over 5,500 affected members of the Manchaca community (residents, businesses, commuters and multi-generational residents who refute the Menchaca theory), have thus far signed this petition rejecting the name change. What’s this Going to Cost Taxpayers? The "Justice for Menchaca" organization raised $24,000 from private funds to change all the road signs along Manchaca Road and argued that the taxpayers would not have to pay a thing. LMA argues that the cost to taxpayers (and especially businesses and residents on the road) goes far beyond the cost of changing street signs. Installing the signs could require hundreds of city employee man-hours. Additionally, Texas Department of Transportation conducted a review of costs associated with materials and labor for the road name change on connecting highways, like state-owned US 290 and 360. Estimated costs are between $150,000 and $200,000, which the City would have to pay TXdot to do. Internal and public records, databases and maps of numerous city and county departments would have to be changed, requiring extensive staff time. How Will Small Businesses and Residents be Impacted? Residents along the road (totaling over 50,000 adults that own or rent), will be required to change their personal records, such as driver’s licenses ($25 fee), voter registrations, property insurance, and legal documents. Notice would have to be given to mortgage companies, employers, financial institutions, medical providers, online services, social and business organizations, and more. As for businesses along the road, each is impacted differently. On the low end, businesses need to pay for changes to their stationary, website modifications, local directories, government documents and trade licenses. On the high end (especially with the many businesses who use the word “Manchaca” in their company names), the costs can go much higher. Examples of this are roadside and building signage, marketing materials like brochures, uniform embroidery, modifications to online SEO and advertising, etc. City Council likes to point out that businesses don’t have to change their names, which reveals how little they know about running a small business in a competitive market, and how little they care about the importance of small businesses to the economy. For every potential customer who is lost due to confusion, there is a monetary value associated with that loss. These costs are cumulative and damaging. Local businesses, who create jobs and pay significant taxes to the City, deserve better from their elected representatives. All property owners would need to spend time and money changing their personal records, such as driver’s licenses, voter registrations, property insurance, and legal documents. Notice would have to be given to mortgage companies, employers, financial institutions, medical providers, online services, social and business organizations, friends and families, and more. LMA contends that if City Council is going to make a change that affects thousands of people, they should do it for responsible, irrefutable reasons. Hearsay and evidence are very different. We may only represent a small section of Austin, but if it can happen to us, it could happen to you, too. HOW CAN YOU HELP? Your signature below helps show support. Also please consider helping with the cause by DONATING TO THIS CAMPAIGN at our GoFundMe page, so that small businesses operating on Manchaca Road can afford legal representation to reverse the name change measure. In the event "Leave Manchaca Alone" raises more donations than is needed to achieve a reversal of the street name change, those extra funds will be donated to AISD schools along Manchaca Road in Austin, TX. Thank you for your support as we fight to restore your Manchaca Road true name!

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Syndicate Feeds Popular Tags The Hunt Saboteurs Association is unsurprised to learn that the Eton College Beagles are facing allegations of illegal hunting following an undercover investigation. Over two years ago, the HSA exclusively revealed that Eton College was planning to hold a 'Young Hare Hunters Day' on its premises. Organised by bloodsports group the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles, the event was designed to introduce vulnerable Eton pupils to all aspects of hare hunting. The event was cancelled at the last minute when the HSA organised a peaceful demonstration at the college. HSA Press Officer Lee Moon commented, "Eton College have serious questions to answer. Today their spokesman has claimed that the college 'takes its legal responsibilities extremely seriously and expects all school activities to comply with the law.' Why then did it allow a 'Young Hare Hunters Day' at the college just two years ago? Today we have released a copy of the booking form for the event so the public can make up their own minds about what 'lessons' were to be taught at Eton