proba
float64 0.5
1
| text
stringlengths 16
182k
| timestamp
timestamp[s] | url
stringlengths 15
1.72k
|
|---|---|---|---|
0.999993 | I'm terrible at maths... very bad at it."
Prince William did the "I'm terrible at maths" thing on his tour of India. Unhelpful.
He said it out of ignorance, insensitivity, and a misplaced wish to "get down with the kids".
Is Prince William being ignorant? Is he not allowed to say he is terrible at maths? Or that he does not like it? Does everyone have to say they are good at maths and that they enjoy it?
I would argue that Prince William, and indeed anyone, is entitled to recall positive or negative experiences of maths without being called ignorant. It is up to those working in maths education to listen and ask why.
Of course, we can not ask Prince William why he made this statement, although his GCSE grade (A or B) suggests that he might not be a terrible mathematician at all (if such a thing exists...).
Perhaps he was just reproducing a family narrative: Prince Harry has said in the past that he "...can't do maths," and their father, Prince Charles, failed Maths O-level. Teachers often get frustrated at parents expressing negative views about maths; perhaps negative attitudes to maths are largely intergenerational?
Families may well have a big influence on children's negative (and positive) attitudes towards maths. But I think that blaming others does not help. We need to listen to negative attitudes, and change our response from blaming others to asking ourselves: what are we in maths education doing to create these negative experiences?
This, then, is the 'maths' that Prince William believes he is terrible at, or is positioning himself outside.
As someone who loves teaching and doing maths, I find these exam questions hugely depressing. This exam paper was written in 1998 but little has changed in the 18 years since then. The GCSE content and questions are so banal that I can no longer bring myself to teach GCSE Maths.
This mathematics, which I call 'school mathematics' (comprising both the curriculum and GCSE qualification), is an impoverished, degraded version of maths that is far removed from what could and should be taught. It is barely recognisable from the the subject that so many mathematicians and maths teachers have devoted their lives to studying, and I imagine, like me, would like to share with others.
Students and teachers spend the whole of year 10 and 11 in preparation for answering banal questions like these. Students spend these 2 years preparing for an extremely high-stakes qualification that has little use value and considerable exchange value. If students don't pass their GCSE, they are told they won't be able to go into further study, and/or will struggle to get a job.
Mathematics is everywhere, it must be studied by everyone, everyone must be good at it, and everyone must enjoy it. So goes the message from maths educators and politicians alike.
Little wonder that many students leave school with an aversion to maths.
We can point to the impoverished curriculum and examinations in order to understand peoples negative attitudes towards maths.
There are wider issues: school mathematics, as a proxy for intelligence, and with the status it has been afforded, leaves children in little doubt as to their 'ability'. Prince William's belief that he is terrible at maths will have been produced by 11 years of being measured and compared with others on his performance at these types of questions. This bears little resemblance to the endeavour of mathematics at all.
Instead of getting 'fed up' every time we hear this statement - and we hear it a lot - isn't it time we asked ourselves why? Why do so many people perceive they are no good at maths? Why are they happy to say they are no good at maths? What does it mean to be no good at maths?
What is it about school maths, and the way that it is taught, that creates this powerful aversion?
What could 'we', those of us in maths education, do differently, so that people leave school with a different more positive view of maths?
In my last post, I wrote about how focusing on the 'achievement gaps' of groups of children - in this case British white working class children, but it could apply to any arbitrary group of children - may lead to teachers (and society in general) adopting a deficit view of these children, thus reproducing negative stereotypes.
I suggested at the end of the post, drawing on inspiration from educators such as Sherri Spelic (@edifiedlistener), Sarah Thomas (@sarahdateechur) and Jenn Binis (@jennBinis), that we might (a) counter-act this narrative by amplifying positive actions of children who are construed as deficient, and (b) address student issues on an individual basis.
...there’s something we should be talking about and we’re just not... I feel decidedly uncomfortable with that notion, simply because the long terms effects of ignoring this problem may be much worse than the twinge of discomfort felt in useful and important discussions, where clear strategies are established for the re-engagement of the white working class.
I have spoken very briefly with Bansi about this; we are trying to arrange a space to talk in more depth (I find that Twitter is no substitute for conversation).
Before that happens, and I may well be getting the wrong sense about what Bansi is saying, I take the post to suggest that we shouldn't ignore achievement gaps, that we should identify and name the categories of students that require additional support, and then put measures in place to provide this support.
Perhaps Bansi is saying that pushing the positive is not enough to address systematic underachievement, or that it is not practical to address students issues on an individual basis? Or perhaps she is just saying that we should use information regarding the commonalities of people to help them? Or perhaps something else.
There is a dilemma with aggregated data analysis. On the one hand, the analysis may suggest that there are groups of students that require additional help. However, on the other hand, by naming and intervening, we re-inscribe (static) deficit categories, viewing issues as problems that can be 'solved'.
My current thinking is that we as educators should consider very carefully the effects of focusing on achievement gaps produced by aggregated data analysis. Although students may face common issues due to formal and less formal groupings and overlapping forms of experience, and in some cases a similar intervention may work for a group of students, I think the negative effects of reinforcing deficit categories (such as stereotyping) may be damaging. And, of course, what might help one student may not help another just because they are in the same (say) socioeconomic group.
That does not mean to say that we should ignore the problems that children face due to their position in society - we should try to find out as much as we can about the struggles people face, or have faced. By listening to individual stories we can gain a greater understanding of the difficulties they, and perhaps other children in similar circumstances, have encountered - and be in a better position to offer support. It is for this reason that I would like to give a brief account of my experience.
I must stress that this is my experience; I am telling this story as it may resonate-with, or provide insight into, others' experience, and not because I think it is necessarily typical in any way.
This passage is guilty of reinforcing the image of the (static) category 'working class' as having a (fixed) attribute: the subordination of the theoretical to the practical. With that said, it resonated with important aspects of my personal experience.
Throughout my childhood, my older brother (and to a lesser extent my father) used to tell me that, 'I was clever, but had no common sense.' This statement used to bother me greatly. My brother left school with no qualifications, perhaps always knowing he would work for the family plumbing business. I idolized my brother; I spent much of my childhood trying to emulate him, and did not take my education very seriously.
I think I was desperately trying to seek his approval, to be like him. I was determined to go into the army at 16, and then 18 (he also wanted to go into the army), but my sister 'strongly encouraged' me to study for my A-levels and then go to university. I was the first person in my family to do so - when I told my mum I got a 1st in my degree, she replied: "Is that good?".
Practical sense, social necessity turned into nature, converted into motor schemes and body automatisms, is what causes practices, in and through what makes them obscure to the eyes of their producers, to be sensible, that is, informed by a common sense. It is because agents never know completely what they are doing that what they do has more sense than they know.
What was my brother suggesting in asserting that I had no common sense? That I had no practical sense, that I was not practical; and If Paul Willis' analysis of the working class is to be accepted, we could interpret my brother's comments as suggesting I was not of the working class. In some sense, he was suggesting that I was not like him, or my family, not of-my-background.
Do other working class children feel the same conflict, that to 'be academic' positions them outside of their (family and friends') identity?
I spent my teenage years getting into trouble in and out of school in attempts to assert my status/identity as a member of the working class - to be one of 'the lads' - but I never really belonged to this or any group.
The conflict between my family identity and my own personal (changing) identity has remained with me ever since. I am incredibly proud of my working class roots, and remain uncomfortable at times with my status as a member of the middle class; it is as though I identify as working class, but my life and actions are of the middle class. This may partially explain my propensity for self-destruction.
I don't speak to my brother as much as I would like, and am aware we are getting older - this makes me sad every time I think about it.
I have made a life out of rejecting my own culture. It is only now, at this age, that the real impact of this has hit home. My grandfather passed away two weeks ago and I didn’t go the funeral. While I know deep down there were many reasons for this, one reason stands out and points at me. I knew I would find it hard to communicate with people in the language they know and I don’t. I know today that one of the things that is most tragic about this wholesale movement away from my past is the growing gap between me and members of my family – particularly the older generation. I have chosen at some point along the line to deny myself the language that would connect us. In forgetting the words, I have forgotten them. This is something I can now never rectify.
Bansi's (family) history and culture are very different to mine, but this passage resonated with my experience. There is a sense of betrayal of loyalty that I too feel very strongly.
The theme of conflicting/changing identities is here vividly depicted. There is throughout the book a sense of us and them, of the divide between the working class and everyone else. This has been an ever-present narrative in my experience, the divide between classes, between north and south, between the practical and the theoretical, between us and them.
Do such categorisations help or harm our children? I would suggest they do more harm than good. The re-production of static social groups (in the family, at school, in the media) goes some way towards explaining why class remains so firmly entrenched in our society, and why some working class children might find it difficult to identify with 'being academic'.
But this is just my experience, what I consider 'common sense', and may not be that of others.
What is right with British white working class children?
Since 2005, average performance at the end of secondary school has improved by just over half a GCSE grade. Primary pupils are also achieving about a fifth of a National Curriculum Level higher than ten years ago.
It makes for a very depressing read, but not because of what it is supposedly telling us.
Firstly, whether it is based on reliable data or not, the report is barely comprehensible - what does a 'fifth of a National Curriculum level' represent? It is full of percentages about whether this region, or that class of people, or this race, have met this or that benchmark in this or that qualification. It is full of the usual mix of political-data-speak that we have come to expect - 'a world-class education', 'benchmarks', 'good passes' - whilst the language of levels is alive and well (what happened to life without levels?). There is of course no mention of wider educational aims.
Secondly, I am more depressed by the narrative it produces. It presents a deficit model of education, and society as a whole. There are sections entitled 'closing the disadvantage gap', 'pupil characteristics' and 'regional trends'. It is the worst of what Gutierrez terms a 'gap gazing fetish': a focus on 'achievement gaps' that arise a result of unhelpful data aggregations, thereby producing/reinforcing static social, economic, ethnic, or geographical categories, which in turn supports deficit thinking and leads to the creation of negative narratives, whilst perpetuating the myth that the solution is a technical one.
At a classroom level, we teachers help whichever students need our help, when they need it. What is the benefit in knowing that, on average, a this child from this (say) ethnic group might perform less well on their GCSEs than another child who is not of the same ethnic group?
Who are the losers in this discourse? Well, nearly everyone involved in education: the children, parents and teachers who fall under the gaze of the subsequent media 'outrage'.
So the spotlight is currently on the deficits of the white British working class - all of them. With this 'knowledge', how might we move forward? Perhaps the report offers some guidance on this? And more importantly, how can we alter the narratives that the report has reinforced?
78 pages, for this. What are we to make of this?
Since the report, there has been much written on Twitter about what it means to come from the white British working class, such as this from @jarlathobrien and this from @debrakidd. What is important about these accounts is that they are personal stories about what it is like to face (and overcome) adversity by whatever means possible. I too have scrabbled my way 'up' from the working class to the middle classes, but this isn't about telling my story.
These accounts suggest a way we might counter-act the negative effects of gap-gazing provided by this report. Instead of producing a narrative of deficit, could we instead amplify other people's accounts who are finding ways to change the narrative?
The hashtag #pushthepositive was created by @edifiedlistener with this in mind - to divert the gaze on the deficits of *this* group, and instead amplify positive words and actions of *all* of those people who are being oppressed.
We can all contribute to this by elevating the voices of all those who are fighting to overcome oppression, by: listening (not talking), acknowledging what power and privilege we have (and the effect it has on others), and celebrating and amplifying others through our words and actions.
When will we ever need this in real life?
Here is Thales' theorem. Every student in the UK must learn this theorem as part of the Maths GCSE.
It's useful for solving geometrical problems, and solving problems is useful in itself. Solving problems teaches us how to think logically, and builds our resilience, perseverance, and so on.
It's part of maths, and maths is important. Maths describes the world around us, it's everywhere. Also, people who can do maths earn more money.
We don't always learn things because we need them, sometimes we learn things because they are interesting or beautiful... Why do we learn art, or history, or anything?
It's useful for learning about proof (here are some proofs).
You'll need it if you study maths at A-level.
What can you make sense of in this topic so far?
I think this is getting closer to a satisfactory response, and this may well be helpful for those students who are indeed finding the work difficult. But what if the student is not feeling lost; perhaps they are just bored, or they can not see the relevance of maths for them. What then?
With this view of mathematics education as identity-in-the-making, we could view the students question as a means of (publicly) positioning themselves (their identity) outside of what is happening in the classroom. What exactly are they positioning themselves outside, and why? I think it is also important that they are choosing to do this publicly - who might be the 'we' in their question?
The reasons why a particular student is positioning themselves outside of what is happening will of course depend on the specific instance of the asking of the question. Perhaps our work as a teacher is then to ascertain why this student views themselves as outside what is happening, by talking to them.
A rejection of the authority, either of mathematics or the teacher (or other relational issues with the teacher or other students).
An identification with what is not-mathematics - as viewed by that student. Perhaps they view themselves as a 'creative' person and view mathematics as not creative - a subscription to the artistic-scientific dichotomy that has been created by the segregation of the curriculum?
Perhaps they view mathematics, or the teaching of mathematics, as cold, hard, unemotional, inhuman, where they respond more enthusiastically to (subjects) that are more strongly connected to the human or emotional?
An inability to see how it will be useful in future employment, or future study. They might aspire to employment/study in a non-mathematical field, or perhaps can only see a future in low-paid work?
A conditioning against mathematics and its relevance/usefulness, perhaps from parents, or friends, or...?
A feeling of not being part of the mathematical community, perhaps due to gender, race, 'ability', and so on - a subscription to the narrative produced by history/society about who does maths, and who is successful at maths.
I am sure there are many other possible reasons for this question. There is only one way to find out what may be the case in each instance of the question - talk to the student who asked it. | 2019-04-25T12:28:29 | https://www.squeaktime.com/blog/archives/04-2016 |
0.999998 | New behaviors typically arise from the co-option of existing morphological systems for new functions. But what happens to the evolutionary trajectory of a structure when it begins to be used for a new behavior? The ability to bury underneath the sediment has convergently evolved many times among fishes. Representatives from at least four of the groups demonstrating burial behavior can be found at FHL, and each group uses a different set of structures to accomplish this task. Some of these groups are very diverse (e.g., flatfishes, 800+ species, 9 species at FHL) and some are evolutionary one-offs (e.g., sandfish, one species). My mentees can choose to study either the evolution of morphology involved in burial behaviors, the function and biomechanical performance of structures involved with burial in live fishes, or a combination of both evolution and function.
The bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana is an annual kelp species that provides the bulk of the complex three-dimensional habitat space in rocky subtidal habitats of the San Juan Islands and elsewhere in Washington State. There are a variety of potential projects that focus on investigating biotic and abiotic factors influencing bull kelp across their complicated life history using a combination of lab and field work. Topics of interest include Northern kelp crab (Pugettia producta) feeding preferences (in the lab) and distribution and abundance (in the field, using snorkel or SCUBA surveys); contribution of P. producta feces to detrital food webs (in the lab, using the intertidal copepod Tigriopus californicus); effect of intraspecific and interspecific competition with invasive Sargassum muticum on growth of juvenile N. luetkeana (in the field, using transplant experiments); and the relationship between maximum force exerted by crab claws and crab food preferences (collecting organisms in the field, testing in the lab using P. producta as well as shore crabs, genus Hemigrapsus). Subtidal data collection using SCUBA may possible for a student who is already a trained scientific diver at an AAUS member institution. A better understanding of the dynamics of N. luetkeana beds in the Salish Sea is crucial not only because they create valuable habitat for economically and ecologically important species, but also to inform management decisions and restoration efforts in a changing ocean.
The evolution of facial asymmetry in flatfishes is one of the most prominent and bizarre departures from the vertebrate body-plan. Over a short period of time during the larval phase of flatfish species one eye migrates nearly completely to the opposite of the head as the fish transitions to a benthic lifestyle. In this project, we will use CT scanning and geometric morphometrics to study the evolution of skull shape in flatfishes and their relatives. Students will gain valuable experience operating a micro-CT scanner and learning how to segment high-resolution slice data. They will also gain experience analyzing three-dimensional shape data and analyzing multivariate datasets in a comparative phylogenetic framework.
Durophagous fishes consume hard prey, such as snails or crabs, and typically overcome their prey’s defenses by crushing them with sets of robust teeth and powerful jaw muscles. While Asemichthys taylori (Family: Cottidae) is durophagous, these relatively tiny fish appear to use their vomerine teeth for puncturing small holes in snail shells as opposed to crushing. If unpunctured, snails have been reported to emerge alive and intact following the process of digestion1. How then do these relatively tiny fish generate the necessary forces to puncture the shells of these snails, effectively facilitating nutrient uptake? Accomplishing this goal will require us to conduct in depth investigations of the system’s form and function to understand the biomechanics behind the mechanism. Over the course of this program students will learn a number of techniques including fish collection from tidepools, video analysis of feeding motions, SEM, 3D printing, mechanical testing, and CT scanning and segmenting.
Animals and plants are formed of myriad material components, from sinew and bone, to bark and leaves. These tissues have varying properties, with some more flexible and tough, while others are brittle and strong. Consumers must be able to break down these materials to access the resources they need to grow, reproduce, and survive. We might expect then, that herbivores are shaped differently than carnivores, given the unique mechanical difficulties in breaking down cellulose and silica-infused plant stalks, relative to crushing bone and tearing flesh. The Amazon basin has the highest diversity of freshwater fishes in the world (>25% of all fishes). The basin’s many rivers blend together during seasonal flooding into ‘varzea’, or flooded forest. Varzea is packed with diverse herbivorous fishes, which consume flowers, fruits, and seeds of plants submerged in the forests and are important seed dispersers.
In the Summer of 2019, we will explore how the overall form and function of South American characiform fishes (tetras, pacus, piranhas, etc.) is tied to the material composition of their prey. Specifically, how the strength and performance of fish skulls and teeth relate to the toughness of their chosen food. Using micro-computed tomography scanning (micro-CT) of museum specimens and a material testing station we will (1) quantify shape change in the feeding apparatus of Amazonian characiform fishes, (2) build computational models of how skulls perform while biting, and (3) determine the material properties of a vast variety of tropical fruits, seeds, and nuts. Students will learn: (A) how to use CT scanning and morphometric methods to quantify functional differences in skeletal and soft tissue anatomy; (B) how to build computational engineering models of fish skeletons; (C) the basics of materials science and biomechanical testing using a mechanical loading frame; and (D) how to examine the evolution of traits using phylogenetic comparative methods. This research is in collaboration with international researchers from the George Washington University, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Past students have presented their research at international meetings of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) and several exceptional students are coauthors on publications published in the Royal Society, Anatomical Record, and elsewhere.
The ochre star (Pisaster ochraceus) is an important predator in the rocky intertidal, eating a wide variety of prey across many trophic levels (e.g. barnacles, chitons, snails, etc). Our understanding of P. ochraceus as a keystone predator originated from the strong trophic link between mussels and P. ochraceus, which was apparent when the stars were removed from a mussel-dominated system. P. ochraceus is abundant even on coastlines that do not support mussel populations, however, most of the research exploring the top-down control P. ochraceus exerts has taken place on the western coast of the US where mussel beds tend to dominate the upper intertidal zone. What happens when this top predator is removed from a system in which mussels are not present? In this project, we will explore prey community assemblage in the absence of P. ochraceus in the San Juan Islands, which do not support large populations of mussels. These interactions will be tested through the use of plot clearing and exclusion cages to manipulate prey and predator composition in the field. These experiments are amenable to comparisons across tidal heights (lower intertidal vs higher intertidal exclusions), a temporal scale (summer data vs previously collected spring data), or sites (long term sites vs a new site). Additional surveys of P. ochraceus populations via snorkeling (cold water!) are optional but available to those interested, with limited gear available to lend. Although this is part of a larger project, it will easily accommodate the student’s interests and ideas.
Fishes display an incredible variety of mechanisms and morphologies to capture prey. I am interested in the selective pressures that shape these feeding structures: how can some fish capture elusive prey, while others can filter tiny particles out of the water? My research evaluates why fish mouths look the way they do, from their gills to their teeth. The shape of feeding structures is often the result of a compromise between function and selection. By looking at how teeth resist breaking during puncture or why the gill arches are shaped the way they are, I can answer questions about how function influences shape. For instance, in order to puncture a prey item, teeth must do two big things: pierce through the tissue, and bring that tissue into the mouth without breaking. This seems like an easy task, but each problem has a different functional solution. Slender and sharp teeth are excellent for puncturing, but more prone to breaking than wider teeth; which can’t puncture as well. Moreover, the way we currently describe teeth only focuses on shape and misses a great deal of the variation. Utilizing 3D CT scans, modeling, and morphological characters of shape and position we can evaluate what functions (load, stress, replacement, etc.) enforce particular tooth shapes. I am also interested in how the microstructure and material properties of teeth play a role in how well they deflect stress regardless of shape. Using histology, material testing, and modeling we can see how similarly shaped teeth may be built to resist different forces. Filter feeding fishes also have to capture and swallow prey, but they face problems of an entirely different scale: their food is vanishingly small. How do you set up the initial flow to even be able to eat such small prey? Rather than their teeth, filter feeders have modified parts of their gill arches, specifically their gill rakers (bony protrusions that extend off the arches) that manipulate the flow of water to capture tiny particles. Looking at the shape and spacing of the gill rakers and arches, my research investigates how important flow control is in the mouth and what controls this flow field. This project utilizes CT scanning and large databases to explore an underused axis of variation, highlighting large-scale trends in gill raker and arch diversity.
Seagrasses are critical biological engineers in that they can transform two-dimensional, muddy habitats into three-dimensional, complex meadows that support entire food webs – ranging from tiny crustaceans to fishes to people. They also enhance important ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and shoreline stabilization. Global seagrass populations, however, are in decline due to a multitude of stressors. One such stressor is seagrass wasting disease, which is caused by a protist slime mold called Labyrinthula. Although we are learning more about what might promote increased wasting disease (e.g. higher temperatures), we do not understand the physiological responses that underlie the interaction between a seagrass host and the disease. It can be reasoned that combating the disease incurs an energetic cost (carbon reserves), which is supported by the energetics associated with the identified plant characteristics that correlate to disease (see Groner et al. 2016). In this REU experience, we will work together to run an experiment that aims to quantify carbon reserves (i.e. sugars and starches) in seagrasses that are infected with wasting disease and in disease-free plants. If logistics allow, we will also incorporate a temperature treatment in the experiment because temperature is a leading driver in both carbon metabolism and quantified disease load. This work will be an important contribution in better understanding the line between physiological resilience in seagrasses versus disease outbreak.
Groner M.L., Burge C.A., Kim C.J., Rees E., Van Alstyne K.L., Yang S., Wyllie-Echeverria S., and Harvell C.D. (2016) Plant characteristics associated with widespread variation in eelgrass wasting disease. Diseases of aquatic organisms, 118(2), 159-168.
Skates (relatives to stingrays), exemplify an intriguing organism to study as they exhibit multiple modes of locomotion. Skates use their large pectoral fins to swim and glide through the water column in order to feed, they are also known to “walk” along the seafloor using their pelvic fins. Skates are benthic dwellers, and generally remain close to the seafloor, one of the ways they avoid predators is by burying into the sand, but how exactly do they do this? Do they wiggle their entire body to throw sand on top of themselves, similar to other benthic fishes? Or do they use a different functional approach to achieve a similar result? Using video recordings of skate burial we can then analyze their behaviors and thereby describe the biomechanics that dictate burying in big skates (Raja binoculata). Once we understand how skates bury we can test to see how the size of sand grains changes their burying behavior. Changing the effective grain size is a proxy for different habitats and allows us to look carefully at the ecology and burying preferences of the big skate. Another behavior that has been observed in skates is spy-hopping. Spy-hopping has been documented in many marine organisms, including sharks and flatfishes, but is most commonly seen in dolphins and whales, where one’s head is elevated above the water line. Spy-hopping and burying are both characteristic behaviors that have been observed in skates, yet the mechanical functions of these actions have yet to be quantified. Through this work I hope we will be able to evaluate the differences in skate burial compared to other fishes and how skates spy-hop. These studies ultimately are an evaluation of modified locomotion presented by the unique anatomy of the fins in skates.
Many fish have evolved mechanisms to rapidly bury their bodies in the sand — a behavior that allows them to evade potential predators and ambush prey. At Friday Harbor Labs, students will study the mechanism of burial with a focus on anatomy and fundamental physical principles. What body movements enable fish to move their bodies into a solid-like substrate? What substrates (mud, sand, cobble) can fish exploit for burial? How does the relationship between fish and substrate change as fish change in overall body size? How do fish with different body shapes produce burial behaviors? In the summer of 2019, we will investigate these questions using two experimental organisms with very different body shapes: English Sole (a flatfish) and the Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (see Figure). Students will use a variety of experimental methods to address these questions, including: habitat preference studies, video analysis of behavior, experimental manipulation of substrate size, and modeling of organism-substrate interactions. While working on the project, students will be trained in a wide range of techniques, including high-speed videography, CT scanning, and physical-model building. At the end of the project, students will be encouraged to present their research as a poster or oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in January 2020.
Pacific Staghorn Sculpin use the head and tail fin in repeated cycles of dorsal-ventral oscillation (red arrows indicate upward movement, yellow arrows indicate downward movement) to bury in the sand.
Predation is a key factor that drives evolution and shapes ecosystems. It affects the prey’s fitness directly, by reducing survival. Body armor is one of the most commonly found strategies in nature to face the threat of a predatory attack. It has evolved in multiple species and generally comes with a trade-off between defense and maneuverability. Investigating body armor is of special interest because it tells us a lot about the organism’s ecology and environment. Is it under high predatory pressure? What kind of predatory threats does it have to thwart? Addressing such questions helps us understand the predator-prey relationships this organism encounters and how these might be stabilized in terms of population fluctuations.
In fishes, a vast variety of body armor is found, ranging from none at all, e.g. most ocean-living eels (Anguilliformes), through fish that are partially armored, e.g. some stickleback species (Gasterosteidae), to heavily armored fish like some poacher species (Agonidae). The poacher body armor is composed of heavy bony scales and varies among species. Although the variety in poachers’ skeletal, cranial and postcranial morphological traits has been studied to some degree, little is known about the postcranial scales and their function as body armor. The scales are ‘typical concentric layered fish scales’ but are augmented with trabeculae (small bony beams) which build a bony network on the scales’ surface, and in some species converge into a spine on the dorsal scales.
In this summer project we aim to determine the trade-off between body armor and maneuverability in poachers. Students joining me in this project during summer 2019 will work using biomechanical methods in order to evaluate the body armor’s material properties. Students will also use imaging methods (e.g. microCT and SEM) to determine the morphological characteristics that limits maneuverability. Thus, basic skills in biomechanics and (3D) imaging as well as (3D) image analysis will be obtained during this project.
12. How are echinoderm larvae responding to environmental changes in the Salish Sea?
The recent IPCC report predicts that due to increased ice melt and precipitation, the salinity of surface waters in the Pacific will decrease. There are more than 15 rivers emptying into the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest including the Fraser River, the second largest in the region. Wind direction and strong tidal currents determine the River’s effects in the San Juan Islands. Data collected in surface waters by the FHL weather station to the south of the Fraser River has revealed an increase in the amplitude and frequency of low salinity waters into the area during the spring and summer months. Unfortunately, this coincides with the reproductive season of many marine invertebrates including many echinoderms with planktotrophic larval development e.g. the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus and the seastar Pisaster ochraceus. Depending on food availability and physical conditions, larvae can remain in the plankton for between 20 – 228 days. Larvae may thus be exposed to very low salinity surface waters for a considerable length of time. Recent studies in my lab indicate differences in morphology (George and Walker 2007 and Pia, et al. 2012), vertical distribution (Bashevkin et al. 2016), particle capture (Navarro et al. in prep), and proteins expressed by larvae exposed to multiple low salinity events during development. During the summer of 2019, REU students and I will use a variety of echinoderm larvae to continue research on their swimming behavior in haloclines and particle capture under different environmental conditions. Larvae from each species will be exposed to high temperatures (15-18°C), temperatures typical of the San Juan Islands (11-13°C), low (20-25‰) and high (30‰) salinities characteristic of the region. Results from this study will give us a better understanding of the response of echinoderm larvae to environmental changes in the Salish Sea.
13. Chasing Molgula tails: the molecular basis of the evolution of larval tail loss in tailless ascidians.
Tailless ascidians have evolved several times independently within the molgulid ascidians. We will spend the summer exploring the molecular basis of the loss of taillessness, examining gene expression in embryos through in situ hybridization. We have three different genes in a gene complex that have been implicated in being responsible for tail loss, manx, bobcat and NA-14. We will look for the gene complex in Ciona and Boltenia, or in other Molgulids, such as Molgula pacifica. We will have the opportunity to publish the changes in the promoter regions between each gene as a molecular evolution paper and the gene expression as an EvoDevo paper.
Sea anemones and corals are dominant space competitors in the benthic environment, frequently excluding other species forming monocultures. In this project, we will explore the patterns of distribution of anemones around the San Juan Islands and the processes that lead to these patterns. Projects will include lab and field work determining the impacts of abiotic and biotic interactions on survival of the local anemones and corals. Some specific projects include transplanting anemones from one depth to another via SCUBA or snorkel to explore distribution patterns, examining the benefits and costs of sea anemone aggregations in lab through predation experiments, or caging out predators in the subtidal. Subtidal experiments involving SCUBA may be possible for a student already certified by an AAUS member institution as an AAUS scientific diver. | 2019-04-19T01:03:55 | https://fhl.uw.edu/research/student-financial-aid-for-research/summer-research-internships/2019-mentors-and-projects/ |
0.99907 | The lawyer for a white Chicago police officer charged with murdering a black teenager said on Wednesday his client feared for his life, and that footage from a patrol car camera released this week is unreliable because the video "distorts images."
The lawyer, Daniel Herbert, told CNN that on October 20, 2014, Officer Jason Van Dyke arrived on a street on the southwest side of Chicago 18 minutes after a suspect carrying a knife was reported to have threatened businesses and vandalized police cruisers.
That suspect, Laquan McDonald, was gunned down by Van Dyke, who fired 16 bullets at him -- the first as he was moving away from police, 15 more as he lay on the pavement motionless. The killing, which was captured on dashcam video, sparked mass protests through the streets of Chicago after it was released Tuesday.
In the graphic dashcam video, released hours after Van Dyke was charged with murder, McDonald can be seen striding down the median strip of a four-lane highway. He careens diagonally, trying to evade police who jump out of their patrol car. Van Dyke then opens fire at McDonald within seconds and keeps shooting him after he hits the ground. The teen's body jerks from the force of the bullets.
But the officer's attorney said Wednesday the footage was not an indicator of his client's guilt.
"Video by its nature is two-dimensional. It distorts images. So what appears to be clear on a video sometimes is not always that clear," Herbert said. He said Van Dyke "truly was in fear for his life as well as the lives of his fellow police officers."On Tuesday, some demonstrators seized on the graphic footage, chanting "16 shots," repeatedly as they surrounded a group of patrol vehicles on the city's West Side. Others rallied outside Chicago police headquarters. Hundreds also marched to chants of "You don't get to kill us and tell us how to feel. You don't get to shoot us and tell us how to heal," an apparent reference to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's appeal to calm earlier Tuesday.
The latest video showing a police shooting of a black person has reignited Black Lives Matter protests towards the end of a year already been marked by a long series of fatalities, and of demonstrations that have at times broken out in riots. McDonald joins a group of black American men and women, including Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland, who have become the public faces of a battle for police accountability and calls to end bias, brutality, and fatal use of force across the country.
That it took a year investigators a year to wrap up their probe into McDonald's death and for prosecutors to level a murder charge at Van Dyke signals mixed progress for criminal justice reform activists. Van Dyke is the first Chicago police officer charged with murder for an on-duty incident in decades, but simmering tensions over the 13 months it took to charge the officer and refusal to release the video prevail.
One protester, Monique Winegard, 33, told Reuters that while the charge against the officer was "a good start… we've clearly reached the point where something needs to change."
Chicago's Mayor, Rahm Emanuel also acknowledged that the city was at a crossroads, and that Chicagoans will "have to make an important judgment about our city and ourselves and go forward."
Chicago officials are now calling for peace, while bracing for more protests over the Thanksgiving holiday. Groups of demonstrators have called activists to stage rallies outside a number of venues, including City Hall, and at one of the city's busiest shopping districts, on Michigan Avenue.
Meanwhile, Cook County's chief prosecutor Anita Alvarez admitted her decision to release the footage a day before a court-set deadline was intended to assuage any violence that may have been anticipated in the public's reaction to the tape, which had already been leaked to a local television station.
The officer remains in prison after being denied bail and is facing 20 years to life if convicted for murder. Over the course of his career, Van Dyke has received at least 18 civilian complaints against him, including for misconduct and excessive use of force. The city paid out more than $500,000 to settle the complaints. | 2019-04-21T16:30:38 | https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/j59jdp/chicago-braces-for-more-protests-after-release-of-video-of-cop-spraying-black-teen-with-bullets |
0.999942 | Making Stupid Phones Smarter: Will a New Strategy Be Imitated?
Qualcomm just announced products that will be used to help feature phones take advantage of 4G networks. Let me translate that sentence (for those who need it). A feature phone is what some call a stupid phone – the opposite of a smartphone, because it is missing features such as the ability to install software. The screen is also simpler, and the price is much lower – around $20 in the markets that sell feature phones. 4G networks are made for smartphones, not for feature phones. Qualcomm is aiming for smarter feature phones, which would use 4G networks for higher bandwidth material such as video transmission. The trick is that consumers would like such material and might pay more for phones that provide it, and the telecom carriers would also like consumers to move into 4G so they can start shutting down 2G and 3G networks.
Feature phones that use smartphone (4G) networks is an example of a market position, and a pretty innovative one too. Will it remain Qualcomm’s position alone, or will others follow? Well, Qualcomm’s usual market position is smartphones that use (of course) smartphone networks, and there they have seen rivals such as MediaTek move in. Market positions are not secret, and an easy way to make a strategy is to imitate what others do. In fact, these market strategy moves are a reminder of a paper I published in Administrative Science Quarterly in 1996 on the diffusion of a market position. I found that such strategic moves probably involve a lot of planning inside the firm, but from a researcher’s point of view they just look like copying. Strategic actions are taken after planning and thinking, but plans and thoughts are very much influenced by what the competition is doing. As my son (who studies data mining) might say, strategic planning is a human task that a computer can mimic.
If we think about this particular strategic move, can we use the evidence to predict the next strategic moves? I think so. Innovations like the feature phone using 4G happen for a reason. The reason is that smartphone sales are stalling, and a key reason is that some of the largest phone markets (India and Indonesia) have remained stubbornly dominated by feature phone even though the telecoms are making 4G networks and local and foreign producers are offering smartphones. The advanced market is not doing well, and the in-between market has a gap. I think we will see MediaTek and others moving to imitate this market position.
Greve, H. R. 1996. “Patterns of competition: The diffusionof a market position in radio broadcasting.” Administrative Science Quarterly, 41: 29-60.
La La Land Entrepreneurship: When Does the Specialist Entrepreneur Win?
In La La Land, Sebastian is such a dedicated jazz pianist that he cannot bear playing other kinds of music – and after many trials and travails, he succeeds as an entrepreneur, starting the jazz club of his dreams. A wonderful story of entrepreneurship (the movie had a love story too, I think), but is it realistic? It depends on who you ask.
A recurring theme in entrepreneurship is the trust in generalists – people who can master a wide range of tasks. This trust comes from one big-picture and one small-picture consideration. The big-picture consideration is that successful entrepreneurship has a component of inspiration gained from combining ideas that others do not see as connected. You may be carrying the descendant of such a combination: the iPhone was put together by a company making compact MP3 players that had just exited an alliance with Motorola to make cellular phones. The small-picture consideration is that smaller entrepreneurs often end up being in charge of everything, first directly, then through having to find and recruit expertise in each function. Generalists are good at this.
But could Sebastian have become a capable founder of a jazz club if his interests and skills were all over the place? The argument against generalists is that they are superficial and don’t know enough about any specific topic to do well. A paper in the Administrative Science Quarterly by Olenka Kacperczyk and Peter Younkin has waded into this argument with important ideas and some evidence. Fittingly, the evidence is on music industry entrepreneurship: artists forming independent record labels.
The key idea emerging from their research is this: pure generalists have no particular advantage in entrepreneurship; what is needed is one area of specialization combined with general knowledge elsewhere. Specifically, specialization in the market pays off when combined with general knowledge on the tasks needed for production. This combination buys both credibility and the understanding of customers, which are more important to specialize in than the mechanics of making a product. The investigation showed big effects of market specialization, and effects that were complementary to functional breadth. Market specialists could double their odds of success by becoming more general in functional knowledge; market generalists had low odds to begin with and did not improve much when gaining more general functional knowledge.
So, Sebastian got lucky. Yes, he had market knowledge, but he knew little about different functions (I am not counting tap dancing as a useful function). A more typical case would be Justin Timberlake, whose specialization in R&B and popular music was combined with band membership, songwriting, performing as a backup singer, and music production. So, today’s practical advice: if you want to form a music label, follow Justin’s lead.
Kacperczyk, Aleksandra (Olenka) and Younkin, Peter Y. 2017. The Paradox of Breadth: The Tension between Experience and Legitimacy in the Transition to Entrepreneurship. Administrative Science Quarterly, forthcoming. | 2019-04-22T22:34:41 | https://www.organizationalmusings.com/2017/03/ |
0.99855 | I'm far from the first to point this out, but some of us in the education game hold some ill-informed beliefs about the brain and what it should mean to us as teachers. These are known as "neuromyths" and there's even an organization, the International Mind, Brain and Education Society, working to improve how educators use knowledge from neuroscience. A study by Dekker, Lee, Howard-Jones, and Jones (2012) in the Netherlands found that when given 32 statements about the brain, 15 of which were myths, on average teachers believed in about 50% of the myths. I doubt teachers in the United States would fare any better, given what I see about left brain vs. right brain, "learning styles," and "only use 10%" nonsense.
Even though there is more communication than ever on peer-reviewed brain research, a lot of that communication distorts the science and ends up spreading or creating new neuromyths (Howard-Jones, 2014). What does that distortion look like? I present to you two examples, where something I saw on social media referring to the brain ended up linking back to research with claims that looked quite different.
Example One: "Your Brain Grew"
How well people bounce back from mistakes depends on their beliefs about learning and intelligence. For individuals with a growth mind-set, who believe intelligence develops through effort, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and improve. For individuals with a fixed mind-set, who believe intelligence is a stable characteristic, mistakes indicate lack of ability. We examined performance-monitoring event-related potentials (ERPs) to probe the neural mechanisms underlying these different reactions to mistakes. Findings revealed that a growth mind-set was associated with enhancement of the error positivity component (Pe), which reflects awareness of and allocation of attention to mistakes. More growth-minded individuals also showed superior accuracy after mistakes compared with individuals endorsing a more fixed mind-set. It is critical to note that Pe amplitude mediated the relationship between mind-set and posterror accuracy. These results suggest that neural mechanisms indexing on-line awareness of and attention to mistakes are intimately involved in growth-minded individuals' ability to rebound from mistakes.
Accurate associative learning is often hindered by confirmation bias and success-chasing, which together can conspire to produce or solidify false beliefs in the decision-maker. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging in 35 experienced physicians, while they learned to choose between two treatments in a series of virtual patient encounters. We estimated a learning model for each subject based on their observed behavior and this model divided clearly into high performers and low performers. The high performers showed small, but equal learning rates for both successes (positive outcomes) and failures (no response to the drug). In contrast, low performers showed very large and asymmetric learning rates, learning significantly more from successes than failures; a tendency that led to sub-optimal treatment choices. Consistently with these behavioral findings, high performers showed larger, more sustained BOLD responses to failed vs. successful outcomes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior parietal lobule while low performers displayed the opposite response profile. Furthermore, participants' learning asymmetry correlated with anticipatory activation in the nucleus accumbens at trial onset, well before outcome presentation. Subjects with anticipatory activation in the nucleus accumbens showed more success-chasing during learning. These results suggest that high performers' brains achieve better outcomes by attending to informative failures during training, rather than chasing the reward value of successes. The differential brain activations between high and low performers could potentially be developed into biomarkers to identify efficient learners on novel decision tasks, in medical or other contexts.
Now we're talking about some brain activity, but the results aren't so simple. Take-away? A group of doctors who performed well on a task had brains that appeared to respond better to failure, while low-performing doctors didn't. Also, don't overlook the last bit: This study is less about finding better teaching than it is about identifying biomarkers that indicate who might be more easily taught. That's an important difference — teachers don't get to scan kids in fMRI machines and only teach the best of the lot.
The importance of the hippocampal system for rapid learning and memory is well recognized, but its contributions to a cardinal feature of children's cognitive development—the transition from procedure-based to memory-based problem-solving strategies—are unknown. Here we show that the hippocampal system is pivotal to this strategic transition. Longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 7–9-year-old children revealed that the transition from use of counting to memory-based retrieval parallels increased hippocampal and decreased prefrontal-parietal engagement during arithmetic problem solving. Longitudinal improvements in retrieval-strategy use were predicted by increased hippocampal-neocortical functional connectivity. Beyond childhood, retrieval-strategy use continued to improve through adolescence into adulthood and was associated with decreased activation but more stable interproblem representations in the hippocampus. Our findings provide insights into the dynamic role of the hippocampus in the maturation of memory-based problem solving and establish a critical link between hippocampal-neocortical reorganization and children's cognitive development.
As I suspected, the neuroscience really had nothing to do with Common Core or how to teach math. It just found out which part of the brain became more active as children increase their ability to do things from memory. That should sound exciting if you're a neuroscientist, but pretty useless if you're a teacher.
Like a predictable telephone game, you can see how research gets distorted as it morphs its way through news articles, blog posts, and social media posts. You could criticize me for not quite backtracking all the way to the source, as I'm only referring to abstracts and not digging deeply into the research described and cited in the articles themselves. To take that last step, frankly, requires more of a neuroscience background than I possess. I don't expect that of myself, and wouldn't expect a teacher to do that, either. Daniel Willingham wrote about this a few years ago, and acknowledged the role of institutions like schools of education to collectively make sense of such research and make it useful for teachers. There are people like Jo Boaler who are doing this work. I admire her for taking on the challenge of making complex ideas understandable and appealing to a wide audience of educators, and I'm sure every day she thinks hard about what messages she has to craft and how she has to craft them. It's tricky work.
My hope for teachers is this: When you hear claims about the brain and what they mean for your teaching, be skeptical. Avoid the possibility that you'll be fooled by the next big neuromyth. Realize that a lot of neuroscience relies on placing individuals in an fMRI machine and observing their brain activity while they perform a task. Is that cool science? You bet it is. Does this kind of research capture the context and complexity of your classroom? It does not.