College on 13th October 2013." On New Years Day hunt saboteurs filmed the Fitzwilliam Hunt illegally chase and kill a fox. The evidence is being looked at by legal experts and will be presented to Cambridgeshire Police. The hunt met at Haycock Hotel, Wansford, Cambridgeshire and were illegally hunting all day. As the afternoon progressed they hunted a wooded area close to the river Nene. The hounds went into cry and a fox was seen running along the river bank with the hounds in pursuit. The huntsman encouraged the hounds on despite sabs being present. The hounds finally caught and attacked the fox in a corner of a field with the huntsman looking on. It was still alive when sabs arrived although hunt support were trying to remove the evidence. The fox had been disembowelled. It was pronounced dead by a sab shortly afterwards. The hunt were pretending to use the Bird Of Prey Exemption however the eagle they had present was never un-hooded and not in a position to fly. The hunt staff made no attempt to call off the hounds. Lee Moon, press spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “New Years Day is one of the high profile occasions in the hunting calendar. If a hunt is willing to illegally chase and kill a fox on this day, with hunt saboteurs present, imagine what they are doing the rest of the year when the spotlight isn't on them. Congratulations to the sabs who managed to gather evidence of this brutality and we look forward to a robust investigation by Cambridgeshire police.” Today Atherstone Hunt supporter Laura Caines was found guilty of two counts of assault by beating at Loughborough Magistrates Court. The incident happened on the 28th February 2015 after a fox was chased and illegally hunted by the Atherstone. Stuart Barton, the huntsman, immediately rides his horse into the nearest saboteur pinning them against a wall. Caines then attacks the same saboteur from behind by putting them in a head lock, hitting them over the head and then attempting to steal their camcorder. She then moved on to the other sab who was filming, grabbed her and then dug her nails into the sabs cheek causing it to bleed. She again tried to steal the camcorder that had filmed the incident. Magistrates found her guilty in her absence after offering no defence. A warrant has been issued for her arrest so that she can be sentenced. Lee Moon, press spokesperson for the Hunt Saboteurs Association, stated: “It is always gratifying when one of the violent bloodsports community is held accountable for their actions. The police and CPS were forced to act in this instance due to compelling video evidence that even they couldn't brush under the carpet. This incident is just the tip of the iceberg however of what West Midlands Hunt Sabs have experienced from the Atherstone hunt over the past two years. They are regularly subjected to physical and verbal abuse which is ignored by the police. They also have video evidence of illegal hunting which is also ignored. The calibre of the Atherstone hunt and their supporters is obvious to all decent people and we expect a more assertive approach from Leicestershire and Warwickshire police in the future.” The Hunt Saboteurs Association is today celebrating the cancellation of the week-long hunting event known as Alston Hare Week. For the first time in over thirty years the Weardale & Tees Valley Beagles have failed to organise their usual October 'festival' for visiting southern packs. This is as a direct result of the event being sabotaged last year and the HSA's firm commitment to return to Alston whenever required. HSA Press Officer Lee Moon commented, "The beaglers seem reluctant to repeat the experience of 2014 which saw up to 40 sabs disrupting their hunts. Whilst this is a great victory, we are not complacent. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have been able to fund a dedicated unit in the area whose role is to monitor any attempt to reschedule the event. We will not tolerate the killing of Alston's hares."

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A Seamless, Client-Centric Programming Model for Type Safe Web Applications [pdf] - lelf http://haste-lang.org/haskell14.pdf ====== al2o3cr "Seamless" appears to have lost most of its meaning - personally, it doesn't really apply if you can't even get through "Hello World" without spamming "this is server code" and "this is client code" everywhere... ~~~ jarcane I think the problem is that the web as we know it was not fundamentally designed to be seamless. We decry it now, but it was the reason that Flash took off in the first place: you could just make your app in Flash, and all you needed to know otherwise was just enough of a template to load the plugin content. Compare that to today, where the browser is an amalgam of at least three different languages (more if you're using something like this), and I struggle to understand how 'seamless' is likely to be possible.

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Tango (telecom) Tango SA,is the leading alternative operator in Luxembourg, offering TV, Internet, fixed and mobile telephony services to residential customers, the self-employed and small businesses. Driven by its taste for a good challenge and intent on offering simplicity and clarity, Tango is focused on the user, and since its inception in 1998, has rolled out a strong innovation policy to provide advanced technologies at affordable fares. The company relies on an efficient distribution network which includes 9 Tango outlets and 17 partner outlets. Tango also works closely with international partners, such as Vodafone, to ensure an optimal communication experience. As of January 2018, Tango counts more than 280,000 customers mainly located in Luxembourg but also in the 3 border countries Belgium, France, Germany. As a member of the Proximus Group since 2008, Tango has been working hand-in-hand with its sister company Telindus, a leading integrator and operator in Luxembourg offering services in the field of fixed and mobile telecommunications, ICT infrastructure, the Cloud and security. Brought together under the Proximus Luxembourg structure since October 2016, the two companies cover all the expertise required to meet the needs of residential customers and businesses, whatever their size. Tango, the challenger 2001: Tango is among the first operators to offer GPRS connection in Europe. 2003: Luxembourg became the 5th countries in the world to have access to UMTS (3G) thanks to Tango. 2007: 3 years after 3G, Tango was the first operator to bring 3G+ to Luxembourg and to commercialize the iPhone . 2010: Creation of Tango’s Professional customers services division in order to penetrate the Corporate market segment. 2011: Optical fiber arrived in Luxembourg and Tango was the first operator to offer that technology. And besides, Tango decided to modernize its mobile network in order to meet the LTE standards. 2012: Once again, Tango was the first operator to launch its 4G network. The company became the first alternative operator in Luxembourg with 86% of spontaneous awareness. 2013: Tango launched a landline service on the cloud for small businesses (today Fix4bizz). 2017: Tango decided to unbundle its fiber subscription. The same year, due to EU roaming regulation, the company became the first luxembourgish operator to fully include EU communications in its mobile subscriptions. 2018: In March, Tango release an updated version of its TV offer "Tango TV", offering new features such as replay, multiscreening, timeshifting among others. Competitors Tango is the second largest of Luxembourg's three main mobile telecommunications operators. It competes with Orange Luxembourg (formerly VOX mobile) and POST Luxembourg. References https://www.tango.lu https://www.telindus.lu https://www.proximus.com/ Category:Proximus Group Category:Vodafone Category:Companies established in 1998 Category:Luxembourg

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Q: Why does jQuery's height() automatically rounds up the value? I wanted to calculate the computed height of a list. On IE, these two give different results. On Chrome, the value seems to be always on integer, so I do not get this problem. // gives a string of "353.7px" window.getComputedStyle(mylist, null).getPropertyValue("height") // gives an int of 354 $(mylist).height(); How come jQuery drops decimals, or is this a problem with IE? EDIT I was actually lying. This happens with Chrome. See http://jsfiddle.net/jTPk9/ A: This is a known bug in jQuery, which shouldn't round height and width values. http://bugs.jquery.com/ticket/9628 Updated with @CookieMonster's comment The current workaround is to use .getBoundingClientRect().height, which is cross browser and doesn't round values. document.getElementById("fruits").getBoundingClientRect().height

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Like a tsunami, a great social and cultural wave is moving west to east in this country, favoring the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. Naturally, it started in California, which officially allows medical marijuana and unofficially permits private use without making a fuss about it. People grow pot in their backyards, next to the zucchini and tomato plants. It’s all cool. But that’s California, home to surfers and aging hippies. Who would expect pot to pass in the Colorado legislature? As we all know, Colorado made marijuana legal as of the new year, and stores opened throughout the state, raking in some $5 million in taxed and regulated sales in just one week. Mind you, this is marijuana sold to anyone over 21, for recreational use. In Boulder or Denver or Colorado Springs, you can enjoy a joint or a pipe or a vaporizer of pot in the way some folks sip a martini or enjoy a beer. Washington State has also legalized recreational marijuana and — very important — the Justice Department has put its imprimatur on these first legal-pot laws, allowing them to go into effect. This sends a signal to other states that the tsunami is coming their way. As a teenager in the Sixties, I knew about pot, but I didn’t smoke. Quite conservative and (in retrospect) awfully uptight, I was pretty much a teetotaler. I could have been very comfortable as one of those grim ladies preaching the evils of alcohol in the years before Prohibition. Like the “reefer madness” hysteria, the temperance movement had popularized the belief that alcohol was the major cause of most social problems, and Prohibition was seen as the solution to the nation’s poverty, crime, violence and other ills. When Prohibition was ratified in 1920, the evangelist Billy Sunday said, “The slums will soon be only a memory. We will turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs.” Since alcohol was to be banned, and since it was seen as the cause of most, if not all, crime, some communities actually sold their jails.