Instead, understand and appreciate why education and related fields have theories of learning that don't rely on knowing what the brain does. In general, theories of construcivism don't go into detail about what's happening at the synapse level, nor do they need to. Cognitive theories use schema to theorize what's going on in the head, but no fMRI machines are necessary. Situated and sociocultural theories of learning gain their usefulness not by trying to look inside the learner's head, but rather outward to that learner's environment, the tools they use, the communities they participate in, and how culture and history shape their activity. So teachers, focus on that — focus on the culture of your classroom, how your students participate, and the learning community you support. Focus on how a carefully constructed curriculum, well-enacted, supports a trajectory of student learning. It will get you much further than neuromyths.
Last summer, the NCTM Research Committee asked members to identify grand challenges in mathematics education (written about here and here), and today they've published their findings in the Journal of Research in Mathematics Education. First thing's first: If you're not a JRME subscriber your access to the article is blocked by a paywall. Sadly, this feels like another case of NCTM's reluctance to move past old models of publishing and communication, leaving teachers interested in the grand challenges to feel like second-class NCTM members, begging for a handout from the privileged NCTM research community. I've written about my concerns and suggestions for NCTM's relationship with its members, so here I'll just focus on the key points found in today's report. Ready to be inspired? Slow your roll, turbo. You might want to prepare yourself to be a bit puzzled, if not disappointed.
Mathematics education researchers seek answers to important questions that will ultimately result in the enhancement of mathematics teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment, working toward “ensuring that all students attain mathematics proficiency and increasing the numbers of students from all racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups who attain the highest levels of mathematics achievement” (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2014, p. 61). Although mathematics education is a relatively young field, researchers have made significant progress in advancing the discipline. As Ellerton (2014) explained in her JRME editorial, our field is like a growing tree, stable and strong in its roots yet becoming more vast and diverse because of a number of factors.
Next the report talks about the purpose of grand challenges and their development and use in other fields. In some ways, it reminded me of the spread of the standards movement: "Math has standards, we should too!", except now it's "The National Academy of Engineering has grand challenges, math ed should too!" Then the report spends four paragraphs talking about Hilbert's problems and how they influenced the last 100-plus years of research in mathematics. The report shifts back to the present, summarizing grand challenges in other disciplines. Readers at this point are likely getting anxious, sensing that their grand challenge lies just ahead.
Changing perceptions about what it means to do mathematics.
Changing the public’s perception about the role of mathematics in society.
Achieving equity in mathematics education.
Our example is only meant to illustrate how a Grand Challenge could satisfy the criteria listed in the previous section; we are not suggesting that it is necessarily a Grand Challenge we should pursue.
There are then six paragraphs describing the attention and importance given to literacy (the read-and-write text kind) and how we should give the same attention and importance to mathematical literacy. But this isn't the grand challenge. It could be, but it's not. Unless we decide it is. Which we haven't.
The NCTM Research Committee will also convene a diverse group with a wide variety of expertise to review all submitted challenges, write additional challenges, vet them according to the criteria set forth in the invitation, and provide opportunities for the field to comment on them.
That sounds a bit like a hand-picked committee working in conjunction yet parallel to all the work described above. There's little detail, but I think NCTM better be clear about how the work of this committee will be weighed against the suggestions of the broader community. So, are we ready? Psyched? Ready to push that boulder back up the hill? I hope not, because the last section, while probably necessary, is a bit of a downer.
Any time a representative group of people is given an opportunity to identify Grand Challenges for an entire field, there is a moral obligation to consider the associated risks and weigh them against the potential benefits. The risks associated with creating a document that identifies our field’s Grand Challenges could be significant, yet we hope to minimize the risks by acknowledging and addressing them throughout the process.
What are the risks? Some people's research and work will get privileged over others. Funding will get reallocated. Journals will rethink what should and should not be published. The groups we consider to be "stakeholders" in math education could change. In some cases, people's feelings might get hurt; in other cases, careers could be threatened. I know this sounds overly dramatic, but the tenure and promotion game for academic researchers can be a rough one, and the research committee knows that. It still struck me as odd to see this "inside baseball"-type discussion near the end of the report, but it might comfort some and give fair warning to others.
So that's it. NCTM's grand challenge was not, and will not be, the "we asked, you answered" kind of process that some of us might have expected. I guess you could call that the bad news. If you were ready to jump to collective action, you're going to have to wait. But there is good news: If you are looking to give your input, it looks like you'll have multiple opportunities. And now that the task ahead is defined more clearly, we can think not just of possible challenges, but the ways we'll organize ourselves to tackle those challenges. To me, the key to the former will be the latter. | 2019-04-24T08:42:45 | https://blog.mathed.net/2015/03/ |
0.999999 | Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 49F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 49F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs election reform bills in New York City Thursday. Seated, from left, are Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Cuomo and actor/director Ben Stiller. Standing, from left, are Assemblyman Charles Lavine, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie and state Sen. James Sanders.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday signed legislation making New York the 38th state to allow early voting.
The bill, which the Democratic-led state Legislature passed last week, establishes a nine-day early voting period before election days. The early voting period would conclude on the Sunday before an election.
Democratic lawmakers attempted for years to adopt an early voting system, but the bill was blocked by Republicans when the GOP controlled the state Senate. With Democrats now in the Senate majority, the bill cleared that legislative hurdle.
"Early voting is going to be transformative for the system," said Cuomo, who has, for years, included early voting in his annual legislative agenda.
There is a question of how counties will fund the implementation of early voting, which will take effect this year. The estimated cost of early voting is $10 million, although others have suggested the cost is much higher — possibly as high as $1 million for each of the 57 counties outside New York City, according to the New York State Association of Counties.
The Let NY Vote Coalition, which advocated for early voting and other election reforms, called on Cuomo to include funding in the state budget for early voting. Cuomo's budget proposal doesn't include funding for early voting or other reforms.
Cuomo's office has said another reform — consolidating the federal and state primary elections — will save counties $25 million. The savings, they argue, can be used to fund early voting. But Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/NY and founding member of the Let NY Vote Coalition, explained that for early voting to be successful there must be funding in the budget.
"While the consolidation of primaries will produce a cost savings as the governor suggests, a cost savings is not the same as direct funding," Lerner said. "Additionally, primaries won't be consolidated until next year even though early voting is slated to begin this November. That would make early voting an unfunded mandate forcing counties to cover the cost."
Consolidating the primaries was necessary because unlike every other state, New York had a separate federal and state primary election. Since 2012, the federal primary for congressional races has been held in late June. The state and local primary has been held in September.
Under the new law signed by Cuomo, the federal and state primary election will be held on the fourth Tuesday in June.
The other reforms Cuomo signed include transferring voter registration within the state if a resident moves to another county and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote. When teens sign up for a learner's permit or driver's license at the Department of Motor Vehicles, they may preregister to vote. This would ensure they are registered to vote when they turn 18, the legal voting age.
Cuomo also closed the LLC loophole, which allowed wealthy individuals to create unlimited numbers of limited liability companies to circumvent the state's campaign contribution limits. Under the new law, LLCs will be subject to same $5,000 contribution limit as corporations. However, there won't be a limit on how many LLCs an individuals can form. But there is a disclosure requirement to reveal who is behind the LLCs.
Assemblyman Charles Lavine, chairman of the Assembly Election Law Committee, celebrated the election reforms. His grandparents were political refugees from Russia who cherished the right to vote. He recalled that voting in his house was more than a right. It was an obligation, he said.
"Our obligation today is to preserve that right for all New Yorkers," he added.
Two other voting reforms will need further action by the state Legislature. Lawmakers approved measures to amend the constitution to allow no-excuse absentee voting and same-day voter registration. The constitutional amendments must be passed by the state Legislature in 2021 or 2022, then voters will have the final say on when the amendments should be adopted.
While Cuomo signed the election reform bills, he has proposed other changes. He wants online voter registration and a ban on corporate campaign contributions. He also proposed allowing upstate counties to open earlier on primary election days and making Election Day a state holiday.
Lawmakers are open to those additional reforms, but it wasn't part of the package considered last week. | 2019-04-21T11:17:09 | https://auburnpub.com/blogs/eye_on_ny/cuomo-signs-transformative-early-voting-bill-other-ny-election-reforms/article_c6156479-cfc6-5b60-b6fc-62073fd0601d.html |
0.99814 | The Big Bang Theory season 8 finale live online: Leonard and Penny plan Vegas wedding and Sheldon proposes to Amy?
The Big Bang Theory season 8's finale episode airs on 7 May at 8pm on CBS Network.
Episode 24 is titled The Commitment Determination, where Leonard and Penny are pressured to set a wedding date by Sheldon.
According to the official synopsis, "Sheldon pushes Leonard and Penny to choose a date for their wedding and deals with dramatic changes in his own relationship with Amy, on the eighth season finale of The Big Bang Theory."
New spoilers suggest that Penny and Leonard plan to elope to Vegas and get married, while Amy says that she needs some time away from Sheldon, but Cooper is thinking about a proposal.
In the episode, Amy and Sheldon are cuddling and kissing on the couch. Sheldon is thinking about his girlfriend and whether he should start investing his time watching the new Flash television series.
Amy is mad at him and points out the irony of him admiring a superhero known for his speed when they've been together for five years and all she can get from him is a distracted make-out session on the couch.
Meanwhile, Sheldon asks Leonard and Penny for relationship advice, and ends up convincing them that they are taking their relationship too slow, and that they have made no wedding plans.
Later, they argue over the wedding date, but Penny asks if he is free that night. If he was, they could go to Vegas and save the cost of a big costly wedding.
Meanwhile, Sheldon and Amy finally have a serious relationship discussion. Amy says that she needs time to sort things out. Sheldon is shocked, but agrees and they say good-bye.
The report also reveals that Sheldon might propose to Amy. According to the spoiler, "He consults the Gollum on his desk, who knows a thing or two about rings. He reaches into the desk and pulls out a ring box with an engagement ring and wonders, "What do I do with this?"
The Big Bang Theory season 8 will end on a cliffhanger confirms showrunner Steven Molaro.
Molaro told The Hollywood Reporter that Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting), as well as Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy (Mayim Bialik), are in for two "huge" developments in the season 8 finale, which will end on a cliffhanger note.
Will Sheldon propose? Will Leonard and Penny marry?
The Big Bang theory season 8 finale: Producer teases life changing decision for Sheldon-Amy and Leonard-Penny?
The Big Bang Theory season 8 episode 21 live online: Penny to resume her acting career; Sheldon contacts alien life? | 2019-04-21T12:23:33 | https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/big-bang-theory-season-8-finale-live-online-leonard-penny-plan-vegas-wedding-sheldon-proposes-1500145 |
0.999999 | Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson announced that she's stepping down after a four-tenure marked by her agency's first greenhouse gas regulations..
What's most notable about Lisa Jackson's four-year tenure as EPA chief? Environmentalists hail her steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, opposed by industry groups and congressional Republicans.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson announced Thursday that she's stepping down after a four-year tenure marked by her agency's first greenhouse gas regulations and repeated battles with industry groups and GOP lawmakers.
Jackson, the first African American to serve as EPA administrator, came into office with bold plans to address climate change but accomplished only part of her agenda, foiled by opposition on Capitol Hill and occasionally the White House.
She often faced harsh congressional grilling. Last year, the GOP chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, said she would need her own parking spot at the Capitol because he planned to summon her often for questioning.
Jackson, 50, a chemical engineer by training and a mom of two teenagers, offered no reason for her resignation other than saying she's ready for "new challenges, time with my family and new opportunities to make a difference." She said she was leaving the EPA "confident the ship is sailing in the right direction."
Her departure, slated to occur after President Obama's annual State of the Union address in January, comes amid other turnover that's common between presidential terms. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is leaving as is Jane Lubchenco, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Others, including Energy Secretary Steven Chu, are likely to follow.
"It's unusual for administrators to stay for more than one term. These jobs are grueling, non-stop," said David Goldston, director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.
"She's been an outspoken fighter for environmental protection," Goldston said, noting the EPA's signature finding that carbon dioxide and five other gases that contribute to climate change qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
That "endangerment finding," which has withstood the industry's court challenges, enabled the EPA to set new emission standards for cars and light trucks. The standard requires new models to nearly double their required miles per gallon by 2025. In March, the EPA proposed emissions limits for new power plants, making it nearly impossible to build coal-fired ones.
Under her tenure, the EPA set the first standards for emitting mercury, arsenic and other toxins from power plants, and this month, it finalized tougher limits for emitting fine-particle soot from smokestacks, wood-burning stoves and diesel vehicles.
These rules won plaudits from environmentalists but rarely from industry. Howard Feldman of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil industry, said the soot standard could increase energy prices and decrease jobs. "We fear this new rule may be just the beginning of a 'regulatory cliff,'" he said.
House Republicans, including Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif, have tried to thwart or delay EPA rules, alleging they'll increase unemployment, but the Senate has not gone along.
Citing such rules, President Obama praised Jackson in a statement Thursday, saying she has shown "an unwavering commitment to the health of our families and our children."
Jackson also had setbacks. She pushed for a cap-and-trade bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions but allow companies to buy pollution credits from those under the limits. The bill passed the Democratic-led House in 2009 but died in the Senate. Her agency's limits on industrial pollution crossing state lines were struck down by a federal court.
The White House delayed or weakened some of her other proposals, including a new standard for ozone pollution that she sought in summer 2011 but that Obama put off until his second term. The EPA's final standard on emissions from industrial boilers and cement factories, announced last Friday, was weaker than the proposed version.
Her efforts riled industry. "The onslaught of regulations from the EPA means manufacturers will continue to see rising energy prices and skyrocketing compliance costs, which translate into few opportunities for growth and even fewer jobs," Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement last week..
This month, at the prodding of congressional Republicans, the EPA's inspector general said he was opening an inquiry into Jackson's use of a secondary e-mail account for official business.She said she had the account — named "Richard Windsor" after the name of her dog and her former home in Windsor Township, N.J. — because her public e-mail address was well known.
Jackson, a native of New Orleans who spent much of her career as a staffer at the EPA before heading New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection from 2006 to 2008, earned engineering degrees from Tulane and Princeton Universities. TheNew York Times and The Washington Post report she may be a candidate for president of Princeton. | 2019-04-20T15:11:13 | https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/27/epa-lisa-jackson-resignation-record/1793979/ |
0.998583 | 1. How to delete a sound?
The following steps are one way to delete unwanted audio from a home movie and then substitute it with a piece of music.
Step 1. load the movie file to the video track of the timeline.
Step 2. copy the video clip (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V) it to the first audio track.
Step 3. mute the video clip on the video track.
Step 4. find the audio segment to be deleted (or replaced) using the MarkIn and MarkOut markers.
Step 5. split the marked segment using the "Split (Ctrl+Q)" function.
Step 6. mute (or fade, or sound line edit) the separated audio segment.
Step 7. add your music clip to the 2nd audio track and align it properly. | 2019-04-25T08:46:19 | http://womble.com/support/FAQ26.html |
0.998892 | One person has been killed and two others wounded as a knife-wielding man went on a rampage in a busy street in central Melbourne.
A man has been shot by police after lunging at two uniformed officers with a knife near a burning vehicle in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall.
Police have since confirmed the man was shot in the chest and is in a critical condition.
Police said they were "not looking for anyone further at this early stage".
Three people are reported to have been injured, with one in a critical condition after being stabbed in the neck.
Victoria's ambulance service said that three injured people were being treated at the scene.
A second person has been taken to hospital with a head injury, however their condition is not yet known.
It's understood a third person has also been taken to hospital.
Victoria Police Superintendent David Clayton said when police arrived at the scene they were confronted by a man brandishing a knife and threatening them.
He said the shooter entered and turned to the door counter and coat check area before eventually working his way to the bar. At least 12 people have been killed, including a police officer, at a country music bar in Thousand Oaks, California .
Volkswagen plans to bring the production Tarok to the Brazilian market soon, and says it will be very close to the concept. The production version of the Tarok will be available with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel motor cranking out 110kW of power.
'The exact circumstances are yet to be determined at this stage.
The area has been cordoned off and the public are urged to avoid the area.
Police are asking people to avoid the area and said more information would be given when it was available.
Images from the scene show a large white sheet covering a section of the road near what appears to be blood.
"The police officers are OK".
Melbourne resident Meegan May tweeted: "Chaos in Bourkest as a guy seems to have set his auto on fire then attacking police with a knife".
"Police are aware of an incident in the vicinity of Bourke Street", Victoria Police have said in a statement.
Whitaker, a former USA attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, had served as Sessions's chief-of-staff since September 2017. He had also pressed to reauthorize a controversial secret domestic spying program over the Justice Department's protests.
She said a group of 20 other patients were initially evacuated but then returned to the facility because of gridlocked traffic. Four hospital employees were briefly trapped in the basement and rescued by California Highway Patrol officers, Kinney said.
I heard these big pops. "You know, I think it's going to be something that we're going to have to come together and move past". Well, I don't want to say he was dead, but he was shot. "I tried to get as many people to cover as I could", Knapp said.
For players who decked out their assassin, new Epic Events will ask you to hunt down an Epic Mercenary and an Epic Ship. New quests will be added, one, in particular, has Alexios/Kassandra filling in the role of an actor in a play.
President Macron is concerned Europe is not in a position to defend itself in a sovereign matter, without the aid of the United States.
Google Rebrands Files Go as Files by Google Anyway, given its success-the app is used by over 30 million users each month-Google is rebranding Files Go to Files by Google. For now, the new In-app Updates API will only be available to Android developers who are early access partners.
The mangled wreckage of BHP's runaway train which derailed in Western Australia It was deliberately derailed at a set of points, operated by a control centre, about 119km from Port Hedland. The Rio Tinto company says it completed its first delivery of iron ore using an autonomous train in July.
Thousand Oaks: At least 12 killed at California bar shooting Numerous patrons were local students from nearby California Lutheran University, ages 19 to 25, attending "College Country Night". Dean said the slain deputy was on the phone with his wife before telling her he had to go respond to a scene.
Blizzard has more mobile games in the works beyond Diablo Immortal While Blizzard denies that any game reveal was pulled from Blizzcon , they don't outright dispute the claim that the video exists. Microsoft had a similar moment at E3, announcing the Gears POP! mobile game right before Gears 5.
Democrats have a plan if Trump fires Mueller in 'Saturday Night Massacre' In Georgia's 6th district, Democrats have pulled out a win this time around after losing a heated special election in early 2017. She became a progressive star after her upset primary victory over Republican Joseph Crowley, a high-ranking House Democrat.
Final Fantasy XV DLC cancelled Existing DLC for Final Fantasy XV will see a price drop. "I have a project that I truly wish to solidify as my next challenge after FFXV ".
Telecom IoT Market 2018-2023 with Strategic Trends Growth, Revenue Major countries in each region are considered on the basis of their revenue share and contribution to the global/regional market . It guide them for designing ways to look at their Internet of Things (IoT) Analytics Market .
$30 wireless earbuds? Sure, why not? The surface of both earbuds is touch-sensitive and can be used to execute actions like play/pause music, handle calls, and more. Not all smartphones have the tap-to-wake feature, so this feature in the AirDots Youth Edition might come in handy.
Man, 69, wants to legally reduce age to boost dating chances Ratelband's argument hinges on transgender people's ability to now change their genders on their birth certificates. The man also said he could have a new shot at life, that would allow him to buy a new house or get a new job. | 2019-04-23T02:37:36 | http://hbucollegian.com/2018/11/dead-in-melbourne-stabbing-accused-slashed-cops-before/ |
0.999999 | Jaci and Emma are playing a game on their computer where a player earns points.
Jaci has seventy-four thousand, two hundred sixteen points.
Emma has 70,000 + 4,000 + 100 + 80 + 9 points.
Jaci has 52,000 + 200 + 30 + 1 points.
Emma has fifty-two thousand, sixty-eight points.
Jaci has 62 thousand, 9 hundred seventy-nine points.
Emma has sixty-two thousand, nine hundred eighty-four points.
Jaci and Emma organize their points information together and use the greater than, less than, or equal sign to compare who made the most points in each round. How could Jaci and Emma organize their information and include the correct sign? Who made the most points in each round? Show all your mathematical thinking.
How can you use the multiplicative property of place value to describe the meaning of each digit in the number 9,876,543.21?
How can you use the base ten property of place value to explain the relationship between each of the digits in the number 5,555,555.55?
How can you use base ten blocks or money to represent this decimal? What is ONE?
This task requires students to read and write multi-digit whole numbers in a variety of forms. Students will also use inequality symbols to compare multi-digit whole numbers.
4.1A Apply mathematics to problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace.
4.1B Use a problem-solving model that incorporates analyzing given information, formulating a plan or strategy, determining a solution, justifying the solution, and evaluating the problem-solving process and the reasonableness of the solution.
4.1E The student is expected to create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas.
Jaci wins rounds 1 and 2. Emma wins round 3.
Jaci and Emma had a total of 148,405 points in round 1; 104,299 points in round 2; and 125,963 points in round 3.
The total combined points of both girls is 378,667.
There is a 27 point difference between Emma and Jaci in round 1; 163 point difference in round 2; and a 5 point difference in round 3.
Jaci has a total of 189,426 points.
Emma has a total of 189,241 points.
3 point totals are even numbers and 3 are odd.
Round 1 could be easier for both girls than round 2 because they both scored the most points in round 1. | 2019-04-26T09:49:32 | https://www.exemplars.com/education-materials/free-samples/teks-4-assessment |
0.99852 | 3.1 What are some typical applications for active noise control?
The most successful demonstrations of active control have been for controlling noise in enclosed spaces such as ducts, vehicle cabins, exhaust pipes, and headphones. Note, however, that successful demonstrations are many, but successful commercial products are few.
One exception, active noise control headphones, has achieved widespread commercial success. Active headphones use destructive interference to cancel low-frequency noise while still allowing the wearer to hear mid- and high-frequency sounds such as conversation and warning sirens. The system comprises a pair of earmuffs containing speakers and one or more small circuit boards. Some include a built-in battery pack, and many allow exterior signal inputs such as music or voice communications. Used extensively by pilots, active headphones are considered indispensable in helicopters and noisy propeller-driven aircraft. Prices have dropped in recent years. (See Section 3.2 for information about an active control conversion kit available for US$100.) Passenger headsets, which lack the microphone boom found on pilots headsets, are even cheaper. Some sell for less than US$100, and are readily found in catalogs and specialty gift shops such as "Brookstone".
Another application that has seen some commercial success is active mufflers for industrial engine exhaust stacks. Active control mufflers have seen years of service on commercial compressors, generators, and so forth. As unit prices for active automobile mufflers have fallen in recent years, several automobile manufacturers are now considering active mufflers for future production cars. However, if you ask your local new car dealer about the active muffler option on their latest model, you will likely receive a blank stare: no production automobiles feature active mufflers as of this writing.
Large industrial fans have also benefited from active control. Speakers placed around the fan intake or outlet not only reduce low-frequency noise downstream and/or upstream, but they also improve efficiency to such an extent that they pay for themselves within a year or two.
The idea of canceling low-frequency noise inside vehicle cabins has received much attention. Most major aircraft manufacturers are developing such systems, especially for noisy propeller-driven aircraft. Speakers in the wall panels can reduce noise generated as the propeller tips pass by the aircraft fuselage. For instance, a system by Noise Cancellation Technologies (NCT) now comes as standard equipment on the new Saab 2000 and 340B+ aircraft. The key advantage is a dramatic weight savings compared to passive treatments alone.
Automobile manufacturers are considering active control for reducing low-frequency noise inside car interiors. The car stereo speakers superpose cancellation signals over the normal music signal to cancel muffler noise and other sounds. For example, Lotus produces such a system for sale to other automobile manufacturers. Unit cost is a major consideration for automobile use. While such systems are not at all common, at least one vehicle (currently offered only in Japan) includes such a system as a factory option.
The following list of applications for active control of noise and vibration was compiled by Colin Hansen and is used by permission; see IS&VD 1(2). The list includes topics which are currently being investigated by research groups throughout the world.
Control of aircraft interior noise by use of lightweight vibration sources on the fuselage and acoustic sources inside the fuselage.
Reduction of helicopter cabin noise by active vibration isolation of the rotor and gearbox from the cabin.
Reduction of noise radiated by ships and submarines by active vibration isolation of interior mounted machinery (using active elements in parallel with passive elements) and active reduction of vibratory power transmission along the hull, using vibration actuators on the hull.
Reduction of internal combustion engine exhaust noise by use of acoustic control sources at the exhaust outlet or by use of high intensity acoustic sources mounted on the exhaust pipe and radiating into the pipe at some distance from the exhaust outlet.
Reduction of low frequency noise radiated by industrial noise sources such as vacuum pumps, forced air blowers, cooling towers and gas turbine exhausts, by use of acoustic control sources.
Lightweight machinery enclosures with active control for low frequency noise reduction.
Control of tonal noise radiated by turbo-machinery (including aircraft engines).
Reduction of low frequency noise propagating in air conditioning systems by use of acoustic sources radiating into the duct airway.
Reduction of electrical transformer noise either by using a secondary, perforated lightweight skin surrounding the transformer and driven by vibration sources or by attaching vibration sources directly to the transformer tank. Use of acoustic control sources for this purpose is also being investigated, but a large number of sources are required to obtain global control.
Reduction of noise inside automobiles using acoustic sources inside the cabin and lightweight vibration actuators on the body panels.
3.2 Are all 'active headphones' the same?
No. Two types are often called "active," but only one actually uses noise cancellation. For the sake of discussion, let's call the two types "active headphones" and "amplified earmuffs".
Active headphones rely primarily on noise cancellation for low-frequency quieting. In some, the earmuffs themselves provide relatively little passive noise reduction. In others, the earmuffs provide as much passive reduction as possible, using noise cancellation to get even better performance at low frequencies. In any case, the unit includes a microphone inside each earcup to monitor the "error"-the part of the signal that has not been cancelled by the speakers. A pilot's headset also includes a microphone boom to transmit the pilots voice, and an input jack to transmit communication signals into the earcups. The noise cancellation works best on tones or periodic noise like that from an aircraft propeller. Some models, such as the NoiseBuster Extreme! from Noise Cancellation Technologies (www.nct-active.com), retail for less than US$100.
Amplified earmuffs have also been suggested for use by sufferers of tinnitus ("ringing of the ears"), a condition that can be aggravated by loud noises. But amplified earmuffs should not be confused with true active noise control headphones.
Numerous microphone-based products, such as cell phones and computer microphones, use electronic cancellation methods to reduce background noise.
3.3 What are the benefits of active control?
The many practical benefits of active control technology are not all obvious at first glance. The main payoff, of course, is low-frequency quieting that would be too expensive, inconvenient, impractical, or heavy by passive methods alone. For example, the lead-impregnated sheets used to reduce aircraft cabin propeller noise impose a severe weight penalty, but active control might perform as well with a much smaller weight penalty.
Of these, the potential for reduced maintenance and increased material fatigue life have received new emphasis in recent years. In the long-term, however, benefits may extend far beyond those mentioned above. The compact size and modularity of active systems can provide additional flexibility in product design, even to the point of a complete product redesign.
3.4 What was that short story by Arthur C. Clarke?
Arthur C. Clarke's short story entitled "Silence Please" appeared in his 1954 collection "Tales from the White Hart" (reprinted in 1970 by Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., New York). In it, Harry Purvis recounts the tale of the ill-fated "Fenton Silencer," an anti-noise device that goes disastrously awry.
3.5 How can I do a simple, inexpensive active control demo?
From this site you can download a simple Windows-compatible program that conducts a demonstration of sound cancellation (which, in a narrow sense, is a form of active noise control.) All you need is a PC, a sound card, and two speakers. The program plays a "disturbance" sound from one speaker and a "control" sound from the other, and demonstrate that one speaker can cancel sound from the other. No fuss, no mess.
Of course, you can demonstrate cancellation without the software if you have a stereo amplifier, two speakers, and a way to generate a send a pure-tone signal to the amplifier (such as a signal generator). First, play a pure tone through both speakers. Move the speakers close together and far apart; you'll notice no real change in the sound level. Then, cross-wire one of the speakers (i.e., swap the positive and negative wires). Move the speakers close together and you'll hear the sound level fall dramatically. Experiment with different frequencies to find what works best for your particular setup.
Again, these setups only demonstrate that one sound wave can cancel another, and some would argue that this is not truly active noise control.
A simple analog system for feedback active control consists of a microphone sensor, a loudspeaker actuator, and an equalizer to correct for the delay from the speaker to the microphone and for the transfer function of the speaker itself. The microphone is usually placed close to the speaker, since the system transfer function (from power amplifier to output of mic preamp) is increasingly difficult to equalize as the mic moves away from the speaker. (The phase change goes from gradual to rapid as frequency increases). A disturbance input at the sensor (low frequency acoustic noise) can be attenuated by the proper choice of equalization. The zone of silence around the sensor is approximately 1/10th of the wavelength of the noise to be attenuated. The system can be equalized by taking data into a sound card on a PC, determining the transfer function, and equalizing it with a biquad op-amp circuit using, for example, 4 op-amps.
• Ostergaard, P.B., "A simple harmonic oscillator teaching apparatus with active velocity feedback," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 99, No. 2, February 1996. | 2019-04-21T01:10:25 | http://www.chrisruckman.com/ancfaq3.htm |
0.999978 | CHARLOTTE -- Panthers defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu said Wednesday he should be feeling close to 100 percent by the time he gets to New Orleans this weekend.
Fellow starter Damione Lewis didn't sound so confident.
The Panthers were without both their starters in practice Wednesday, with Kemoeatu (ankle) and Lewis (shoulder) on the sidelines.
That left them with 31-year-old Darwin Walker and a pair of guys who were on practice squads this time last week -- Nick Hayden and J'Vonne Parker, who was signed from Atlanta on Tuesday.
"It's feeling a lot better," Lewis said. "Not near as sore as it was Monday. Just got to work on it and get my strength up and see what happens."
Kemoeatu was singing a far different tune. Most players will hedge as long as they can, but he said his ankle and Achilles were feeling much better after some drills during practice.
• SO THAT'S THE PROBLEM: The Panthers' secondary knows Saints quarterback Drew Brees is going to test their secondary. There's no word yet on whether that means extra time in front of the Jugs machine working on their suspect hands.
Cornerback Ken Lucas was asked that Wednesday, but he said he and cornerbacks Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall had excuses.
"I see you got jokes, huh?" cornerback Ken Lucas said when asked whether they'd catch extra balls to prepare. "I mean, that's crazy. I think it really has been the fact me Gam and Rich all have hand problems. My finger has been sprained all season long, and I think Gam's had a couple of sprained fingers all season long. So I'm going to go blame it on that as the reason we've been dropping so many interceptions.
"It's been a very disappointing season from the interception aspect, of having an opportunity to get them but we've been putting them on the ground. We have one game left to get better at that."
It was then mentioned to Lucas that Fox usually doesn't like players talking about injuries."
• HO, HO, HUT: Wednesday was a normal workday for the Panthers, though they're adjusting their schedule a bit to accommodate some holiday that seems to be happening today.
Players were given a little extra time this morning to watch their kids open presents, but then it was in to work mid-morning. Afternoon meetings were also postponed until Friday morning, to give them more of the day to spend with family and friends.
Quarterback Jake Delhomme said he was impressed with the way the Panthers worked Wednesday, knowing how easy it is to be distracted this time of year.
"You saw it on the practice field today," Delhomme said. "Certainly, I know Christmas is tomorrow and you can get lost. Guys' focus can wander a little bit. I didn't feel that out there today."
Friday's going to be a heavier day than normal, but most of that's classroom and film work rather than a heavy practice.
• EXTRA POINTS: In addition to the middle of the defensive line, the Panthers had three others out of Wednesday's work. Wide receivers Muhsin Muhammad (foot) and Kenny Moore (hamstring) and tight end Jeff King (knee) were on the shelf.
There was a ray of hope for the defensive line. Rookie end Hilee Taylor (calf) was back after missing the last three weeks. They'll take the help. If nothing else, they could use him to spell Tyler Brayton and Charles Johnson, since they've been rotating inside because of the injury shortages. | 2019-04-19T01:10:41 | https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article12245696.html |
0.999999 | Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis have quite complex pathophysiology.
Can you summarise it in brief?
Which molecules/cells specifically attack the normal tissue?
I am not talking about the macrophages that are gathering to attach as they are not specific to that tissue, they are gathered as a result of other processes.
I want to know more about these processes.
I want to know what molecules either free or on cells, and what cells are specific for the tissue that it is attacked.
So, I am not interested in interleukines and TNFs who are generic molecules that exist in every human and are released in every inflammation. | 2019-04-20T02:34:38 | https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?amp;topic=76426.0 |
0.998444 | For my Final Project I was extremely interested in using LEDs in a matrix formation and I was not disappointed. I decided to create my own LED Matrix Table which I could place in my dorm room or living room at home. I thought it would be a really cool addition to my room and I was able to play around with LEDs which is always a positive. I enjoyed working on this project and I am very pleased with the final result of the table.
I purchased the LACK side table from IKEA for $7.99, and 2 strands of 50 WS2811 LED lights for $15.99 a strand, and an arduino esp32 for $10.
Before I drilled holes into the table, I laid the LEDs out in an 8 X 8 grid and tested the code to see how it would display on the table. I connected the LEDs to my laptop with an arduino esp32 and a micro USB cable. I used a simple library just to make sure the LEDs were functional and the code could transfer properly.
I combined code from different libraries and combined bits and pieces to create 1 final code. This can be controlled using your phone with the help of a web server; I created 3 different functions with this code (rainbow, magic8ball, and it can display any text after the /). The rainbow function is a series of patters/illusions, the magic8ball function works as a magic 8 ball so you would ask it a question and the table will answer, and the last function can display any words you would like it to. It connects to a router and to use the table, you have to open the internet and search the IP address with a slash, (/); in this case, 192.168.2.2/"whichever function you would like to use". I have attached the final code.
The next step would be to drill the holes into the table. I measured out the length between the LED strands and decided that an 8 X 8 grid would be best for the size of this table. After that, I drew a grid on the back of the table which would represent where the holes would be drilled through in order to make the holes line up with one another. Once that was done I used a hand drill to drill the 64 holes through the table.
Step 5: Plug LEDs in Table and Connect!
Finally, I plugged the LEDs into their designated hole and hot glued them in place. I hot glued 2 sheets of PETG on top of the table to protect and disperse the lights which reduces the blinding effect, makes the table easier to read, and can deal with spills. I connected my phone to the router's wifi and I was able to successfully use the table. I had extra LEDs since I purchased 100 and only needed 64 for the table so I added the remaining LEDs to the bottom of the table to add an underglow effect. | 2019-04-20T17:22:53 | https://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Matrix-Table/ |
0.620534 | Claudia is now fighting for life in hospital after having an urgent lung transplant.
AN Aussie brother and sister, who both live with a debilitating disease, have been banned from seeing each other as one fights for her life in a Melbourne hospital.
On Tuesday, Claudia Coll, 18, and Jordan, 13 - who both suffer from cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that attacks their respiratory and digestive systems - were separated when "the unthinkable" happened.
The Melbourne-based brother and sister have spent years of their lives away from their parents, Peter and Kate, and two other siblings, fighting off recurring infections and enduring painful surgeries.
Claudia was even forced to have part of her lung removed in 2012.
But earlier this week, Claudia underwent a lung transplant after picking up a deadly bug called Burkholderia cepacia, which means she can no longer be around her brother, according to a report by Yahoo News.
Burkholderia cepacia is particularly dangerous in cystic fibrosis patients due to their already weakened immune system, with doctors at the Monash Children's Hospital stating both Claudia and Jordan likely picked it up as young kids, playing outside in the dirt.
Mr Coll told the publication his daughter's health had rapidly deteriorated a month earlier when her lung function dropped to "below 30 per cent".
After being put on antibiotics, things didn't improve and she was transferred to The Alfred Hospital where her father was told "the unthinkable".
"I'm a mess," Mr Coll said.
The Coll family has rallied behind Claudia and Jordan for years as they battle illness.
"I was told with the lungs she has, she would have six weeks (to live), but if she gets worse that could change to six hours."
However the life-saving surgery means Claudia has to sacrifice time with her brother - who also has the same bug - as the transplant weakens her immune system, which Mr Coll said would be extremely painful for the pair who "adore each other".
The siblings have developed a strong bond as they help each other stay positive and fight whatever bug comes their way.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help pay for Claudia's care and support the family while they keep a bedside vigil for Claudia at hospital.
The page has already raised almost $50,000 in just five days.
Mr Coll told the publication if Jordan came into contact with his immunocompromised sister, she could die.
"It's more in the early stages she could become septic as her immune system recovers," Mr Coll said.
"With B. cepacia, you never know what's going to happen. We don't know how long they could potentially be apart."
Claudia is now fighting for life in hospital and requires an urgent lung transplant.
The Coll kids are extremely close and support each other through thick and thin. | 2019-04-22T02:11:25 | https://www.cqnews.com.au/news/the-deadly-bug-keeping-brother-and-sister-apart/3696174/ |
0.998988 | Seeking to break Britain's Brexit deadlock, Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday she plans to ask the European Union to change its divorce deal with the U.K.by altering an Irish border guarantee that is opposed by many British lawmakers.
Speaking in Cyprus moments before MPs voted, Mr Macron said: "As the European Council in December clearly indicated, the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated between the United Kingdom and EU is the best agreement possible".
Theresa May promised to go back to Brussels to re-negotiate Brexit after Parliament ripped up the deal she's spent the past year and a half stitching together.
Members of Parliament rejected Labour MP Yvette Cooper's amendment, which was aimed at enabling the House of Commons to vote on blocking a no-deal Brexit, also known as a hard Brexit.
"I think we should send the Prime Minister back to Brussels with a strong mandate to be able to say if you compromise with us on this one issue, on the backstop, we would be able to a get an agreement - an agreement that is nearly there", he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
The plan - called the The Malthouse Compromise after Kit Malthouse, the MP who brought the parties together - would lead to Britain leaving the European Union "on time and with a functioning government", former Brexit minster Steve Baker said.
With Britain's House of Commons bitterly divided on the way forward for Britain's departure from the European Union, lawmakers representing various factions are vying to have their say in the Brexit process after they overwhelmingly rejected the government's divorce agreement two weeks ago.
May said if she has not struck a new Brexit deal by February 13, Parliament would get to vote, again, on what should happen next.
May said she would hold a second "meaningful" vote on her deal as soon as possible.
Referring to an amendment to May's proposed next steps on Brexit put forward by senior Conservative lawmaker Graham Brady, who wants "alternative arrangements" to the backstop, Weyand said that the withdrawal treaty already contained that possibility.
Sir Graham Brady, the influential head of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee, wants to overcome the main hurdle to May's deal by replacing the "Irish backstop".
MPs also voted 318 to 301 in favor of a symbolic amendment rejecting a no deal Brexit.
Conservative MPs who backed Theresa May's Brexit deal with the European Union when it was defeated this month are planning to ditch their previous support and try to force May to accept a closer relationship with the European Union instead.
The EU has said it will not change the legal text agreed with the UK PM.
Tuesday's vote comes in light of heightened concerns that a no-deal Brexit could mean the reestablishment of a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Following the vote, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would be willing to enter into Brexit talks with Mrs May.
As it stands, ERG MPs have made up their minds with Jacob Rees-Mogg forming an unlikely alliance with Tory remainers to come up with a Brexit "Plan C".
But as the politicians battle over Brexit, some of the world's biggest companies are having to guess what lies in store for the United Kingdom, one of the biggest destinations for foreign investment over the past two decades.
At the weekend, Ireland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney, stated baldly the backstop simply "isn't going to change". | 2019-04-24T16:11:01 | http://cfanespectaculos.com/2019/01/mps-order-theresa-may-to-prevent-a-no-deal-brexit/ |
0.999495 | Is there a quick (preferably automatic) way that one can inform members of a group library when one adds new refs to it?
the easiest I can think of is to ask them to subscribe to the libraries atom feed. Not sure what you had in mind, but there aren't e-mail notifications or so for that.
I believe there's also an IFTTT script that automatically tweets every addition to the library (based on that same atom feed) - so if you prefer twitter over atom, that would be another option.
Adam, this might sound stupid, but how do I subscribe to a group library's atom feed? When I go to the library (in my FF browser), I don't see any 'feed' button.
If you go to the group library (where you can actually see the items in the library), there should be a "Subscribe to this feed" link at the bottom left corner, tight under the tags.
Being able to set up a feed for a specific collection is very helpful.
We have a group library with about 14 members, each of whom is responsible for collecting items on particular themes – where each theme corresponds to a collection under a member's name. Inevitably, members are constantly coming across items that should be added to one of another member's themes.
So what would be ideal for us would be a way to send a notification tied to a particular collection to the member responsible for that collection but only when someone other than that member adds an item to it!
just thinking out loud here, but the API does have "added by" information (else it couldn't be displayed on zotero.org) so that should be possible.
Alternatively and more "low tech", of course, you could just agree on a tag for this and each person can subscribe to the relevant collection+tag feed.
Yes, I agree with above requests.
I would love to see a mechanism to notify group members of the addition (or just the presence) of an entry into the Zotero group library. I have been using and advocating for Zotero for >7-8y.
edit: I see that I've said pretty much the same above already, but if that doesn't work for you it'd be helpful to know why not.
I also believe that a notification system is desirable for organizations that wish to use Zotero as part of a service (e.g., internal group who receives requests via email to order publications). Although an Atom feed is nice, it is not a true notification system (i.e., new info is not 'pushed' to users). Manual notification via email is intertwined in users daily use, and adoption of a non-notification system like an RSS feed isn't very feasible.
As I've said, if you want e-mails use a hook service like IFTTT to convert the group's Atom feed to emails (or tweets or whatever else you want). I'm pretty sure Zotero isn't going to add e-mail notifications to groups.
edit: though I'll note that a feed reader _will_ notify you of new items in a feed. Otherwise the Atom feed couldn't trigger any action in IFTTT.
Thank you for responding again to this thread. Did not realize IFTTT "pushed" to email (thought it was for tweets only). We would like others (such as a knowledge resource group) in our organization to adopt Zotero and currently trying to identify obstacles. If this is raised as an issue, will suggest IFTTT. | 2019-04-26T08:30:24 | https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/32235/informing-group-library-members-of-upload |
0.999984 | Michael Vaughan's first test match in charge of England ended in disaster as his team collapsed in the face of another display of disciplined bowling and aggressive batting from South Africa. The match statistics make for ugly reading - England, dismissed for just 173 in their first innings - were then put to the sword by Graeme Smith as he compiled 259, the highest score by an overseas batsman at Lord's, and the South Africans eventually declared on 682-6, their highest ever test match innings.
Chasing 509 to avoid an innings defeat England slumped to 208-6, and only a spirited spell of ferocious hitting from Andy Flintoff took his team to a respectable score of 413.
However, the statistics only tell half the story.
On a fairly docile first day pitch, England's batsmen decided that kamikaze stroke play was the way forward and several were undone by bouncers from Makhaya Ntini.
Only a last wicket partnership between Darren Gough and James Anderson prevented real humiliation.
So, a disappointing batting performance but surely the bowlers had learned their lesson from the first test?
Apparently not as they once again fed the South African openers a stream of long-hops and half-volleys.