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957 F.2d 865 U.S.v.Brewer** NO. 91-1760 United States Court of Appeals,Fifth Circuit. Feb 24, 1992 1 Appeal From: N.D.Miss. 2 AFFIRMED. ** Conference Calendar

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Search This Blog Thursday, 31 October 2013 Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian air defense base near the port city of Latakia on Thursday, an Obama administration official confirmed to CNN. The US official said that the Israelis believed the base near Snobar Jableh, south of Latakia, had sensitive and sophisticated missile equipment that may have been transferred to the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been ranked the most powerful person in the world by Forbes. He topped the list of the 72 world figures that “matter the most,” while US President Barack Obama was rated second. Putin’s Syria “chess match” that prevented the US strike, and his having the last word in the diplomatic row over the fugitive NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, didn’t go unnoticed with the editorial rating of the influential American business magazine, and were noted among the reasons for his top place. Yin and Yang are used to describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world; and, how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. They complement each other in many ways, but many existing dualities on our planet are becoming weaker and polarity consciousness is slowly leaving the Earth to a great extent. When we fully appreciate unity consciousness within a unified reality, we realize that these two interconnected forces are actually one. Wednesday, 30 October 2013 Here is an excellent collection of scientific papers finding adverse biological effects or damage to health from Wi-Fi signals, Wi-Fi-enabled devices or Wi-Fi frequencies (2.4 or 5 GHz), complied by campaign group WiFi In Schools. The papers listed are only those where exposures were 16V/m or below. Someone using a Wi-Fi-enabled tablet computer can be exposed to electromagnetic fields up to 16V/m. Papers are in alphabetical order. A file of first pages, for printing, can be found here. If you feel like sending a copy of this collection to the local schools in your area, you can search for them here and either print out this article to post or email the link. Tuesday, 29 October 2013 Most fast food restaurants don’t even offer real food, it’s usually riddled with a number of industrial toxic chemicals and harmful GMOs. Please excuse us as we go toss our iced coffee; a new investigation from The Daily Mail has found that ice from McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, and more fast-food chains, tested in the U.K., was all more bacteria-ridden than toilet water. The Mail reports that scientific tests found that all of the samples contained more bacteria than toilet water at the same place, but none of them presented an "immediate health danger." A frightening proposal currently being considered by the European Parliament would direct governments to monitor citizens deemed “intolerant” and could even lead to a ban on all criticism of Islam and feminism. The European Framework National Statute for the Promotion of Tolerance (PDF), which was drafted by the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR), an NGO based in Paris, was presented to the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties committee last month and is thought to be on the verge of implementation. According to the Gatestone Institute, the Statute represents an “unparalleled threat to free speech” and would have the impact of “effectively shutting down the right to free speech in Europe” by banning “all critical scrutiny of Islam and Islamic Sharia law, a key objective of Muslim activist groups for more than two decades.” Last week, Amnesty International released a report on U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, concluding that as many as 900 civilians might have been killed and 600 seriously injured in the attacks since 2004, when the controversial program began. The United States launched between 330 to 374 drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and September 2013, according to the report. And those strikes have created a culture of fear on the ground. "I wasn't scared of drones before," Nabeela, an 8-year-old whose grandmother, Mamana Bibi, was killed by a 2012 drone strike, says in the report. "But now when they fly overhead I wonder, 'Will I be next?'" Monday, 28 October 2013 In a surprise weekend vote, the city council of Dearborn, Michigan voted 4-3 to became the first US city to officially implement all aspects of Sharia Law. The tough new law, slated to go into affect January 1st, addresses secular law including crime, politics and economics as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, fasting, prayer, diet and hygiene. The new law could see citizens stoned for adultery or having a limb amputated for theft. Lesser offenses, such as drinking alcohol or abortion, could result in flogging and/or caning. In addition, the law imposes harsh laws with regards to women and allows for child marriage. Some in town seem to welcome the new legislation while others have denounced the move as “abhorrent”, a threat to freedom and incompatible with the Constitution. One of the containment tanks sprang a leak and was spilling tons of hazardous waste water onto the surrounding area, about a football field’s length from the Pacific Ocean. Now, Japanese officials said, the situation is too big. They need international assistance. There is speculation the tanks have been leaking, little by little, continuously since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami more than two years ago. It’s never been 100 percent confirmed; many said evidence is as yet inconclusive. Sunday, 27 October 2013 Panache Desai is a spiritual guru for so many, having spent the last decade of his life spreading his messages of love and enlightenment