If the England bowling attack aren't capable of bowling a disciplined off-stump line and length then they shouldn't be playing test cricket.
In Shaun Pollock, the South Africans have exactly what England lack: a bowler who can run in and bowl six balls in the same place.
Gough has lost his zip, Anderson his confidence and Harmison simply lacks the bowling action to be consistent.
Having criticised the bowlers, the fielding display in general, and especially the catching was also not up to standard.
Nasser Hussain's drop when Smith was on eight proved to be the most costly of all. Alec Stewart's wicket keeping was patchy at best, and the slip cordon was chopped and changed as often as David Beckham's hair.
In the light of two disastrous performances in the opening tests, is there any hope for English cricket?
In Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick, England have a quality opening pair and Mark Butcher's recent test match record shows a reliable No. 3.
However, Hussain, Anthony McGrath and Stewart are a distinctly wobbly middle order.
Despite his previous emotional problems, Graham Thorpe needs to come in and soon.
Various young batsmen such as Ian Bell, Nicky Peng and Will Jefferson all have claims for a chance.
Chris Read is the obvious choice to replace Stewart, but sentiment may yet over-rule common sense if the selectors decide not to ruin Stewart's swansong.
As for the bowlers, all need to be sent back to their counties this week and given a run out to try and find some form.
James Ormond must be close to a test recall, and Kabir Ali and James Kirtley are also in contention.
The selectors must also decide whether it is worth continuing to have such an ineffective spinner - Ashley Giles - in the side.
Praise is due to Andy Flintoff for a terrific performance with the bat and for being the only English bowler to consistently worry the South Africans.
Even Smith admitted that Flintoff's figures did not do him justice.
Praise must also go to the South Africans for another aggressive display, although I believe that England are making them look a better side than they truly are.
The South Africans will be strengthened by the return of Jacques Kallis for the third test and only a huge turn around in form would see an England victory.
Is a draw and a more solid display the best they can hope for? | 2019-04-23T05:20:27 | http://greatreporter.com/content/rampant-south-africans-crush-england |
0.998685 | Is it a Jewish source, the BBC, a Palestinian source, a US new network, a government, a humanitarian agency, what????
Do I have to search to whole site, to see if they call what happened in Jenin a 'massacre', or just, as you state, 'refers' to a 'massacre' in Jenin, which I think would discount most sources, as they may report that it was called a 'massacre' by someone else, but not call it that themselves.
Here's some for you: Palestineremembered.com is a biased source, same with electronicIntifada. us-israel.org is not ( no one can dispute any of the facts presented there). | 2019-04-25T17:10:49 | https://boards.fool.com/is-it-a-jewish-source-the-bbc-a-palestinian-20792205.aspx?sort=username |
0.998227 | How do I add a site map to my Google Webmaster Tools?
A sitemap is used to tell search engines about pages on your store that they (the search engines) might not otherwise find through regular site crawling.
3dcart makes it easy to create your own store's sitemap. Furthermore, if you're using Google Webmaster Tools along with your 3dcart store, this process is made even easier.
Assuming you've already created your Google Webmaster Tools account, log into it and click your domain name.
This will open up a series of menu options to the left hand side of the Webmaster Tools interface.
You should see a link labeled "Site Configuration" in the menu. This link should have a (+) sign next to it.
Then click on the link labeled "Sitemaps."
Click on "Add a Sitemap" and you should see a screen similar to the following with your domain name and a blank path.
Simply enter "sitemap.asp" and submit the field.
That's it! Google will now access this asp file for your sitemap. | 2019-04-21T15:02:41 | https://support.3dcart.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/323/16/how-do-i-add-a-site-map-to-my-google-webmaster-tools |
0.998148 | Field notes on the Web: Is it OK to tweet "movie" in a crowded firehouse?
[I]ntent or motive is key. So if the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the idea was to help the protesters evade the police and to prevent the protesters' illegal activities from being discovered, then they've broken the law. But that's a lot that the government will have to prove and, you know, it may be difficult based on the evidence. [Earlier, Butler argues that telling protesters where the cops are could just as well be aimed at helping them conform to the law by making sure they know where protests are and are not permitted].
[T]he law is used to adapting to new technology, you know, for - there was a time when the telephone was new. And then there was another time when computers were new. And people used these new instruments for both legal activity and for political organizing and sometimes for illegal activity. And what law has to do is to figure out the difference.
From what I can make out, the gist is this: This particular case involving twitter touches on some very tricky issues of free speech, but the trickiness stems from the issue of free speech in general, not from the medium -- Twitter in this case. More specifically, the trickiness stems largely from the difficulty of proving intent, a difficulty not, so far, significantly affected by any known communication technology. | 2019-04-25T06:21:54 | https://blog.fieldnotesontheweb.com/2009/10/is-it-ok-to-tweet-movie-in-crowded.html |
0.999937 | As news trickled out about the school shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., the immediate reaction of many observers was: There must have been something wrong with Adam Lanza.
"Something" had to be behind the shootings, in which police say Mr. Lanza first killed his mother at her home and then drove to nearby Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 20 1st graders, six staff members, and then himself, last month.
But advocates for people with disabilities were dismayed that the something was, at least at first, identified in the national media as Asperger's syndrome. Any connection between that syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum, and the deadliest K-12 school shooting in American history is unfounded, advocates and experts say. They worry that any perceived link between the shootings and Asperger's may unfairly stigmatize those who have the condition.
"The main message to get out to the community is that all kids with disabilities, even kids who are prone to demonstrate violent behavior, are not likely to demonstrate the level that was demonstrated" in Newtown, said Kristine Melloy, the president of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, who also works in the St. Paul, Minn., public schools. "That's a rare kind of behavior."
Even if Mr. Lanza, who was 20, had ever been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, it is a developmental disorder present at birth, not a mental-health condition, which may emerge any time in life.
Connecticut authorities have not confirmed that Mr. Lanza had Asperger's, although his brother and others close to the family have done so to a variety of news outlets. The state's chief medical examiner has asked researchers at the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, to study Mr. Lanza's DNA for any genetic clues about his actions.
"First and foremost, we know autism didn't cause this," said Lisa Goring, the vice president of family services for Autism Speaks, a New York City-based advocacy group. "People with autism have difficulty with communication skills. In no way are they inclined to commit acts of violence."
Children and adults with autism may be disruptive or belligerent in some scenarios, but there's no evidence that they are more likely than others to engage in the kind of planned violence that Mr. Lanza perpetrated, experts on the condition have said.
Autism Speaks' leaders appeared on television news programs after the shootings to try to educate people about the disorder, which affects about one in 88 people in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta. The advocacy group also distributed resources to schools that define Asperger's syndrome and autism and suggest ways to support such students.
Despite the attempts at clearing up misconceptions, Ms. Melloy and others who work with people with disabilities say they worry that new stereotypes will form about autism as a result of the killings.
They also fear the emergence of calls to isolate people with mental-health needs from the rest of society.
"The way to get to mental health is to be with other healthy people," Ms. Melloy said. Inclusive school environments, she said, help foster better mental health.
While some people with certain types of mental-health conditions may have violent tendencies, she added, "that doesn't mean they're going to pick up guns and start shooting people."
A week after the shootings, however,the National Rifle Association's executive vice president and chief executive officer, Wayne R. LaPierre, suggested a national registry for people with mental-health problems.
"How many more copycats are waiting in the wings for their moment of fame from a national media machine that rewards them with wall-to-wall attention and a sense of identity that they crave, while provoking others to try to make their mark?" Mr. LaPierre said at a press conference in Washington. "A dozen more killers, a hundred more? How can we possibly even guess how many, given our nation's refusal to create an active national database of the mentally ill?"
But advocates for people with disabilities argue that such a plan is impractical and could dissuade the ill from getting treatment, and that the stigma associated with it would be deeply harmful to those identified.
Keeping such a database would be a "herculean" task, since it would require daily updates to be accurate, given people's movement on the mental-health spectrum, said Frederick Streeck, the executive director of the School Social Work Association of America, based in Sumner, Wash. He also raised concerns about the privacy of people listed.
"The labeling that's involved could be very unfortunate for kids and for families," he said. "It's just not something that we need to list on a national database."
Staff Writer Andrew Ujifusa contributed to this article.
"'Show Me Your Smile'," (District Dossier Blog) December 18, 2012.
"Multiple Deaths, Children Among Them, in Conn. School Shooting," (District Dossier Blog) December 14, 2012. | 2019-04-21T09:14:52 | https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/01/09/15newton-speced.h32.html |
0.999625 | The bodies of the flight model (left) and engineering model (right) of Curiosity. The flight model will be the rover launched into space, with the engineering model serving as a back-up.
PASADENA, Calif.? It may not look like much now, unassembled under silver tarps, but once it's completedand launched, the Mars Science Laboratory will be the biggest, most powerfulvehicle ever sent to the red planet.
Theassembly of MSL (recently re-named"Curiosity") here at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is movingalong slowly but surely ? mission engineers are taking their time now that theyhave two extra years to prepare after the mission's original 2009 launch datewas delayeduntil 2011.
Once it iscompleted, the rover will have a complex suite of instruments that can test theMartian surface for signs of past potential habitability, including onboard chemistrylabs and a laser that can zap rocks to determine their composition.
There arestill a few kinks to work out, and mission planners want to make sure theyaddress every problem.
The roveris "still a really big, complex thing," said Joy Crisp, a deputyproject scientist for MSL.
On thefloor of a "clean room" at JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility, themetal body of the rover --? destined to be the size of a small car and weigh 2,040pounds (925 kg) -- sits upside-down on a rack, none of its Mars-probinginstruments yet attached.
"We'rein the early stages of assembly," Crisp said.
The wheelsthat will move the robot across the dusty Martian surface stand upright inmetal crates. Nearby, covered by a tarp, is the huge saucer-shaped heat shieldthat will protect the craft as it plummets through the Martian atmosphere.
Theelaborate crane system that will lower the rover to the ground before flyingoff and crashing is on the other side of the room, held up by a metal frame.
Men inwhite "bunny suits" carefully vacuum the clean room floor to removeany contaminating dust and slowly move an enormous overhead crane to lift andshift parts around.
As thespacecraft is assembled, engineers are testing out all of its components tofind any potential flaws and fix them before the rover is sent on its journeyto Mars.
The biggestconcern right now, Crisp said, is the actuators, the motors that control themovements of the rover's wheels, mast and robotic arm. The problem is gettingthe actuators to work at the cold temperatures of the region where Curiositywill land. While the rover's landing site won't be as far north as was thePhoenix Mars Lander's (which landed last summer in the arctic plains of Mars),it will be further north of NASA's two rovers currently on the Martian surface,Spiritand Opportunity.
Curiosityis also benefiting from the experience of its predecessors. Last summer, Phoenix had difficulty getting samples of dirt into its instruments because the dirtwould clump together. Curiosity's team is working on ways to get aroundthis problem should the new rover encounter sticky soil.
To preparefor this issue, the team is testing Curiosity's instruments with more types ofsoil-mimicking materials, Crisp said. They are also considering installing atest funnel in the front of the rover where they could deposit soil samplesfirst and "see if it jams or goes through," Crisp said.
Anotheridea is to use a device like a pipe cleaner that could clear out any clogs.Essentially the team is looking at "things that could be added quite latein the design," Crisp said.
Once thedesign is finalized and Curiosity is fully equipped for its Martian mission, itwill be launched and eventually land at one of four sites that is yet to bedecided upon. Once the probe touches down, it will investigate the localgeology, chemistry and the potential for biology, including looking for ananswer to one of the biggest questions: "Are there organics on Mars?"Crisp said. | 2019-04-21T08:49:26 | https://www.space.com/6841-clean-room-nasa-puts-mars-rover.html |
0.999993 | Southland Ceiling Tiles is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 7.
2 ft. x 2 ft. 2 ft. x 4 ft. 2 ft. x 2 ft.
Southland Ceiling Tiles have long, smooth channels that add interest without inundating. Made from our Feather-Light Series 0.013 in. thick vinyl plastic, they are unlike any ceiling tile you will ever see or feel. You may be surprised by their minimal weight, but their thermoformed design combined with the inherent strength of vinyl makes these tiles rigid, durable, and easy to install and maintain.
The Souhtland , and all Feather-Light Ceilume ceiling tiles, are made from a thin rigid vinyl and the R-Value is only 0.012. Adding the Soniguard Drop Ceiling insulation brings the R-Value up to 6.
You can cut the Southland with the same hole saw that you'd use to cut a mineral fiber tile. The trick is to run the hole saw in reverse which allows the teeth cut smoothly through the vinyl. You can also use a good pair of scissors or a pair of straight bladed aviation snips. We recommend that you do not use a utility knife as the blade could slip on the smooth vinyl and cause injury.
Hello, Is it possible to get a sample of this product? We are an interior design firm looking for a product that looks "coastal" for a lobby in south Florida that can withstand a wet environment.
We'd be happy to send up to 3 free, full-sized samples. Give us a call at 1-800-557-0654 between the hours of 6:30 am - 4:30 pm PST. We'll chat about your upcoming project to make sure we're sending the right tiles for your specific installation and get those samples headed your way a.s.a.p.
Can I be sent an FM Certificate of Compliance. I have your FM approval guide, however my customer is requesting specifically a copy of the signed FM Certificate of Compliance.
Can the ceiling tiles be stapled or glued directly to an existing drywall ceiling in a covered outdoor patio?
The Ceilume Southland tiles (and all of the Feather-Light tiles) can not be glued or stapled to a drywall ceiling. On the back side of each tile there is a lip around the perimeter of the tile to give them structural rigidity. That lip and the thinness of the tile make them perfect for installation in a ceiling grid. For a glue up installation, take a look at our Glue-Up tile selection. http://www.ceilume.com/shop/glue-up-ceiling-tiles/ All of those tiles have a flat back and are made of our thicker Signature material which makes them perfect for glue-up installations.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Bunny from Easy to work with We received a sample, and a follow up phone call when we ordered. The tiles came on time and were easy to install (trim, etc). The project came out great!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ward Martin from All went fine. The kitchen is brighter and the wife is happy. Need I say more?!!
Rated 5 out of 5 by ALFT from Easy and attractive! We purchased Ceilume tiles to update our basement living room. We were able to replace the tiles ourselves. The Ceilume tiles are sharp-looking, flexible, light weight and easy to install! It has helped to update our space and give it a fresh look. Highly recommend!
Rated 5 out of 5 by LeoS from Really made the space look updated and modern! We were looking for a cost-effective solution to update the usual boring drop ceiling in an office space. We were on a tight budget and the Southland White tiles did the trick. The ceiling now looks updated and modern!
Rated 4 out of 5 by Rich from Looks Great We're constructing a boathouse on the South Shore of MA and wanted the ceiling to reflect a boat-building atmosphere. The Southland White ceiling tile reminded us of lapstrake boat construction. It looks great.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Ray Le Blanc from Great tiles except for certain spots where I have open holes along the outside wall. It would be nice if you could supply a filler panel to hide these. Not an easy solution. | 2019-04-25T00:26:33 | https://www.ceilume.com/tiles/Southland/Stone/ |
0.998707 | The first viral video of the 2013 election campaign could be described as a Diaz in the headlights.
The Liberal Party's Jaymes Diaz marked the start of his pitch for Sydney's most marginal electorate with an interview so excruciating that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called to commiserate.
Mr Diaz' six-minute interview with Channel 10 on Monday - which is now making news in the US - reached its painful peak when he was quizzed about the Coalition's plan to "stop the boats".
"The boats are also a big issue out here," Mr Diaz said of the seat of Greenway in Sydney's northwest, telling reporter John Hill the Coalition had a six-point plan to stem the flow of asylum seekers.
Interview fail: Jaymes Diaz talks to Channel Ten.
"Six points, could you run through them for us?"
Apparently not. Clutching the Coalition's "Real Solutions" pamphlet and at a way out of the question, Mr Diaz at one stage offered: "Well, one of the points, the key point would be stopping the boats when it's safe to do so."
But Hill persisted, ultimately asking Mr Diaz eight times – unsuccessfully – to outline the Coalition's asylum seeker policy.
"You've said turn back the boats, you told me it's a six-point plan. What about the other five points?"
Mr Diaz, flanked by two increasingly sombre-looking supporters, responded: "We have a plan to stop the boats, and I've answered that."
Ultimately, one of his minders opted to stop the interview instead, with Mr Diaz concluding "we support families" while wandering away from the camera and into a car park.
After doing the rounds of social media, the clip is making news in the US. The Huffington Post compared it to the 2012 "oops" presidential debate by Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose "blank may pale in comparison" to the Australian's blunder.
It is not a good start for the 37-year-old Filipino-Australian migration lawyer, but a gift to his 2010 opponent, Labor's Michelle Rowland, who holds Greenway with a wafer thin margin of 0.9 per cent.
Mr Abbott - who had identified it as one of the seats that cost him the prime ministership - was understood to be against Mr Diaz' preselection, but the candidate had the local numbers to secure the spot.
The Opposition Leader defended the "good young fella" on Tuesday, telling ABC radio he called Mr Diaz "to commiserate with him" after watching the interview.
"I gather he had done two good interviews and then he throws up in the third . . . I'm afraid it happens to all of us from time to time," Mr Abbott said.
Mr Abbott said Mr Diaz would make a "great local member" for Greenway.
"I think all of us can get a bit flustered sometimes," the Opposition Leader said.
"He's a relatively young bloke, he's in his early 30s, he has a lot of potential, he's quite smart, he's very well connected in the area . . . he's a good young fella."
An occasional gaffe was just part of being in politics, Mr Abbott said.
"Inevitably, a very experienced and slightly aggressive journalist shoves a microphone in your face and starts barking at you and it is possible to freeze," he said.
Here for the record is the Coalition's six-point plan.
Turn boats back where it's safe to do so.
Increase capacity at offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG.
Lease and deploy extra vessels to help patrol boats transfer asylum seekers.
Conduct ministerial visits to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nauru and PNG to discuss "operational matters".
Establish a new Operation Sovereign Borders taskforce, and create a joint agency taskforce for asylum seekers. | 2019-04-23T00:56:11 | https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/diaz-and-confused-candidate-misses-the-points-20130806-2rb1v.html |
0.997957 | Q 1: John sells 6 ounces chocolate for $2.70, how much does she charge for 10 pounds of chocolate?
Q 2: On a map, 3 inches represent an actual distance of 30 miles. If the distance between the two cities on the map is 15 inches, What is the actual distance between them?
Q 3: 9:15 = 81:225, are they in proportion?
Q 4: 7:5 = 49:30, are they in proportion? | 2019-04-20T00:26:28 | http://www.kwiznet.com/p/takeQuiz.php?ChapterID=10141&CurriculumID=25&Method=Worksheet&NQ=6&Num=2.13 |
0.998961 | Not sure if this has been done, please correct me if this is the case, and, not sure how feasible it'd be, but maybe at some point, someone could take the idea of a standard round and extend it to a multi-day long one, sort of combining the rules of engagement in team deathmatch with the around-the-clock, and long-term scenario posed by HvZ (except no zombies)?
I personally think it'd be kind of interesting to have a situation in which your players camped out over a weekend and had to deal with the "danger" of other players coming at their camp at night, and how, if this became common like HvZ, how people's loadouts and blaster choices would be affected.
Some of my theory on how to make vehicles, actual 'snipers', and other nominally impractical but frequently asked about ideas only really work in a setup like this. It'd have to be a huge area, like a college campus, city, or wilderness, and to work well it'd need to be organized. You'd probably need to run it so that there were respawn zones that players would need to setup and take down, and victory would be accomplished when one team had forced the other team(s) into a certain limited area or conquered all the spawn zones. If done in a campus or city the 'camping' would probably be in player's residences and it frequently wouldn't work to attack them there, though you could incentivize setting up watches over the spawn points to get the same effect (just don't specify play hours and players will figure out they can capture spawnpoints when no one is watching).
I can also see how that'd get dull if you have too many spawnpoints/controlpoints over too large an area or with too few players, so really put thought into the player count vs. area vs. points or setting up different rules alltogether (capture/collect the objects, delivery, king of the point, etc.). Combine several normal rule types at certain times with an underlying background ruleset to make a mission - eg: on wednesday, collect hidden pizza boxes and make pizzas so that: on thursday, deliver the pizza to an opponents spawn without being shot to capture. Destroy permanently a spawnpoint by delivering a found giant black box to the point and covering the point with it.
Anyway, it'd require some thought, planning, experimentation, and organization. It's possible it'd work great, but the trouble is getting enough people interested enough to try this totally new thing when they could also be doing HvZ and they already enjoy that. Converting an existing HvZ group might be the easiest tack.
Or you could just do total-elimination TDM Dart Warz style, which is essentially what you're asking about but typically not organized well and usually ends up a disastrous black-mark on our hobby. | 2019-04-19T18:23:40 | http://nerfhaven.com/forums/topic/28260-whole-weekend-style-games/ |
0.999598 | Verbotomy: Our boss said I had to attend this meeting.
DEFINITION: v. To arrive at a meeting completely unprepared and then work diligently and obviously to distract yourself from the proceedings. n. A person who attends a meeting but does not believe that they are paid enough to actually pay attention.
Sentence: Bob attends meetings as directed. That doesn’t mean he feels the need to contribute anything useful. He is the self-appointed poohpoohbah of the conference. If anybody makes a suggestion he will begrudging look up from his Blackberry long enough to utter something like ”That won’t work” or ”That’s a stupid idea” and go back to ignoring the proceedings.
Sentence: Roger arrived half-dressed and unshaven to the early sales meeting. He wasn't happy to be there so he sat back with the sports page and chose to barticipate for the entire meeting.
Etymology: 1.bar - to exclude. 2.participate - to take part in or share with others.
Sentence: Lars spent the entire meeting paging through the Wall Street Journal and humming absently to himself, to his son's 5th grade teacher's great consternation. "Mr. Beauregard!" she exclaimed, "I can't believe you would be such a contratendant to this parent-teacher conference!"
Etymology: From the Greek, contra, meaning an illegal association with a Middle-Eastern dictatorship; from the Kusumapura, ten, meaning "of brace-wearing age"; and from the Irish, dant, meaning, "shall not," or, literally, "dare not."
Sentence: John attended the morning meeting merely as a spectraitor. He successfully sabotaged establishing the agenda for the day.
Sentence: Lara's selective deafness was not causing as much of a problem in the Dyslexia Association meetings as she would have liked. As a muteinear she had only lent half an ear to proceedings and the minutes she prepared appeared to be written in anagrams. She thought this would show them all the contempt she felt for the meetings. However, as most of the attendees were dyslexic they found her anagramatic minutes actually made easy reading.
Etymology: mute (not speaking as one does in a meeting) + in ear (not listening either) + mutineer (one who rebels) + the whole word looks like the minutes have been sabotaged to make them difficult to read.
Sentence: Tony thought he was worth much more than his salary so when he had to attend a meeting he decided he would dissforum it by attending but paying no attention whatsoever.
Sentence: Since she was the CEO's daughter, the new "Vice President of Positivity" was completely narblivious after finding out she had to fire the entire department.
Sentence: Everyone who arrived at the meeting on time took a poll as to see what Jeff would bring with him to prove he was worthy of his slacktendant title. Two out of the four members who were there thought he would bring a copy of the latest anime or manga magazine he was sharing with Whistler from accounting. One said he would probably write emails and text his girlfriend on his Blackberry, while another said it had been a while since the last time he clipped his fingernails and toenails and plucked his nosehairs. Last Monday he brought the New York Times crossword puzzle and kept shouting out the words when he got them or muttering the clues under his breath.
Sentence: There is always some misfittendee there who is obviously not with the program.
From this place in meeting hell.
As I hallucinate the ending bell.
That I’ve come to accept, but dread.
Within the confines of my weary head.
And only time will surely tell.
My interest level a labored sell.
I awake: Is it a nightmare?
Not all sure where it’s coming from.
Try to focus. What is the topic?
My body sits here limp and numb.
Reacting like a hammered thumb.
But an EEG would read out "dead,"
An indication not all is well.
My angst is what I need to quell.
Remistram and James, your definition and cartoon are a big hit! They not only inspired great verboticisms (not a bad one in the bunch again) but even poetry! Laughter, too! Great job!
Did you write your poem in a meeting hell, arrrteest? It is a wonderfully well done rhyme and adds much to our time here today! I'm so glad you shared it with us.
Write it in meeting hell? Yes, I did! It was a mind numbing, pointless, poorly thought out, going through the motions, no followthrough afterwards, dead in the water, series of meetings/"trainings" that is enherent within large organizations. It was complete with "activators," "capture sheets" and "group participation." Aaaah phoey. You bet. Am I sarred for life? Well let's just say the poem saved me from $$$$ of therapy. If you want to be productive and positive in a meeting, don't sit next to me. LOL!
Great poem arrrteest! I think I was at that meeting.
Wow Arteest! Glad you have writing as an outlet from meeting hell! I really do NOT miss those days!
Sorry, comment in wrong spot (and I used to laugh at people who made this mistake) Comment was meant for Illoiterite. | 2019-04-25T22:06:54 | http://verbotomy.com/verboticisms.php?jid=board |
0.999443 | What algorithms are greatest for reprobationer (minds.com) choosing a route? What kinds of assessments generate probably the most useful new knowledge? What simulation software can accelerate actual-world learning the quickest? What are the modes of failure? These are the questions that the killing of a pedestrian in Arizona by an Uber self-driving car has raised with new depth. No self-driving car ought to have missed that pedestrian crossing the street. For no matter model of Uber’s self-driving system that was being tested that day, the answer to the question “does it work? But for Waymo’s program, that line of questioning is becoming a crimson herring. Waymo just isn’t spending a billion dollars on cars for a fleet because they are undecided if their technology works. It really works nicely enough to begin rolling it out to 1,000,000 individuals a day. Waymo automobiles will most actually get in accidents. They will kill individuals, too.
Many four-wheel drive automobiles are included in this definition. If you employ someone else’s car for work purposes, you could also be able to assert the direct prices (reminiscent of fuel) as a journey expense (see Other journey expenses). For other autos (that aren’t vehicles), see Other travel bills. When figuring out your claim, you want to use the actual prices of your motorcar bills.
Where you and another joint proprietor use the car for separate revenue-producing purposes, you possibly can each declare as much as a most of 5,000 kilometres. Your claim is predicated on 12% of the original cost of your car or 12% of its market worth on the time you first leased it. The cost or worth is topic to a car limit for the year you first used or leased the car. You do not need written evidence but you should be able to indicate how you worked out your corporation kilometres.
The system detects when the rear door is opened and closed before and whereas the car is on. After a visit ends, the reminder to test the again seat seems on the dashboard. If the rear door isn’t opened, the horn chirps six instances. Thus far, Nissan has sold more than 350,000 autos with its rear-door alert system. Making it an ordinary feature—rather than an option prospects had to pick and pay more for—was a precedence for the technology’s builders.
While the cause of the argument wasn’t clear, the lady proceeded to do something moderately unexpected. In line with Lianhe Wanbao, the 46-12 months-previous lady apparently opened the door, and jumped out of the transferring car. This occurred whereas they have been travelling along the Pan Island Expressway in direction of Tuas, near the Pasir Laba Camp exit. | 2019-04-19T12:55:50 | http://bfwf.kr/archives/23818 |
0.996391 | Senior executives at the Taiwan PC maker take swipes at Microsoft during an event marking the first anniversary of the software giant's Tablet PC operating system.
Senior executives at Taiwan PC maker Acer took swipes at Microsoft during an event this week marking the first anniversary of the software giant's Tablet PC operating system.
Acer President Wang Chen-tang said Microsoft is charging too much for its Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system, which has resulted in disappointing tablet PC sales.
"Microsoft should put in more effort working with vendors in marketing tablet PCs," Wang said.
Sales of tablet PCs reached nearly 72,000 units worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2002--after the November 2002 launch of the Microsoft Tablet PC OS and tablet PCs from Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Toshiba and others.
Sales, however, have been falling ever since. Acer failed to achieve its target of having tablets take 20 percent of its overall notebook sales. HP and ViewSonic also indicated slow sales. Some companies have delayed product launches for several months, and it has taken almost a year for HP and Toshiba to introduce their second-generation models.
"The price difference is huge compared with regular notebooks. That's why tablet PCs have been challenged in the market," said Zhou Shih-hsiung, an analyst with market researcher MIC.
Acer sold 100,000 tablet PCs over the past year, amounting to only 5 percent of its overall notebook sales.
"The cost of a tablet PC is $200 (7,000 Taiwan dollars) more than its notebook counterpart. Of this difference, the hardware cost is only between $30 and $60. The majority of the difference comes from the OS license," said Wang. "We have tried to negotiate the fee with Microsoft several times in vain. It's very regrettable."
Another Acer representative asked that Microsoft drop its universal one-price policy and offer pioneer tablet PC makers such as Acer a break until the product becomes more mainstream.
"I hope the people in Redmond can hear us," Wang said.
Eunice Chiu, Microsoft Taiwan general manager, asserted that the cost of the OS was justified by the value of the pen-based computing it offered consumers.
"The license fees cover only a fraction of the overall amount spent developing the product," Chiu said, adding that Microsoft was satisfied with the launch of tablet PCs so far.
"We had 21 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and original design manufacturer (ODM) partners in 2003, and this will increase to 34 in financial year 2004," said Chiu.
Not all of the 21 partners put out their tablet PCs on time in 2003, however, with some delaying the product launch, according to Li Chi-chao, Microsoft's vice general manager for OEM business.
Jen Wei Hung and Joseph Chen of CNET Taiwan reported from Taipei. | 2019-04-22T23:25:11 | https://www.cnet.com/news/acer-tablet-pc-fees-hard-to-swallow/ |
0.999321 | If you're running an e-commerce site, one of the most frustrating aspects is seeing how many visitors fail to take the final step of becoming a customer. After all the hard work of driving traffic and marketing your products, a majority of people bail just before the vital checkout stage.
Why does this happen so often? One of the main reasons is that the visitor has a niggling objection that prevents them from going through with their purchase.
Here are the eight most common reasons people think twice about completing the checkout process, along with some ideas on how you can address them.
1) "I Need Time to Think"
For anything but the smallest, most impulsive purchases, customers need to overcome a reluctance to take action. The best way to encourage this is to appeal on an emotional level, as this is usually stronger than the rational. Make the customer feel, don't make them think.
2) "I Need to Talk About It"
Many customers will be wary of making a spending decision without consulting their significant other. Provide them with some ammunition for this discussion, by describing how their purchase can't fail to meet with grateful approval.
3) "Can I Get a Better Deal?"
In the e-commerce arena, a competitor is only ever a click away, and you need to convince a shopper that you're offering the best deal around. If possible, provide a price guarantee to overcome this objection. Failing that, show clearly how your offer is uniquely attractive, regardless of any price issues.
4) "I Can't Afford It"
Consider making purchasing more accessible by offering a free credit facility, or show how your product will save the buyer money in the long run.
5) "Is This Product Right for Me?"
If a customer is wavering on the brink of purchasing, offering a free trial or a money-back guarantee can tip them over the edge by reducing the risk involved in buying.
6) "I'm Wary of Spending Online"
7) "I'll Finish Buying Later"
In many cases, even genuine intentions to complete a purchase later will come to nothing through forgetfulness or distraction. Create a sense of urgency by offering an attractive time-limited discount or bonus upgrade, which is only available if they take action right now.
8) "Do I Really, Really Need This?"
People tend toward inertia and may tell themselves that they don't need the product or service that you're offering. As a marketer, it's your job to show just how necessary this purchase is, and what a positive impact it'll make in the buyer's life.
In e-commerce, even a small increase in website conversion can make a huge difference to profitability. Taking a proactive approach to addressing customer objections can make a significant impact on your bottom line, making the most of your traffic and marketing efforts by stopping the customer falling at the final hurdle. | 2019-04-25T10:40:15 | http://www.winkletwebdesign.com/blog/8-customer-objections-that-discourage-online-purchases-and-how-to-overcome-them.html |
0.999997 | Is it possible to have too much transparency in journalism?
It's not standard operating procedure for news organizations to release full transcripts of their interviews. But it could be a useful practice, particularly for contentious interviews, according to the Poynter Institute's Al Thompkins.
Former FBI Director James Comey was doing the rounds of TV studios this week to promote his new book, A Higher Loyalty. First up was ABC News and an interview with George Stephanopoulos that lasted nearly five hours.
What viewers saw, though, was a heavily edited, hour-long version of that conversation. In television terms, it was still an eternity. But those wondering what might have been left out could satiate their curiosity, line by line, after ABC News opted to release the transcript of the full interview online.
Clearly, the interest was there. ABC News president James Goldston told the Associated Press the move was all in the name of transparency. But it also became the most popular item on the news organization's website.
And ABC News may have started a trend, at least as far as Comey is concerned. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC got her interview with Comey on Thursday night, the transcript of which was "just as importantly" posted on MSNBC's website.
All of this is not normal procedure for a news organization.
"One reason we watch television is so you can do the work of cutting it down and making sense of it," said Al Tompkins, a broadcast news specialist with the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based non-profit school for journalists.
Speaking this week on The Investigators with Diana Swain, Tompkins said he doesn't think releasing the entire transcripts of interviews will become a widespread practice "but for truly contentious interviews, it could be useful."
Watch the full interview with Al Tompkins on The Investigators, Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.
"It might also force us as journalists, as people who make our living talking and asking questions, to more carefully craft our questions, to think about what we're asking and how we ask it. That's fair," he said.
"I think that if we're going to hold people up for scrutiny for the way they answer questions, maybe we ought to be held up to more scrutiny for the way we ask them."
But in the age of so-called fake news, is the release of full transcripts happening because journalists feel compelled to prove their credibility? Or to defend themselves from criticism for what did make it to air? Goldston said his organization has nothing to hide but admitted self-defence played a part.
"It could prevent people from asking 'Why didn't you ask this,' when we knew we had asked the question."
For Tompkins, some viewers will just never be convinced.
"If you don't want to trust me, there's no amount of disclosure that's going to help you do that. If you're not open to some truth, I really can't help you with that," he said. "Transparency isn't going to solve the problem of people who absolutely don't want it, they're looking for what they agree with."
Owen Leitch is the Toronto-based senior producer of The Investigators with Diana Swain. | 2019-04-23T05:39:17 | https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/james-comey-transcripts-fbi-book-fake-news-journalism-1.4628867 |
0.995228 | How to Get Apple Music's Student Discount?
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.
Apple Music is available on a lots of devices from Apple's own iPhone, iPad, Mac range to Apple Watch, SONOS Speakers, Mac/PC and even Android.
In order to qualify for a discounted membership, students will need to have their enrollment in a degree-granting institution through UNiDAYS, a student validation service. Apple will be “periodically” re-evaluating your status, if at any time you are no longer a student your membership will be changed to Individual membership costing $9.99 a month.
Update the iOS your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and get the latest version of iTunes on your Mac or PC.
1) Open the Music app > tap Get 3 Months Free, then tap "Are you a college student?".
2) Choose College Student or University Student, then tap Verify Eligibility.
3) Enter your academic (.edu) or personal email address and search for your institution's name. UNiDAYS may use this email to keep a record of your eligibility.
4) If you're joining Apple Music for the first time, click the trial offer to start your Student Membership. Otherwise, click Start Student Membership.
1) Open the Music App > tap View Apple ID. You might be asked to sign in or use Touch ID.
3) You'll need to prove that you're enrolled at an eligible university or college through UNiDAYS.
4) On UNiDAYS, enter your personal email address and start typing the school you currently attend.
5) Proceed to enter your school email address. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your student account with UNiDAYS by following a link. UNiDAYS asks for a bit more information like your major and the amount of years in your program too. When you’re done filling out the form, you should see that you’re verified for a full year.
6) Go back to iTunes to your subscriptions from the account page. You should see that Student is now your selected plan for half off the standard price.
You're all set up with Apple Music membership at half price! Enjoy your music as you study!
If you want to enjoy Apple Music on MP3 player that can't work with iTunes, taking a specific Apple Music Converter must be a good way. And Sidify Apple Music Converter, the advanced tool will offer the professional features to help you convert Apple Music to plain format for syncing to the devices as you need.
Extra tips: If you are currently a student looking to purchase a Sidify license to convert Apple Music to MP3 or other plain format, you can contact Sidify Support Team via [email protected] to get a "special student discount of Sidify Apple Music Converter". | 2019-04-26T05:42:18 | https://sidify.com/topic/get-apple-music-students-discount.html |
0.999992 | How many LL and UL credits are required for a second degree at TESU?
I am confused about the requirements for earning a second degree at TESU. My goal is to earn dual major in History and English (as a second degree), and am preparing a degree plan for both of the degrees.
First, would I need to complete two capstones, or can one capstone be used for bother majors?
According to The Secret to Earning a Second Degree, students need to "complete a minimum of 24 additional credits in the area of study/core beyond the date your most recent undergraduate degree was completed" and "complete all the degree requirements indicated in the [...] Catalog."
So, does this mean that I can potentially use credits earned as part of my first BA towards the requirements of this new degree?
A second degree and a dual degree are completely different beasts. A dual degree is where you earn 2 at the same time, whereas a second degree is where you earn one, then go back after conferral for a completely new degree.
I'm not certain how a dual degree at TESU works, except the BSBA where you have 2 concentrations - but that's completely different than what you want.
If you want a dual degree, someone on here may be able to help you, or else TESU should be able to give you more info.
If you want a second degree, then you can map it out using a lot of credits from your first degree to also give you checkboxes for the English degree later - meaning you can take Survey of Lit (American or British), A&I Lit, other English or Lit courses to be used in the first degree in either Gen Ed or Free Electives, and leave yourself 24cr of English/Lit courses to take for the 2nd degree. A capstone will be required as part of that 24cr.
You only do one combined capstone.
Yes, you can use credits from your first BA as long as you have the 24 new. However I believe it's 24 new for History and 24 new for English.
Do you already have a degree? And the English and History degrees are going to be the Second degrees? Or do you plan on getting one of those, and then the other will be the 2nd degree?
Ok, here's my understanding. For a second degree, you have to meet the requirements for the new degree, and have at least 24 new credits. This means you could do as few as 24 new credits, but you might need more if you don't have much that's useful for the new AOS in your existing credits. The way I read it, you have to meet the new degree's requirement for UL credits, but they can be old or new credits.
For the dual degree it's similar, you have to meet the requirements of both degrees and no more than 9 credits may overlap between the two areas of study. It doesn't matter whether the overlapping credits are UL or LL.
As complex as this situation is, I really think you need to apply and send in your transcripts. Then you'll have evals showing exactly how your existing credits will be used in the new dual degree....and access to advising for detailed questions on how it works.
(01-01-2018, 03:43 AM)dfrecore Wrote: Now I'm confused.
Yes, I already have a BA degree. I want to earn a second degree that is a single dual major degree. English and History are both useful majors to me, as I work as a middle school teacher..
By my estimation (though I'm still waiting for TESU to complete the evaluation of my transcripts), I'm only 6 credits away (plus a capstone), from a BA in History. I'll I need is a Historical Methods/Historiography class, and another UL class, such as Study.com's History 306: The American Civil War Era.
TESU uses the term Area of Study instead of Major. Not sure how much overlap there would be between English and History, but the max is 9 credits. Assuming one capstone can be used for both, than that would be 3 of the 9 credits.
I'm running into an issue with overlap as I try to plan out a dual degree between Psychology and Criminal Justice. I have potential overlap between Capstone, Stats, Ethics, Research Methods, and an elective.
I wasn't expecting any overlap between a BA in History and a BA in English, but have a previous BA degree which had some random UL History and LL English credit, so I thought that might mean I only need 24 credits in History and 24 credits in English, minus the 3 credit Capstone, for a total of 45 credits. Plus, I earned a variety of additional community college credits after my BA, so those should take care of quite a bit more.
(01-01-2018, 12:10 PM)Pelican Wrote: I wasn't expecting any overlap between a BA in History and a BA in English, but have a previous BA degree which had some random UL History and LL English credit, so I thought that might mean I only need 24 credits in History and 24 credits in English, minus the 3 credit Capstone, for a total of 45 credits. Plus, I earned a variety of additional community college credits after my BA, so those should take care of quite a bit more.
The thing to realize with the dual degree is that TESU considers it to be one degree, so the 24 new credit req should only apply once. I think you might well need a good bit more than 24 credits, but only what you need to meet requirements, not necessarily 24 in each AOS.
Pelican, for your BA Double Major in English and History, you need to have 24 credits of English, 24 credits of History and the 3 credit capstone. The 24 credits in each Major are supposed to be courses completed AFTER your first BA. If your community college credits were done after the degree, those would be applicable as long as it's in the area of study.
Technically, you're missing 24 credits of English and 24 credits of History. You can transfer up to 96 credits from your previous degree into the new BA Double Major (~90 credits). In essence, you want to make sure you have 18 UL in each Major, the rest can be LL. Please email TESU to confirm as this thread is getting more confusing by the minute.
Extra Note: One thing to keep in mind, for those reading, the prerequisites would also need to be completed if there are any (example, for those who want to get a Biology/NSM degree or a double major in Comp Sci/Math).
Current time: 04-23-2019, 01:20 PM Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2019 MyBB Group. | 2019-04-23T18:20:40 | https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-How-many-LL-and-UL-credits-are-required-for-a-second-degree-at-TESU |
0.999988 | The elusive idea of time has for centuries been a trivial subject for societies� scholars worldwide, as the public attempted to classify past actions, argue for or against present choices and present future challenges, while of course pinpointing historical moments for the sake of referral. In fact, during this effort to organize human action and gain control over the outcome of people�s effort, some individuals, in every tribe, race, or society, begun studying the natural phenomena associating them with specific past historical experiences in relation to each other.
Classifying this obscure notion of time and categorizing human history into clusters of historical periods, has been an effort of experienced and highly intellectual people in different dynasties or empires. The exact date of Jesus Christ�s birth, for example, has become the focal point of numerous discussions held before the new 21st Century extravaganza, celebrated in the year 2000 instead of 2001. All this confusion is due to a Russian monk, Dionysius Exiguus, who was appointed by Pope John I to set out the dated for Easter from the years 527 to 627. After multiple calculations, which unfortunately were not precise, and based on previous scholar�s works, he claimed that Jesus was born on December 25 in the Roman year 753. After suspending time for a few days, the new era of world history was marked by the New Year�s Day in Rome, which he introduced it to be celebrated on January 1, 754. But the fact that the gospels provide some inconclusive facts in relation to the birth of Jesus, resulted probably in him making a couple of mistakes, which even after his death, were never completed corrected by other prestigious Roman figures, like Pope Gregory.
First, according to Matthew�s gospel, Jesus is said to have been born while Herod was still King. That would mean that Jesus came into this world at or even before the year 4 B.C., since that year Herod died. Perhaps it seems like a big joke now, but according to these calculations, the new millennium or the 2,000 years from Jesus Christ�s birth should have been celebrated in year 2004 instead of 2000. However, even if we accept that this mistake belongs to the past and there is no way it can ever now be corrected, then there is another mistake some people were heavily discussing before the big 2000 fireworks. The date Dionysius Exiguus introduced as the Jesus birth year was year one and not zero. In fact, the concept of naught had another two hundred years before it was to arrive from Arabia to Europe. Thus, centuries end with a zero and begin with the digit one. So, when the Roman calendar moved from 753 to 754, the latter became anno domini �year one of the New World order. If in that case, Jesus was born in year 1, then the 2,000 years after his birth would have passed in the year 2001. The year 2000 would then be the end of a millennium and 2001 the beginning of another. But, in reality as no proof on when Jesus was born exists, we cannot conclude on the exact, �correct� date of our new millennium. | 2019-04-21T08:16:24 | http://articles.whmsoft.com/index.php?get_videos_links=0&videos_subject=Environnement&identifier=20-article-13144.htm |
0.999994 | Q: My 30-foot ornamental plum tree has sent its roots into the 1890s clay tile sewer line. It needs to be snaked about twice a year. The tree is at the front of the house, about 15 feet back from the sewer opening in the sidewalk.
Would you please give me your opinion of the four solutions that have been proposed?
1. Dig up the entire sewer line, about 70 feet and under the concrete garage floor, and replace with new cast-iron sewer line.
2. Install a “trenchless” line, digging holes at each end of the sewer and then pulling a new plastic liner through the existing pipe. The city plumbing inspector says this type of repair is allowed.
3. Partially replace the line, extending 10 feet to either side of the tree.
4. Cut down the tree (it is on private property, so no permit needed) and dig out all the roots.
A: The first order of business is to understand why the sewer line has become part of the tree. It has to do with the joining of the clay pipe and the tree’s constant search for water and nutrients.
Antique clay sewer lines consist of 3-foot sections of clay pipe with a bell joint at one end. The pipe was simply laid in the trench with the non-jointed end slid into the bell. At best, the joint was packed with a little mortar around the outside, which quickly deteriorated. These joints leak.
Because there is no pressure in sewer lines, this is not such a big deal until tree roots find their way into the pipes. Then it’s Roto-Rooter time — again and again as the roots are pruned and then regrow.
With this background, here’s our take on each of your possible solutions. We’ll take them out of order.
Don’t cut down the tree. A 30-foot tree has been in the ground for at least 15 years. Kevin has an ornamental plum tree in his yard and he and his family get a great deal of pleasure from the blossoms it produces every spring. The overall value of your property is likely to diminish if you take out the tree. In our view, this course of action is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Replacing the line 10 feet on either side of where you think the roots are entering is not the solution, either. It will probably help for some time, but eventually the tree roots will migrate to the portions of the remaining clay tile and you’ll be stuck with the same problem.
Normally we’d opt for No. 1: replace the entire line with no-hub cast iron or glued ABS or PVC sewer pipe if codes allow. But we’d hate to see you have to cut into your garage floor to replace the pipe.
So, we like option No. 2 the best. We can see a couple of potential problems, though. First, because you’re using the old pipe as a casing, this will necessarily reduce the inside diameter of the pipe that is installed. Make sure that the fix will perform. We’d hate to see you go to that expense to be left with more trips from Roto-Rooter because the pipe is too small.
The second potential problem we see is the new pipe getting hung up as workers try to pull it through the old clay pipe. Without a doubt, the line has settled over the years and some of the joints may be cracked and offset, so pulling the new pipe through could be a dicey proposition.
Also, we’d be dead shocked if the tree roots hadn’t migrated to other joints, creating a possibility that the new sleeve might get hung up on a mass of roots.
Another option you may consider is to replace the clay sections with cast iron or plastic from the city sewer to the point where it goes under the garage slab. Providing there are no big trees or shrubs between that point and where the sewer exits the house, this might be your best option.
See 5 Step Deck Restoration Plan.American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org. | 2019-04-20T09:19:04 | https://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/property-management/remodel-and-repair/best-fix-for-tree-root-in-sewer-line/ |
0.999909 | Resolved What will the MIDI 2.0 speed be?
If I want to build MIDI hardware (with DIN connectors) right now, and have the ability to support MIDI 2.0 later by doing just a firmware upgrade, what baud rate capability should I aim for?
My reading of what's there so far shows no change to the electronics driving the standard MIDI DIN, so I'd expect 32,150 bps.
It's only USB and Ethernet that ar going to offer higher transmission rates. IMHO.
CAN bus or ethernet is most suitable for a new midi standard. USB is not symmetrical so let hope that it is not part of 2.0.
31250 bps would be grossly inadequate for 32-bit controllers on 16x16 channels. It was already inadequate back in 1990s.
100BASE-TX works over 2 pairs which also fits the 5-pin DIN connectors.
It isn't. That is down to the USB standards committee.
Back in '83 when MIDI first came out, 31,250bps was a good high speed. I know, I'd been working in data communications for more than ten years at the time.
Try using multiple ports then.
People have been making music quite (very?) successfully using just MIDI 1.0 and 31kbps for more than 3 decades.
Whether the USB standards people decide to implement MIDI 2.0 over USB 3.0 or the upcoming 4.0 is entirely up to them.
Likewise if the IEEE decide to implement the MIDI protocols over Ethernet is up to their standards body.
What manufacturers implement in their equipment is a matter solely down to the market requirements as they see them, nothing to do with the MMA.
As I posted earlier, I see no proposal for increasing the speed of the basic MIDI over DIN plugs.
It would require a lot of work and massive cost, if at all possible, to upgrade millions of older pieces of equipment to 62,500.
MMA exists to design and promote common standards for the manufacturers to implement. And without a commonly accepted high-speed link to handle the advanced capabilities, MIDI 2.0 protocol will not have such a broad adoption as MIDI 1.0.
IEEE 802.1BA Audio Video Bridging, a low-latency tight-sync extension of the Ethernet protocol, would be a perfect choice for a common physical interface scalable from device-to-device link to a large network. The related higher-level AVB Transport Protocol (IEEE-1722) does support MIDI payload, and MMA is currently working to update MIDI for AVBTP.
Nobody proposed anything like that, the point was to use a different Ethernet connector for AVB streams.
Can you honestly see manuafacturers implementing Ethernet in their devices? Yamaha tried a while back, as I recall, without much success.
Yes, maybe MIDI 2.0 would invoke some new interest.
But, to be honest, I see little of general interest in MIDI 2.0. N.B. "general interest!"
Increased bandwidth is for many becoming a necessity these days, I accept.
Personally I find I can do all I need with MIDI 1.0 careful sequencing and multiple ports.
Maybe a few, high end, expensive devices, perhaps.
But it's just my 2 cents.
Both Ethernet (AVB) and USB transports provide the bandwidth necessary to handle MIDI 2.0’s denser messages.
Both are on the roadmap for future MIDI expansion with USB being the priority. Also JIitter Time Stamps will help with timing.
When 5G wireless networks are available, people will be surprised by the speed. Even MIDI 2.0 is tiny compared to streaming video data.
The reason some people complain about USB speed is because some applications throttle what they send out to MIDI 1.0 speeds because currently the computer does not know if the external MIDI Out connection is going to a device connected via USB or 5 Pin DIn.
As for 5 PIN DIn, Electron had products several years ago that had 10 times the speed of MIDI 1.0 on the same 5 Pin DIN connector, but with a slight modification of the part for the UART. MIDI-CI provides a method for negotiation so it would be possible for two devices to negotiate to a higher bandwidth on 5 Pin DIN. MIDI - CI makes a lot of things possible and we just need to prioritize the work that will get done next.
The forum on MIDI.org is absolutely the right place for people who care about these issues about MIDI to provide their input.
Although we can’t actually reveal details of future MMA plans, the people who help prioritize the work in the MMA do read the forums.
Using the USB 2.0 standard or above and USB-C connectors, there is no problem with USB symmetry.
Can you honestly see manuafacturers implementing Ethernet in their devices?
Yes, I can. Ethernet over twisted pair is commonplace technology by now, with countless off-the-shelf AVB/TSN compliant 100/1000/2.5G/5G parts. All the required standards are already there, and established audio/MIDI companies like MOTU and Presonus already embraced AVB audio networking in their products.
All it takes for MI vendors to start going is a free open-source reference implementation of the high-level AVTP (IEEE 1722) and AVDECC (IEEE 1722.1) protocols, such as http://avnu.github.io/OpenAvnu / https://github.com/AVnu/libavtp , https://github.com/L-Acoustics/avdecc etc. MMA just needs to work with the IEEE and the AVNU to specify conformance profiles for transmission of MIDI over AVB networks.
Yamaha tried a while back, as I recall, without much success.
That would be Yamaha mLAN network protocol, implemented on top of the IEEE 1394 FireWire physical interface. Proprietary licensed software on top of patent-encumbered, royalty-based hardware protocol.
On the contrary, AVB/TSN suite (IEEE 802.1Q VLAN/SRP, IEEE 1588/802.1AS gPTP etc.) is based on open international standards supported by both silicon makers and IT/pro-audio developers.
I see little of general interest in MIDI 2.0. N.B. "general interest!" Maybe a few, high end, expensive devices, perhaps.
Standards need to come first so devices can follow later.
MIDI 2.0 is not such a radical departure for digital synth engines - however all these per-note controllers do require significant changes to the physical controls. If manufacturers will be able to improve keyboard controllers and offer these new means of musical expression in a simple and player-friendly way, general interest will follow.
Anyway MIDI 2.0 is not such a radical departure for digital synth engines - but all these per-note controllers do require significant changes to the physical controls. If keyboards could be improved to offer these new means of musical expression in simple and player-friendly way, then general interest will follow.
Don't you think Roli will be one of the leading companies to use MIDI 2.0?
They sure have some great devices capable of humanizing the playing aspect of MIDI instruments already!
some applications throttle what they send out to MIDI 1.0 speeds because currently the computer does not know if the external MIDI Out connection is going to a device connected via USB or 5 Pin DIn.
That issue could be addressed in designing a new USB MIDI 2.0 spec..
Great - full USB 2.0 Hi-Speed mode would sure be nice, as many users only have a few devices each directly connected to the PC. This will not improve device-to-device connection though.
Digital current loop interface can't be improved to offer megabit speeds over several meters, this requires modern serial interfaces using differential signalling over twisted pair (Ethernet, RS-485, M-LVDS, etc).
Some very interesting contributions to this thread.
It promises to be a very exciting couple of years in terms of new devices supporting MIDI 2.0 and higher speed interfaces, doesn't it.
I look forward to future announcements with great interest.
Sure, ROLI seem to take very active part in MIDI 2.0 development and testing.
However 49-key silicone pad with toy keys is just not my kind of keyboard controller.
I really look forward to Yamaha, Roland and others to start integrating touch/pressure sensitive pads into their traditional synth-action and weighted-action keys.
MPE is a kind of hack intended for older MIDI 1.0 devices, which uses additional MIDI channels to send per-note controllers.
On the other hand, MIDI 2.0 includes per-note controllers at the core level, and only needs MPE for backward compatibility. | 2019-04-21T07:05:55 | https://www.midi.org/forum/3794-what-will-the-midi-2-0-speed-be?page=last |
0.999893 | Supply chain challenges in the South African automotive sector: Do location, size and age matter?
The South African automotive industry makes an important contribution to the South African economy. However, there are deficiencies within the local automotive component manufacturers' (ACMs) supplier base and therefore automotive assemblers, or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), have to import many of their parts requirements. These deficiencies are caused by ACMs' lack of technology, global supply capability, cost competitiveness and their geographic location (ACMs are scattered across the country). A study was conducted to explore the supply chain challenges South African ACMs face and whether the location, size and age of participating ACMs have a bearing on whether they face the same challenges. The results revealed that the most significant supply chain challenges in South Africa were in the customer relationship category. From the hypotheses testing, the conclusion could be drawn that, in general, participating ACMs face common supply chain challenges, irrespective of their location, age and size. This article contributes to the published research on the topic and the findings reveal that business opportunities in the automotive industry exist for entrepreneurs aspiring to enter into the automotive component industry.
'A successful automotive industry is often seen as a symbol of economic success and as a sign of mastery of modern technologies' (TISA, 2003:3). The automotive industry has grown to become the leading manufacturing sector in South Africa's economy, and as a result of its growth, is recognised as a mature industry (Bandyopadhyay, 2010). The industry contributed 6.2 per cent to the country's gross domestic product and employed a total of 93 100 people in 2010 (AIEC, 2011). In terms of its international contribution, South Africa was responsible for approximately 73 per cent of Africa's vehicle output and produced 0.61 per cent of the world's vehicles in 2009 (OICA, 2010). For example, in 2010, the automotive industry exported 11.9 per cent (to the value of R585 billion) of the total exports from South Africa, mainly to China, the USA, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom (AIEC, 2011). However, the local content in vehicles produced in South Africa is only 35 per cent.
Automotive assembly plants have to import too many parts as there is a lack of local suppliers in the markets (Ambe & Badenhorst-Weiss, 2011; Pitot, 2007). Automotive assembly plants have to import too many parts as there is a lack of local suppliers in the markets.
The automotive supply chain consists of parties, links and logistical processes that function together to deliver the end product to the final customer. Globally, the industry is very competitive, and world-class management philosophies and practices such as just-in-time production (JIT), total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement (CI) are already in use in these supply chains, and have been for many decades (Naude, 2009). Despite the use of these management practices, the industry's supply chains face realities and challenges that have an impact on delivery in terms of components being delivered at the right place and time, and higher inventory holding at every stage of the supply chain if logistical services are unreliable and irregular.
The South African automotive industry compares favourably with similar industries in developing countries with regard to infrastructure, raw material availability, emerging-market cost advantages, flexible production capability and government support. However, despite these positive aspects, the South African automotive industry's competitiveness is under severe pressure (Barnes, 2009), as it experiences challenges such as high labour costs, poor infrastructure and dated technology. This is particularly true with regard to South African ACMs that compete against cheap imported parts and, in some cases, counterfeit parts (Ambe & Badenhorst-Weiss, 2011; Moodley, Morris & Barnes, 2001). As a result, increasingly demanding customers are squeezing component manufacturers on both price and non-price factors (Barnes, 2009). The survival and growth of these ACMs in an increasingly competitive global market are vital for the South African economy. ACMs will only grow if they are able to compete globally.
Given the above context, this article explores the supply chain challenges South African ACMs face. It provides insight into whether the ACMs' geographical location, size with regard to the number of employees, and age have a bearing on whether they face common challenges.
Mazzarol and Choo (2003) observe that one of the challenges facing businesses is deciding where to locate the business. This decision is critical to future success as poor selection of a business location can have a negative impact on the business's access to markets, suppliers and labour. The South African automotive industry grew organically over a considerable period of time, and automotive assembly plants are based in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban. As a result, their supplier base is scattered across the country, with the greatest concentration being in Gauteng and Port Elizabeth.
The size and age of a business may have various implications for its performance, some positive and some negative (Aldrich & Auster, 1986). For example, very young businesses may enjoy the advantage of owner/founder commitment and involvement, but are also likely to be deficient in resources such as financial capital and expertise, which could have a negative impact on their relationships with suppliers and customers (Brush & Chaganti, 1998).
This article is based on a descriptive and exploratory study that includes a brief review of existing literature, informal semi-structured interviews with automotive assembly plants and an opinion survey questionnaire among ACMs. The article comprises four sections: (1) a literature review, (2) the research methodology, (3) the analysis of the findings and 4) concluding remarks.
1) Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or automotive assemblers. This category comprises both passenger and commercial vehicle assemblers.
2) Automotive component manufacturers (ACMs). The ACMs supply components to OEMs, original equipment suppliers (OESs) and the independent aftermarket. The ACMs can be seen as the first-tier supplier in the automotive supply chain.
3) Original equipment suppliers (OESs). This category comprises automotive parts and accessory sales through the OEMs.
1) From a geographic perspective, do ACMs in South Africa face the same supply-chain challenges?
2) Do the size and age of a business have a bearing on the supply challenges it faces?
Producing products with shorter life cycles, strong competition among businesses and a high level of customer satisfaction in today's global market have forced organisations to focus more on their supply chains (Manzouri, Rahman, Arshad & Ismail, 2010). The concept of supply chain management (SCM) is described in various ways. Drawing insights from the literature, an effort is made to determine the various dimensions and key factors in the SCM approach.
Hugo and Badenhorst-Weiss (2011) acknowledge that the movement of materials through the supply chain is the core of any supply chain, since it is essentially aimed at creating a competitive advantage by providing outstanding customer service (by means of delivery). This enables a company to differentiate itself from its competitors in the market and enhances current and future profitability by balancing costs and service levels.
encompassing the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, SCM integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.
Other scholars view SCM as a collaborative approach within and across companies that includes various role players in the supply chain, who significantly contribute to improved product quality, shorter lead times, and a higher responsiveness of the supply chain, at lower cost and improved customer satisfaction levels (Bennet & O'Kane, 2006; Humphreys, Huang, Cadden & McIvor, 2007; Lockström, Schadel, Harrison & Moser, 2009).
From these definitions, it is clear that SCM includes all those activities involved in the flow of materials through the supply chain, that SCM extends from the ultimate customer back to Mother Earth, and that there is some kind of relationship, collaboration or cooperation between supply chain parties. Therefore, SCM in the manufacturing of motorcars can be regarded as the inputs needed at each level or tier of the supply chain, to be transformed into finished automotive components. Inputs include information from customers, raw materials, inventory, equipment, machinery, labour and finances. The transformation process is the management of the modification process that converts inputs (such as raw materials and labour) into outputs (finished goods and services) that are distributed to the customer at the next lower level of the supply chain. This process is continued at all levels of the supply chain until the end product (the motorcar) reaches the final customer.
The size of a business is measured by the number of full-time employees and the age of the business is measured by the number of years it has been in operation. Among the structural characteristics of businesses, size and age have been emphasised as particularly important features of the economic outcome (Loscocco, Robinson, Hall & Allen, 1991).
In South Africa, it is recognised that small and medium-sized businesses have a significant potential to generate employment and thereby alleviate poverty (Booyens, 2011). As indicated by Lepoutre and Heene (2006), small and large businesses basically possess different resourcess and capabilities such as: financial turnover; assets, market share; numbers employed; and ownership. Small businesses have less access to resources and are less powerful than their larger counterparts.
Business size and business age are recognised to be two of the determinants of a business's inclination to innovate and of business growth (Evans, 1987; Booyens, 2011). As not much research has been undertaken to determine whether a business' size and age have an impact on the supply chain challenges it faces, one of the objectives of this article is to compare the supply chain challenges ACMs face to their age and size, and to determine whether these are statistically significant.
In this study, most of the responding ACMs (24.5 per cent) had been operating for between 11 and 20 years; 17 per cent had been operating for 21 to 30 years, and another 17 per cent for 41 to 50 years. The remainder of ACMs had been operating for 1 to 10 years, or 51 to 60 years (11.3 per cent each) (Figure 1). One could therefore say that the responding ACMs were mature and well established (88.7 per cent were older than 10 years), an assessment that ties in with the literature indicating that the automotive industry in South Africa is mature (Bandyopadhyay, 2010).
The size of automotive component manufacturers is measured in terms of number of employees (NAACAM Newsletter, March 2009). As can be seen in Figure 2, the responding ACMs in this study employ a total of 29 346 workers.
It is clear from Figure 2 that 37.7 per cent of the responding ACMs employed between 1 and 150 employees, and 47.2 per cent between 151 and 1 000 employees. It is important to note that 9.4 per cent of responding ACMs employed between 1 001 and 1 500 employees and 5.7 per cent more than 1 500, making it impossible to generalise the findings as being applicable only to, say, small-to-medium or large ACMs.
'Location, location and location' is a well-known phrase in marketing and has been identified as the one of the most important determinants of the value of a property (Nieman, Hough & Nieuwenhuizen, 2008; Stevenson, 2012). The right choice of location is vital for a new business venture or for existing businesses that are investigating expansion opportunities. Poor selection of a business location can have a detrimental impact on a business's access to suppliers, customers and labour (Mazzarol & Choo, 2003). The selection of a suitable location can improve the competitive advantage of a business. The advantages could include an increase in production capacity, additional profit, an increase in shareholders' wealth, improved service delivery and a reduction in costs (Jungthirapanich & Benjamin, 1995).
Pycraft, Singh, Phihlela, Slack, Chambers and Johnston (2010) indicate that the objective of the decision on where to locate a business is to achieve a balance between: (1) the spatially variable costs, (2) the service level the business is able to offer its customers, and (3) revenue potential. Nieman, Hough & Nieuwenhuizen (2008) identify access to markets, the availability of raw materials, support and technical infrastructure, transport infrastructure, the availability of labour and skills, climatic conditions, and political and social stability as factors that have an impact on the physical establishment of a business.
The automotive industry in South Africa has grown over a number of years and is geographically dispersed across three provinces: Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Most of the major global OEMs are represented in South Africa and are located in three of the country's nine provinces. These vehicle manufacturers include BMW, Nissan, Fiat and Ford (incorporating Mazda) in Gauteng; Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors in the Eastern Cape; and Toyota in KwaZulu-Natal. It is estimated that there are 300 ACMs (which supply these OEMs) and another 150 spread throughout the country, producing parts for the automotive industry, as well as for other sectors such as light engineering, mining, construction and defence (South African Automotive Yearbook, 2008). Just under half of these suppliers are located in Gauteng, a third in the Eastern Cape, a quarter in KwaZulu-Natal and a few companies in the Western Cape (Mbiko, 2006).
One of the aims of this article is to compare the supply chain challenges faced in the provinces and determine possible challenges related to geographic location. Most of the respondents in this study (34 per cent) are located in more than one geographic area, followed by those located only in Gauteng (20.8 per cent), KwaZulu-Natal (18.8 per cent), the Eastern Cape (18.8 per cent), the Western Cape (5.7 per cent) and North West (1.9 per cent) (Figure 3).
This article reports on a study that was conducted to investigate the SCM challenges of ACMs as important role players in the South African automotive industry. The study is by nature descriptive and exploratory, contains quantitative and qualitative aspects, and benefits from triangulation across methods.
The study consists of two phases.
The first phase of the primary data collection for the research consisted of semi-structured interviews with senior managers at two leading OEMs in the country. These interviews were conducted in order to obtain insight and identify possible supply chain challenges facing ACMs in the country from the OEMs' perspective. The knowledge obtained from the literature and the qualitative interviews was then used to design an opinion survey questionnaire.
The opinion survey questionnaire consisted of two sections: section A consisted of the company profile and section B of a number of questions - using a seven-point Likert response format, varying from 1 (to a lesser extent) to 7 (to a greater extent) - identified from the literature review and the semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire also made provision for qualitative inputs in the form of an optional motivation for respondents' answers. The questionnaire was used as a tool to identify supply chain challenges facing ACMs, to consider the reasons for and impact of these challenges, and to seek solutions.
The second phase of the data collection process consisted of sending out the questionnaire to all ACMs that were members of the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM). About 60 per cent of the largest and most important ACMs are members of NAACAM. A total of 178 questionnaires were sent out and a response rate of 30.6 per cent was achieved.
3) to compare these challenges with regard to the age and size of an ACM in order to determine whether age or size has an impact on an ACM's challenges.
In order to address objectives two and three, three hypotheses were formulated to guide the research.
H01: From a geographic perspective, ACMs in South Africa face the same supply chain challenges as one another.
Ha1: From a geographic perspective, ACMs in South Africa face different supply chain challenges as one another.
H02: The number of years a business has been supplying its target market has no bearing on the supply challenges it faces.
Ha2: The number of years a business has been supplying its target market has a bearing on the supply chain challenges it faces.
H03: The size of a business (number of fulltime employees) has no bearing on the supply challenges it faces.
Ha3: The size of a business (number of fulltime employees) does have a bearing on the supply chain challenges it faces.
The completed questionnaires were coded and the responses captured in Excel and then exported into SPSS. Descriptive and mean response ratings were used to determine the significant supply chain challenges of automotive supply chains. The statistical nonparametric tests that were conducted were the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance by rank, Spearman's rank order correlation coefficients and binomial tests.
In Table 1 the most significant challenges with a mean rating of above 4 are listed together with those that the Kruskal-Wallis test identified as significant challenges in the testing of the hypotheses. It is clear that of the 75 challenges identified, the most significant was in the customer relationship category (that is the relationship between ACMs and OEMs).
The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine whether the geographic location of the businesses had an effect on the extent of supply chain challenges they faced. The Kruskal-Wallis test identified only two significant challenges, namely on-time delivery and materials availability. This is indicated in Table 2.
The Kruskal-Wallis table gives the Chi-square value, degree of freedom and significance. The values indicate that on-time delivery and material availability do significantly differ across the geographic areas at a 5 per cent level of significance (p < 0.05).
material availability (Table 1): 2.98.
The hypothesis only tests whether there is a statistically significant difference between the geographic regions with regard to the extent of the supply chain challenges, not if the challenges per se are significant. One could argue that in terms of material availability and on-time delivery, statistically these challenges differ nationally for two reasons.
Firstly, the geographic location of suppliers poses a problem because the OEMs' and the ACMs' supplier base is scattered across the country. Hence closeness to suppliers, distance from key industrial areas, and excessive distance from the ports could be a reason for the challenges of on-time delivery and material availability differing significantly from region to region.
A second reason could have been the capacity of suppliers, who tend to over commit themselves in terms of what they can actually deliver. This emerged as a problem in the first stage of the empirical research, where one of the participants indicated that from an OEM's perspective, there was a tendency among many suppliers to over commit themselves in terms of what they could deliver. As a direct result, these suppliers were unable to meet the demand for a certain product with all their customers. The perception of over commitment by ACMs could be caused by (1) the ACMs' suppliers, who are not able to deliver on time because of the geographic spread of suppliers, or (2) by the fact that the required material to produce the components ordered may not be available.
In view of the fact that of all the identified supply chain challenges faced by responding ACMs, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified only two challenges to be statistically significant between geographic areas, the conclusion could be drawn that in general, from a geographic perspective, the extent to which ACMs in South Africa face supply chain challenges is the same.
The objective of hypothesis 2 was to determine whether the age of a company plays a significant role in the type of supply chain challenges it faces. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine whether the age of the businesses had an effect on the extent of supply chain challenges ACMs face. The test identified two significant challenges, namely 'output based on rigid marketing forecasting' and 'integrating technology with suppliers and customers' (Table 3).
The Kruskal-Wallis table gives the Chi-square value, degree of freedom and significance. The values indicate that 'output based on rigid marked forecasting' and 'integrating technology with suppliers and customers' did differ significantly across the age of a business at the 5 per cent level of significance (p < 0.05).
integrating technology with suppliers and customers (Table 1): 3.67.
The hypothesis only tests whether there was a statistically significant difference between the age of a business and the extent of the supply chain challenges facing the business.
Of all the identified supply chain challenges faced by responding ACMs, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified only two challenges that differed statistically significantly with regard to the age of a business. One could therefore conclude that, in general, the age of a business does not have an impact on the supply chain challenges it faces. However, this result should also be viewed in light of the profile of the responding companies, where 88.7 per cent were older than ten years, 62.2 per cent older than 20 years and 45.2 per cent older than 30 years.
The objective of hypothesis 3 was to determine whether the size of a business (number of fulltime employees) has an impact on the supply chain challenges it faces. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine whether the size of a business does have an effect on the extent of supply chain challenges it faces, and identified no statistically significant difference between the business size categories with regard to the extent to which the businesses perceive there to be challenges.
One could therefore conclude that, in general, the number of full-time employees or the size of a business does not have an impact on the extent of the supply chain challenges it faces.
The South African automotive industry has grown to become the leading manufacturing sector in the economy. Even though the industry is very competitive and many world-class management practices are already in use in the industry, the business environment has changed over the past few years. There is pressure on South African ACMs to compete with the best in the world from a cost and quality perspective in order to survive. The automotive industry is under severe pressure and faces many supply chain problems that are a result of rapid developments in supply chain management, technological advancements, high labour costs, poor infrastructure, globalisation and increasingly demanding customers who are squeezing their suppliers on price and non-price factors.
The role of ACMs in the competitiveness and the survival of the automotive industry is vital, as ACMs are the main contributors to employment in the automotive industry and they can make a great contribution to the cost-competitiveness of the South African automotive industry.
The research findings indicate that from a geographic perspective only two out of all the identified supply chain challenges are found to be statistically significant. Therefore the conclusion drawn is that ACMs in South Africa face the same supply chain challenges and that the age of a business has no impact on the supply chain challenges they face. With regard to size, the Kruskal-Wallis test identified no statistically significance difference between the business size categories with regard to the perceived challenges experienced by the businesses.
In conclusion, this article provides a number of insights, but these should be viewed in terms of two limitations: firstly, only component manufacturers who are members of NAACAM were included in the study and therefore the findings cannot be generalised to all ACMs in South Africa; and secondly, the focus was on the challenges experienced at one stage of the supply chain (at ACMs) and are judged from the ACMs' viewpoint.
The article builds on existing research on supply chain challenges in the South African automotive industry and provides a perspective on the topic for potential entrepreneurs aspiring to enter into the automotive component industry. Automotive assembly plants in South Africa have to import too many parts as there is a lack of local suppliers in the market, and this presents an opportunity for trade with aspiring entrepreneurs. | 2019-04-22T04:33:58 | http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2222-34362013000400004&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es |
0.995801 | Summary: Yuuta was 12-year-old boy, who had lost his father in the traffic accident one year ago. In the summer vacation, he visited a deserted dam deep in the mountains, where he had a good time with his father before. Suddenly a thunder storm occurred and he slipped on the ground. He lost consciousness and woke up to find a girl and an unfamiliar village. He time-traveled 30 years and reached a village, which sank at the bottom of the dam. This is Yuuta's precious memory of "another" summer vacation. | 2019-04-22T23:58:28 | https://www1.dubbedanimeon.com/anime/1105-nijiiro-hotaru-eien-no-natsuyasumi |
0.999994 | Has NASA Found An Alien Civilization?
NASA's Kepler Space Telescope hunts for exoplanets that orbit distant stars but there are speculations that it may also have the ability to detect artificial structures, which could mean a discovery of an alien civilization. It is so advanced and has the ability to construct megastructures that can orbit around and harness energy from a star.
Some experts believe that mysterious objects surrounding a giant star called KIC 8462852 could be an alien megastructure. Kepler has been collecting data on this star for four years and detected an unusual light pattern.
Scientists who studied the star, which is located about 1,480 light years away from Earth, found that it emits light pattern far stranger than those seen on other stars.
Kepler finds exoplanets by sensing the dips in starlight from a host star. In the case of KIC 8462852, the dip drops slowly then rises faster. Its brightness appears to go up and down and then disappears totally, which seems like a random transit.
The light pattern suggests of a mess of objects that circle KIC 8462852 in tight formation and the mess was big enough it can block a substantial amount of starlight.
"KIC 8462852 was observed to undergo irregularly shaped, aperiodic dips in flux down to below the 20% level. The dipping activity can last for between 5 and 80 days," wrote Yale Postdoc and study researcher Tabetha Boyajian and colleagues. "We determine that KIC 8462852 is a main-sequence F3 V/IV star, with a rotation period ~0.88 d, that exhibits no significant IR excess."
The mysterious objects that orbit the star though were neither comets nor remnants from an asteroid impact, researchers said, adding that they have never seen anything like the star.
In a paper submitted for publication to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal on Sept. 11, astronomers also reported that the space telescope is not seeing things and that there was no instrumental error.
Jason Wright, an astronomer from Penn State University, said he thinks that the oddity could indicate an "alien megastructure".
"When [Boyajian] showed me the data, I was fascinated by how crazy it looked," Wright said. "Aliens should always be the very last hypothesis you consider, but this looked like something you would expect an alien civilization to build."
SETI researchers suggested the possibility of detecting distant extraterrestrial civilizations by searching for enormous technological artifacts that orbit stars. Wright said that that the odd starlight pattern is consistent with a swarm of artificial megastructures that may have been designed to harness energy from the giant star. | 2019-04-18T13:16:46 | https://www.goldenbattles.com/news/en/rl/science/astronomy/2015/10/16/has-nasa-found-an-alien-civilization.html |
0.999995 | Suppose the premium of a home insurance policy is $200 and in case of a fire the insurance company will pay out $200,000. Let X denotes the profit(or loss) of such a policy. X is a random variable. The expected value of X depends on a probability of a fire, p=0.0002.
If an insurance agent wants to sell such policy to you, will you buy the policy? why?
I really do not know how to proceed this question. This is the last part of the question and i already solved the previous parts.
Converting it to fraction, the probability of a fire = 1/5000. Therefore if 5,000 policies are sold, the insurance company will collect $1,000,000 (1 million) and pay out $200,000 for an insurance company profit of $800,000, which is $160 per policy. Based on the probability of a fire, a policy should cost $40 and you should not buy the policy in question.
....a policy should cost $40 and you should not buy the policy in question. | 2019-04-25T18:26:17 | http://mymathforum.com/advanced-statistics/40495-insurance-policy-problem.html |
0.999999 | What is a (i) Helmholtz pair, (ii) a Maxwell pair and (iii) a Golay coil?
A Helmholtz pair is two coaxial loops of current carrying wire placed symmetrically about the origin, such that the ratio of their separation and their radii gives optimal field homogeneity at the origin (ratio = 1). More than two loops / coils are used in creating the main magnetic field, but the principle of adding coils at specific positions is continued to increase homogeneity. The current goes round the same way in both loops. Helmholtz coils are also used in some RF coil designs.
A Maxwell pair is like a Helmholtz but the current goes opposite ways round the loops. This creates a magnetic field that varies with position. The distance between the loops follows a different convention also.
Think "x or y gradient".
Circular loops will do in creating a linearly varying magnetic field in the z-direction, because they may be placed around the magnet bore. The x and y gradients however pose a challenge: how does one place a loop around the magnet in a direction orthogonal to the z-axis? A solution is the Golay coil, which uses a different shape. Conceptually, it's the same as a Maxwell pair in terms of creating the linearly varying magnetic field, but the calculation of that field is more involved. More complicated designs are used these days, based on the Golay coil, e.g. "fingerprint coils". | 2019-04-26T08:56:50 | http://www.revisemri.com/tools/system/gradientcoils |
0.99947 | Ensuring you don't lose your principal is the number one concern of any investor in any asset. Everyone wants to be repaid every dollar of their hard-earned money that they put in. Not all investments are equal from this perspective. In fact, for a given property or company, investing in debt ("lending") is always less risky than investing in equity ("owning").
Why is that? The answer lies in the very nature of what debt is and the rights that come with it, compared to equity. This is finance 101. Unlike most forms of equity investments (such as stock in a company or shares of a Real Estate Investment Trust), debt is always due to be repaid in a certain manner, at a certain time, under the terms agreed between the borrower and the lender. In real estate, sometime before the loan is due the borrower usually repays it by selling the property associated with the loan, or by borrowing money on a new loan to "take out" the old one.
If all goes well, there's plenty of money to go around at that point. Loans are repaid, with interest. There's enough money to pay the equity owners back for what they put in too, plus to reward them for their risk by paying them everything that's left over.
What about when things don't go well? What then? When a borrower violates a loan agreement by not repaying her lenders as agreed, that's known as a "default." Real estate lenders (GROUNDFLOOR included), usually require property to be pledged as "collateral" as a condition of making the loan. The lender has the right to "foreclose," or assume legal ownership of the collateral in the case of default. A "lien" is the legally-recognized way of recording this right. Many people have unfortunately experienced this with a bank using its lien to foreclose on their own home as collateral in response to non-payment of the mortgage or some other default.
Owners of equity are usually left with nothing in the case of default and foreclosure. They lose all of their principal. Lenders, however, stand the best chance of getting theirs back. Aside from the government, or any contractors or employees with money due to them, lenders are the "first in line" to be paid from the proceeds of taking ownership of the collateral and selling it. In many situations, there are multiple lenders. Each lender has a place in line relative to the others.
Senior Loans (example: 1429 Allene Avenue) are the very first in line. If they are not repaid as agreed, we have the right to foreclose upon and then sell the property. In this case we would use the proceeds of the sale to repay all of our investors in that loan.
Mezzanine Loans do not provide GROUNDFLOOR with the legal right to foreclose (since that belongs to whomever provided the senior loan, typically a bank). Instead, when the collateral is sold we have the right to be repaid only if the holders of senior loans receive everything they are owed. We would be repaid out of what is left over, if anything.
For more information check out our FAQ on secured lending.
Let’s use the $60,000 loan on 1429 Allene Avenue as an example. If the borrower, John Mangham, defaults on his loan, then GROUNDFLOOR would foreclose on the house since it is a senior loan and we have a first lien on the property. There are costs associated with a foreclosure. For example, S&P estimates these costs to be 26% of the loan amount. So, for our example property the cost of foreclosure could be $15,600 (or more, or less).
that the house sells for $120,000 (again: or more, or less). The sales and marketing costs at 6% would then be an additional $7,200. So from our sale of the house at $120,000 less foreclosure costs of $15,600, and less sales and marketing costs of $7,200, there would be $97,200 left to repay GROUNDFLOOR investors and any other transaction costs of the sale. GROUNDFLOOR investors expected to receive $60,000 back on the original investment plus 12% annual interest or $3,600 over six months for a total return of $63,600. In this example there would still be $33,600 ($97,200 - $63,600) of cushion to pay costs. So long as you believe that the value of the house is worth more than the total costs of foreclosure and sales and marketing ($15,600 + $7,200 = $22,800 in our example), then you can be confident that all your principal and interest will be repaid.
But how can you know how much a house is worth? That's a subject for a future post. Every loan we offer comes with information to help you decide for yourself. We also encourage researching websites such as Trulia and Zillow to help you reach your own conclusions. Whether investing in debt or equity, every investor must come to his or her own determination of value. Until next time, we hope this discussion has been a useful start to understand the risks of investing and how to begin assessing them.
Let us know what you think of this post and any questions it leaves open for you down in the comments below. We'll answer and appreciate the opportunity to get into the conversation with you! | 2019-04-23T14:02:12 | https://blog.groundfloor.com/groundfloorblog/secured-lending |
0.99977 | LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now let's check in with Bob Franken who is at the Pentagon this morning. He's just checking in this morning. He's got the very latest for us on the military strikes.
What's the word from there, Bob?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the word is that this is just the beginning, but the beginning included 25 different aircraft and 50 cruise missiles, and the Pentagon has provided tape showing some of the attack, but the aircraft included B-1 Bombers, B-2 Bombers, B-52s, a variety of strike aircraft that flew from aircraft carriers and, of course, 50 Tomahawk missiles with -- came from -- the Tomahawk missiles came from the surface ships, four of them, and also Tomahawk missiles that were fired from submarines.
Now according to the Pentagon, everything went very smoothly. They hit a variety of targets throughout the night hours. They hit terrorist camps, they say. They hit munitions dumps. At one point, they hit a cluster of Taliban tanks, that type of thing and returned safely. There was an enthusiastic response from the pilots of the various aircraft. One said it was like being in the Super Bowl.
Another part of this operation was the humanitarian airdrop -- 37,500 HDRs, they're called, those are humanitarian meals. They are specially prepared meals. They are ethnically and religiously sensitive. There is no meat product in them, high carbohydrate, high grain with high protein and high vitamin content. That was all part of it.
The Pentagon saying that this is a message that this is not attack against a country, it is not an attack against a religion, just an attack against terrorism. An attack that is going to continue, they say, with operations that will be both visible and not visible, of course an illusion to the probability that there will be a lot of special operations. That will be the commando units, the special forces units and British units that will, in all certainty, become part of this extended operation -- Leon.
HARRIS: Bob, it appears as though if you listen to their words and you listen to some of the things that were coming -- hearing coming from that region that this operation so far has been amazingly successful and there was very little resistance offered to it. We didn't -- in fact, I was watching yesterday and in our coverage we had live pictures coming from, I believe in Afghanistan or through Al Jezeera, the Middle Eastern cable network, and there was very little any anti-aircraft that was being fired back up in the air. It seemed as though there was almost no resistance at all. Are you getting any sense at all from the people you've talked to there at the Pentagon that perhaps this may be a bit easier than think it's going to -- they thought going in or whatever?
FRANKEN: Well, no. I think what they wanted to do was to overwhelm what they really regard as a relatively primitive military structure that the Taliban have. They, of course, have some surface- to-air missiles and they have the stingers, some of them that are 20, 30 years old -- 20 years old there. So they realize that they're really trying to go against an enemy that does not have that much to offer in resistance, but they want to take away as much danger as possible, to cripple the Taliban completely to make it unable to really resist.
An example, for instance, they would attack an electrical system. Now the electrical systems in that part of the world are not that sophisticated to begin with, but the United States is conveying the message, if anything else, that it can just absolutely overwhelm with vastly superior force. And combined with the rest of the countries in the world, overwhelm this government and perhaps leave the message that it's time to reconsider its adamant opposition. But in case it doesn't, it is in a position where it can in fact just easily handle whatever resistance the Taliban might offer.
HARRIS: And of course it'll all be proven once we see those BDAs -- those bomb damage assessment reports.
All right, we'll get back to you later on. Bob Franken at the Pentagon, thanks. | 2019-04-20T22:49:10 | http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0110/08/se.12.html |
0.998716 | Facebook's IPO Morality Tale: If The Green Shoes Fit, Wear Them?
Facebook's reversal of fortunes in such a short span of time has played out almost like a modern-day morality tale. The fall-out of the social network post-IPO, after such an enthusiastic build-up was telling. While it lined the pockets of some (namely investment bankers), it deprived the 99 Percenters (or Dumb F*cks as Zuckerberg so adroitly labeled them back in 2004) full-disclosure, resulting in a subsequent short-fall on their FB investment.
In a time when excessive, unregulated profits continue to be eked out on Wall Street, does the Facebook IPO shed additional light on the reverse Robin-Hood business practice of taking from the poor and giving to the rich? It does appear that way if one was to fully understand what went down on May 18th.
Apparently when Morgan Stanley put together the offer, they included one of the few SEC-permitted, risk-free options that allowed them to stabilize the pricing of FB's post-issue. Labeled the "greenshoe" option, this caveat permitted the investment banker to over-allot the number of public shares available. The term comes from the first company to use this draconian practice - Green Shoe Manufacturing (now called Stride Rite Corporation).
Fuzzy math comes into play at this point, since it appears that Morgan Stanley and the other major underwriters sold more shares than they bought (basically what the greenshoe option allows them to do). This is done purposely, because it causes a "short" in the market which will then prompt an upward pressure on the share price.
This however did not take place. Instead as everyone is now aware, FB's stock actually went south. But why?
Well...on May 9th, Zuckerberg (lampooned for his 'fast shuffles' in the past) issued a revised prospectus that noted the negative impact of mobile users on Facebook's advertising revenue projections. With this new intel, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Bank of America "reduced" their FB earnings revenue estimates for the remainder of 2012.
In a Reuters' release posted by Poornim Gupta and Alexel Oreskovic, the revised numbers were relayed to big investors via private phone calls. It was noted that Bank of America held a conference call on May 10 with analyst Justin Post, where the underwriter revealed the lower estimates.