throughout the world. Like many spiritualists, Panache felt at a young age that he was “different,” possessing a unique kindness and love rarely experienced from someone so young. He knew early in his life that he was here for a special purpose. Two recent studies provide fuel for both camps: They both find the association between brain cancer and cell phone use is dubious. Does this mean they found no associations? Hardly. The debate about whether cell phones cause brain tumors continues as two new studies appear to illustrate that brain cancers do not rise as a result to increased cell phone use – at least until the data is looked at more closely. In the first of the two – from the University of Oxford's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – followed 791,710 middle aged-women for seven years – after they reported their cell phone use in 1999, 2005 and 2009. The research discovered 51,680 invasive cancers and 1,261 central nervous system cancers during the period. Saturday, 26 October 2013 The most precious gift given to humanity besides its very existence and innate connectivity to universal Source is the gift of free will. We can choose. We ultimately have the power to make decisions for ourselves. Unfortunately this concept is buried under the rubble of ignorance and social engineering and of course becomes a very complex matter as life’s input and experiences complicate our entire decision-making process. And freedom and free will? They’re generally relegated to philosophical treatises and ideological tugs of war in the political arena. Nicely sectored off to where they can’t touch our consciousness and every day living. Many argue that in today’s circumstance we are not free to make our own decisions, that in effect we often don’t even have free will as evidenced by history. This strikes at the root of the problem. Disempowerment via thinking we need permission versus knowledge of our inborn nature of pure freedom. It may appear that it’s been deprived at times. Free will seems to be often negated or seriously limited under certain circumstances, either by choice, coercion or collusion. Friday, 25 October 2013 The National Security Agency eavesdropped on hundreds of phone numbers belonging to dozens of world leaders, newly leaked documents supplied by former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden reveal. Britain’s Guardian newspaper wrote Thursday that a classified memo provided to them by Snowden suggests that the NSA encouraged officials within the United States government and intelligence community to share among their colleagues contact information pertaining to international heads of state. According to the Guardian, the memo made reference to an unnamed US official who had reportedly supplied the NSA with over 200 numbers, including 35 belonging to world leaders. Thursday, 24 October 2013 Increasingly, police departments around the country are becoming more militarized than at any time since the development of the modern American law enforcement apparatus, and it's having a disturbing result: the number of Americans being killed in their own homes, without ever having committed a crime, is rising. The disturbing trend was laid bare once again in a column by Rutherford Institute founder John W. Whitehead, who writes on such topics frequently. In the column, Whitehead provides a number of examples of recent incidents where groups of heavily armed combat cops had burst into the wrong places and killed homeowners: You don't have to climb aboard a rocket ship to be a space tourist anymore. World View Enterprises of Tucson, AZ, plans to offer suborbital spaceflight in a capsule lifted by balloon to 18.6 miles (30 km), which then glides back to Earth. For $75,000, a company called World View Enterprises will loft you 19 miles (30 kilometers) up into Earth's atmosphere using a high-altitude balloon. While the gentle ride won't earn passengers their astronaut wings — outer space is generally considered to begin at an altitude of 62 miles (100 km) — it will afford spectacular views of the blackness of space and the curvature of our planet, World View officials say. Testbiotech will publish its findings from a pilot project initiated to analyse herbicide residues in soybean crops grown in Argentina. The samples were taken shortly before the harvest was due, and analysed by a laboratory at the University of Buenos Aires. The results showed surprisingly high levels of residue in plants that had been sprayed with glyphosate. Almost 100mg/kg were found in one of the samples. In seven of eleven samples, the level of residue was above the international maximum residue level of 20 mg/ kg allowed for food and feed products. Daan Roosegaarde came up with idea during visit to Beijing and has won agreement to test system in one of city's public parks There are many theories on how China could best tackle its air pollution problem: it could shutter its factories, upgrade its emissions standards or, according to one Dutch artist, it could simply suck up the haze using a giant electromagnetic vacuum cleaner. Wednesday, 23 October 2013 Ever hear of trees made of gold? Scientists have discovered that gum trees from the Western Australian goldfields draw up tiny particles of gold through their roots and that these particles end up in the trees' leaves and branches. The particles themselves aren't anything huge, so it's unlikely that a tree-inspired gold rush will occur. In fact, the particles are just the size of one-fifth the diameter of a human hair--so small that they're invisible to the human eye. However, the fact that the trees are drawing up this gold reveals the unique way they're adapting to this environment and could be used to assess the quality of the soil below. Tuesday, 22 October 2013 US drone strikes could be classed as war crimes, killing more civilians than terrorists. Joint report with Human Rights Watch judges US attacks in Yemen and Pakistan to have broken international human rights law US officials responsible for the