According to Rebecca Greenfield's report in the Atlantic Wire, "After days (months? years?) of hype, Facebook filed amended IPO documents with reduced revenue forecasts buried down on page 57." Without public disclosure, while the big boys received this "unfair advantage" in the words of Raise, Das and Chon, the general public was still over-reaching based on the zeitgeist fever pitch that motivated them to buy, irregardless of the price.
"These people didn't know about the downgrades. And that's how the price got set too high. People on the Buddy Systemoutside wanted it at $42, people in the know wanted it at $32. So we got a compromised $38," noted Greenfield. And no one in the know was willing to share this intel. . . say, on a Facebook status update, perhaps? Nope, the well-healed "buddy system" was in place, and only the rich got richer.
"Ordinary investors were largely cut out of the wealth-creation process, and well-connected investment firms took their place," explains John Cassidy in The New Yorker. "It all sounds suspiciously like an inside job, in which the last ones in, the ordinary investors, are the saps," he adds.
So does walking away in "green shoes" leave Morgan Stanley et al in the clear? Well with an arcane SEC option that's almost 100 years old (first used in 1919), it appears to have given them the "green light" to conduct business in such a fashion. However with FB's stock price continuing to dip (to $US 31.57, at time of this posting), Facebook shareholders are not happy. And to voice their displeasure, they have just filed a class action suit against Facebook and Morgan Stanley.
Filed by the same firm which won $7 billion from Enron bankers, Robbins Geller is taking up the fight for the Facebook users who feel maligned. While Zuckerberg's empire will most likely surface from this battle unscathed, this latest blow once again dampens the perception of Facebook by many of its 900 million followers. Still dissatisfied by FB's heavy-handed approach with privacy infractions of the past, this latest incident might ironically fulfill Zuckerberg's self-fulfilling prophesy - i.e., limited sales from cell phone ads in the future.
Hell, if he was cognizant enough to lower expectations (based on this revenue source, or lack there-of) in his "undisclosed, revised" prospectus just 10 days prior to his IPO, who are we to prove him wrong. Could that (green)shoe finally be on the other foot?
Insiders were 57% of the selling shareholders. That right there reeks of pigs at the trough. If insiders were say... 20% of selling shareholders this would probably never have happened.
There used to be a saying, "you run a public company just as much for the benefit of the widow on Main St with one share as you do the money manager on Wall Street with a million shares."
That didn't happen here. As of the close yesterday, public market investors had lost nearly $1.7 billion to Facebook insiders. That's not the way its supposed to work, folks.
I think there's a new generation coming -those that have used it for last 3-4 yrs are getting bored and looking to find alternatives.
Looking into some other altenatives also. | 2019-04-21T02:12:47 | http://inventorspot.com/articles/facebooks_ipo_moral_tale_if_green_shoes_fit_wear_them |
0.81819 | There are several variables that play a role in achieving this goal, AND you will need a calculator!
Beer Temperature: This will affect how readily the beer absorbs CO2. Colder beer absorbs CO2 into solution more readily. The lower the temp. the lower the pressure required to obtain a given number of volumes of CO2.
Keg Pressure: Along with beer temperature, this will control the actual volumes of CO2 in solution.
Beer Line Inside Diameter: This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.
Beer Line Temperature: Warm beer lines will warm the beer as it travels from the keg to your glass, causing a release of CO2.
Beer Line Length: This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.
Beer Line Rise to Tap: The height of the tap from the center of the keg. This provides resistance, keeping CO2 in solution by slowing the pour.
There are some simple rules to follow as well as an equation to help you balance your beer line length to accommodate the pressure needed in the keg to sustain your desired CO2 volume.
Keep your beer lines cold. For some this is not an issue, but if you use a draft tower you need to take care to refrigerate those lines and insulate the tower to keep CO2 release to a minimum, thus reducing foam in the glass.
Beer line length MUST be balanced with the amount of pressure in the keg used for serving. The longer the line, the more resistance you have.
Beer line inside diameter MUST be included in the beer line length calculations to properly determine length. The narrower the line, the more resistance you have.
Beer line RISE from the keg to the tap MUST also be included in the beer line length calculations to properly determine length. The greater the rise, the more resistance you will have.
Numbers 2-3 all work together to provide a total amount of resistance between the keg and your glass. Too much resistance and you will have a slow pour, too little resistance and you will have nothing but foam in your glass.
Here is an example of how to determine the proper temperature, pressure and beer line length for a given scenario.
In this scenario the beer line length is too short, ideally one would have over 7′ of beer line to create enough resistance to counter the 21.7 PSI in the keg to obtain the volumes of CO2 for this German wheat beer. If you simply reduce the temperature of the beer to 33F and reduce the pressure to 18.3 PSI you will still achieve 3.50 volumes of CO2 in your beer, but the reduction in pressure will now not overwhelm the 6′ beer line that you have. Pressure and resistance are now balanced.
I was wondering if there is a different formula for the CO2/Nitrogen beer gas mix?
It is called ‘beer gas’ (mix of CO2 and Nitrogen), and it can be used to optimize a tap based on line length.
This is a great explanation. I own a draft beer company (Kegconnection.com) and we are constantly get people asking us for 10′ of our 3/16 beer line on their systems. I always tell them this is way to much for someone serving beer at 10 to 12 PSI. They read on websites that if they are getting foam they should have more beer line. After working with them we almost always find that they have plenty of beer line, but their beer is too warm. I will be sending people to this link in the future. This is a very simple and easy to understand explaination.
Thank you TH, corrected the post.
I have German Pilsner at 34’F, charged at 10 psi to give 2.58 volumes.My dispensing line is 3/8.
If L = (10 – (2 x .5) – 1) / .11, do I need 72 feet of tubing?!
That seems nuts. Something must be off with this.
I will measure the size of my beer line ID/OD and tell you what it is. 3/8 sounds common enough. If it is 3/16, that changes the final number to 3 feet, which sounds more realistic.
I have my regulator set at 6psi, and while it takes a little extra time to force carbonate, I get good pours through my 3 ft picnic tap without a lot of foam. I still can’t fill a pint glass perfectly, probably get 4 oz of foam and 12 oz of beer.
Sounds like you might need a beer line with a smaller inside diameter?
I have some 1/4″ ID line that I had been using with a Pepsi “gun”-type dispenser. The chilling plate and gun for the dispenser had narrower line, so the resistance was considerable.
I have abandoned this in favour of a simple picnic tap, but the tap fitting is too big for the 1/4″ line. I was going to buy some 3/8 today and hook it up.
I can skip the formula for now and start with 10′ of line. I’ll cut the line down shorter (if I can) to get the right pour.
Turns out the tap is for 5/16″.
The inside diameter of my beer line is 1/4″.
How are you getting 21.7psi from 3.5 volumes of CO2. Is there an equation for this as well? Also, I understand that lower temperature allows CO2 to absorb but is there some math behind this as well? I am new to kegging and trying to get the pour just right. Thanks for this site. Between this and Designing Great Beers I have had a lot of fun coming up with my own recipes.
The missing piece of the puzzle is a temperature vs pressure chart that tells volumes of CO2. Given the pressure setting of the regulator and the temperature of the kegerator ‘Volumes of CO2’ can be found on the chart.
1. Set regulator to 10 psi.
2. Set kegerator to 36 degrees.
3. This gives approximately 2.4 Volumes of CO2. In the sweet spot for most beers!
4. 3 ft picnic tap.
5. I can fill a pint glass almost full, with about a half inch of head, if I pour onto the side of the glass to avoid splashing, instead of straight in.
6. Nicely carbonated beer results. No excessive foaming. There is a nice lacing of head/foam that travles down the glass as I drink, and a pattern of bubbles to look at.
According to the equation above, I might need as much as 11 feet of line. Perhaps with 11 feet that last half inch of head/foam would disappear? If I was setting up a draft system on a professional level I might try a longer line and see how it behaves.
I have 25′ of glycol trunk line with a 5/16 ID product line. I run that to my kegerator and reduce it to 3/16 ID for 3′. I have pressure set between 12-14 PSI and system runs perfect. According to the calculator I should have 50ish feet of 5/16, but I think the 3′ of 3/16 I put in the kegerator works at balancing. | 2019-04-19T03:10:40 | https://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/07/18/getting-a-good-pour-kegged-beer-co2-line-length-and-pressure/ |
0.999918 | I carry a lot of scars. I like the way that sounds. I carry a lot of scars. | 2019-04-21T03:06:37 | https://www.bestquotes4ever.com/authors/alex-garland-quotes |
0.977968 | Who was George Lindsay and why did I undertake to write this book? Ed Carlson answers these questions in this introduction to George Lindsay and the Art of Technical Analysis: Trading Systems of a Market Master.
Who was George Lindsay and why did I undertake to write this book? If you've never heard of George Lindsay, you've already answered the second part of the question. Lindsay was considered a "stock guru" in the 1960s and 1970s. His market opinions often appeared in the New York Times next to other prognosticators whose names are more commonly known today, but very few people today are acquainted with Lindsay. Even among technical analysts who do know the name, very few are familiar with his work.
Lindsay's ideas are in danger of becoming lost to history. He never wrote a book on his market methods, only newsletters. He did write one book (The Other History, examined in Chapter 2) but it pertained to politics and history, not the markets. This book is the result of reviewing an untold number of his past newsletters and cobbling together the partial descriptions of his different models into coherent, step-by-step explanations.
It's no wonder that very few market participants have chosen to use his methods. Reading Lindsay's newsletters is like drinking from a fire hose. His style of writing is very difficult to read. The reader never gets a moment to "catch his breath" as the ideas just keep jumping off the page. The presentation format of his newsletters is difficult as well. Modern readers have become accustomed to the formatting of word processors—bullets, labeling, charts placed near the narrative, and so on. As I read Lindsay's newsletters, I imagined him sitting at a typewriter, typing to the right side of the page, reaching up with his left hand to shift the carriage back to start a new line, and blasting through yet another line, the ideas pouring forth with very little thought given to anyone trying to assimilate the mass of information being thrown at them.
We live in a world that would send the best and brightest of a generation off to fight and die for the invisible hand of Adam Smith, but ask those same people about technical analysis and they call it voodoo. Those who have accepted and practice technical analysis tend to gather into their own camps of like-mined analysis. Lindsay was an unintentional iconoclast. His approach, while often incorrectly described as cycles, was an original approach different from anything previously known. Like Lindsay's mother, who spent the majority of her acting career off-Broadway, Lindsay's ideas were decidedly "off-Wall Street." Modern technicians often seem to be spending more and more of their time examining the micro—30-minute charts, 5-minute charts, tick charts—an approach which, when taken to the extreme, is myopic and can border on nihilism. Lindsay took a broad, perhaps healthier, view of the market—but one that shouldn't be confused with anything approximating the buy-and-hold approach. While others may focus on the trees, Lindsay was busy mapping the forest.
It has been said that in order to understand the philosophy, one must understand the philosopher and his times. Never was this truer than in trying to understand the work of George Lindsay. Lindsay has been a mystery figure. Prior to this book, very little has been known about the man himself. Who was Lindsay? Genius or high-school dropout; artist or sophisticated Wall Street professional; heterosexual, homosexual, or asexual; a right-wing political conservative or a nonconformist dreamer and futurist? The answers to these questions come from an understanding of Lindsay's background and hence the biography in Chapter 1.
Lindsay's experience as an artist can be seen throughout his work in the markets. Charlie Parker, the great, early-twentieth-century jazz saxophonist, once said, "You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail." That's probably good advice when using the models Lindsay created. Like music, his models were full of rules and specific counts but the magic lay in the exceptions to those rules. It is by learning and practicing the guidelines laid out in this book that one can hope to achieve that proverbial "feel for the market" and "just wail." | 2019-04-20T15:33:47 | http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1743282 |
0.99859 | Is there an easy way to figure out the commission in baccarat when betting the banker hand? Secondly, why do they charge a commission in the first place?
Here's a nifty little trick I used to figure out the commission when I dealt the game. Divide the winning bet by two, and then scratch the zero. For instance, you make a $60 bet on the banker hand and it wins, paying even money. Half of the $60 win is $30, drop the zero, and your commission is $3.
As for why a commission, David, it's because the player hand is always played out first, causing the banker hand to win 50.7 percent of the time, versus the player hand at 49.3 percent, ties excluded.
To roadblock the gung ho gambler from forever betting the banker hand and being in receipt of a 1.4 percent advantage, the casino taxes all winning banker wagers at a rate of five percent. It is due to this commission, charged on your winning wagers, that the casino holds a 1.17 percent edge over the banker hand, and a 1.36 percent advantage over all player bets, ties included.
Still, even if the casino levies a slight percentage from your winning loot, the banker and the noncommissioned player hand are two of the best bets on the casino floor. Both are fun and profitable, and isn't that, David, what gambling should be all about?
I see the jackpot for the Mega Millions is now over 200 million. What are the odds of hitting a prize for that lottery?
Was that "a" prize, Jimmy, like "just any", or the "Big Kahuna?" Either way, the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are approximately one in 176 million. The odds of winning any of the Mega Millions prizes are approximately 1 in 40.
It seems the consistent recommendation in blackjack is to always split 8s. But if the dealer is showing a strong card, does it make sense to put more money on the table with the dealer in a strong position?
I am sure, Bill, that most readers will warm to your point; it has a certain healthy smell of horse sense about it, but not quite enough. Watch closely. With two 8s against a dealer 10 card, the good common sense your momma raised you with tells you that splitting this hand just creates two losers. It probably seems that every time you've split 8s it in the past, sure, you might occasionally get two 10s, but then the damn dealer flips over his card and it's always a 10 card in the hole. But actually, what you're really doing when you split 8s is breaking up a 16, the worst possible hand you can have in blackjack.
Here's the arithmetic, Bill, based on a kazillion computer simulations of 8s against a dealer's10. If you split 8s, you will lose $44 for every $100 wagered. If you were to just hit the hand, you would lose $51 for every $100 bet. You may not necessarily always put extra jingle in your pocket by splitting 8s, but you will lose less money over the long run if you split 'em. | 2019-04-20T19:12:59 | https://www.iluvbetting.com/baccarat-commission.html |
0.999999 | Estimate uncertainty The bootstrap (Efron and Gong) plot is used to estimate the uncertainty of a statistic.
Generate subsamples with replacement To generate a bootstrap uncertainty estimate for a given statistic from a set of data, a subsample of a size less than or equal to the size of the data set is generated from the data, and the statistic is calculated. This subsample is generated with replacement so that any data point can be sampled multiple times or not sampled at all. This process is repeated for many subsamples, typically between 500 and 1000. The computed values for the statistic form an estimate of the sampling distribution of the statistic.
For example, to estimate the uncertainty of the median from a dataset with 50 elements, we generate a subsample of 50 elements and calculate the median. This is repeated at least 500 times so that we have at least 500 values for the median. Although the number of bootstrap samples to use is somewhat arbitrary, 500 subsamples is usually sufficient. To calculate a 90% confidence interval for the median, the sample medians are sorted into ascending order and the value of the 25th median (assuming exactly 500 subsamples were taken) is the lower confidence limit while the value of the 475th median (assuming exactly 500 subsamples were taken) is the upper confidence limit.
This bootstrap plot was generated from 500 uniform random numbers. Bootstrap plots and corresponding histograms were generated for the mean, median, and mid-range. The histograms for the corresponding statistics clearly show that for uniform random numbers the mid-range has the smallest variance and is, therefore, a superior location estimator to the mean or the median.
Vertical axis: Computed value of the desired statistic for a given subsample.
The bootstrap plot is simply the computed value of the statistic versus the subsample number. That is, the bootstrap plot generates the values for the desired statistic. This is usually immediately followed by a histogram or some other distributional plot to show the location and variation of the sampling distribution of the statistic.
What does the sampling distribution for the statistic look like?
What is a 95% confidence interval for the statistic?
Which statistic has a sampling distribution with the smallest variance? That is, which statistic generates the narrowest confidence interval?
Importance The most common uncertainty calculation is generating a confidence interval for the mean. In this case, the uncertainty formula can be derived mathematically. However, there are many situations in which the uncertainty formulas are mathematically intractable. The bootstrap provides a method for calculating the uncertainty in these cases.
Cautuion on use of the bootstrap The bootstrap is not appropriate for all distributions and statistics (Efron and Tibrashani). For example, because of the shape of the uniform distribution, the bootstrap is not appropriate for estimating the distribution of statistics that are heavily dependent on the tails, such as the range.
The jacknife is a technique that is closely related to the bootstrap. The jackknife is beyond the scope of this handbook. See the Efron and Gong article for a discussion of the jackknife.
Case Study The bootstrap plot is demonstrated in the uniform random numbers case study.
Software The bootstrap is becoming more common in general purpose statistical software programs. However, it is still not supported in many of these programs. Both R software and Dataplot support a bootstrap capability. | 2019-04-24T15:57:53 | https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/eda/section3/bootplot.htm |
0.998652 | How much Hard Drive space do I require to install STAR Atlas:PRO?
Approximately 2.3 Gigabytes is the minimum hard drive space required.
STAR Atlas:PRO Advanced Ed. when fully installed will require up to 1.6 Gigabytes depending on which installation options you choose. STAR Atlas:PRO is packed with astronomical data, not just the data it needs to draw charts.
Does STAR Atlas: PRO Work when it's Installed on a Compressed Hard Drive?
After loading the entire 3 CD-ROMS supplied with STAR Atlas:PRO Advanced Edition onto my hard disk drive I noticed it was taking around 1.5 Gig of disk space. I applied the compression feature that comes with Windows XP (in the advanced Properties section of Explorer). This shrunk it down to 830Mbytes. | 2019-04-21T13:24:19 | http://staratlaspro.com/kb/doc_faq_0027.html |
0.99963 | The latter distribution seems better to me too. I have not had the opportunity to roll up alignments in a long time since I use a stock list of about 110 NPCs. However if I were to do it today, I would go 1: lawful 2-7 neutral 8 chaotic. For dwarves, 1-3 lawful.
Here is why: for men, in order to be lawful or chaotic, they must both declare their intent to themselves and affirmatively act that way, for they are by nature neural.
So it is for the other common kinds except for dwarves who tend toward law.
I like it, well thought out.
This matches what I ended up doing over the years in my games. Pushing "Good/Evil" and alignment off onto Clerics, Monsters, and other "meaningful" beings. Most people are neutral enough that they don't blip on the radar.
In some ways, it matched 4e's "Unaligned" approach.
So while an individual may not have a strong ethos, if they work, farm, craft, etc. they are "lawful", so most Demi-Humans would fall under this.
What about the duality of neutrality?
Some neutrals are just uninterested in a larger point of view and are just trying to get by. But others might be dedicated to NEUTRALITY in "a balance must be maintained" and will actively work against whichever is in the ascendant to maintain that balance.
True, although that's never formally distinguished (rule or status-wise) in OD&D -- or much any other D&D that I'm familiar with. Brainstorming here: I might think to interpret a very high-Wisdom, Neutral character, as being in that latter category.
While OD&D's Men are in all three alignments, it's also interesting to consider which Men are where.
Chaos has 50% of Bandits, Nomads and Buccaneers, and all Brigands/Pirates.
Neutrality has the other 50% and also Berserkers, Cavemen and Mermen.
And then, of course, there's the Castles. Patriarchs are of Law, Evil High Priests of Chaos, and the rest have a 50/50 chance of either being hostile to the adventurers or neutral (note the lack of alignment beyond "not yours").
What should become immediately apparent is that unlike Anderson Law is lacking in Men - in a complete 180 from 3H3L, demihumans like Elves are a better bet! Most of Men are Neutral, with a scant few religious types being of Law and a great number of malcontents of Chaos. Perhaps comparisons can be made to the Gold Dragon?
However, I suspect that most of this is just because OD&D's encounter tables are primarily about setting you up for a fight. The Neutral Bandits are still going to rob you, and the Lawful Dervishes are likely to be played as religious zealots.
As the Implied OD&D Setting posts rightly noted, OD&Dland is filled with jerks and ne'er-do-wells.
I think that's an excellent analysis. Thank you for that!
I've written before that I consider the faeries of Three Hearts and Three Lions to be an excellent model for the elves of early edition D&D (being all fighter-magicians). Whether the acted as the inspiration...or simply influenced... the class is debatable, but I use that as a good indicator that elves are chaotic in nature (certainly they are depicted as such in the 1E MM with a "Chaotic Good" alignment).
With regard to humans, I am rather partial to James Raggi's take in his B/X-based Lamentations of the Flame Princess. I think it's right in line with your THaTL quote and works well with the alignment as "supernatural alliance." In my own games my tendency is to look at alignment more as "personality" with Capital-E Evil being something separate and apart from alignment...though I realize that doesn't jibe 100% with the concept of alignment (certainly not with regard to alignment language).
Elves in Men & Magic are enlisted in both the Law and Neutrality columns.
If we interprete the Alignment system with the wargaming mindset, it could boil down to "which troops can be allied under the same flag?"
So, Neutral elfs could side either with Law or Chaos: Lawful elves are the tolkienian, noldor type. Neutral ones are Anderson's "fair folk" type.
Delta wrote "Now that I look at it closely, this can even be interpreted as compatible with Anderson's view, with regards to the clause, "most of them were so [Lawful] only unconsciously"(which tends to fade in my recollection compared to the other parts)".
Delta, your quasi-normal distribution (1 2-5 6) is rather elegant and in some ways reflects the Sword and Sorcery ethos. However, I believe there is more to Anderson's clause than has been stated. Anderson's notions of Law and Chaos are derived from Medieval philosophy, from its beginning in Plato and Aristotle to its realization in Aquinas. Law or Logos and its relationship to men is a metaphysical rather than a psychological or sociological one. Most men are 'so (Lawful) only unconsciously'; that is to say, they are lawful by nature, but know not their own nature. Alignment then is more philosophical than behavioral. I would pen your table something like 1 Neutral 2-5 Lawful 6 Chaotic. What we glean from this is that Lawful men, are striving with their own nature/logos to be men, Neutrals are men who live by bonds of blood and beasts - half men even, and Chaotics are men wholly subsumed by their lowest appetites. Behavior then is really something secondary to alignment.
This rendering of the table satisfies the demand of the 'weird' underlying Sword and Sorcery and OD&D in that despite reason and artifice derived by culture and civilization, men collectively remain unknown to themselves, caught on the other side of the wall of sleep and perhaps recollecting something that shimmers, haunts or continues to fade.
Well, that's a very interesting philosophical take on the matter. I must admit on this issue that I don't dig much deeper than the pulp authors on it. Thanks for that!
Of course. I mention this as Anderson is part of the S&S revival in the late 20th century and appears rather influential in your consideration of alignment. Philosophically, he threads a narrow passage few if any other pulp writers observed. Though many leverage Neoplatonic language to describe the powers of chaos and darkness, most of the well-known authors of weird fiction regard law as a cleaving to modernity and all of its course/blunt trappings. It is for that reason that Anderson's subtle account of man and the cosmos is exceptional. | 2019-04-21T15:02:33 | http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2018/11/alignment-distributions.html |
0.994263 | The number one goal for a website is to give potential customers your business' product or service information. Your website is the most valuable online tool that a business can use to promote itself and it's products and services. However, with that said, websites should only be built after you understand and have a clear idea of your business goals.
Before starting your website, you should have a few solid thoughts about your website goals, how your website should look, and how you want your website to function so that it will appeal to your target market. It sounds silly, but it is important to explore each of the following points before starting your website.
What is the primary purpose for the website?
What product(s) or service(s) are going to be offered on the website?
Do you have a 'niche'?
Does your business fill a specific need that is not already out there?
Why would potential customers want to visit your website and buy from you?
What product(s) or service(s) do you have that your potential customers can't get from your competition?
What can you offer that will make your website stand out above the rest?
Are you marketing your website to individuals?
Are you marketing your website to other businesses?
Are you marketing your website to the government?
What information would be the most helpful to your target audience?
Be very specific with this information as this is the key to your success.
Identify your main customer traits so you can customize and optimize your website to target them.
Who exactly are your potential customers? You'll want to consider the key factors of your specific niche. There are many types of groups that you could target to, so (for starters) try to narrow it down to a few of the major demographic groups. You probably should, at the very least, consider the main demographical characteristics of your customers, such as: location, age, gender, income level, education level, etc.
What specific pieces of information are you going to add to the website?
The most important part of any website is the information. Think about what you are going to tell your website visitors. How can you make yourself look like the expert that you are? Figure out what pages you want to have on your website and how your information will be arranged on each page.
Keep your website information fresh and current.
If you're getting the website visitors, you don't want to lose out on potential opportunities to convert that website traffic in to sales. Don't make your website visitors want to leave immediately because they can't read current and up-to-date information.
Ensure your website is fully functional and easy to navigate and explore.
Your website visitors don't want to waste time looking for what they want to know so make the navigation from page to page as simple as possible. Organize your website (logically) so that your website visitors can easily find what they are looking for. Check all of your website links to make sure they work. Nothing is more frustrating than visiting a website that has non-functioning links and won't take you where you're supposed to go. You don't want people leaving your website before they learn about all that you have to offer them.
Ensure that your website is easy to read.
Check your website out on different web browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, etc). Your website visitors don't want to see the text displayed incorrectly. Make sure it looks like it should and that it's not all scrunched up and overlapping or all spread out way past the page. When people visit a site that is not easy to read, they will usually leave the website immediately. Also, make sure that the font you use for your text is easy to read. For a list of the most common fonts, that is available on the majority of computers, look at our chart of Best Website Text Fonts and Styles.
Do you have several websites that you can show to your website designer as an example of 'good' and 'bad' websites? This will help your web designer to get a good idea as to the style of website that you're wanting created. As you look at each website, make a list of what exactly it is that you like or dislike about each of the websites on your list. Your website designer should work with you to figure out what appeals to you and what doesn't.
Do you have a website 'style' or design-look that you would like to model your website after?
You'll want a website that expressly conveys your business branding but you'll also want it to look aesthetically pleasing to the eye. For a list of website colors, look at our Website Colors Chart. Keep this chart handy as you speak with your web-designer so that you can tell them the exact colors you want to use. You, also, want to be sure that your website doesn't look crowded or overwhelming to your visitors.
Use your website to draw your readers in.
The more interested a potential client is in reading even more on your website (and your business), the greater your opportunity will be for converting those people in to actual customers and, thus, it will increase your overall sales. | 2019-04-20T16:42:57 | https://www.huntercreativegroup.com/information-to-consider-before-starting-your-website.html |
0.98152 | What are the needs in Peru?
There is currently a huge need in Peru. Peru, as with many other South American countries, has had times of political instability. In 1983 a Maoist group called the Shining Path attempted to take over the country and establish a communist state. There were numerous masacres and public killings. What this meant was the people lived in fear! God still used this time and in the ten years that the Shining Path operated, thousands, actually over a million people joined the Evangelical church.
So the evangelical church doubled in size going from 7% to almost 14% of population. As a result of this explosive growth there is a great need for training and discipleship, especially of young people. There are hundreds of young pastors that have only been a Christian for a short time themselves and have had no chance to do any training.
Though the country is 85% Roman Catholic, the beliefs of people are often interwined with old animistic religions. At times it is very ritualistic and given that Spanish Conquerers brought this religion by force - it's sometimes just a thin veneer over what people have always believed.
Read about why we feel that a University Student Ministry will address some of these needs. Also read about how the University Christians groups grew through the times of persecution.
Read more about What are the needs in Peru?
After spending two months on a short-term mission in Peru we saw the huge needs and felt that God could really use us in Peru.
When we got married we decided to do a short-term mission? Christine was happy to go anywhere. I immediately suggested Bolivia in South America. I had been to Bolivia on holiday twice before. I felt a connection with the people and thought that this was one of the most beautiful countries in the world with the Amazon jungles and the Andes mountains. I had also sponsored a child named Junior in Bolivia through Compassion.
We approached the mission organisation SIM (Serving in Mission) with our plans for spending a couple of months in Bolivia on a short-term mission. Most of the contacts that SIM Australia had were in Peru and we were asked if we'd be happy to go to Peru instead. Peru borders Bolivia and is similar in many ways. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America and Peru comes next. We said we were happy to go to Peru.
While in Peru, we stayed with missionaries in a small village called Cotahuasi (pronounced coat-ah-wah-see). It is here that we saw the huge needs in Peru. We felt that working in a University ministry would address some of these needs. Peru is also a country of great opportunity for the good news of Jesus. There is now an incredible openess to the gospel and the church in Peru seeks to make a difference in their community. It is a time of political stability. The village where we spent two months during our short-term mission was just fifteen years ago out of bounds for foreigners because of the Shining Path who operated in the area.
These are a few of the reasons we've decided to head to Peru. We are also glad that Spanish is a relatively easy language for English speakers to pick up. I have some basic Spanish having spent about five months in South America over three trips. Christine has had about two months of exposure to Spanish. We are looking forward to when our children can correct our Spanish.
It has been great that some of our long time friends have been missionaries to Peru. Phillip and Diane Marshall were sent from Blakehurst Baptist which was my home church for about 20 years. In the last few years we've learnt much from them personally and also in lectures. Phillip is a lecturer at Morling Bible College and has great cultural insights. Christine's Sunday School teacher also ended up being a missionary in Peru and she too has been the source of much wisdom (and laughter). Recently we've got to know Edwin and Diane Porter who have given us our most up to date information on Peru along with lots of very practical tips. Their love for the Peruvian people has inspired us.
Michael and Mary Foster were Australian missionaries to Peru who have worked with University students for many years. We have learnt a lot from their ministry and they have been an inspiration to us. Here they reflect on a time of persecution and a time of growth.
Christian Students on campus at the time when the Shining Path took over the university said that despite the difficult circumstances and persecution, the desire to share the gospel and proclaim its truth burned within her.
In fact this persecution was a major factor in the growth of a Christian groups on campuses throughout Peru. This student movement was started by Samuel Escobar in 1963. Samuel went on to be a well know Latin theologian and the group became known as the Association of Peruvian Evangelical University Students (AGEUP), a national student movement related to IFES.
Australian missionaries Michael and Mary Foster began SIM’s partnership with AGEUP in 1992 when they were accepted as staff workers. At the time they said, “It is an honour to be officially accepted as staff workers with these militant Christians who have counted the cost and strive to share the gospel in the light of Peruvian reality”.
In 1991 there were 12 AGEUP groups throughout the universities of Peru and by 2004 there were 64. Not only did God use persecution to grow the groups, but also the universities strategy of diversification. As satellite campuses were set up throughout the country, there were many more centres in which to plant Christian groups!
As the movement grew rapidly, Michael, Mary and the four Peruvian staff workers couldn’t provide the training and pastoral care needed for leaders of all the groups and there were no finances available to employ more staff. They trained a team of 25 graduates who were committed to ministry and willing to work on a voluntary basis. This has been a vital key to facilitating growth and pastoral care on campuses throughout Peru.
The AGEUP groups are effective because they are based on student leadership and initiatives and are relevant to society. Social action and justice flow from evangelism empowered by bible teaching. They seek to have a prophetic voice in society in the Latin American context.
The incredible diversity of culture throughout the universities of Peru provides equally diverse challenges and opportunities. The prestigious private universities were virtually impenetrable to Christian work before 2001 when God miraculously opened a door for AGEUP to set up groups. By 2004 there were 5 groups in the prestiguious private universities, reaching out to students, many of whom will become future leaders within Peru and beyond. Students have even managed to maintain and evangelical witness on the large Catholic university campus in Lima!
AGEUP groups have already had a huge impact on the church and evangelical scene in Peru. The director of World Vision, director of Compassion and leaders of the Evangelical Alliance and other denominational leaders have all been part of the student movement.
Michael and Mary Foster and their son Camden returned to Australia for health reasons. They are still in regular contact with the students and staff who have been so much a part of their life and ministry for over thirteen years.
AGEUP is growing at an amazing rate and regional workers are working to capacity but finances continue to be a hindrance. A US-based foundation has helped AGEUP establish two Internet cafes in Lima, with the vision to raise funds to support much needed staff workers.
This is a strategic work, impacting generations of university students with the gospel and training young people for leadership. Jaime , a Peruvian-born Chinese architectural student, helps us bring sweeping statements of growth down to the level of strong personal testimony. Some years ago Jaime’s pastor came to the AGEUP office to discuss the change he had seen in Jamie’s life since his involvement with AGEUP. He was eager to know more about the student ministry because he had been impressed with Jamie’s maturity in the Word, zeal for the gospel and keenness to share his faith.
Before leaving Peru, Michael and Mary challenged Jamie to become a staff worker, even though they knew this would mean great personal cost for him. His honest response was that he couldn’t leave his career behind.
Recently Jamie wrote to say that God had been speaking to him and he could no longer say “No”. He is now working with AGEUP and is in charge of projects. This multi-talented young man is a tremendous asset to the student movement in Peru.
The Shining Path movement sought to bring change through revolution and a reign of terror. AGEUP seeks to bring change through the grace of God.
Tanya is an amazing success story from a Compassion project in an inner city slum of Peru. She was studying law. One day she heard another law student crying in the university toilets. Tanya cared for her and introduced her to Jesus. Tanya is now totally convinced that the Word of God is applicable and helpful to all sorts of people in any circumstances. What a wonderful lesson to take with her into her career.
Joel’s involvement with AGEUP has helped him not only in his spiritual growth but also in many practical ways. He has learnt organisational skills and leadership qualities by training as a student group leader that have helped him establish his own computer business – abilities that his course didn’t provide. He is so grateful to the AGEUP leadership for this practical input.
Missionaries who have worked for many years with University Students talk about about why they feel this ministry is important. Michael and Mary Foster spent over ten years working with University students in Peru. According to Mary, University ministry is "strategic, dynamic and very rewarding". Here are more of her insights into the needs in Student ministry.
Student ministries currently produce a large percentage of Christian leaders in Peru. For example the leader of World Vision , Compassion and the Evangelical Alliance are all graduates of the student movement.
Student ministry in Peru is linked with IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students). The ministry in Peru is called AGEUP which is a Spanish anacronym.
Student movements in Peru have a national leadership which we will work under.
They are passionate about understanding the whole gospel in terms of evangelism and social action as well as teaching the Bible clearly at meetings.
"It is true to say that tomorrow’s leadership of Peru is attending University today which highlights the enormous need for a strong Christian presence on campus. Attending University brings the student under the pressure of diverse social and academic influences, it is therefore important that there is a group of Christians on campus who are active in their faith and able to encourage one another. The impact on the lives of students in reinforcing the importance of living for Christ and reaching out with the Gospel message during their university life has far reaching and long term effects for not only does it encourage the students to follow Christ during those formative university years it also aids them in their formation for the future and how they live their lives in the home, at work and in the church. The evangelical church in Peru and those missions including SIM who are working in Peru are seizing the opportunity to encourage Christian students by giving them the tools they need to grow in their faith and to reach out to their families, friends and colleagues.
With the help of missionaries like David and Christine working in the Universities in Lima, Arequipa and across Peru, many Christians have been and will be strengthened in their faith and given the tools they need to face the challenges of their future lives and ministry".
Why is university ministry important?
Read more about Why University Students?
The gospel is being taken to the ends of the earth. I had heard of the gospel being taken to ‘deepest darkest Africa’. Well this was the other extreme. High in the South American Andes, at 4700m there is a little village called Culipampa which I had the privilege of visiting.
This place on the Peruvian altiplano (Spanish for ‘high plain’) is almost like a different planet. At this altitude there are no trees. It is a dry, barren, hostile and strikingly beautiful place. It is as remote a place as I could imagine.
What makes it even more incredible is that almost the entire village, of about fifty people, are practicing Christians. One member of this community, a man named Policarpio, had worked in one of the larger cities and had come to know the Lord through a missionary. He returned to his village to tell them of the good news and … there was an incredible revival – basically the whole village turned to Jesus.
Brad Shaw, the missionary we are staying with, knows the missionary that led this one person to the Lord. He said that this is the kind of story that keeps missionaries going for a long time. Often it is years of hard work just faithfully sharing the gospel to see someone come to know Jesus. The purpose of coming to Culipampa was to facilitate a leadership-training program.
The program was intense. It began with a prayer meeting at 6am. There were three sessions through the day, each session went for about three and a half hours. There were no toilet breaks, no breaks to get a cup of tea and perhaps some biscuits. Each session began with singing followed by a sermon, more singing, another sermon, more singing, a testimony, more singing. The people’s desire to hear God’s word was incredible. I was exhausted! Even during the breaks I would see people crowding around someone who was explaining the Bible. I asked Brad ‘How do they do it? How can they keep going for hour after hour?’ Brad gave me two reasons. Firstly they really love Jesus and they are hungry for His Word. Secondly, we are used to receiving Bible teaching at least weekly. These people get this kind of thing only once every two months so they are eager to learn as much as possible in the short time they have. The whole program was in Quechua, the local language and I understood nothing. I tried to follow the talks by looking up the passages in my English Bible. The speakers were often quite animated when giving illustrations and during the break I would ask someone to describe what was happening. The description would be in Spanish and I could understand that a little. We had about forty people during the morning and afternoon sessions and over seventy at the evening session.
The food was great. We got alpaca steaks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The alpaca is a South American animal that is very similar to the llama. Alpaca wool is softer and much more sought after than llama wool. The meat was very tasty. I wish I could describe it – it was nothing like chicken. After a day of eating meat morning, noon and night I realized my body was not going to be able to handle this and I had to go vegetarian for a few meals. Vegetables don’t grow at this altitude so have to be trucked in. They are more expensive but we had plenty.
If you weren’t in direct sunlight, it was cold. It was constantly ridiculously cold. I had packed for South America expecting to do an ice-climb so I had good warm clothing – thermals and three jackets. When the sun went down I wore all of them. It was ridiculously cold. During prayer, head wear was removed as a sign of reverence to God. Sometimes I hoped the prayer would end quickly so I could put my beanie back on. I never thought I’d say this but I’ve seen it snowing inside a church, yes inside the church. It was obviously snowing outside and the roof must have had gaps for ventilation and it was quite surreal to have snow gently gliding down from the ceiling. A few flakes landed on my open Bible, immediately melting. In one of the evening sessions they called me up to the front and introduced me as a brother from Australia. I sent greetings from my church in Australia and, as is customary here, the people responded vocally to send their greeting back. So friends in Australia - greeting from your brothers and sisters in the Lord at Culipampa, Peru. Fortunately I was warned before hand that they would expect me to give a talk or share a favourite Bible passage. I shared from the passage Mark 2:1-12. It was translated into Spanish and then into Quechua. There was no Quechua speaker who knew English hence it had to go via Spanish.
Saying the nights at Culipampa were freezing would be an understatement. The temperature never got as high as zero. I slept on the floor of the four-wheel drive, the seat folded back. My sleeping bag was rated to –10 degrees Celsius. I’ve slept in a tent on a glacier at 5500m on two previous occasions with this sleeping bag and had been quite cosy. I could not figure out why I was so cold here. I lost feeling in my feet pretty promptly after getting into bed. I had two layers of socks on. I took my socks off and massaged my feet, hoping to get the circulation back but to no avail. I just had to go to sleep. It was a long night! Annoyingly I had to wake up about four times through the night visit to the toilet – I got out of my sleeping bag, put on a second jacket (I wore one in my sleeping bag), boots and then ventured into the cold. I was glad when the sun came up. Inside the cabin of the four-wheel drive, after the sun came up the thermometer read –10 degrees. I would hate to guess how cold it was in the middle of the night. On the final evening we showed the Jesus movie, heard a talk followed by several testimonies. I found out later about one of the testimonies. A lady who had come to know the Lord was married to a violent, alcoholic man. She prayed much for him and later he too gave his life to the Lord. The Lord has transformed their lives and their marriage. Her husband was there listening to the testimony. Straight after the testimony another sermon began. It was 11:30pm and I was exhausted. I knew this could go on for hours. I had planned to stay to the end but I was really struggling. I quietly snuck out and soon after I was asleep in my sleeping bag. I woke up at about 2am feeling very cold. I could hear them singing in church - they were still going. For a few minutes I seriously considered getting up, getting dressed and going to church again. At least I’d be warmer. I couldn’t feel my feet again but tonight I could not be bothered trying to massage them. I was just too tired and I figured they’d be fine once the sun came up. I fell asleep.
We headed back home to Cotahuasi the next morning. Ten of us were packed into one four-wheel drive and seven in another. We snaked along narrow windy roads and I just soaked in the incredible scenery. Brad often pointed out a series of specks, a isolated village on a small outcrop of flat land, perched on the side of a steep mountain. He would name the village and describe what God was doing there. Many of these villages had no vehicular access. Along with several local missionaries, Santiago, Freddie and David, Brad had trekked into most villages in this area.
Often they used donkeys to carry in a projector and generator and showed the Jesus movie on a hanging white bedsheet. The movie had been dubbed into the local Quechua language and they would then share the gospel. They would visit regularly when possible. In some villages a strong church had formed and while in other villages there was very little response. Brad pointed out a few villages that still needed to be visited for the first time. | 2019-04-23T14:49:40 | https://missionshub.org/jeyachandran-family?page=7 |
0.996305 | Sporting Amenity Location: Shephallbury Park tennis courts Problem: There was a lot of broken glass on the courts today (Feb 26). How often do the courts get cleared of such debris? I felt it was quite dangerous today should one of us have fallen on the glass. | 2019-04-20T10:55:50 | http://stevenage.fixmystreet.com/report/1556429 |
0.998798 | I have an RHEL 6 server with gcc version 4.4.7. I wanted to update the gcc version (I think the current one is 4.8). Yum update doesn't work. Also, SO answers for a similar question on CentOS does not work. I followed the methods in the accepted answer, the output is "Error getting repository data for testing-1.1-devtools-6, repository not found". Also I am not sure whether I should follow the methods for CentOs.
Has anyone updated gcc in RHEL 6 x86_64 server?
The other option would be to make use of the Developer Toolset, specifically the bundled version provided by Scientific Linux.
The hop5.in YUM repository appears to have been removed, so the only recourse is to make use of the devtoolset method highlighted above.
Additional examples for installing via devtoolset are highlighted in this GitHub Gist: Installing gcc 4.8 and Linuxbrew on CentOS 6.
Red Hat Software Collections comes with GCC 4.9 you may look at enabling that channel.
I've built newer gcc versions for rhel6 for several versions now (since 4.7.x to 5.3.1).
Simply grab the latest src rpm for whichever version you require (e.g. 5.3.1).
Now comes the tedious part - any package which has a version higher than provided by yum fro your distro needs to be downloaded from koji, and recursively repeat the process until all dependency requirements are met.
I usually repackage the rpm to contain a correct build tree using the gnu facility to use correctly placed and named requirements, so gmp/mpc/mpfr/isl (cloog is no longer required) are downloaded and untard into the correct path, and the new (bloated) tar is rebuilt into a new src rpm (with minor changes to spec file) with no dependency on their packaged (rpm) versions. Since I know of no one using ADA, I simply remove the portions pertaining to gnat from the specfile, further simplifying the build process, leaving me with just binutils to worry about.
Gcc can actually build with older binutils, so if you're in a hurry, further edit the specfile to require the binutils version already present on your system. This will result in a slightly crippled gcc, but mostly it will perform well enough.