secret CIA drone campaign against suspected terrorists in Pakistan may have committed war crimes and should stand trial, a report by a leading human rights group warns. Amnesty International has highlighted the case of a grandmother who was killed while she was picking vegetables and other incidents which could have broken international laws designed to protect civilians. Monday, 21 October 2013 The second largest country in the world, India, has become a hotbed of pharmaceutical fraud, as unscrupulous drug companies, mostly from the West, continue to use India's generally poorer populations as human guinea pigs in unethical and flat-out inhumane clinical trials. And India's Supreme Court is finally taking action against this massive organized crime ring by ordering India's health ministry to justify its approval of 162 global clinical trials to take place in the country. Saturday, 19 October 2013 The inspiration for the title I chose for this article comes from Miriam Delicado, who shares the message that we are one voice, one people, and one Earth. That we all need to come together, unite and collectively work towards planetary change. Inspiring people to take the necessary steps to create big change on the planet. More people than ever before in human history have the desire to do this. The words below, however are my own, they come from me and are not meant to speak for Miriam Delicado. If you want to know more about her great work, you can click on her name, it will take you directly to her website. She will also be making an appearance in our third documentary, The Collective Evolution III. Thousands of people worldwide are expected to join the Global Frackdown protest on October 19. ‘Fracktivists’ from over 26 countries will gather to demand an end to fracking and “dangerous” shale gas drillings. Numerous events are scheduled to take place mainly across the US and Europe with some rallies already having kicked off in the UK, Romania, France and Spain. The global movement will be also joined by activists from Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and Indonesia. So far, a total 26 countries are listed to be taking part in the protest. Thursday, 17 October 2013 European banks, like all banks, have long been hermetically sealed black boxes. If someone managed to pry open just one tiny corner, the reek of asset putrefaction that billowed out was so strong that the corner would immediately be resealed. In cases where the corner didn’t get resealed fast enough and too much of the reek spread, the whole bank collapsed, only to be bailed out by taxpayers, often in other countries; it’s easier that way. The only thing known about the holes in the balance sheets of these black boxes, left behind by assets that have quietly decomposed, is that they’re deep. But no one knows how deep. And no one is allowed to know – not until Eurocrats decide who is going to pay for bailing out these banks. How do we know? ECB President Mario Draghi said that on Friday in Washington. Wednesday, 16 October 2013 Deputies of the Labour Party and party Democrats 66 of the Dutch Parliament called to suspend activities related to the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Russia in connection with the attack on Deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands, 60-year-old Onno Elderenbosch in Moscow. Tuesday, 15 October 2013 A new study has shown that sea cucumber extract kills up to 95 percent of breast cancer cells, 90 percent of melanoma cells, 95 percent of liver cancer cells and 88 percent of lung cancer cells in vitro. The extract also stimulates the immune system against cancer and impedes key processes required for metastasis. While the science behind this is very new to Western medicine, the sea cucumber has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Sea cucumber extracts potently kill multiple cancer cell lines In previous studies, extracts of sea cucumber have demonstrated potent cytotoxicity against pancreatic, lung, prostate, colon, breast, skin and liver cancer cells as well as leukemia and gioblastoma. Researchers have identified a key compound responsible for sea cucumber's anti-cancer properties: a triterpenoid known as frondoside A. Sunday, 13 October 2013 I've often said that 72 hours after EBT cards stop working, every U.S. city will collapse into chaos. In case you're not familiar with the term, EBT cards are "digital food stamps." Nearly 50 million Americans are right now using EBT cards which are automatically refilled each month with welfare money the government doesn't have, increasing the national debt. Under Obama, food stamp enrollees have exploded. The annual usage statistics for food stamps are found here, but you can't see them because under the Obama administration's contrived "shutdown theater," the USDA.gov website has been taken offline. Note, of course, that the food stamp program itself is still online (most of the time), thereby proving there really isn't a "government shutdown" as claimed by Obama. Austerity measures and the economic downturn in the UK have prompted the British branch of the Red Cross to begin formulating an emergency food aid plan for Britain – the first the charity has set up for the country since WWII. The Geneva-based charity is to start gathering and distributing food with the help of fellow charities and a supermarket chain, allocating donations to Britain’s needy. The Red Cross is traditionally recognized for its work in disaster-struck regions rather than in developed countries, and the move appears to be a by-product of “indiscriminate cuts in public health and social welfare,” according to Bekele Geleta, the Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross, who spoke to the UK’s Independent. Friday, 11 October 2013 We have already established that Healthcare.gov is not a functioning database application that allows people to shop for competing health plans. It is actually a government-run Trojan Horse that suckers people into creating accounts where they hand