This works quite well mostly.
You also have the choice to set prefix so this rpm will install side-by-side without breaking distro rpm (but requires changing name, and some modifications to internal package names). I usually add an environment-module so I can load and unload this gcc as required (similar to how collections work) as part of the rpm (so I add a new dependency).
Normally one should not use a "server" os for development - that's why you have fedora which already comes with latest gcc. I have some particular requirements, but you should really consider using the right tool for the task - rhel/centos to run production apps, fedora to develop those apps etc.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged rhel software-installation gcc or ask your own question.
CentOS 5.8 with gcc 4.4.7 links against libstdc++ 6.0.8. How is it possible?
How do I change the version of GCC that I'm using? Why does GCC still seem to work despite bash telling me the gcc command was not found? | 2019-04-24T18:16:28 | https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/125609/install-latest-gcc-on-rhel-6-x86-64 |
0.999997 | How Do Fish Survive When a Pond Freezes?
Fish that live in a pond are able to survive the winter when the pond freezes because of how they are able to adapt to the drastic changes. When a pond freezes, it never freezes solid. Even when the temperatures drop to well below zero, only so much ice will form on a pond, leaving water beneath it that is about 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. While people cannot survive in such cold conditions for more than minutes because their body temperature would fall rapidly, fish are able to live in water this cold since they are what is known as ectothermic. This means that fish do not control the temperatures of their body; it will be very close to the temperature of the surrounding water. The common term used to describe this is that fish are "cold-blooded."
The metabolic rate of a fish swimming beneath a layer of thick ice in a pond drops well below what it would be in the summer months. As the water grows colder the core temperature of the fish drops as well. Fish slow down in their activity and are not as quick as they are when the water is much warmer. The energy the fish needs to survive is far less in the cold, which is a good thing since there is not the abundance of food available to a fish in the winter under the ice that there is in the summer. Some species that would be found in a typical pond such as catfish, carp, and bass will store as much fat in their body as possible, eating heavily in the summer and autumn so that they have enough reserves to survive the winter. Catfish and eels have been known to bury themselves in the mud at the bottom of a pond and await the return of spring.
Some species of fish will still actively feed on whatever they can find. Perch, crappies, bluegills, trout and pickerel have been able to evolve so that they can raise the temperatures of their body even in cold water, but to maintain this feat they have to eat. Luckily they still do not have to eat as much as they do in the summer, because the amount of baitfish such as minnows has dwindled due to their being eaten at a great rate throughout the summer and fall. Larger fish will eat smaller fish and be able to successfully capture what baitfish are left in the pond, but the smaller species depend on other sources of food. Crappies, pumpkinseeds, perch and bluegills will feast on the immature larvae of the huge variety of aquatic insects that inhabit a pond. These are found in the mud and muck on the bottom. Tiny zooplanktons are also consumed in the winter as they remain active in the cold pond also. When the weather warms up, the tops of weeds that may be trapped in the ice are pulled on as the water makes its way back through the ice and causes it to rise and float. This can pull the weeds out of the mud at their roots and stir up aquatic insects which wind up being easy pickings for hungry fish.
What Is an Eagle's Natural Habitat? | 2019-04-19T10:29:16 | https://goneoutdoors.com/fish-survive-pond-freezes-4886389.html |
0.99775 | Big Brother contestant Jade Goody's observations have kept viewers amused over the 64 days of the reality TV hit.
The 21-year-old dental nurse is the youngest contestant to feature in the UK version of Big Brother.
Some of what she said indicated she had experienced little of life outside her native Bermondsey, south London.
Indeed, her school in nearby Rotherhithe was moved to declare she was not a typical pupil.
But she kept herself at the centre what went on in the house - not least thanks to her brief liaison with fellow housemate PJ Ellis.
Her honesty also ensured she would be held in great affection by many viewers - even if it also guaranteed a harsh ride from the press.
Here is a selection of Jade's more memorable quotes.
Jade asks Spencer if he punts boats on the River Thames.
Spencer: "No, I work in Cambridge."
Jade: "I know I'm from Bermondsey and I know that's London, but where is Cambridge?"
Spencer: "It's in East Anglia."
Jade: "Where's East Angular [sic] though? I thought that was abroad."
"The Union Jack is for all of us, but the St George is just for London, isn't it?"
"I knew Lynne was from Aberdeen but I didn't realise Aberdeen was in Scotland."
"What's asparagus? Do you grow it?"
"I am intelligent, but I let myself down because I can't speak properly or spell."
To PJ after he revealed he knew someone who kept pet peacocks: "You see those things... don't think I'm being daft... but them things that look like eyes, are they their real eyes?"
Jade picks up a photo of PJ on holiday by the sea.
Jade: "Is that where you live?"
Jade: "Have they not got seasides in Birmingham?"
"Jonny, I'm not being tictactical in here"
Tim suggested Jade move to the US, to which she replied: "They do speak English there don't they?"
"It's Mona Lisa who's symmetrical, innit?"
When asked by Big Brother to name two vegetables in the garden: "Strawberries and spuds".
"Rio de Janeiro, ain't that a person?"
"They were trying to use me as an escape goat."
"Do they speak Portuganese in Portugal? I thought Portugal was in Spain."
On the final day, in the garden: "Are they really filming us out here? I look like a state." | 2019-04-18T16:38:50 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2055968.stm |
0.999678 | Is Palestinian-Israeli Peace the Key to Happiness in the Middle East?
Among many Middle East analysts, particularly those of the so-called "realist" school of foreign policy thought, "linkage" is a holy doctrine. It holds that peaceful compromise between Israel and the Palestinians will lead to a generally placid Middle East. But it's a false notion. One of its more famous advocates is Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee to be secretary of defense.
"The core of all challenges in the Middle East remains the underlying Arab-Israeli conflict," Hagel said in 2006. "The failure to address this root cause will allow Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorists to continue to sustain popular Muslim and Arab support -- a dynamic that continues to undermine America's standing in the region and the Governments of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and others, whose support is critical for any Middle East resolution."
As Martin Kramer wrote: "The vocabulary here -- 'core,' 'root cause,' 'underlying' -- is taken from the standard linkage lexicon, which elevates the Arab-Israeli or Palestinian-Israeli conflict to a preeminent status." He continued: "It is this conflict, practically alone, that prompts the rise of terrorists, weakens friendly governments, and makes it impossible for the United States to win Arabs and Muslims over to the good cause."
In his 2008 book, "America: Our Next Chapter," Hagel wrote that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "cannot be looked at in isolation. Like a stone dropped into a placid lake, its ripples extend out farther and farther. Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon feel the effects most noticeably. Farther still, Afghanistan and Pakistan; anything that impacts their political stability also affects the two emerging economic superpowers, India and China."
I would love to hear Hagel's views on this subject today, because his theory of linkage -- and his belief that a Middle East freed from the Israeli-Palestinian dispute would be a "placid lake" -- has been utterly discredited by events. It is, of course, vital to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it is true that some Islamist terrorist groups exploit the conflict as a recruiting tool. But these same terrorists are unalterably opposed to a compromise that would allow two states, Israel and Palestine, to live side by side, because they are opposed to the very existence of Israel. They try to subvert the peace process because they fear it will legitimize the existence of a country they hate.
Never mind this technical detail. The past two years have proved the theory of linkage to be comprehensively false anyway.
Come with me on a quick tour of the greater Middle East. The Syrian civil war? Unrelated to the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. The slow disintegration of Yemen? Unrelated. Chaos and violence in Libya? Unrelated. Chaos and fundamentalism in Egypt? The creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank would not have stopped the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, nor would it have stopped the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Terrorism in Algeria? Unrelated. The Iranian nuclear program? How would the creation of a Palestinian state have persuaded the Iranian regime to cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons? Someone please explain. Sunni-Shiite civil war in Iraq? The unrest in Bahrain? Pakistani havens for al-Qaeda affiliates? All unrelated. | 2019-04-23T04:07:53 | https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/02/is-palestinian-israeli-peace-the-key-to-happiness-in-the-middle-east/272819/ |
0.99914 | There are different types of smoothie like a plain apple smoothie, banana-apple smoothie.
Its nutrition depends upon the type of smoothie we are making. For example - Apple banana smoothie- It has carbohydrates, protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C. Apple blueberry smoothie will also have the same but their amount will be changed.
CALORIES: - It will also depend upon the type of smoothie. Apple banana smoothie- 305, Apple blueberry smoothie- 245, etc.
It is helpful for asthma patients.
It helps in breaking down the cholesterol.
They act as an anti-oxidant. They help to detoxify the liver.
They help in treating diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
They make our bones strong.
Peel the apple. Cut it into ¼ pieces.
Take out the seeds from it.
Put the slices in the juicer or blender.
Put vanilla yoghurt or yoghurt.
Put ice cream according to your choice.
If it is a banana smoothie, put banana. If it is mixed fruit smoothie, put all other fruits.
Put some almonds, cashew, etc.
Add sugar or honey according to taste.
You can put almonds, cashew, cherry etc for decoration. | 2019-04-26T15:53:26 | https://www.hospitalkhoj.com/fruits/apple/smoothie |
0.998613 | which band would it be? and why?
it can't be your favorite band. | 2019-04-25T21:51:03 | https://metalmansion.com/forum/topics/if-you-could-join-any-band |
0.999872 | 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. I am impressed. Food was great and the waiters were polite and efficient. A return visit will be a pleasure at any time. | 2019-04-18T22:56:22 | http://ottawa.ibegin.com/restaurants/chances-r-restaurant |
0.999969 | Donald Trump Donald John TrumpDemocrats' CNN town halls exposed an extreme agenda Buttigieg says he doubts Sanders can win general election Post-Mueller, Trump has a good story to tell for 2020 MORE and Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonDavis: The shocking fact that Mueller never would have accused Trump of a crime Trump says he would challenge impeachment in Supreme Court The Hill's Morning Report - Will Joe Biden's unifying strategy work? MORE appeared at the first presidential forum of the general election cycle on Wednesday and were both forced to play defense as they tried to convince veterans and voters why they deserve to be in charge of the military.
Each had just 30 minutes to field questions from moderator Matt Lauer and veterans in the audience, who wasted no time pressing the candidates on their former and current stances on military and veterans issues, national security and past controversies.
A decade and a half after her vote to authorize the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Clinton is still working to repair her standing among liberals who view her foreign policy positions as a relic from the Bush years.
In a room full of veterans — many of whom served in Iraq — Clinton reiterated that her vote to authorize the Iraq War was a mistake and that she would be more cautious going forward.
“I view force as a last resort, not a first choice,” Clinton said.
Clinton vowed never to return U.S. troops to Iraq and said she would also not put boots on the ground to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Still, Clinton flashed her hawkish side in defending the Obama administration’s decision to intervene militarily in Libya. Clinton, who was secretary of State at the time, described it as a successful operation that protected many Libyans from their murderous dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.
“We were able to save lives, we did not lose a single American in that action,” Clinton said.
Clinton also highlighted work she had done with two of the most influential foreign policy hawks in Congress, Sens. John McCain John Sidney McCainWhy did Mueller allow his investigation to continue for two years? If you don't think illegal immigrants are voting for president, think again 10 factors making Russia election interference the most enduring scandal of the Obama era MORE (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamKushner saying immigration plan will be 'neutral' on legal admissions: report Africa's women can change a continent: Will Ivanka give them her full support? If you don't think illegal immigrants are voting for president, think again MORE (R-S.C.), on veterans issues.
During the primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersDemocrats' CNN town halls exposed an extreme agenda Buttigieg says he doubts Sanders can win general election Meghan McCain: Bernie Sanders supporting prisoners being able to vote 'bats**t insane' MORE (I-Vt.) repeatedly hammered Clinton for supporting the Iraq War, calling it “the worst foreign policy blunder” of the modern era.
While Clinton has been able to accumulate support from close to 90 percent of all Democrats, according to polls, there remains a wary contingent of progressives who may never give her a look, and some of her major foreign policy choices may continue to work against her among that bloc.
Clinton has been dogged by controversies surrounding her use of a private email server for more than a year now and has had to respond to questions about it in essentially every interview she’s done since.
But Clinton still does not have a strong response to the seemingly endless drip of news surrounding her use of the server and often takes a meandering path in explaining what she did that appears to leave her twisting in the wind and failing to satisfy voters.
On Wednesday night, NBC anchor Matt Lauer grilled Clinton on the issue and then ceded the floor to a military veteran who did the same.
Clinton has the first part down — she acknowledges the mistake and expresses regret.
But then she got lost in explaining the intricacies of the State Department’s communication system with an answer that has a long wind-up and a confusing finish.
“You know and I know, classified material is designated, it is marked, there is a header so there is no dispute at all that what is being communicated to or from someone who has that access is marked classified,” Clinton said.
The email issue will continue to haunt Clinton for as long as there are new revelations — like the email exchange with former Secretary of State Colin Powell released during the presidential forum — or until she can find a way to put it to bed herself.
Trump insists he has a secret plan to defeat ISIS, and he's not saying what it is because he doesn't want to "broadcast" his intentions to the enemy.
A young man in the audience asked the GOP nominee what his plan was for the day after he defeats ISIS. Trump didn't directly answer the question and so the host, Lauer, tried to corner Trump on what his plan was for beating ISIS in the first place.
Lauer said, "Yesterday you actually told us a little about your plan. In your speech you said, 'We're going to convene my top generals and they will have 30 days to submit a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS.' So, is the plan you've been hiding this whole time asking someone else for their plan?"
"No," Trump replied. "But when I do come up with a plan that I like and that perhaps agrees with mine or maybe doesn't. I may love what the generals come back with."
"But you have your own plan?" Lauer asked.
Trump replied, "I have a plan. But I don't want — look — I have a very substantial chance of winning ... if I win, I don't want to broadcast to the enemy exactly what my plan is."
Whatever efforts Trump has made so far to moderate his message and appeal to leaders of the Republican foreign policy establishment were largely blown apart on Wednesday night.
Trump refused to back away from Vladimir Putin, despite the Russian president's almost enemy status among mainstream Republicans.
"You know the beautiful part of getting along?" Trump said. "Russia wants to defeat ISIS as badly as we do. If we had a relationship with Russia, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could work on it together and knock the hell out of ISIS?"
Trump described Putin as a leader who had "strong" control over his country, but he had tougher words for the U.S. generals serving under the current commander in chief.
“The generals under Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaChina, Russia, Iran rise in Latin America as US retreats Castro wants to follow Obama's lead on balancing presidency with fatherhood Trump's regulatory rollback boosts odds of a financial crisis MORE and Hillary Clinton have not been successful,” Trump said.
Clinton and Trump both believe they have it and the other lacks it.
“The main thing is I have great judgment,” Trump declared in response to a question about why the nation can trust him as commander in chief.
And when asked about the most important qualities a commander in chief can have, Clinton said: “Temperament and judgment."
Trump has argued that Clinton’s email controversy is evidence she lacks the judgment to be president.
Clinton is busy making the case that Trump is erratic and dangerous. One group supporting her presidential bid is running ads warning that Trump will lead the nation into a nuclear war.
For the two most unpopular major party nominees of all time, it’s a race to define the other as lacking the steadiness to lead. | 2019-04-25T04:33:27 | https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/294932-5-takeaways-from-trump-and-clintons-military-forum |
0.995793 | What dates were the Talmuds and Midrashes written?
Can we prove what dates in history these texts were written?
Also, do we know exactly when the various Rabbis of these texts lived? What are those dates? Are there disputes about this?
Further, which historical records and artifacts are used to corroborate these dates? Are there any good books written on the topic?
There can be various practical applications for Jewish law if we know exactly when these texts were written. For example, if the Yerushalmi was written around the same time as the Bavli, then we may be able to rule like it against the Bavli, because Klal Yisrael didn't have a chance to disprove the Yerushalmi and make a final ruling whether the Bavli is the final word in halacha.
There are some general understandings on these things. The Yerushalmi is believed to be completed by Rabbi Yochanan, Reish Lakish, and their peers around the year 350; the Bavli, by Ravina and Rav Ashi (and one generation past them), around the year 500. We generally follow the Bavli as it had the time to consider the Yerushalmi, then supersede it.
There is very little room for doubt as for when the Bavli was compiled and written. It was obviously before the Geonim. We have multiple early Rishonim with no geographic connection, all referring to the Talmud and Geonim. We have the Geonim referencing the Talmud before them.
We have Rav Ashi mentioning the king Izgor or Yezdejerd (Izdegerdes)(p.185) which is about the year 400 so we know it is after that and it is pretty obviously before Mohammad.
But mainly, we have a chain that goes back. It is not something we have out of no place. We know exactly when the Rambam, Rashi, Rabbenu Tam, Rav Hai Gaon were. They were as aware of those before them.
As for the Yerushalmi, there wasn't much Torah in Eretz Yisroel by the end of the Talmudic period. The very early Rishonim tell us that it was compiled much earlier than the Bavli. Compiled doesn't mean written, though.
Regardless, we are students of the Babylonian Yeshivos and Geonim. It was the Geonim of Bavel who sent responsa all around. And it was from Bavel com where the original teachers and disseminators of Torah originated.
Very often, probably most often, history and direct chains are a more reliable source of knowledge than spoons and toys we dig up.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged history talmud-gemara midrash text proof-of-torah .
Qumran - Proof or Genizah for Errors?
Were there any Tanaim in Bavel?
When were these fasts observed? | 2019-04-19T13:10:43 | https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/65235/what-dates-were-the-talmuds-and-midrashes-written |
0.999645 | Q: Sometimes what I read on the site does not agree with other sites, or what other collectors tell me, or what I read in books. What should I believe?
A: It is often difficult to locate primary sources for determining how vintage pens were originally made and marketed. At the same time, few collectors take the time to study old catalogs and advertisements for themselves, and fewer still have handled enough pens to be able to fill in the many gaps in the documentary record. As a result, a large body of pen lore has arisen, most of which derives its authority simply by having been repeated over and over without ever being checked or questioned. This situation was confusing enough when the main reference sources were books, most of which largely repeated the same old material; with the rise of the Internet, the rate of confusion has accelerated sharply, as new collectors turn first to online forums dominated by collectors only a little more experienced than they.
So how do we know any better? Formal training in historical research helps: it breeds a healthy skepticism about hearsay, and a drive to trace facts back to their sources. We've spent countless hours poring over original records relating to pens and penmaking. Interpretative skills and book learning would count for little, though, without the experience of handling literally tens of thousands of pens over a period of years -- and, crucially, pens fresh to the market, straight out of estates and old accumulations. Such experience is now becoming increasingly difficult to come by, as the number of fresh finds diminishes and the number of "improved" pieces in circulation grows. | 2019-04-22T06:28:52 | http://vintagepens.com/siteFAQ/tobelieve.shtml |
0.999931 | Eastern european brides reviews, who are they?
In Eastern Europe, the face of the "Lovetopping", representing enlarging number of Eastern European pretty young brides, has dark brown eyes, honey colored hair. Or/and blue eyes with dark hair. Typically Eastern European, she's named Anna, Natalia or/and Oksana, she's around 20-28 y.o. She has university knowledge, subdued Europe elegance. She's stylish in sophisticated, West Europe course, boasting slender figure - seems made for tiny black miniskirt. Lady speaks flawless West Europe with slight Russian accent. So, wait a second! No, that last observation wasn't fault. Anna, Natalia or/and Oksana (or/and Svetlana or/and Tatiana) has married West Europe gentleman she encountered in east Europe, right now makes her home place in Catania or/and Palermo. She's piece of virtual tidal wave of overseas girls- particularly east Europeans- in West Europe all about to radically change balance of the sexes (genders) in West Europe public, where girls constitute slight majority (all about fifty percent) of the population. So, in stark contrast, any of the relatively some overseas gentlemen who marry West Europe girls decide to dwell in West Europe, choosing alternatively to revert to their home place countries of the world with their new West Europe brides- tendency date from the enough time of the infamous women who emigrated with their US husbands quickly following the Second W.War, when 1000's of Eastern European pretty young girls wed soldiers they encountered in 1944 to escape terrible poverty at home place.
That phenomenon deprived some Eastern European gentlemen of the possibility to marry many of a lot of hott regional girls. This enough time it is the West Europe gentlemen who're reaping the harvest of desirable overseas spouses, it's made many West Europe girls angry as may be. Now, nearly almost all of the immigrants to West Europe who wed West Europeans, remain here're girls from east Europe, some are remarkably well- educated compared to their West Europe sisters, surely compared to typical English nanny in Eastern Europe. 1 can't generalise certain trends may be identified. Some pretty young Romanian girls, for example, work in West Europe as housekeepers, whilst important number of Czech girls work in amusement-related fields. Enlarging number of West Europe gentlemen seem to search those overseas girls much more hott or/and appealing than regional women, in some cases social circumstances appear to be as very important as aesthetic ones. (West Europe, after almost all, has its fair share of cute girls.) This takes 2 to tango, the tendency is partially explained by the willingness of well- educated, hott east Europe girls to search greater lives in "The West." Even Eastern Europe, with its frighteningly high rate of unemployment, is preferable to many impoverished regions of the former USSR. For a lot of the girls we communicated with, West Europe gentlemen themselves weren't particularly alluring attractiveness compared to American people or/and anybody else. This simply so happens that immigration into West Europe, with its soft borders, lax immigration policies, is far simpler than getting visa to enter the USA or/and CA. Some overseas girls initially enter West Europe illegally. Many Eastern European gentlemen believe that new immigrants are less snobbish or/and dubious than girls who've grown up in places like Catania or/and Palermo. Having experienced much more serious hardships at home place, they seem less realistic, "spoiled" or/and superficial. Firstly, this sounds like elementary subjective bias, similar statements might be defended based on the suggestion that other social norms, living conditions prevail in other places. What is clear is that the opporunity to court much more adaptable, less demanding overseas lady is powerful temptation that might leave some Eastern European girls husbandless.
There're numerous stories circulating of irate regional girls who've lost boyfriends, even husbands, to hott overseas women. As the Czech Republic, other countries of the world join the Europe Union, simpler legal immigration means that even much more overseas girls will very soon be entering West Europe every year, depleting the number of eligible girls in these countries of the world whilst increasing the number in West Europe. As employment options are limited even for West Europe girls, this is clear that marriage 1 of the prime motives behind this kind of immigration, though some Albanian, Czech girls work in northern West Europe as prostitutes (really legal occupation in West Europe). Immigration for marriage is very hardly "balanced" when overwhelming majority of immigrants're girls. Web space dating, the increasing knowledge of international English (the world's a lot of very important language) by younger West Europeans, makes searching overseas partner simpler than ever. It is no longer unusual to see regional gentleman with Slavic lady in trendy bistro or/and tender bar off ViaLiberta, Palermo's stylish, tree-lined prime street. A lot of the girls in this overseas "invasion" are east Europeans, there's increasing, if far less obvious, presence of north African, Scandinavian girls married to Eastern European gentlemen. It is almost as though those Eastern European gentlemen were rediscovering their remote Arab or/and Norman roots. The influx of east Europe women is too latest phenomenon for any "scientific" conclusions to be drawn all about the permanence of those marriages or/and their wider impact on Eastern European real life. Clearly, many overseas girls married (in Eastern Europe) to East Europeans have been much more fortunate than others. US girls married to Eastern European gentlemen report larger incidence of marital problems, some resulting in annulment of marriage. The novelty or/and prestige of being married to cute blonde outlander (not that almost all overseas women are blondes blondness is obsession with some Eastern European gentlemen) does not permanently translate into enduring close relationship. What is certain is that perceptions've changed since the 50s, when Emily penned her very Victorian Females in Eastern Europe. In reviews, love has no universal pattern, this knows no geographic boundaries. Persons usually have at least ordinary suggestion of what they search, or/and don't search, in their hypothetically "ideal" mate. With that in mind, we asked some Eastern European gentlemen how, after years of date West Europe women, they so easy fell in love with overseas ones. You can be shocked at many of their direct, if slightly opinionated, observations. | 2019-04-25T12:47:50 | http://lovetopping.net/eastern-european-brides-reviews.html |
0.999999 | Headphone 'burn-in': Fact or fantasy?
A lot of audiophiles believe headphones sound better after a few weeks of use than they do when they're brand-new.
Most of my audiophile friends believe that headphones (and speakers and electronics) sound better after the first 100 hours of use than they do when they're brand-new. When I'm doing high-end product reviews I leave the "burn-in, break-in" question up to the manufacturer. If the company's reps claim their product won't sound its best until it has a solid month of use, I'll request a unit with enough hours on it that I can start working on the review right away. If the manufacturer scoffs at the very idea of burn-in, I start my serious listening immediately.
Audiophiles don't agree on exactly how long headphone break-in should take, and opinions range from 10 hours to many hundreds of hours. AKG's K 701 full-size headphones are "notorious" for sounding lifeless straight out of the box. The word on the audiophile street is they need 300 hours of break-in.
I believe headphones' sound "matures" over time, and I recently had the chance to compare a brand-new set of Etymotic ER-4PT in-ear headphones with my 10-year-old ER-4Ps. I felt the older set was "slightly more 'relaxed' and more laid-back in its tonal balance." The two models have identical specifications, and yet they sounded different. So beyond the burn-in question, maybe headphones "wear" over time?
I called upon a local (Brooklyn, N.Y.) headphone manufacturer, Grado Labs' John Grado, to weigh in about burn-in, and he said, "All mechanical things need break-in." He did not recommend leaving headphones playing continuously for a few days to hasten the process. He recommends using new headphones as you normally would, and after 50 hours or so the sound will be all it can be.
I imagine some of you must be wondering if anyone has ever tested and measured the effects of headphone burn-in, and luckily enough Inner Fidelity's Tyll Hertsens has done just that. Better yet, he measured a brand-new AKG 701 (specifically, it was the Quincy Jones Q701), and that's the model that so many audiophiles cite as notorious for its need for burn-in. So Hertsens measured them, starting after they had 5 minutes of use; then 25 minutes; 1 hour; 2 hours; 5 hours; 10 hours; 20 hours; 40 hours; 65 hours; and finally at the 90-hour mark.
I'll cut to the chase: Hertsens definitely found small changes in the AKG headphones' measured frequency response, and you can see evidence of that in the many graphs in his article. Even so, when I talked with Hertsens after the article was published he still had major reservations about the burn-in question. He thinks that some aspects of burn-in can be attributed to owners getting used to the sound of their new headphones, and that makes sense to me. Measurements are, as always, open to interpretation. Hertsens measures headphones in his reviews, and I had a million questions about how he does that. There's a lot more to learn about Inner Fidelity's mission, and I'll cover that in greater detail in another post soon.
Discuss: Headphone 'burn-in': Fact or fantasy? | 2019-04-21T05:07:55 | https://www.cnet.com/news/headphone-burn-in-fact-or-fantasy/ |
0.999925 | ይህ አካሄድ ሁለት ዓይነት ጉዳት ያመጣል፡፡ በመጀመርያ ፈጠራን ያጠፋል፡፡ ሰዎች እንደ ነዳይ ቋጠሮ ከዚህም ከዚያም ቃርመው፣ ገለባብጠው እና አገላብጠው፣ በሰው የጥበብ ሀብት የሚያድጉ ከሆነ ለምን ይፈጥራሉ? ለምንስ አዲስ ነገር ለማግኘት ይተጋሉ፡፡ አንዱን ከቦሌ አንዱን ከባሌ፣ አንዱን ከመቀሌ፣ሌላውን ከሞያሌ ገጣጥመው፤ አዲስ ሥራ አስመስለው በማቅረብ ከለፋው በላይ የሚያገኙ ከሆነ ልፋት ለምናቸው?
Dani, kesir degmo masatem aygebam yemilew ''link'' maregin mechem aykelekilim aydel? malet face book lay linkun metkes ena linkun teketlo anbabi blogun bianebew min kifat alew? kechalk bitmelisilign.
አትስረቅ የሚለው ህግ ሲሻር-ከሰማያዊው ቅጣት ባሻገር የሚያመጣው ምድራዊ መዘዝ!
እኔ ግን እኚህ ሰው ትልቅ የዶክትሬት ድግሪ እንደሰሩ ነው የምረዳው:: ለምን መሰለህ በስምንተኛው ሺህ ተሳስቻለሁ ድግሪአችሁን ተቀበሉኝ ማለትኮ ልዩ ግኝት ነው:: ግን ችግሩ "እሰይ ደግ ሠራህ፧ እፁብ ድንቅ ግኝት" ብሎ የሚያረጋግጥላቸው አልተገኘም እንጂ:: ምን እንከን ይወጣዋል አሁን ይሄ ድግሪ?
Beka yehe newe lehelina menore malete. Bewente ministru talake sewe nachewe .. bezuochachen tefatachen mamene be sewe fete yekedenale. Yegane Gudayema "Bete yekuterew". .
Thank you Dani.It is very interesting that 'Adyam Seged Eyasu asked Atse Zara Ya'kob permission to name Gonder Selassie Debre Birhan,that the people told Eyasu Zara Ya'ekob had named a place so in Shewa before him, and that Eyasu asked permission from the 'Atse'.
This is very interesting.You mean that Eyasu did not commit plagiarism not only because he was loyal but also because his people had information about things said and done at different places. Let's follow their footsteps-the Eyasu, writers, the people, readers and critics.
Thank you Dani. You told us that writers, as Eyasu gave gold to Zara Ya'ekob, must acknowledge people from whom they take information.
Thank you once more, and may God give us the courage to acknowledge our forefathers.
Dn Daniel, we thank you very much for your criticism. You told us that Eyasu asked Zara Ya'ekob permission for the name Debre Birhan, only a phrase.
How many times should we acknowledge our forefathers for the many things we received from them?
How many times should we acknowledge our forefathers from whom we took both material and spiritual possessions, Dani?
Truly teachable for those who listen.
ለምሳሌ ቻይና በጣም ፈጣን ባቡር ከፈረንሳይ እገዛለው ብላ ብዙ ኢንጅነሮቿን ለስልጠና ብላ ወደ ፈረንሳይ ላከች ከጥቂት ጊዜ በሃላ ተመሳሳይ የወነ ፈጣን ባቡር ሰርታ አወጣች። እንዲያሁም ጃፓን እንኳን ለብዙ ዘመናት ከምራባውያን ኮፒ አድርጋ እያሻሻለች ለዚህ ስልጣኔ እንደበቃች የሚያቱ አሉ፡፤ Plagiarism ሰፋ ያለ ትርጉም ብኖርዉም፤ የለላውን ኮፒ በማድረግ ደርጃ አገርንና እራስን መጥቀም በዚህ ዘመን ተስፋፍቶ የሚገኝ ጉዳይ ነው። በነገራችን ልይ የFacebook ባለቤት እንኳን የሎችን ሃሳብ ሰርቆነው ይባላል። የPlagiarism ሌላ መልኩ ደግሞ industrial espionage ብዙ አገሮችንና ድርጅቶችንን በጣም እያሳሰበ ያለ ጉዳን ነው። የብዙ አገር ሰላዪች ጊዜአቸውን በዋናነት የሚያውሉት የአገራቸውን ኢኮኖሚ ለመጠበቅ ነው እንጂ የተቃዋሚ ፓርቲ መሪ/አባል/ የት ገባ የት ወጣ በማለት አይደለም። በአሁኑ ጊዜ ጨርታ ለማሸነፍ አገሮች እና ካምፓኒዎች ጨረታ ያወጣውን ወገን መረጃ አንዲት ሳትቀር በማወቅ ጨረታውን ለማሸነፍ የማያዳግም ጥረት መተለያየ መንገድ ያደርጋሉ። የእኛ አገር ደርጅቶች ጨርታ ሲያወጡ እነሱ የሰሩት የዋጋ ዘርዝር በውጭ አገር ድርጅቶች ተሰርቆ ጨርታውን ለማሸነፍ ሊተቀሙበት እንደለሚችሉ አቀው ምን ያህል አንደሚጠነቀኩ እነርሱ ያወቁታል!! ለምሳሌ አንድ ነገር ብጠቅስ በዚህ http://www.scribd.com/doc/43400771/Managerial-for-Ceo ገብታቹ ብታዩ የመብራት ሃይል ሰራተኞች ስማቸው፤ ጾታ፡ የስራቸው መደብ በ 62 ገጽ ተዘርዝሮ ይገኛል። ይህ መረጃ ማን እንድተቀምበት ነው በኢንተርነት የተለቀቀው??
የቴክኖሎጂ ኩረጃ ግን ለሀገር ዕድገት ከሆነ ብንቀጥልበትስ?
ይህ ጉዳይ እኛ አገር ቢመጣ እኮ የዩኒቨርሲቲ ምሁራን ብቻ አይደሉም የተሰጣቸውን የትምህረት ደረጃ (ዲግሪ፣ ማስተርስ….) የሚመልሱት ዘፋኞቻችንም ዘፈኖቻቸውን ይመልሱ ነበር፡፡ዘፋኞች ግጥሞችን ከገጣሚያን ከፍ ባለ ገንዘብ ይገዙና ልክ እንደራሳቸው ግጥም በራሳቸው ስም ግጥም እና ዜማ እገሌ ብለው የራሳቸውን ስም ያወጣሉ…..የሚገርመው እኮ ዘፋኞች ብቻ አይደሉም ግጥም የሚገዙት አገሪቷ አሉኝ የምትላቸው ገጣሚያንም ጭምር እንጂ…..እኔ እንኳን በቅርበት ከማውቀው ገጣሚ ይወስዱና የማውቀውን ግጥም በሌላ ሰው ስም ወጥቶ አየዋለሁ……አሁን እንደው ማን ይሙት እስከዛሬ ግጥም እና ዜማ ደርሰው የማያውቁት ዘፋኞቻችን ከቅርብ ጊዜ ወዲህ የሲዲያቸው መሸፈኛ ላይ ግጥም እኛ ዜማ ብለው የራሳቸውን ስም የሚጽፉት በሰላም ነው ትላላችሁ? እንደው ደረሱ እንኳን ቢባል ሙሉውን?…….ይሉኝታ የሚባል ነገር እንኴን የለም እንዴ?.....ታድያ እንኳን ጀርመን አልሆናችሁ አያሰኝም ዳኒ?
ychi enkua antenim timeleketalech. Be carful.
The Ethiopian intellectuals agreed to give a unique name for our beloved writer Laureate Tsgeay G/Medigin's style of poem as it can’t be categorized on the most common poetic styles of Ethiopian literature calling it “የፀጋዬ ቤት”. I am for one, hoping someone would study your style of writing more and classify it as “የዳኤል ቤት” or something in recognition of your contribution to modern Ethiopian literature and thought.
My comment is directly related to the core idea of the article above i.e. plagiarism. Few weeks ago I was listening to your recorded sermons. On couple of occasions you failed to mention, at least, just in a single sentence, that you borrowed the idea and some of it word for word including the examples cited and even the title of the sermons and the bible verses. The sermons in question are “የስው ልጅ ድሕነት በቅጽበት ውይስ በሂደት” (posted on www.tewahedo.org) which mirrors H.H. Pope Shenouda III book “The Heresy of Salvation in a Moment” and ‘ደቀ መዝሙርነት” (sold in a compilation 10 of your sermons from MK under the title ድምፀ ተዋሕዶ) which mirrors the book by His Holiness entitled “Discipleship”. I listened to both sermons to make sure that I didn’t miss out the citation but that didn’t happed. I don’t know whether citation of the original author of the sermons was not appropriate under the circumstances involved or we don’t need to do that for religious teachings as they all are inspired by the Holly Spirit. If that is the case I would love to hear back from you. If your sermon makes me think one of your articles about plagiarism under the title: ሚኒስትሩ ሰርቀው about the defense minister of Germany, I thought you should know about it. | 2019-04-25T02:18:42 | http://www.danielkibret.com/2011/03/blog-post_15.html |
0.999973 | In evaluating the proposed rulings approved by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on June 27, 2000, I have concluded it boils down to one issue - Independence. As a Certified Public Accountant who has served both in the public and industry arenas, I agree that independence is the foremost building block of the accounting profession. I also agree that independence should be upheld in fact and appearance by all CPAs in public practice to ensure the integrity and objectivity of the profession are held in tact. However, I do not agree with the substance or the intent of the proposed legislation and consider there to be significant flaws in the mindset of the SEC regarding the issues at hand.
The SEC is attempting to strong-arm the accounting profession by attaching two very complex issues in the same piece of legislation: non-audit services and auditors' financial interests in their clients. In addition, in each of the last 10 annual reports to Congress, the SEC has not mentioned any concerns about the scope of service issue which would lead one to believe that the SEC has waited until the eleventh hour of the Clinton Administration to push through such a radical rule to restructure the accounting profession without Congressional oversight and public participation. The SEC has also limited the response period to 75 days - this is ludicrous considering the far-reaching and sweeping changes of the complex proposal.
1) Has a problem been identified regarding the performance of non-audit services?
2) What authority allows the SEC to mandate such changes regarding non-audit services?
Regarding the first question, the Panel on Audit Effectiveness of the Public Oversight Board (a panel that was formed at the request of the SEC) has concluded that, "both the profession and the quality of audits are fundamentally sound." The panel said it could find no evidence that the provision of non-audit services has hurt audit quality. On the contrary, it concluded that in numerous instances non-audit services contributed to a more effective audit. In fact, even the SEC admits that there is no empirical evidence that non-audit services have compromised audit quality or auditor independence, nor ever caused an audit failure. None of the studies or reports cited by the SEC concluded that the scope of services impaired audit effectiveness, or that an exclusionary ban was necessary or appropriate. Again, my question is where is the problem?
Regarding the second question, the proposed rule, in my opinion, is based primarily, if not entirely, on alleged concerns relating to the "appearance of independence" - but not independence in fact. The statutory provisions cited by the SEC in the proposed rule pertain to public companies' filing of financial statements that have been audited by independent accountants and do not expressly authorize the SEC to make rules governing or regulating directly the accounting profession itself. The SEC does not have statutory authority to impose restrictions because of possible perceptions about independence.
As a CPA working in a family owned business, I have two concerns regarding this proposed rule. First, I feel the proposed rule would set a precedent for other regulators and would be viewed as the new model by state boards of accountancy, as well as federal (e.g., banking and ERISA) and other regulators. Ultimately, all businesses, regardless of size, will be subject to the sweeping changes. Second, as a result of the precedent, my freedom of choice when seeking outside professional services would be restricted. The SEC should not have the ability or authority to control the market place for the selection of service providers.
In conclusion, the SEC's proposal to restrict the services offered by accounting firms represents a fundamental restructuring of a profession that has successfully given investors reliable, independent data they need for the past century. This scope of services rule must not be allowed to go forward! | 2019-04-24T20:34:52 | https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s71300/holland1.htm |
0.999906 | is it written anywhere who should start?
There isn't a real advantage in being first in this game. Because of probabilities any advantage seems to mitigate over the course of the game.
While I agree the game isn't broken, I have seen cases where clearly the first player has an advantage.
Let's say they roll at 4/5 on their first turn.
They mark the 4/5 and everyone debates whether to mark the 4 but most take a pass.
The next roller rolls a 6 and everyone else takes a pass but for the first player this is perfect. And so now the first player has 7/8/9 available to them that pretty much no one else has and they can run away with the game.
I'm not saying first player will win all the time, it's dice after all, but I do think they have a slight advantage.
We tried doing a Zig Zag (can't think of the name) turn order where the first player goes first and then when it's the last players turn, they take a 2nd turn immediately after and the turn order reverses. Seemed to work pretty well.
It's a dice game, so how about everybody rolls two dice and the highest total goes first?
I can see what you mean, but the opposite can also be true, player one rolls 4/5 all other players pass, then the next player rolls 2 or 3 and something else.
If the first round is that much of a deal breaker (which I don't think it is), then I can't see how your variant can help mitigate that, if anything, it adds options to the player who had the very first roll as they get one more turn before it's their turn again to try and maximise on their very first decision.
I feel the starting player is at a DISadvantage, since they are forced to make a mark or take a penalty.
Now the starting player has to mark either an 8 or a 7 on a row, which is a crappy starting mark (or -5 points for a mis-throw)!
So we see good points for both sides... the game is really fine as it is. | 2019-04-20T13:45:39 | https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1602661/starting-player |
1 | Sen. Al Franken is being accused by a seventh woman who alleges he tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006 in the studio of his radio show, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Although these instances all allegedly happened before Franken joined the senate, the mounting allegations against him add to the growing problem of high-profile men abusing their power and sexually harassing women. And he joins the numerous sitting lawmakers and candidates who are facing similar allegations.
Context: Franken told Politico “this allegation is categorically not true," but fellow Democrat Rep. John Conyers resigned just yesterday after facing similar allegations of sexual misconduct.
The details: The woman was in her 20s when the incident allegedly happened, and she is a former Democratic congressional aide. She told Politico she was trying to leave the radio studio when she turned around to find Franken right behind her. “He was between me and the door and he was coming at me to kiss me. It was very quick and I think my brain had to work really hard to be like 'Wait, what is happening?' But I knew whatever was happening was not right and I ducked," she told Politico. “I was really startled by it and I just sort of booked it towards the door and he said, 'It's my right as an entertainer.'" | 2019-04-26T11:17:17 | https://www.axios.com/seventh-woman-accuses-al-franken-of-sexual-misconduct-1512569805-8622c52b-9fe6-48fe-96a8-d306d23adaa8.html |
0.999999 | How does closed-captioning - the dialogue that appears on a television screen to assist the hearing-impaired in their quest to be as dumb-downed as the rest of us - work for live broadcasts? I understand how it would be no problem for a pre-recorded show, like a History Channel narrative or a prime-time sitcom. But when I watch local news or a sports broadcast, for example, I notice a considerable delay between hearing the words and seeing them appear on-screen. Even then, many words are misspelled, and sometimes words or even whole sentences are missing. Is this done with some kind of not-yet-quite-perfect voice-recognition technology, or is some poor schlep furiously typing away at a keyboard in some dark closet at the station? Such a person would receive my sympathy (not that there's any reward in that). The job seems second only to air traffic controllers for stress!
First, a little background. Closed captioning was first introduced in 1971. Originally, the National Standards Bureau (now known as NIST) wanted to embed a time stamp from the Boulder, Colorado atomic clock in television signals, but the idea was abandoned. The ABC network thought that a modification of the proposed scheme could be used to carry captions, i.e., a typed transcript of the show’s audio, which hearing-impaired users could decode using a special set-top box. This was considered an improvement over the alternative, an inset picture of someone transcribing the audio using sign language, as was done from time to time. By 1980 CBS, ABC, NBC and PBS were all broadcasting at least some programming with closed captions. In 1990 the Television Decoder Circuitry Act required that all TV sets built for sale in the U.S. with screens 13 inches or larger have a built-in closed caption decoder. These days almost every program on TV has closed captions.
The closed caption system uses a part of the television sync signal (that odd-looking black bar that you see when the picture “rolls”) called line 21. The black bar is necessary because the set needs to turn the electron gun(s) off and return the beam to the top left of the screen before it starts drawing the next frame. The brief period during which the screen is black is called the vertical blanking interval. Since the set isn’t doing anything else during this time, a portion of the blanking interval can be used to carry information. In the NSB’s original scheme, that would have been time data. In the captioning system, it’s the captions.