over: Thursday, 10 October 2013 Luke Rudkowski documents veterans getting together on October 7th 2013 to make a stand against the curfew of the Vietnam veterans memorial in NYC. NYPD arrested dozens Veterans at the Vietnam memorialsite in New York. As the first video shows, they gathered peacefully in the memorial.Dozens of old Veterans arrestedat a memorialsite? Really? The video's shows you exactly what occurred that night with interviews from the veterans' explainations. Two and a half years after Fukushima, many fish species have highly elevated amounts of radioactive cesium from the stricken plant, including species that Japan exports to Canada, according to the Japanese Fisheries Agency’s tests on fish catches. And Japanese fish and seafood exports to Canada have grown significantly since Fukushima, with $24 million in exports in 2012, up 20 percent from $20 million in 2010, according to Statistics Canada data. In July this year, a sea bass caught in Japan had 1,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium—10 times Japan’s ceiling of 100 becquerels per kilo in food. It was the second-highest amount found in a sea bass since the disaster occurred. When Snowden’s leaks were first revealed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel claimed that she learned of the US surveillance programs through press reports. It came to light that Germany’s BND intelligence service sends “massive amounts” of intercepts to the US and UK daily. Such revelations sparked a wave of protests across Germany calling on the government to provide more privacy and stop US spying activities.As two new US ‘Hunter’ drones are set to start traversing German airspace next Monday, the army remains firm that they will be used solely for training drone operators rather than spying purposes, and will not be carrying weapons. Last weekend, a minister counselor of the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands was attacked by unknown people in camouflage uniforms. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Alexander Lukashevich, the Russian diplomat was beaten, handcuffed and detained for several hours at a police station. The Russian President called the incident with Dmitry Borodin a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention and asked the Dutch side for explanations in connection with the beating of the Russian diplomat. The Dutch Ambassador in Moscow Ron van Dartel was summoned to the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation and given a harsh note in connection with the incident.

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New Delhi: After Haryana was engulfed in violence by supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 2002 rape case, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar met BJP National President Amit Shah in New Delhi. Khattar, who has been drawing flak for the breakdown of law and order in his state, gave Shah a status report. BJP sources said that Khattar’s position as Haryana CM is secure and the party president had given him a clean chit. When asked about Khattar’s possible ouster, Anil Jain, BJP General Secretary in-charge of Haryana had on Saturday said that there was “no resignation under consideration”. “What the BJP president said about Khattar earlier this month, during his three-day visit to the state, stands as of now,” said a senior BJP functionary, reminding that Shah had lauded Khattar at Rohtak. “There is no change in that position as yet,” added the source. He added that Khattar, as CM, had “done his best” to bring the situation under control in three hours. He said that Amit Shah had visited Haryana on a three-day tour and during a press conference, expressed his confidence in the state government. Shah was satisfied with the functioning of the Haryana government, he said, and that view had no changed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the situation in Haryana. However, reports that Khattar had left for New Delhi on Saturday were false, Jain said. Haryana Home Secretary Ram Niwas had told News18 that he was “not asked to go slow” by Khattar, indicating that there had been no political interference in his decisions. Violence began on Friday after a CBI Court in Panchkula convicted Ram Rahim, the controversial Dera leader, of raping two Sadhvis who were part of his religious sect. This led to violence by Dera supporters that killed 36 and injured over 250 people. Critics of the Haryana government said that Khattar did not act on intelligence inputs that Dera supporters were stocking up on arms and petrol bombs ahead of the verdict. They also slammed Khattar for allowing thousands to enter Panchkula despite prohibitory orders being put in place.

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Q: Do I really need a redundant sump pump? So I'm getting my dirt basement encapsulated, and the contractor is installing an interior perimeter drain and sump pit/pump. They offer either a single good quality pump, a redundant system with just another pump, and a triple redundant system with a battery backup. I have no reason to believe that I'll seriously flood the basement, since water infiltration has been due to spring thaws and some relatively minor grading issues on one side (recently corrected)... is it worth springing for the double redundancy (~$400 extra) or triple redundancy (~$400 MORE)? A: As others have suggested, you should conduct a risk assessment and consider the likelihood and severity of a flood or other fault condition. Another option I've not seen suggested is to install a float or level switch connected to an alarm sounder/beacon which would indicate a rising level and potentially warning of a pump failure. A friend of mine did something similar in his wine cellar containing a lot of valuable wine. He ended up with a single pump and an alarm unit detecting room temperature and pump pit high level which would send an SMS over a GSM network to his cell phone.

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