So, they must have some pretty fast typists doing this, huh? Yes and no. The captions for prerecorded programming are prepared before the broadcast. The typists can take their time using a regular computer keyboard. They may pause, restart or even rewind the program they are transcribing to improve accuracy.
Live broadcasts, such as the nightly news, are a different story. Live closed captions are done in real time by a trained stenographer using a court reporter’s machine modified for closed captioning. The machine permits the stenographer to transcribe the spoken word a syllable at a time. Accuracy can suffer depending on operator experience, the voice quality and enunciation of the speaker being transcribed, and the overall audio quality. A stenographer who starts to lag behind may skip words or even whole phrases in order to catch up. Miskeys often cause “garbage” characters to appear in the captions, and misunderstandings of what was said can lead to odd-looking spellings or turns of phrase, often with humorous results. FellowSDSTAFF er C. K. Dexter Haven says that during the 2000 presidential campaign he saw a caption describing George Bush as the "Republican canned bait."
Someday voice-recognition software may take over during live broadcasts, but currently such software is notoriously unreliable, particularly in situations involving multiple speakers with a wide range of voices, accents and inflections. For now, the job falls to skilled men and women working tirelessly behind the scenes to make TV enjoyable – or at least comprehensible – for millions of hearing-impaired viewers. My hat’s off to them. | 2019-04-26T06:49:18 | http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2138/how-does-closed-captioning-work/ |
0.999969 | What Are the Different Uses for Talcum Powder?
Talcum powder can be found in baby powder.
Some rubber gloves have talcum powder inside to make putting them on easier.
Talcum powder may help prevent sores from developing on people who are bed-ridden.
Talcum powder is used in eye shadow and other cosmetics.
Talcum powder, also known as magnesium silicate, is made from finely-ground stone particles. It is used in various types of applications, including beauty products, baby products and household deodorizing. It is most well-known for its absorbency and protective qualities as baby powder, a skin-drying product that is not only used on babies, but people of all ages.
Sprinkling talcum powder on stubborn knots and tangles — including tangled necklaces and shoestrings — can help them to come apart easier. This powder can be used to keep ants away from homes as well as fix squeaky floorboards. It also can be used to remove greasy carpet stains by sprinkling it on the stain and letting it absorb the grease for several hours. To remove fresh blood stains, talcum powder and water can be mixed to make a paste and applied to the stain. The paste should be allowed to dry, then be brushed away.
This mineral is also used in cosmetics, such as eye-shadow and lipstick. It is also used in other beauty processes, including freshening hair overdue for a wash. After using a cosmetic brush to dab the powder on the hair's roots, it should be brushed out. The powder will give hair a clean look by absorbing excess oil. The same treatment will also work on a dog's fur, but the ear, mouth and eye areas should be avoided.
Removing stubborn sand from feet, hair and clothing can be expedited with help from talcum powder. By rubbing it on the feet and into hair and sprinkling it on clothing and towels, the sand will typically fall away. Putting on rubber gloves also can be made easier by lightly dusting the hands with powder before inserting them into the gloves.
The smell inside moldy books can be eliminated by sprinkling the mineral between the pages and letting it set for several hours. Playing cards can also be freshened up with it. The cards can be placed in a bag with some powder and shaken up. This will absorb any oil from fingerprints on the cards.
Talcum powder is best known for its effectiveness in preventing skin from chaffing due to heat, moisture or friction. It is used successfully to prevent sores from developing on bed-ridden people by forming a thin barrier to keep skin from becoming raw from constant contact or rubbing on bed sheets. To make a bed seem cooler for sleeping, sheets can be sprinkled with powder.
What are the Different Types of Personal Hygiene Products?
How can I Deal with Oily Hair?
Are baby powder and talcum powder basically the same thing? I always thought they were, except the baby powder had a nice fresh baby scent to it.
I don't mind that baby scent and have used baby powder for a lot of things. Once I knew I was only going to be living in a place for a few months, so didn't unpack all of my things.
Most of my books were stored in cardboard boxes in the basement for several months. When I was ready to unpack them, they smelled moldy and musty, and were a little damp. I wondered if I would ever get that smell out of them.
the books, and sprinkled them with baby powder. After that I set them upright and let them air out for awhile. I did this outside so it wasn't so much of a mess.
When I was ready to store my books again I shook away any remaining powder, and they smelled so much better than they did when I took them out of the boxes.
I love to garden, and years ago a friend shared a tip with me for using talcum powder with my garden bulbs.
I buy the medicated powder, and shake some talcum powder in a plastic bag along with some garden bulbs before planting. I guess on the amount, and just make sure there is enough powder to give them a light coating.
Now my bulbs are ready to plant and the medicated powder helps keep the bulbs dry and prevent rot. This is especially helpful in the spring when it is quite rainy.
It also helps deter some of the garden pests like moles and grubs. It won't work for all garden pests, but I really notice a difference if I take the time to do this before planting my bulbs.
When most people think of talcum powder, they think of babies or women. They also make talcum powder for men.
Some men might feel strange about using something like this, but they have masculine scents, so you don't feel like you are using something floral or feminine.
The best part about talcum powder is how well it absorbs moisture and keeps your body dry. Usually a product designed to absorb moisture, makes your skin feel dry too, but talcum powder leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.
I don't have a baby around anymore, but always keep a bottle of talcum powder around. Some of these tips I knew about, but I also learned a lot of great tips here.
I probably keep talcum powder around because my mom did the same thing. When my sisters and I were young, we would always get our necklaces tangled up. Either they were tangled together, or had small knots in them that were hard to get out.
The first thing my mom did was get the talcum powder, and it worked every time. Since then, I have used talcum powder for this many times.
@anamur – I like wearing flats in the summer, but they make my feet sweat a lot, since the toes are enclosed. I tried sprinkling talcum powder inside them and rubbing it in a bit, but I could not stand the texture.
As I walked around in them, my feet just felt dirty. I had to wipe it all out before I went to work.
However, you are right about it absorbing odors. I decided to just use it in my shoes at night to soak up the smell. I use a rough cloth to wipe out all the powder in the morning, and I think this even keeps the odor level down throughout the day.
Sometimes, they sneak around and get on it while I'm not looking, though. Once I get them off of it, I sprinkle powder on the surface to soak up the natural dog smell. If they have drooled on it, the powder will soak up this as well.
Also, if my dogs come home from their field explorations smelling terrible, sprinkling powder on their fur can get rid of most of the odor. Some smells are so strong that they must be washed out with dog shampoo, but lightly offensive odors can be removed with talcum powder.
@burcinc – I guess using your fingers works best for people with normal to dry hair. However, mine is oily, so I use a blush brush to apply talcum powder to my roots instead.
I think that the oils from my fingers were actually contributing to the problem. When I use a brush, I get just a light dusting of the powder, and I don't have to touch my hair. I use a fine-toothed comb to distribute the powder, and the oily look disappears.
I do this whenever I suddenly find that I need to go somewhere, but there is no time for me to wash my hair. I get a lot of impromptu invitations from my friends, and talcum powder has saved me lots of time.
I once saw my friend use talcum powder on her legs before putting on tight pants. She wanted to wear a pair of leather pants to wear to a rock concert, but she knew that they would make her sweat and her skin would stick to them.
She dipped her hands in the powder and spread it evenly all over her legs. She rubbed it in well, and then she slid on the leather pants with no trouble whatsoever.
She told me that it is very hard to put the pants on when her legs are even slightly moist. She once tried to pull them on after applying lotion to her freshly shaved legs, and she couldn't even pull them up past her knees! Talcum powder is very helpful with this.
@fify-- If you have dark hair and use too much talcum powder, it will look bad. Instead of applying it directly on your scalp, sprinkle some talcum powder on your fingers. Then, rub your fingers through your roots. It won't make your scalp white that way and it will lift your roots up nicely. Angelina Jolie is said to use this trick a lot.
I also do this, but only if I have a hair wash due and I don't have time to wash it. It makes my hair look freshly washed and gives my roots a nice lift. But I try not to use talcum powder for this purpose more than once or twice a month.
reason is because I heard that inhaling talcum powder could be dangerous. Some reports have linked talcum powder to cancer. Some people use talcum powder to set their makeup or to prime their lashes as well. I'm a little wary of using the powder too much around my face. When I use it on my hair, I pay attention not to inhale any in the process.
These are some really good tips! I have never tried using talcum powder for stains before. I will definitely try this stain removing tip next time around.
I had heard about using talcum powder for removing grease from hair before though. And I have tried it. I sprinkled talcum powder on my roots and brushed it out. It did absorb the oil, but it looked horrible because it left my scalp looking white. Maybe I sprinkled too much of it, I don't know.
I'm also a little confused about the difference between talcum powder (same as talc?) and baby powder. Are they exactly the same? Is it okay to replace one with other in these various uses?
Talc powder is great for odor. When I run out of deodorant, or if it's a particularly hot and humid day, I use baby powder as an antiperspirant. It absorbs sweat and smells clean and fresh. I sprinkle it on my underwear sometimes to keep perspiration and odors away as well.
Another odor it's good for is feet or shoe odor. I have a pair of summer shoes that stink very quickly because my feet sweats outdoors. When I get home, I sprinkle talcum powder all over them and let it soak up the moisture and odor. I just wipe it away the next day. It's also a good idea to sprinkle some talcum powder in shoes before putting them away. This way, the closet or wherever you're putting them, doesn't smell like shoes. | 2019-04-18T22:25:16 | https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-uses-for-talcum-powder.htm |
0.963726 | records when George Martin in 1950 was hired as his assistant.
That would be him. Sir George Martin was Oscar's assistant from 1950-1955. | 2019-04-23T15:05:32 | http://www.beatlelinks.net/forums/printthread.php?s=791cb25f1a4c830ead22de2c2c96f189&t=6001 |
0.998378 | What are the greatest movies of all time? These are the list of best movies of all time. The list includes a wide range of films, from art house European cinema to top action films and blockbusters to established, highly-regarded classics of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.
Andy Dufresne, a successful banker, is arrested for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to life imprisonment at the Shawshank prison. He becomes the most unconventional prisoner.
After Gordon, Dent and Batman begin an assault on Gotham’s organised crime, the mobs hire the Joker, a psychopathic criminal mastermind, who wants to bring all the heroes down to his level.
During the Normandy invasion of World War II, Captain John Miller is assigned the task of searching for Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have already been killed in the war.
William Wallace, a Scottish rebel, sets out to battle an English tyrant who killed his wife a day after their marriage.
The tales of two Los Angeles mobsters, a gangster’s wife, a boxer, two small-time criminals and a mysterious briefcase intertwine.
Michael, Vito Corleone’s son, attempts to expand his family’s crime empire. While he strikes a business deal with gangster Hyman Roth, he is unaware of the dangers he has gotten himself into.
Thomas, a computer programmer, is led to fighting an underground war against powerful computers who now rule the world with a system called ‘The Matrix’.
A terminator is set on a mission to kill Sarah’s son, John Connor. However, a cyborg, who once was after the life of Sarah, has been assigned to protect him.
Tony Montana and his close friend Manny, build a strong drug empire in Miami. However as his power begins to grow, so does his ego and his enemies, and his own paranoia begins to plague his empire. | 2019-04-22T12:19:10 | http://sparkviews.com/best-movies-time/ |
0.999883 | Difference between revisions of "Command Core Expressions"
Some of the variables may not be set, depending on the current application context when they are evaluated.
This is a collection of the active context IDs as strings. Most commonly used with <iterate> and <count>, and can also be used with <test> and a <code>org.eclipse.common.expressions.PropertyTester</code>.
This is a collection of the active context IDs as strings. Most commonly used with <iterate> and <count>, and can also be used with <test> and a <code>org.eclipse.common.expressions.PropertyTester</code>.</code>.
The currently active shell. It can be a dialog or workbench window shell.
The active workbench window shell.
Reports coolbar visibility for the currently active workbench window.
Reports perspective bar visibility for the currently active workbench window.
The currently active editor. This is remembered even if the editor is not the currently active part.
The ID of the currently active editor. This can be used for expressions on the editor type.
The active part, which can be the same as the active editor.
The ID of the currently active part.
The site of the currently active part.
The current global selection. It can be used in <test/> elements with <code>org.eclipse.core.expressions.PropertyTester</code>, in programmatic core expressions, and in '''3.3''' with <iterate/> and <count/< elements.
This is the list of IDs of the showing context menu. Examples are like #TextEditorRuler or a part ID. Most commonly used with <iterate> and <count>, and can also be used with <test> and a <code>org.eclipse.common.expressions.PropertyTester</code>.
This is a selection that is available while a context menu is showing. It is the selection from the selection provider used to register the context menu, usually from <code>getSite().registerContextMenu(*)</code>. It is usually the same as the <code>selection</code>variable, but not always. This is more for legacy compatibility.
This is a selection that is available while a context menu is showing. It is the selection from the editor input, usually if includeEditorInput was set to <code>true</code> during <code>getEditorSite().registerContextMenu(*)</code>. This is more for legacy compatibility.
Core expressions are declarative or programmatic expressions based on the org.eclipse.core.expressions plugin.
The Platform Command Framework uses core expressions for enabledWhen and activeWhen for handlers, programmatic activation of contexts, and for visibleWhen for menu contributions. The command framework provides the IEvaluationContext that command core expressions are evaluate against.
The IEvaluationContext provides a default variable for evaluations, and a number of named variables. In the command framework, we provide the global selection as a java.util.Collection as the default variable. It can either be empty, have one entry (if the ISelection was something like an ITextSelection), or have the contents of an IStructuredSelection.
The <with/> element can be used to change which variable the child expression elements are evaluating against.
This is a collection of the active context IDs as strings. Most commonly used with <iterate> and <count>, and can also be used with <test> and a org.eclipse.common.expressions.PropertyTester.</code>.
Here are some examples. I'll pretend all of the examples are deciding when a handler is active.
A view provides a structured selection through its selection provider. An example would be the InfoView in org.eclipse.ui.examples.contributions. You can browse the plugin.xml and InfoView.java files. The InfoView provides an IStructuredSelection with 0 or more org.eclipse.ui.examples.contributions.model.Person. | 2019-04-26T06:16:59 | http://wiki.eclipse.org/index.php?title=Command_Core_Expressions&diff=prev&oldid=38866 |
0.999959 | Nosocomial infection is one of the most common complications within health care facilities. Certain studies have reported outbreaks resulting from contaminated hospital environments. Although the identification of bacteria in the environment can readily be achieved using culturing methods, these methods detect live bacteria. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene is recognized to be effective for bacterial identification. In this study, we surveyed wards where drug-resistant bacteria had been isolated and compared conventional culture methods with 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods.
Samples were collected using sterile swabs from two wards (northern and southern) at Gunma University Hospital contaminated by Acinetobacter sp.. We extracted DNA directly from the swabs. Following extraction, the DNA was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were cloned using the plasmid vector. The plasmid DNA were sequenced, and identification were performed using database. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses were compared conventional culture methods.
In the northern ward, Acinetobacter sp. was detected from only two of 14 samples using the culture method. In contrast, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis detected Acinetobacter sp. from seven of 14 samples. Drug-resistant Acinetobacter sp. was isolated from bathrooms of the southern ward and was detected from four of seven samples using the culture method in comparison with six of seven samples by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.
Molecular biological analysis showed a higher sensitivity to detect specific bacteria and detected a greater number of species than the culture method. Our results suggest that 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis is useful to identify range of contamination which were not found in conventional culture method. When a nosocomial outbreak cannot be adequately controlled, molecular biological analysis may serve as a useful tool for environmental surveys in hospitals.
Health care facilities provide an environment conducive to exposure and transmission of bacteria. Nosocomial infections represent one of the most common complications within health care facilities. At least 5–10% of patients admitted to acute care hospitals acquire an infection during hospitalization . Drug-resistant bacteria cause nosocomial infection in patients who have received several courses of antibiotics and those with immune deficiency associated with malignancies or transplants . Some studies have reported outbreaks resulting from the contaminated hospital environment [3, 4]. Although culture methods readily identify environmental bacteria, they only detect live bacteria. Previous research showing that <1% of bacterial species within a given environment are culturable suggests that true diversity is overlooked by studies relying only on culturing [5, 6]. The gene target most commonly used for bacterial identification is the 16S rRNA gene, which is an approximately 1500-bp gene encoding a portion of the 30S ribosomal subunit . 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is not only widely used as a taxonomic tool but also recognized as an effective reference method for bacterial identification . Samples for 16S rRNA sequence analysis have been expanded from the bacteria in environments such as the oceans and soils to clinical settings. [9–12]. Studies of microbial diversity in child care facilities using culture-independent methods have suggested that knowledge of microbial diversity facilitates better understanding of public health risks in these environments . Therefore, to obtain accurate information regarding contaminated environments within health care facilities, comprehensive reevaluation of microorganisms using culture-independent methods is required.
The number of patients testing positive for Acinetobacter sp. has increased, suggesting that outbreaks of Acinetobacter sp. infections have occurred. We surveyed the wards where Acinetobacter sp. were isolated using culture and culture-independent methods. We aimed to compare these methods and obtain useful information on infection control.
Samples were collected from environments contaminated by Acinetobacter sp. at Gunma University Hospital (northern and southern wards). Sampling places were determined from the clinical course of the patients who isolated Acinetobacter sp. in consideration of estimated route of infection and range of contamination. As a result, we surveyed the patient’s rooms of the northern ward and the bathroom of the southern ward. Environmental samples were collected twice using sterile swabs. One of the sterile swabs were applied to Sheep blood agar (Eiken Chemical Co., Tochigi, JP) and chocolate agar plates (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ), which were incubated of aerobic and anaerobic conditions (5% carbon dioxide gas) 48 h at 35 °C. The following day, grown bacterial colonies were identified using kits as necessary. Other of sterile swabs were then soaked in sterile DNase-free 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes containing 200 μL lysis buffer (25 mM Tris–HCl p H 8, 2.5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and 1.2% Triton X-100). The swaps were applied to various environmental surfaces in each ward.
We used a protocol for preparing lysates to lyse gram-positive bacterial cells using the Invitrogen PureLink Genomic DNA Kit (InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA).
Following centrifugation of the samples at 10,000 × g for 2 min, the supernatant was discarded and 180 μL lysis buffer containing fresh lysozyme was added to obtain a final lysozyme concentration of 20 mg/mL.
The reaction mixtures tubes were incubated at 37 °C using a heat block for 30 min. Subsequently, 20 μL Proteinase K (PureLink Genomic DNA Kit, InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA) and 200 μL PureLink Genomic Lysis/Binding Buffer (PureLink Genomic DNA Kit, InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA) were added to the tubes and mixed well by brief vortexing. The tubes were incubated at 55 °C using a heat block for 30 min. A volume of 200 μL 100% ethyl alcohol (EtOH) was then added to the tubes and mixed well by vortexing for 5 s to yield the homogenous solutions.
All reaction mixtures tubes were subjected to a purification procedure using the Invitrogen PureLink Genomic DNA Kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Purified genomic DNA was eluted in 50 μL PureLink Genomic Elution Buffer (10 mM Tris–HCl pH 9.0, 0.1 mM EDTA). Following extraction, the purified genomic DNA was confirmed using a NanoDrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (NanoDrop Technologies, Wilmington, DE) at 260 nm.
16S rRNA genes were amplified from purified genomic DNA using the universal primer 8 F(5’-AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3’) and 805R (5’-GACTACCAGGGTATCTAATCC-3’). The primers react with highly conserved regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to provide PCR products of approximately 800 bp. The PCR products from amplification have been shown to be particularly useful for database analysis and identification of bacterial sequences .
A Takara Taq Hot-Start kit (Takara Bio Inc., Shiga, JP) was used for amplifications. PCR reactions were performed in a total volume of 50 μL, consisting of 0.25 μL Takara Taq DNA polymerase Hot-Start (5 units/μL), 5 μL 10 × PCR buffer with MgCl2, 4 μL deoxynucleotide (dNTP) mixture (2.5 mM each), 1.5 μL each of primer (20 μM), 5 μL of sample DNA as a template, and sterilized distilled water.
Cycling conditions included a initial denaturation at 95 °C for 5 min, followed by 28 cycles of 30 s 95 °C denaturation, 30 s annealing at 55 °C, and 1.5 min elongation at 72 °C, followed by a final extension of 10 min at 72 °C. Afterwards, we confirmed bands of the PCR products that corresponded to the 800 bp using 1.5% agarose gel.
PCR products were subjected to a purification procedure using the QlAquick PCR Purification Kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Purified PCR products were eluted in 50 μL sterilized distilled water. Following extraction, the purified PCR products were quantified using a NanoDrop ND-1000 Spectrophotometer (NanoDrop Technologies, Wilmington, DE).
The purified PCR products were cloned using the TOPO TA Cloning Kit for Sequencing (InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cloning reactions were performed in a total volume of 6 μL, consisting of 0.5 to 4 μL purified PCR products, 1 μL salt solution (1.2 M NaCl, 0.06 M MgCl2), 1 μL TOPO vector (10 ng/μL plasmid DNA), and sterilized distilled water. The cloning reaction mixture tubes were mixed gently and incubated for 10 min at room temperature, following which they were placed on ice. Transformation using Takara Escherichia coli DH5 α competent cells (Takara Bio Inc., Shiga, JP) was performed according to the One Shot® chemical transformation protocol of the TOPO TA Cloning Kit for sequencing. The transforming reaction mixture tubes were then incubated on ice for 5 min. Next, the cells were heat shocked for 30 s at 42 °C without shaking, and the tubes were immediately transferred to ice. A volume of 250 μL S.O.C. medium (2% tryptone, 0.5% yeast extract, 10 mM NaCl, 2.5 mM KCl, 10 mM MgSO4, 10 mM MgCl2, and 20 mM glucose) was then added. The tubes were tightly capped and shaken at 200 rpm horizontally at 37 °C for 1 h. The suspensions of competent transformed E. coli were then spread at volumes of 10 and 50 μL on the prewarmed agar plates containing ampicillin (InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA) and were incubated overnight at 37 °C. By the following day, colonies had grown from the agar plates, and 15 colonies were randomly selected and cultured overnight at 37 °C in Falcon 2059 tubes (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, NJ) in 1 mL of lysogeny broth (LB) medium (Fisher Biotech, Fair Lawn, NJ) containing 100 μg/mL ampicillin.
LB medium cultured overnight was collected into sterile DNase-free 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes. The tubes were then centrifuged at 12,000 × g for 2 min, with the pellets used for further analysis and the supernatant discarded. The plasmid DNA in the pellets was isolated using the PureLink Quick Plasmid DNA Miniprep Kit (InvitrogenTM, Carlsbad, CA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Purified plasmid DNA was eluted in 75 μL sterilized distilled water.
The primer T3 (5’-ATTAACCCTCACTAAAGGGA-3’) was used for sequencing. Sequencing of purified plasmid DNA was completed using the Applied Biosystems 3730xl DNA sequencer. Identifications were performed using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), with a similarity cut-off of 99%.
Acinetobacter sp. was detected from only two of 14 samples using the culture method. In contrast, using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, Acinetobacter sp. was detected from seven of 14 samples. Thus, positive results were obtained for five samples by only the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.
Table 1 shows the results of the environmental survey of the northern ward comparing the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the culture method.
Acinetobacter sp. was not detected using the culture method in the nurses’ station; however, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis provided positive results for three samples: the personal computer, faucet, and outlet samples. In patients’ rooms, Acinetobacter sp. was detected from only two samples using the culture method. These two samples were obtained from intubation tubes. In contrast, using 16 s rRNA gene sequence analysis, four samples containing the different samples from the culture method were identified as positive: the intubation tubes, the aspirator, and railings of a bed. Several samples showed different results between the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the culture method. The various bacteria identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis but not the culture method were collected from dry environmental surfaces. Six samples presented anaerobes by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. While 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis could not detect Aspergillus, these fungi were detected by the culture method.
Drug-resistant Acinetobacter sp. were detected from four of seven samples using the culture method. These four samples were collected from the faucet, bath chair, handrail, and the drain outlet of the bathroom. In contrast, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis detected Acinetobacter sp. from six of seven samples. These six samples were collected from the faucets, bath chair, the bathtub drain, the handrail, and the drain outlet of the bathroom. In particular, two samples were detected only by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.
Table 2 shows the results of the environmental survey of the bathroom of the southern ward comparing the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the culture method. Several samples showed different results between the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the culture method. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis detected uncultured bacteria from the shower head of the bathroom. Fungal strains were not detected using the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, but were detected by the culture method.
The spectrum of organisms causing nosocomial infections is under continual flux. From the 1970s through to 2000, the spectrum of nosocomial pathogens shifted from Gram-negative to Gram-positive organisms, and Candida spp. emerged as a major problem . More recently, multidrug-resistant Gram-negative rods have become increasingly prevalent in many hospitals . Acinetobacter sp. is rapidly emerging as a pathogen in health care settings, where it results in infections that include bacteremia, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infection, and wound infection . Acinetobacter sp. is able to survive for long periods on dry surfaces, and this ability to tolerate desiccation may contribute to its persistence in hospitals . Treatment options are severely limited, and carbapenems are the agents of choice for treating most drug-resistant infections . Unfortunately however, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter isolates are increasingly reported worldwide . Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter infections have an extremely high crude mortality rate and occur most frequently in severely ill patients .
In the present study, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed higher sensitivity to detect specific bacteria than the usual culture method. In addition, some bacteria strains that were not detected using the culture method were detected in the environmental samples.
In the case of an outbreak, environmental surveillance in a hospital is usually performed using the culture method [3, 4, 19, 20]. The culture method requires an appropriate culture media and culture condition that accept target bacteria. In addition, some bacteria require an extended time for isolation; thus, a delay may be experienced in obtaining the preliminary results. In the present study, the culture method was not able to detect five of the seven samples that the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis identified as positive. This is because the samples did not obtain viable bacteria. On the other hand, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis has been used to identify novel and emerging pathogens and to define complex microbial communities . This analysis is especially valuable for detecting bacteria that are slow growing, biochemically inert or variable, and fastidious. In addition, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis has enhanced our understanding of previously unrecognized, often opportunistic pathogens . According to recent studies, this molecular biology analytical method has been used in the search of pathogens of infectious diseases, reporting a higher rate of detection than the usual culture method [9, 23]. Indeed, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis provides a comprehensive assessment of microbial diversity compared with culturing alone, and is an excellent complement to the culturing approaches. In the present study, anaerobic bacteria were detected in six samples. The inconsistencies between the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the culture method observed in the present study suggest that the culture method alone may not fully express precise bacterial information in the contaminated environment of a hospital. To our knowledge, this is the first report that 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is applicable to infection control by detection of contaminated area undetectable by usual culture method. This analysis might become a useful tool for environmental surveys in hospitals in cases of nosocomial outbreaks.
There are several limitations associated with the present study. First, closely related species might be difficult to distinguish using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, and the identification of bacteria to a species level might be inaccurate. Second, the antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria is not obtained by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Third, fungal strains could not be detected using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Finally, the number of clones analyzed in the present study was 15 per library, which might be insufficient to detect very small fractions of the library.
Because 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis is more sensitive to detect in environmental samples, it is possible to identify range of contamination which were not found in conventional culture method. This analysis might become a useful tool for environmental surveys in hospitals in cases of nosocomial outbreaks.
This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 21591291.
AM carried out the molecular genetic studies, participated in the sequence alignment and drafted the manuscript. YT participated in the sequence alignment, and participated in the design of the study and helped to draft the manuscript. MM participated in its design and coordination and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-24T07:47:59 | https://jphcs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40780-017-0074-y |
0.999997 | In this lesson, we will learn how to identify congruent triangles using transformations.
A triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has been dilated from a center 𝑃 by a scale factor of 3 to triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ′ ′ ′ .
Are triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ similar?
Are triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ congruent?
Determine, by applying transformations, whether the two triangles seen in the given figure are congruent.
A They are not congruent.
If there exists a combination of rotations, reflections, and translations that would map one shape to another, would the two shapes be congruent?
If triangle 𝐴 is mapped by a reflection in the line 𝑦 = 𝑥 to triangle 𝐴 ′ , would the two triangles be congruent?
If triangle 𝐵 is mapped by a 1 8 0 ∘ rotation about the origin to triangle 𝐵 ′ , would the two triangles be congruent?
A triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 is rotated by 1 8 0 ∘ about the origin to triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ′ ′ ′ .
The triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has been transformed onto triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 which has then been transformed onto triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 as seen in the figure.
Describe the single transformation that would map 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ .
Describe the single transformation that would map 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ onto 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ .
Hence, are triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ congruent?
The figure shows triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 .
Are the two triangles congruent?
Justify your answer with one of the following reasons.
AWe can apply a two-stage transformation on triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 involving a reflection and then a rotation to obtain triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, thus, the triangles are congruent.
BNo sequence of translations, reflections, or rotations exists that can map triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, therefore, the two triangles cannot be congruent.
CTriangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 can be rotated to obtain triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, thus, the triangles are congruent.
DTriangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 can be reflected to obtain triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, thus, the triangles are congruent.
BTriangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 can be rotated to obtain triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, thus, the triangles are congruent.
CNo sequence of translations, reflections, or rotations exists that can map triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 and, therefore, the two triangles cannot be congruent.
If triangle 𝑇 is mapped to triangle 𝑇 ′ by a reflection, translation, or rotation, which of the following statements will be true of the two triangles?
CThey have exactly one side of the same length.
Triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has been reflected in the line 𝐿 to obtain triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ′ ′ ′ as seen in the given figure.
Are the corresponding angles and sides of the two triangles equal?
What is the length of 𝐵 𝐶 ?
What is the length of 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ ?
What is the perimeter of triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ?
Describe the single transformation that would map 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 .
Describe the single transformation that would map 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 .
Hence, are triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 congruent?
The figure shows two triangles and .
Work out the size of angle .
What do you notice about the sizes of the angles in both shapes?
BThe sizes of the angles in triangle are double the sizes of the angles in triangle .
CThe sizes of the angles in both triangles depend on their lengths.
DThe sizes of the angles in triangle are half the sizes of the angles in triangle .
Are the two triangles similar?
The figure shows three triangles: 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 , 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ′ ′ ′ , and 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ .
Are triangles 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 and 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ similar?
A Triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 can first be translated eight right and three down to 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ and then 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ can be reflected in the line ⃖ ⃗ 𝐸 𝐹 onto 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ ; hence, the triangles are similar.
B No sequence of translations, reflections, rotations, or dilations exists that can map triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto triangle 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ ; therefore, the two triangles cannot be similar.
The figure shows three triangles: 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 , 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 , and 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 .
A No sequence of translations, reflections, rotations, or dilations exists that can map triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 onto triangle 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ ; therefore, the two triangles cannot be similar.
B Triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 can first be translated eight right and two down to 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ and then 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ can be reflected in the line ⃖ ⃗ 𝐸 𝐹 onto 𝐴 ′ ′ 𝐵 ′ ′ 𝐶 ′ ′ ; hence, the triangles are similar.
A triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has vertices at the points ( − 7 , 4 ) , ( − 4 , 3 ) , and ( − 1 , 3 ) . A triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 has vertices at the points ( 1 , − 1 ) , ( 4 , − 2 ) , and ( 7 , − 2 ) . By plotting the two triangles and using congruence transformations, decide if the two triangles are congruent.
A triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has vertices at the points ( 0 , 1 ) , ( 1 , 3 ) , and ( − 3 , 3 ) . A triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 has vertices at the points ( − 2 , − 2 ) , ( − 1 , − 4 ) , and ( − 5 , − 4 ) . By plotting the two triangles and using congruence transformations, decide if the two triangles are congruent.
A triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has vertices at the points ( 0 , 1 ) , ( 1 , 2 ) , and ( 5 , 2 ) . A triangle 𝐷 𝐸 𝐹 has vertices at the points ( 0 , − 1 ) , ( 1 , − 2 ) , and ( 5 , − 1 ) . By plotting the two triangles and using congruence transformations, decide if the two triangles are congruent.
Triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has been rotated to obtain triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 as seen in the given figure.
What is the length of 𝐴 𝐶 ?
What type of triangle is 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 ?
In the given figure, △ 𝐷 𝐸 𝐶 is the image of △ 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 by reflection in point 𝐶 . Find the length of 𝐷 𝐶 , rounding your result to the nearest hundredth.
Triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 is right-angled at 𝐵 with 𝐴 𝐵 = 5 5 c m and 𝐵 𝐶 = 5 2 c m . Let 𝑋 be the image of 𝐵 after a translation through 78 cm in the direction of 𝐵 𝐴 . Let 𝑌 be the image of 𝐵 under a rotation centre 𝐴 through angle − 9 0 ∘ . Calculate the length 𝑋 𝑌 to the nearest hundredth.
In the given figure, triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 has been reflected to triangle 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ . The perimeter of triangle 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 is 10.5. What is the perimeter of triangle 𝐴 ′ 𝐵 ′ 𝐶 ′ ? | 2019-04-19T04:17:23 | https://www.nagwa.com/en/lessons/862138901960/ |
0.983667 | Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon was flanked by RAW General Manager Brad Maddox when he opened the show.
Brad Maddox apologized for allowing John Cena to pick his SummerSlam opponent, but it was obvious that this was not on his own doing, but by the enforcement of Vince McMahon.
The Chairman proceeded to run down Daniel Bryan and indicate that he was not worthy of being the WWE title challenger at SummerSlam, much to the disarray of the WWE Universe in Laredo, Texas.
But the atmosphere would quickly change as Daniel Bryan himself would interrupt, and everyone in the Laredo Energy Center was on their feet embracing the YES! YES! YES! chants that filled the arena abuzz.
Vince McMahon stated that he did not like the idea of either John Cena or Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, and wished that there would be a combustion between the two when they lock up at SummerSlam, and that is the way that Vince himself would win.
Daniel Bryan did not show much care for that bizarre prediction, but had the WWE Universe shouting YES! YES! YES! once again as he left the ring.
Review: Strong segment to start off the show because it got the crowd fired up. Daniel Bryan is really being used well to do this and this has an effect on the viewers watching as they enjoy it. The content of the segment is somewhat mislead, but still it has development with Vince McMahon being heel and the General Manager being caught in the situation.
Six man tag team action was next on RAW, as The Shield looked to settle their differences with The Usos and Mark Henry, after burning rivalries had reached a tipping point.
The Shield attacked Mark Henry previously, but then on consecutive occassions, The Usos would back him up on the verge of other attacks and see of The Shield. However, The Shield would be the ones leaving with the upper hand as they picked up the victory.
Mark Henry dominated The Shield in the early goings of the bout, but the Hounds of Justice saw an opening to team up on The Usos, using the tactic of reverting back to their corner to prolong damage.
Seth Rollins would also pay for his actions, after taunting Mark Henry, Jey Uso caught him off guard and was able to tag in Mark Henry who came near to dismantling Seth Rollins, until a spear by Roman Reigns cut this short.
Dean Ambrose and Jimmy Uso were left in the ring, and the SuperFly Splash that was thought to end it was blocked by the knees of Dean Ambrose, who followed this up with a bulldog driver to pick up the victory.
It was not ended there, as it left the World's Strongest Man fuming, he attacked The Shield who managed to flee, but judging by that, this may not be the end of it.
The Shield's booking on the card I think is quite positive as a whole because they produce great matches especially in six-man tag team action. They produced another entertaining match tonight with The Usos and Mark Henry. Many thought this match would happen at SummerSlam, but maybe there could be bigger plans now that The Shield prevailed. It is intriguing to see what unfolds next between Mark Henry and The Shield.
Ryback was featured in a backstage segment where he threatened one person who was having food at catering. The Human Wrecking Ball was very aggressive and threw the man threw a table, fitting the theme of his tables match later that night. I and many others found the segment rather comical but it is some fun that also adds to his character and is set up well for the Tables match.
Following a video package showing the Wyatt Family's recent actions in the WWE, Kane intruded into Brad Maddox's office and asked for the whereabouts of the Wyatt Family - he was obviously very angry. Maddox responded by saying that they were not there and told Kane he could send them a message in the main event against Daniel Bryan.
Rob Van Dam was the victor after he tangoed with Fandango in a match that ended in a countout.
Both competitors were very agile and flexible and showed this with constant back-and-forth jumps, kicks and the distraction from Summer Rae, who stopped Fandango from acquiring too much damage.
Rob Van Dam was on a roll with the Rolling Thunder and Monkey-Flip, but after Fandango untangled himself from the loss that was becoming an inevitability, he was about to be the recipient of a high flying move from Van Dam, but Summer Rae stopped it allowing Fandango to flee the ring, and he lost by countout.
Fandango spoke from the mic to pronounce his name correctly before dancing away. Meanwhile, Rob Van Dam embraced his victory.
Review: It's great to see Rob Van Dam being used to face such fresh talent such as Fandango, and Wade Barrett previously. Van Dam is performing very well and picking up wins whilst also allowing his opponents. Fandango's drastic increase of spotlight can only mean bigger and better things for Fandango, and many fans should be intrigued of what could be to come.
Divas Champion AJ Lee and Kaitlyn's storied rivalry continued as they battled in Singles competition.
Throughout the match the former friends showed that they knew each other very well, as it consisted with a lot of counters and reversals.
Out of nowhere when AJ Lee came off the ropes Kaitlyn hit a spear to pick up the victory.
This left AJ Lee in another breakdown, Big E Langston tried to calm her down to no avail, then Dolph Ziggler showed up and added insult to injury by further making the situation worse.
Then he laid out another challenge, he wanted a match vs. Big E Langston, right that moment.
An impromptu match between former allies would commence as Dolph Ziggler squared off with Big E Langston.
A fast paced matchup between two prime athletes proved for some great entertainment... for the time it lasted.
Dolph Ziggler's tactic of outwitting Big E Langston included side-stepping him to throw him over the top rope.
AJ Lee then engaged in a moment of madness as she attacked Dolph Ziggler, pulling his hair and getting Big E Langston disqualified.
Ziggler looked on from outside the ring as an irate Langston shouted at AJ, but then Dolph Ziggler hit the ZigZag on Langston from behind and kept Showing Off.
As Michael Cole put it, "everything is falling apart around AJ."
The Divas match was good and there is uncertainty about whether AJ will be in action or not at SummerSlam. Meanwhile I expected Dolph Ziggler vs. Big E Langston to take place at SummerSlam, but this could still be a possibility with the uncertain conclusion. This feud is dramatic but also gives Big E Langston the spotlight to show his talent.
World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio was in complete shock after he lost to Christian when he was dominating Captain Charisma.
The major turning point in the match was when Alberto Del Rio seriously damaged Christian's arm with the steel steps, he would take a threshold in the match thereafter with vicious attacks dominating Christian.
Christian had minor glimpses of fighting back but none really materialized, it looked like Del Rio would finish it with a Cross Arm Breaker, but Christian reversed. The roll-up pin got the win for Christian and Alberto Del Rio was livid after his loss.
A standard match that was booked to put both of the stars in action obviously. Alberto Del Rio is definitely struggling to impress the fans but this match may have been different because it was not as basic. It had more of a triumph for Christian's win and Del Rio lost in an upset, an interesting setting for the World Heavyweight Champion.
Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett took to the ring in quite a relatively short match.
Rhodes took some early punishment from brutal shots by Barrett, but with knees to the face of Barrett he regained control to deliver some perfectly executed finesse moves.
Cody Rhodes reigned victorious, but Damien Sandow would have an input of negativity, with a mockery of his family name that left him irate. As the Money in the Bank briefcase sinks somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes saga is far from a culmination.
Wade Barrett is suffering from many losses currently in the WWE, hopefully this will change soon and he will gain some momentum. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow's rivalry is great as it showcases younger talent. The match was quite short, but it did not need to be long as it did not really serve a purpose accept for leading it onto the next part of the Rhodes and Sandow feud.
Daniel Bryan and Kane squared off in one of two main event matches on RAW, in a clash of former tag team partners.
Daniel Bryan continued his great roll picking up the win after the match spanned for a few minutes. Unlike Daniel Bryan's previous matches it was not as high paced, however this is understandable because he was in the ring with a big guy like Kane.
The Big Red Monster managed to thwart Daniel Bryan's attempts of the kicks at times and came close to sealing the match with a Chokeslam, but Daniel Bryan was able to reverse and got the inside cradle to pin Kane and win the match.
Kane was extremely frustrated following his loss, and delivered a Chokeslam to Daniel Bryan.
Then, the Wyatt Family came an attacked Kane again. Kane held off for longer than previously but it was the same outcome, and Kane was told to "Follow The Buzzards".
Daniel Bryan continues to impress, this guy is on a great roll as of late and a win against Kane has tremendous value. Meanwhile the loss from Kane did not harm him much because of the situation with the Wyatts following the bout. I can't wait to see what happens next with Kane and the Wyatt Family.
Brie Bella defeated Natalya in a Singles match, tensions boiled over prior to the match with the Bellas insulting Natalya's looks. Natalya was distracted during the match by Nikki Bella, and Brie Bella capitalized to pick up the win.
Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel was in action against R-Truth, but CM Punk would effect the final outcome and almost got his hands on Paul Heyman.
They matched up well for the start of the match, before Axel gained the upperhand. CM Punk then had an input and took out Curtis Axel momentarily before going after Paul Heyman.
However, the Mad Scientist would just manage to escape after Curtis Axel fought off Punk for the time being. Paul Heyman has got himself in trouble with the Straight Edge Savior.
This was a great segment because it showed how fired up CM Punk was. I did not care much for the match itself, but when CM Punk went after Paul Heyman it was great, and you get the feeling it is becoming inevitable as to when Paul Heyman will get punished.
Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H were backstage discussing Daniel Bryan. Vince McMahon said he wanted "someone like Triple H... but 23 years younger". Stephanie McMahon managed to sink tensions by suggesting a 'corporate makeover for Daniel Bryan'.
It was tables galore in the main event as Ryback battled the WWE Champion John Cena.
The match was very physical with Ryback enforcing his dominance early on, but John Cena's grit and determination allowed him to get back in it.
Ryback came close to winning when he had the table leaned against the turnbuckle, and he attempted to drive John Cena through it but John Cena sidestepped him and Ryback managed to thwart his own momentum.
But John Cena was able to hit the Attitude Adjustment sending Ryback crashing through the table, the WWE Champion picked up a huge win.
Daniel Bryan then appeared chanting YES! YES! YES! and he held John Cena's belt, before Cena took it away and the two stared down once again.
Daniel Bryan could be the guy to end John Cena's title reign, it is going to be interesting to see come SummerSlam.
Review: Very physical tables match up, it is a rarity having these matches on RAW and it was great to see. There was a good end to the match and then when Daniel Bryan showed up he had glimpses of a heel character in my opinion. They have really maxed up on Daniel Bryan to show he poses a huge threat at SummerSlam.
Surprisingly entertaining for a taped show. Interested to see how Daniel Bryan's corporate makeover unfolds, plus the situation between the Wyatt Family and Kane. Although nothing significant unfolded, the show was well booked and proved for some good wrestling. Good edition of RAW.
Wade Barrett got back to winning ways as he defeated R-Truth in Main Event from Houston, Texas in the featured match.
R-Truth frustrated Wade Barrett during the match, as he mocked the Bare-Knuckle Brawler causing him to revert to an aggressive comeback, but eventually Barrett stated his dominance over the Truth. It was a swift turn in momentum where Wade Barrett picked up the win. Following a flurry of offense by R-Truth, he looked to dive through the ropes, but Barrett hit the Bullhammer Elbow and picked up the win.
In the other matches, The Usos defeated the Prime Time Players in a terrific tag team contest, a relentless offense by the twin brothers got them the win. Also, Drew McIntyre was destroyed by Mark Henry in a quick singles match.
Review: While the featured match between R-Truth and Wade Barrett did not seem as appealing at first, Main Event proved to be a good show. The best match was the tag-team match, it was some great stuff. Meanwhile Mark Henry squashing McIntyre shows that he is raging to take on The Shield. Well booked Main Event.
Daniel Bryan and John Cena face friend and foe; The Wyatt Family attack again; CM Punk almost gets his hands on Paul Heyman; Wade Barrett back to winning ways on WWE Main Event. | 2019-04-18T12:56:28 | https://www.thesportmatrix.com/2013/07/WrestleWeek2.html |
0.990852 | Combine and cook for 15 minutes on a low flame.
Remove the mushroom stems. Place the mushrooms stems, salt, tomato paste, brown sugar and coffee or espresso and soy sauce in 2 liters of water and cook on high heat until reduced to 1 cup. Strain and discard mushrooms stems. Cool stock.
Slice the mushrooms caps into 3-4 pieces vertically.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and stir until soft and begin to caramelise to a golden brown. The caramelised onions will bring rich flavour to the ribs.
Add garlic and remaining mushrooms.
Saute until water evaporates and mushrooms start to brown. Switch off flame. Cool mixture.
Blitz to cooled mushroom mixture to a paste in the blender. Add ketchup, peanut butter and blitz again.
In a mixing bowl combine the wheat gluten and mushroom paste. Slowly add the mushroom stock as required to form a thick loose dough.
Spread the dough in the oiled pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes in the middle rack until set but not hard. Remove and using a sharp knife cut into sizes desired. Cool in the pan. Remove only once the dough is at room temperature.
Heat more vegetable oil in a grill pan and grill each piece until grill marks for on either side.
Slather with more bbq sauce and serve with fried rice or noodles.
Minestrone is Italy's most famous soup and it has become popular because its easy to make, adaptable and delicious. Over the centuries Minestrone in Italy has changed a great deal. Tomatoes for instance as a newer addition to the soup.
Traditionally minestrone is made with Borlotti beans also known as cranberry beans but they are not always available, Here is my version, which uses ingredients that you can find anywhere. This recipe can be made with bacon or you can use dried mushrooms (as indicated below) for a vegetarian version that is scrumptious. I serve it with a pesto bruschetta reminiscent of the Ligurian version of this soup known as Minestrone all Genovese. But garlic bread is great too. I used Fregola- a toasted semolina pasta in this soup. You can use barley instead if you want a gluten-free version.
IF MAKING VEGETARIAN MINESTRONE SOAK THE DRIED MUSHROOMS IN 1/2 CUP HOT WATER.
HEAT OIL ON MEDIUM HEAT IN A LARGE SOUP POT. ADD BACON AND COOK UNTIL GOLDEN AND RENDERED. IF VEGETARIAN SKIP THIS STEP.
ADD ONIONS AND CELERY AND SAUTE UNTIL ONIONS ARE SOFT AND TRANSLUCENT-3-4 MINUTES.
ADD POTATOES AND STIR WELL. ADD 1.5 LITERS OF WATER, GROUND PEPPER AND COOK 5-7 MINUTES UNTIL POTATOES SOFTEN.
ADD CARROTS AND COOK ANOTHER 4 MINUTES UNTIL CARROTS SOFTEN.
ADD BEANS, AND COURGETTES AND THE MUSHROOMS WITH THEIR LIQUID (IF USING) AND COOK 2 MINUTES ON HIGH HEAT UNTIL THE SOUP BEGINS TO BOIL.
ADD PASTA AND SWITCH OFF THE FLAME.
ALLOW THE PASTA TO COOK IN THE HEAT OF THE SOUP.
ADD SALT AND MORE PEPPER TO TASTE. LADLE INTO BOWLS.
PROCESS THE INGREDIENTS TO A CHUNKY CONSISTENCY IN A FOOD PROCESSOR.
FLAME THE SOURDOUGH OR BAGUETTE OVER AN OPEN FLAME ON BOTH SIDES. IMMEDIATELY BRUSH WITH PESTO BUTTER AND SERVE WITH HOT MINESTRONE AND MORE PARMESAN ON THE SIDE.
There is nothing most classic and comforting than a roast chicken dinner.
To cook a roast chicken that has a golden crispy skin and a fully cooked but moist inside make sure the oven is preheated when the chicken goes in. I like to cook mine at a low temperature for the first 35 minutes and then increase the temperature towards the end.
I recommend serving this chicken with Pommes Dauphinoise Gratin and a simple green salad.
In a small saucepan melt the vinegar, butter and oil over a slow flame. Whisk to emulsify. Do not boil this. Remove from flame and cool.
If you have washed the chicken wipe it dry with paper towels.
Tuck the wings under the sides.and truss (Tie together) the chicken legs with some kitchen string.
Using a pastry brush or a spoon coat the chicken with the vinegar mixture. Use your fingers to apply this to the inside of the skin. Push 3 smashed garlic cloves into the chicken cavity. Rub the remaining over the chicken and tuck inside the skin. Coat the top of the chicken with the crushed black pepper.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and let sit 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325F nd prepare bottom rung.
Roast chicken for 45 minutes for a 1.5 kg chicken and ten minutes less for a 1.25 kg in the lower rung.
Move chicken to the middle rung. Using a tablespoon or a basting brush brush the juices at the bottom of the pan all over the chicken. and increase the temperature to 400F.
Cook until the chicken skin in golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. This is important to allow the meat to rest and the juices to settle before you carve it.
Remove the chicken from the pan onto your carving plate and strain any remaining liquid into a gravy dish.Discard bits unless there are pieces of garlic. Keep those -they are yummy.
Serve the jus on the side.
It is said the British took the recipe for Nargisi Kofte and turned it into bland Scotch eggs, a hardboiled egg encased with chicken or lamb mince. My grandmother's version of Scotch eggs was anything but bland. She cooked the meat with onions and spices and served the Scotch eggs with a spicy mayonnaise, French fries and steamed vegetables.
She always used lamb mince. I prefer chicken because it cooks faster and leaves the egg inside softer.
Drain the water from the minced meat in a fine sieve. Squeeze it several times to drain out any excess water.
Heat oil in a large deep skillet on medium heat. Add the bay leaf, cloves and peppercorn and saute 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the onions and green chillies and cook till soft and opaque.
Add garlic and ginger paste and cook 1-2 minutes stirring constantly.
Add the minced meat and stir well.
Lower flame and cook until meat is almost cooked through and most of the water has evaporated.
Cool completely. Add salt to taste.
Process meat in a grinder or food processor with the cooked spice until coarse but well combined. Do not turn into a paste. The meat should have some texture.
Stir in chopped herbs, yolk and processed bread. Combine well.
Place one portion on the palm of your hand and flatten it. Place the egg over it and bring the sides together. Rest on a plate. Take the second portion and flatten it on your palm. Lift the half covered egg and place the uncovered side into the minced meat in your palm. Bring the sides together to completely cover the egg. Do not press too hard or you may damaged the soft boiled egg. Shape gently to look like an oval.
Dip this patty into the whisked eggs. Pat onto the breadcrumbs until all sides are covered. Repeat the egg wash and dip into breadcrumbs again.
Do this with the remaining 3 patties.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep non-stick skillet. When the oil is hot but not smoking fry the eggs until all sides are a deep golden brown. Drain and serve immediately with suggested sides and spicy mayo.
This velvety pasta is a knockout and so easy to make. Serve it with a crispy salad and an easy bottle of red wine.
Set a stock pot of water with a pinch of salt to boil.
Heat butter an olive oil in a large and deep skillet. Add the pears and cook on a medium flame until pears begin to caramelise. Add 2 cups of the pasta stock water to the pan.
Stir in the blue cheese and when it is melted and you have a smooth sauce drain the pasta and toss the noodles in the sauce.
Add a teaspoon of salt and season with fresh pepper.
Stir in the cream and garnish with chives, Serve hot.
This is a classic blue cheese dressing I make all the time because it is easy and delicious.Literally blitz the ingredients in a mixer and you are done. Blue cheese dressing is an American creation. Litehouse, an American company claims to be the first to have bottled and sold this dressing 60 years ago.
I have as yet to find the original source for the blue cheese dressing recipe. Some say it was Fannie Merritt May in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook first published in 1896. I looked up my 1905 copy and found 2 recipes with Roquefort but they are not blue cheese dressing.
Many folks think of blue cheese as a 'stinky' cheese because it is treated with a mold called Penicullum, which gives it the characteristic blue and white veining and the sharp taste. But not all blue cheese are malodorous. Infact many of the best known blue cheeses such as Danish Blu and Gorgonzola are mild. And there are many Bries, Gruyere and other cheeses for instance the Époisses de Bourgogne and the Ouleout that are far more pungent than most blue cheese I've ever had.
Cheeses with washed rinds that have been treated with alcohol, water, ash even and aged for long periods allow for yeast to grow and can make the product very strong smelling. Often the smell comes from the rind of the cheese, while the edible part inside remains delicately flavored.
So the poor blue cheese gets a bad reputation it doesn't deserve among those who don't like bold flavours.
Blue cheese has Umami and used correctly can really lift the flavour of a dish. So even if you don't enjoy eating it as a cheese, consider it in dishes like pastas, salads, fondues. Don't dismiss it- you could be missing out on something wonderful.
The smelly factor and the price can really vary depending on the kind of blue cheese you use. Blue cheese is made with many different kinds of milk- pasteurised and unpasteurized, (sheep, cow, goat) and can be firm like the Norwegian Gamalost or the English Dorset Vinney, semi-hard like Picón Bejes-Tresviso, semi soft like Danish blue and soft like Oxford Blue and Dovedale.
For this dressing you need a semi soft crumbly cheese, preferably one without a rind like the American made Maytag blu (a personal favourite for eating and cooking) Gorgonzola or Danish Blue are good choices. If you are doing a pasta with blue cheese or a fondue you could consider an even softer cheese like the Bavarian Cambozola that will melt easily into the sauce. For a cheese plate you can pair slightly harder blue cheese like Stilton with pears, apples, quince and honey.
Gorgonzola, considered the oldest of blue cheeses dating back to the 9th century A.D. is Italian and made from cows or goats milk, sometimes both and Roquefort- the King of French cheese is made from ewe's milk. Roquefort is a sharp cheese, Gorgonzola is less so. An aged St Agur or the Spanish Cabrales can be even sharper.
Blue cheeses are produced by many different countries though Roquefort was the first cheese in France in 1925 to receive the Appellation D'Origin, which means it can only be called Roquefort if it is aged in specific caves, the milk comes from a specific breed, even the Pencillum mold known as Roqueforti must come from the caves of the Roquefort sur Soulzon.
For a blue cheese dressing to work it must have just enough blue cheese in it to give it a kick. So depending on the strength of the cheese you use add more or less to your taste. Traditionally blue cheese dressing, an American creation is a thick and creamy dressing.
If you want a lower fat version of this I have a blue cheese vinaigrette recipe in my cookbook #anindiansenseofsalad available in bookshops and online.
Blue cheese dressing is also delicious with buffalo chicken, bacon, apples, pears, honey, quince, chocolate, port, ales, pecans and spinach.
If you can't find butter lettuce use romaine or iceberg.
If you want a milder, less sharp sweeter blue, look for a young and preferably without rind blue cheese- though there are always exceptions.
When you first open a blue cheese you get a sharp whiff of ammonia. This can be off-putting but wait 5 minutes, let the cheese breathe and slowly its complex and nutty aromas will emerge.
Blue cheese doesn't freeze well and should be consumed in 7-8 days. If your cheese smells of acetone or is sticky and pink, jettison it tout de suite.
Many famous American blue cheeses were actually created in University labs like Maytag in 1941 in Iowa and Clemson blue by the College of South Carolina.
Before Wang discovered penicillin cheese was used in medieval Europe to control gangrene.
COMBINE THE ONIONS AND WHITE VINEGAR AND LET SIT 30 MINUTES IN THE FRIDGE.
BLEND ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING IN FOOD PROCESSOR.
MANUALLY STIR IN THE CRUMBLED BLUE CHEESE AND ONIONS WITH A WHISK OR FORK. ADD SALT TO TASTE. ADJUST FOR SUGAR AND VINEGAR.
KEEP COVERED AND REFRIGERATED FOR UPTO 48 HOURS.
PREPARE THE LETTUCE FOR THE SALAD. REMOVE THE STALKS WITH A SHARP KNIFE AND USING YOUR HANDS TEARS THE LEAVES APART ONE BY ONE.
DIIVIDE UP BETWEEN 6 BOWLS. DIVIDE THE PEARS AND THE WALNUTS BETWEEN THE BOWLS. SERVE THE DRESSING ON THE SIDE. | 2019-04-20T12:33:58 | http://www.taradeshpande.in/2018/08/ |
0.993748 | The FHA flipping rule has changed this year. Since 2010 investors were able to buy a home, rehab it, and then re-sell the home to an FHA buyer as soon as they wished. But now in 2015 FHA has re-instituted their traditional 90-day rule so investors need to wait at least 90 days before selling their properties to an FHA buyer.
Is this a big deal or not for the housing market? I have 5 points below to consider and maybe share with clients when they ask. I’d love to hear your take too.
1) An Inconvenience for Investors: This 90-day rule will be an inconvenience for investors since it limits the pool of existing buyers for their product. Some investors who are flipping at price ranges prime for FHA financing will definitely feel the impact of this rule.
2) Missed Opportunities: Some would-be FHA buyers will miss out on properties since investors will be more prone to accept a conventional buyer instead of waiting 90 days for FHA. In Sacramento, FHA financing has a higher volume at the lower end of the market under $200,000, so buyers at the bottom end could actually be more burdened by the rule.
3) The Reality of Less Cash: We no longer have a foreclosure epidemic both locally and nationally, which means there are fewer houses being flipped. Thus a rule like this carries far less impact in today’s market compared to the beginning of 2010 when it was absolutely beneficial. For reference, when FHA first eased their 90-day rule in 2010, bank-owned sales represented about 40% of the entire market in Sacramento, but now they’re only 5% of all sales.
4) It’s taking Longer to Sell Anyway: Realistically since many investors are going to take 30 to 60 days to flip a property, and then have a property on the market for 30+ days, this means some homes will still easily qualify for FHA financing. Agents will simply say in MLS something to the effect of, “90 day flip rule expires on such and such date”. For context, in November it took an average of 45 days to sell a house in Sacramento County and 50 days to sell in the region (though flips often sell more quickly since they are more marketable).
5) Boosting Conventional Loan Products: Lastly, removing FHA as an option within 90 days of acquisition will help steer some buyers to use conventional financing. Like I said two days ago when talking about trends to watch this year, we can expect to see some more creative financing options emerge as the market softens (and also as buyers need a different option to buy a quick flip without FHA financing).
I hope this was helpful. It’s so important to keep our finger on the pulse of the market so we can serve clients and make informed real estate decisions.
Questions: Do you think the 90-day flipping rule is a big deal or not? Anything else you’d like to add? I’d love to hear your take in the comments.
Does a property with a flat roof require a roof inspection for an FHA loan?
It depends. A roof really only requires an inspection during an FHA loan if the appraiser or underwriter calls for an inspection. This goes for both flat and pitch roofs. Let’s read a bit more below.
FHA no longer mandates automatic inspections for flat or unobservable roofs. In the appraisal report the appraiser will note any evidence of deterioration of roofing materials (missing tiles, shingles, flashing). Deteriorated roofing materials include those that are worn, cupped, or curled. If the roof is not observable, the appraiser will look for and include in the appraisal report any telltale signs of roof problems on the interior, such as damage or water stains to the ceiling area of a room or closet. The appraiser must note in the appraisal report that he/she could not adequately observe the entire roof area (state which area(s) were unobservable). Based on the information reported by the appraiser, the lender’s underwriter will determine whether or not a roofing inspection is required.
Summary & Attics: All things considered, a flat roof on any portion of a house won’t necessarily trigger a roof inspection, but an inspection may be required if there are signs on the interior or exterior that point toward roof failure. Remember, a roof has to have at least two years of remaining economic life for an FHA loan. On a related note, the appraiser is required to do a “head and shoulders” inspection of the attic, but when the roof is flat and there is no attic, this requirement obviously doesn’t apply.
Anything you’d like to add or ask?
Here are two examples of pools that didn’t make the cut for an FHA loan until repairs were made. The repairs helped show the pool’s equipment was working properly and eliminated a safety issue too. Moral of the story? If you have a pool that is not filled or has green water, make sure the water is clear and pool equipment is working as it should before the appraiser gets out there.
I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve written quite a few FHA appraisal articles in case you wish to learn more about what to expect during the appraisal process in the Sacramento area.
If you know anything about FHA loans, you know a defective paint surface is something that needs to be cured. If the exterior of a house has chipping, peeling or flaking paint, it can be a health and safety issue if the house was built before 1978 due to a potential for lead-base paint exposure. If you didn’t know, FHA has an exhilarating 51-page manual for how to properly cure a defective paint surface (PDF). This is just the type of ready you love to do, right?
DO NOT LEAVE PAINT CHIPS ON THE GROUND: If you’re dealing with a defective paint surface, make sure you or your contractor scrape away any defective paint and then completely reseal the surface with new paint (or some sort of HUD-approved sealant). Moreover, DO NOT leave paint chips or any defective paint dust or residue on the soil. This might seem like a minor point, but you don’t want to have to deal with potential environmental consequences for lead-base paint touching the soil, right? The appraiser cannot verify the paint problem was taken care of if there are paint chips all over the place on the soil.
The appraiser noted a defective paint surface on the southern portion of the house near the roofline. All this portion of defective paint should be properly scraped and there should be no bare wood after scraping. The surface should be repainted or sealed according to FHA standards. As always, there should be no paint chips or paint dust left on the soil when the issue is cured.
I’ve written quite a few FHA appraisal articles in case you’d like to know more. Let me know if you have any questions. | 2019-04-21T20:10:26 | http://sacramentoappraisalblog.com/tag/fha-real-estate-appraiser/ |
0.999999 | Canada: Borrow to Invest in RRSP?
I've a credit line that charges a 2% fee to borrow money and no interest charges for 8 months. I've used this facility before for high value purchases and have not occurred any hidden fees / payments (since I repay it all before end of interest-free term).
Does it make sense to borrow money from this facility to invest in my RRSP account?
That RRSP account is a self-directed RSP and I usually end up going long on ETF / mutual funds.
If It does make sense, What are the factors I should consider to make this a sound investment?
I also do have enough contribution room in my RRSP and probably will look at taking out approximately $5000.
Borrow $5,000 (with a $100 fee) and contribute $5,000 in one lump sum to your RRSP. Repay the loan at $637.50 over the next eight months (assuming the fee is added to the loan amount and not paid up-front).
Total contribution to RRSP: $5,000.
Total cost to you: $5,100.
Over the course of eight months, contribute $625/month to your RRSP.
Total cost to you: $5,000.
At first glance, at the end of eight months you will be in the same position regarding the RRSP (savings increased by $5,000) but the first scenario will have cost an extra $100 to get there.
However, assuming your investments in the RRSP are rising in value over the eight months in question, then in the first case you would have had all the $5,000 benefiting from the rise in value from day one. In the second case, because you are paying monthly – and only hit $5,000 in the last month – the gains you make will be roughly equivalent to having only had $2,500 invested from day one.
If your investments were to grow at 8% per year, then – by my rough calculations – the first scenario should net a gain of around $266, whereas the second would gain $133. This would be an overall benefit of $133, slightly beating the $100 extra it cost to take out the loan.
Conversely, if your investments were to fall over those eight months, you would be slightly better off with monthly contributions (the $625 in the final months will buy more "units" because their price has fallen and – assuming values rise in the future – you will be better off).
So: you have to decide what are the chances of the stock market rising over the eight months concerned? Does the (modest, in most cases) potential extra gain outweigh the risk that "something happens" and you have difficulty in repaying the loan and possibly incurring interest charges? What are the chances that your investment will lose value, and make the lump-sum option worse?
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged investing canada rrsp borrowing or ask your own question.
Are RRSP investment accounts, in Canada, available to temporary residents?
Self directed RRSP - what are some good general guidelines on when to look at switching to one?
Moved to the USA from Canada; what is best to do with RRSP?
How do I do double-entry bookkeeping for separately-managed investment accounts?
Canada: Can financial institutions borrow against all RRSP assets?
Can I invest RRSP funds in ETFs myself in Canada? | 2019-04-18T11:07:05 | https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/105042/canada-borrow-to-invest-in-rrsp |
0.98445 | Question: What is the qiblah (direction in which one should face) for supplicating?
Response: The sky is the qiblah, and raising the hands towards the sky is from the evidences of Ahlus-Sunnah affirming the Loftiness of Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala). Even the creatures, if they are afflicted [with pain] they raise their heads towards the sky. And the Ka’bah is the qiblah for supplicating also as it is the qiblah for the salaah. | 2019-04-24T05:57:55 | http://www.fatwa-online.com/the-direction-in-which-one-should-face-whilst-supplicating/ |
0.997131 | The House on Wednesday passed an $867 billion farm bill to help those in the agricultural industry, sending the legislation to President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse Dems demand Barr cancel 'inappropriate' press conference on Mueller report DOJ plans to release 'lightly redacted' version of Mueller report Thursday: WaPo Nadler accuses Barr of 'unprecedented steps' to 'spin' Mueller report MORE for a signature.
The measure easily passed the lower chamber by a 369-47 vote after overwhelmingly passing the Senate the previous day, capping off months of negotiations.
The legislation expands farm subsidies and includes language legalizing hemp production. It also provides funding for farmers markets and programs for organic farmers, as well as authorizes funding for nutrition programs over the next five years.
Much to the dismay of conservatives, an earlier provision aimed at placing stronger work requirements for food stamps was not included in the final legislation. The measure had received strong support from House Republicans and President Trump.
Democrats strongly opposed the provision, arguing the change would be detrimental to the safety net relied upon by low-income earners.
The bill narrowly advanced to a floor vote Wednesday after language was tucked into a procedural rule blocking for the rest of the year a vote on any war powers resolution limiting U.S. involvement in Yemen.
The move sparked backlash from a number of lawmakers, and came hours before the Senate was poised to pass a resolution using the War Powers Act to force a withdrawal of U.S. troops in or "affecting" Yemen within 30 days, unless they are fighting al Qaeda.
Senators have broadly criticized the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen amid heightened tensions over the death of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in early October.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) blasted the inclusion of the war powers provision in the farm bill rule, urging his colleagues to vote against the rule ahead of it coming to the floor.
"Mr. Speaker, I wanted to be able to vote for this rule today since I said I was going to support the underlying legislation, but my Republican friends screwed it up again," McGovern said during floor debate.
"Because tucked inside this rule is language that turns off fast-track procedures for all Yemen resolutions through the end of this Congress. That's right — the Republican leadership has declared that the worst humanitarian conflict in the world, where the [United Nations] has just announced famine is taking place due to the war, is not worth the time and attention of the people's House."
Lawmakers passed the farm bill legislation following months of negotiations, with Congress allowing the current farm bill to lapse on Sept. 30 after struggling to come to a consensus over changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Members said they saw December at their hard deadline to pass a new bill, as the majority of programs affected by the legislation don’t expire until the end of the month.
While stronger work requirements did not make it into the final text, the bill does make some changes to SNAP. Under the legislation, an interstate data system would be established to prevent multiple states from issuing SNAP benefits to the same individual simultaneously. | 2019-04-18T21:20:50 | https://thehill.com/homenews/house/420990-house-passes-867-billion-farm-bill-sending-it-to-trump?rnd=1544649531 |
0.99989 | Are My Husband's Daily Naps a Problem?
Question: My husband is in his early 70s and takes several naps every day — in the morning and the afternoon — which last an hour or so. He is usually in bed by 9 p.m., and up early. Is this odd schedule bad for his health?
Your husband has a routine that is certainly unusual, but it clearly meets his needs for sleep. Unless he has health problems that can be tied to his sleep schedule (anxiety, cognitive disorders, heart issues), I don't see a reason to worry.
The only question I might have is whether he wakes up out of sleep habit or is he getting up early because he is awakened. Does he snore? If so, he should be checked for sleep apnea.
Daily napping isn't usually a cause for concern, unless sleep apnea is keeping you up at night. | 2019-04-22T04:16:17 | https://www.newsmax.com/health/dr-hibberd/naps-health-apnea/2013/11/07/id/535498/ |
0.999153 | Who is monitoring the covert operations of the world's spy agencies?
Mission drift: our intelligence agencies are in danger of straying from their core purpose.
Not since the infamous Sheraton Hotel incident in Melbourne 30 years ago, when weapons-brandishing spies bungled a mock hostage rescue exercise, has the Australian Secret Intelligence Service wound up with so much egg on its face.
In that escapade, ASIS trainees broke down a guest-room door with a sledgehammer, terrorised the hotel manager and pulled pistols as they tried to escape.
This week, the embarrassment lay in the exposure of a real-life spying operation, with the clearest evidence yet that ASIS, apparently under political direction, had bugged the East Timorese cabinet room in 2004 to help Canberra arm-twist Dili over offshore gas fields.
ASIO, the domestic spy agency, appeared to confirm the charge with a raid on the home of a former ASIS agent who had allegedly blown the whistle on the bugging operation. It also searched the premises of Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery, who had been poised to call the former spy in legal action on East Timor's behalf.
The fresh revelations about ASIS's role left even some defence hardheads shocked.
Australia's foremost academic intelligence specialist, the Australian National University's Professor Des Ball, said he found it mortifying that ''we used our highly professional security agency to get a couple of bloody percentage points in our dealings with a struggling country like East Timor. I've got no problems doing it to the Chinese or Japanese, who are doing it back to us … but Timor? That's what bullies do''.
Former senior Defence Department official Allan Behm agreed, slamming the spying action against Dili as as ''affronting'' and ''not moral''.
The revelations capped off a shocking few weeks for the Australian intelligence community, given recent exposure of 2009 plans by the Australian Signals Directorate to tap the private phones of the Indonesian president, his wife and other members of their inner circle.
With Dili and Jakarta in uproar, many Australians might have been wondering what havoc our spy services were going to wreak next.
Australia, New Zealand and Canada, courtesy of former US intelligence insider Edward Snowden.
Snowden, branded a ''traitor'' by Attorney-General George Brandis, has lifted the lid on a surreptitious global communications and data surveillance dragnet operated by the five countries under what is formally called the UKUSA intelligence-sharing pact, known colloquially as the ''Five Eyes'' arrangement.
The five eyes operate through the key eavesdropping agencies in each country: the all-powerful National Security Agency in the US, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Britain, New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), Canada's Communications Security Establishment and the Australian Signals Directorate or ASD (formerly the Defence Signals Directorate).
Decades of intimate intelligence-sharing has left these agencies with a pattern of co-operation that one former senior government insider describes as ''seamless, instinctive, visceral''.
''It has produced a situation where the agencies wouldn't contemplate for a nanosecond not co-operating if one of them asked for something,'' the source says.
The slow drip of revelations from the cache of documents, which former NSA contractor Snowden took with him and then leaked to The Guardian, is building an extraordinary picture of the depth, breadth and reach of this global surveillance effort.
Just two days ago, The Washington Post (which is partnering The Guardian on some Snowden stories) revealed the NSA was collecting upwards of 5 billion mobile phone records a day, allowing the agency to plot the movements and connections of an enormous number of individuals around the world.
The paper quoted an unnamed NSA manager confirming that the agency was getting ''vast volumes'' of location data by tapping into global communications networks.
Snowden's cache has unveiled the existence of a veritable alphabet soup of programs - with code names including Prism, Tempora, xKeystroke, Muscular, Pinwale, EgotisticalGiraffe, Stormbrew, Fairview, Oakstar, Mainway, and Nucleon - all aimed at harvesting, storing and analysing as much of the world's electronic communications as can be scooped up.
Among the key programs is Tempora, which allows the NSA and GCHQ, with help from ASD, to tap into the arteries of the global communications system, the undersea fibre optic cables which snake between continents and carry well over three quarters of the word's internet and communications traffic.
Then there is Prism, which has sparked particular outrage as it points to extensive NSA penetration of services such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook and YouTube.
In an Australian context, the documents trickling out so far have raised more questions than they've answered. How far does ASD contribute to the worldwide five eyes data-harvesting effort? How secure from snooping by the intelligence agencies are the US services Australians unthinkingly use on a daily basis, including Google, YouTube, Yahoo, Facebook, Skype, Hotmail and Microsoft?
And even if Australian law purports to offer some measure of privacy protection, how can that be more than a fig leaf when most of these services are headquartered outside Canberra's jurisdiction, and so much of our data is routed offshore?
A salient warning has come from the US founder of Lavabit, Ladar Levison, who shut down his encrypted email service earlier this year because he said he would become ''complicit in crimes against the American people'' if he complied with secret court orders forcing his co-operation with security agencies.
''I would strongly recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States,'' he warned.
San Francisco's Kurt Opsahl, a senior attorney with the US Electronic Frontier Foundation, describes the latest revelations as the template for a ''surveillance state that is completely global in scope and is designed to use guilt by association: to look at who is in the same location at the same time as others, and then make assumptions based about that information''.
Intelligence agency heads in Britain and the US have been at pains to point out that most of the information gathered in mass data-harvesting operations is metadata, key details like time, place, duration and user ID which are automatically recorded when a communication takes place, rather than the contents of the communication itself.
NSA director General Keith Alexander has defended ''bulk'' collection as an essential anti-terrorism tool, saying ''you need the haystack to find the needle''.
But privacy advocates say metadata can be rich with information about a person's life and associations.
University of NSW associate professor and fomer army intelligence analyst Clinton Fernandes says: ''I am able to control what I say on the phone [but] I can't control my metadata.
The Snowden documents have so far revealed very little about the precise contribution of Australia to mass data-gathering and monitoring operations. One snippet, apparently jotted down by note-takers at a 2008 meeting at GCHQ in Britain, suggested the then Defence Signals Directorate could ''share bulk, unselected, unminimised metadata as long as there is no intent to target an Australian national''. It added that ''unintentional collection is not viewed as a significant issue''.
Although some have seen this a smoking gun, the Defence Department (of which ASD is a part) issued emphatic denials this week.
Ball and Behm find these assurances convincing. Ball is adamant the agency is '' very much involved in this global activity but not when it comes to picking up Australians''.
But others argue there is such seamlessness to the five eyes' intelligence gathering that nothing stops the other partners combing through Australian traffic which they pick up, and feeding the results back to our agencies for ''target development''.
The NSA and the GCHQ each used the other to circumvent domestic restrictions on intelligence collection.
Fairfax revealed on Friday that Telstra had installed ''vacuum cleaner''-like technology supplied by US firm Gigamon to help it sift through telephone calls, texts, social media and internet metadata, and that ASD was also a Gigamon customer. Telstra denied using ''any traffic monitoring system to conduct mass surveillance on behalf of Australian national security agencies.'' But all the telcos have to comply with secret requests from the police and intelligence agencies.
In Senate estimates committee hearings in Canberra last month, ASIO director-general David Irvine defended his organisation's ability to keep the cloak of confidentiality around metadata collection.
''We are very keen to ensure that … is kept secret so that it is not possible to determine who and what we are targeting,'' he said.
In Britain and the US, some leading politicians are starting to question the vast data-gathering operations unmasked by Snowden. Britain's deputy prime minister Nick Clegg recently declared that ''with each passing day there is a stronger and stronger case'' to question ''the proportionality of intelligence-gathering today and the accountability of the services''.
In the US, Barack Obama has ordered a snap review of NSA powers.
But in Australia, the political response, with the exception of Greens senator Scott Ludlam and independent senator Nick Xenophon, has been anaemic.
Apart from relevant ministers, there is meant to be a special parliamentary committee which keeps watch on the agencies - the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security - but it has yet to be reconstituted since the September election. And its powers of scrutiny are limited.
There is also an Inspector-General of the Security Services (IGIS), Dr Vivienne Thom, but critics claim her office is under-resourced and too much part of the intelligence ''club''.
The president of Civil Liberties Australia, Dr Kristine Klugman, recently wrote to Dr Thom, urging her to investigate the impact of the NSA's Prism program on Australians. The IGIS replied that she lacked power to ''look at the activities … of foreign agencies'' and in any case would not comment on ''operational matters of the intelligence community''.
Ball says the IGIS office is ''minute, overseeing very secret, very compartmentalised and technically complex [ASD] operations. At the moment, I suspect it's beyond them''.
He and Behm, strong supporters of the core work of the espionage agencies (which included tracking down some of the Bali bombers), believe there has been ''mission drift'' and that public confidence needs to be restored. | 2019-04-25T20:58:56 | https://www.smh.com.au/technology/who-is-monitoring-the-covert-operations-of-the-worlds-spy-agencies-20131206-2ywpt.html |
0.998345 | Q: I have been told i have a short leg and that it is the cause of my back pain. is this possible and if so, can it be helped?
A: Ask people if the right and left sides of their bodies are equal in length and the answer would probably be in the affirmative. Most of us believe that the human body is completely symmetrical, with one side mirroring the other. Yet the majority of people are functionally asymmetrical. In such cases both legs have equal length, but one functions shorter than the other. To the lay person, this imbalance will seem insignificant; however, it is exactly those small imbalances that will lead to the vast majority of painful symptoms that bring people into my office.
First, I must make known there are two kinds of short leg… anatomical and functional. A TRUE short leg is anatomically short. That means that when measured through the use of special radiological imaging, we can measure the difference from one side to another. Because millimeters count, if it is more than a couple mm off – it is considered a significant length discrepancy. This can be corrected using a heal lift prescribed by someone who knows what they are doing. In this case, chiropractic therapy is needed to allow balance to return with less pain while your body adapts to the correction.
The other kind of short leg is a functional short leg, the legs are really the same length, but they function as if one is shorter. A heal lift in this case is NOT appropriate unless therapy is unsuccessful at correction. The difference in functional length can be due to a variety of reasons. One cause, for example, is that individuals who have a problem knee put more stress on one side of the body than the other and stretch the muscles on one leg and contract them on the other. Muscles become overactive or hypertonic, resulting in increased tissue tightness and reductions in range of motion. This effect will then follow the biomechanical chain from the leg muscles, to the hip muscles, into the low back muscles and so on.
These differences in length can be so minimal that they are not seen when looking in a mirror. This does not mean, however, that they have a minimal effect. Even a few millimeters of difference can cause low back or hip problems. Your doctor of chiropractic can accurately measure the length of your legs and determine whether you have a functional difference between legs that is affecting your postural stability. Expert, hands-on treatment will restore the symmetry and help to prevent or eliminate pain. | 2019-04-22T15:06:01 | https://www.morgantownchiropractor.com/ask/back-pain-short-leg/ |
0.999639 | The French President last year pledged to repatriate African pieces in his country’s public museums. What repercussions could this policy have?
The issue of restitution, which increasingly dogs western museums, has become an even hotter topic since President Emmanuel Macron of France pledged to repatriate African artefacts. His declaration in Burkina Faso last November that “African heritage can’t just be in European private collections and museums” reignited the debate around colonial artefacts.
Macron has since asked two independent experts, the French art historian Bénédicte Savoy and the Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr, to draw up a set of recommendations for repatriation; their report is due in November. But a question mark hangs over how the policy will be implemented.
The French culture ministry is typically hostile to any changes on matters of restitution. “In 2010, the French parliament voted to set up a scientific commission to study proposals for repatriation, but the ministry failed to act,” the journalist Vincent Noce reported earlier this year, explaining that curators at French museums fiercely defend the principle of inalienability.
Yves-Bernard Debie, a Brussels-based lawyer specialising in cultural property and trade, believes that Macron’s proposal — considered by some as a masterstroke of cultural diplomacy — is ill-founded. “By anchoring the question of sharing world cultural property in the context of ‘restitution’, President Macron has sparked a fire that he will have a great deal of trouble extinguishing,” he says.
The Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum has a collection of more than 70,000 artefacts from sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the works are caught up in restitution claims. In July 2016, the Benin government called for the return of Guezo, Glele and Behanzin treasures in the collection; the disputed items were seized by the French army in 1892 from the royal palaces of Abomey located in the present-day Republic of Benin in west Africa. The claim was rejected in late 2016; the culture ministry declined to comment on the case.
Recent developments also have implications for the art trade, says Mathias Ary Jan, president of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires (the association of antique dealers in France), which oversees Paris Biennale. “Among collectors and dealers at La Biennale Paris there are very important museum donors, so the SNA is watching the [government’s position] regarding restitution,” Ary Jan says. Tribal art dealers are, for the time being, keeping schtum on the subject of cultural repatriation.
Nicholas Thomas, director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, has described the French president’s comments as “enormously encouraging”. In his current role as co-curator of the forthcoming Oceania show at London’s Royal Academy, Thomas has been verifying the provenance of almost 200 historic works from the south Pacific. All the exhibition’s historic loans are from public collections. “We have avoided including works known to have been illegitimately appropriated, with one exception: a Solomon Islands feast trough,” he says.
Thomas is also a leading voice in the Benin Dialogue Group, which comprises representatives from numerous European museums, the Royal Court of Benin and the Nigerian government. They are working towards the return of some Benin objects to Nigeria on long-term loan.
The Benin Dialogue Group met last year in Cambridge to formulate a plan for “the establishment of a permanent display in Benin City” in Nigeria, and is due to reconvene at Leiden’s Museum Volkenkunde in October. Their plans have been boosted by proposals put forward by the Nigerian government centred on a new museum for Benin art located in Benin City. “Plans are still ongoing to set up the museum in the royal palace of Benin . . . This would be the safest place in Edo state as it is culturally sacred,” says a Nigerian government spokesman.
The British Museum holds some 700 objects from Benin. Berlin State Museums also has an extensive collection of Benin treasures, part of which is due to go on display in the new Humboldt Forum culture complex, which opens next year in the German capital. Both institutions form part of the Benin Dialogue Group; the crucial question is whether they will lend their Benin works to the planned museum in Benin City.
At the British Museum, the wheels are turning. A governmental delegation from Nigeria attended a meeting in March with members of the museum’s Africa section and representatives of other European museums that have Benin collections. “At that meeting, a declaration was proposed that outlined an intention to work towards a permanent, but rotating, exhibition [in Nigeria] of loaned objects from the Kingdom of Benin,” a museum spokeswoman says.
In Germany the debate around repatriating non-European artefacts is heating up. The German Lost Art Foundation says it will provide funding in 2019 for research projects investigating the provenance of objects from “colonial contexts in German public institutions”. In May, the German culture minister Monika Grütters presented a code of conduct for museums handling such artefacts. Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), which oversees Berlin State Museums, says it supports displaying Benin objects in Benin City.
Back at Paris Biennale, the participating tribal art dealer Anthony Meyer, strikes a note of caution. “We have inherited a situation caused by history and politicians. It is a subject which needs a steady approach, and not a knee-jerk reaction to President Macron’s statement,” he says. | 2019-04-18T15:17:45 | https://www.ft.com/content/be73f54c-ad30-11e8-8253-48106866cd8a |
0.999999 | Hydrogen from wind energy would be a carbon-neutral, renewable fuel. These results highlight the importance of the medium in catalytic reactions to create this fuel and the importance of understanding and controlling mesoscale effects. Enlarge Image.
Few people would buy a computer that only worked when the sun shines. For solar energy, that's the problem. Energy produced at solar stations on sunny days must be stored for later use. A simple fuel, such as hydrogen, could store the energy. Making hydrogen economically demands a quick, efficient reaction. Creating that reaction demands a catalyst, which pushes the reaction along, in the right environment. Scientists at the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis (CME) found that a proton and water-packed environment lets the catalyst work 50 times faster than the previous record holder -- without added energy.
Why It Matters: No bank of batteries sits under solar stations or wind turbines. Coupling renewable energy with fuel production could solve the storage issue. The study provides a vital clue to that coupling: placing the catalyst in a proton-packed liquid with plenty of water produces hydrogen fuel quickly and efficiently. Doused in this designer liquid, the catalyst pumps out 30,000,000 hydrogen molecules a second.
Methods: At the CME, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Basic Energy Sciences, researchers examine how to control proton movement in catalysis. In this experiment-based study, they began with a nickel-based P2N2 hydrogen production catalyst. The team observed that the catalyst worked quickly, or had a large turnover rate, when water was added to an ionic liquid.
What's Next? The team is combining proton control inside the catalyst with proton control in the environment. The goal? Provide the design specifications to create efficient, super-fast catalysts that turn solar stations into fuel stations.
Sponsors: This work was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (JH, MF, AJPC, MLH, RMB, JASR, MO) and the Early Career Research Program through the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (WJS).
In one sentence: For catalysts, the environment matters. Packing in protons and water lets a hydrogen-producing catalyst work 50 times faster than the previous record holder and provides another page to the design guidelines for super-fast catalysts to turn intermittent sunlight into fuels.
In 100 characters: PNNL scientists showed how to speed turning sunlight's energy into fuels without adding energy. | 2019-04-19T22:48:19 | https://www.pnnl.gov/science/highlights/highlight.asp?id=4075 |
0.998221 | What are the most general questions to be asked for asp.net developer in the interview if I would say that I want to get a job as a fresher?
familiarity with development of asp.net.
how to use Visual Studio.
If you have any informative links please share.
1. What is the Dot Net framework?
2. What are the important components of .Net?
6. What is meant by Managed and Unmanaged code?
I hope you will get most out of it. Thank You.
2. What are the different validators in ASP.NET?
3. What is View State?
4. What are the different Session state management options available in ASP.NET?
6. What are Cookies in ASP.NET?
7. What is Ajax in ASP.NET?
8. What is the Web.config file in ASP?
9. What is caching in ASP.NET?
10. What is Query String in ASP?
In any general interview you will be tested on concepts of OOPs, networking and database.
You might be asked to implement some data structure like doubly linked list, circular queue if appearing for C++. | 2019-04-23T01:26:59 | https://www.codingforums.com/asp-net/394123-asp-net-interview-question.html?s=77b27e04edb33017fb667d752eef2f27 |
0.999993 | (7) Please certify that ALL of the following criteria have been meet.
Non-Ambulatory - The temporarily patient is disabling non-ambulatory. condition, A which patient is precludes non-ambulatory transportation if they in a have motor a vehicle permanent or or motor carrier that has not been modified or created for transporting a person with a disabling condition.
Wheelchair - Patient is physically able to be safely transported in a wheelchair.
No Ambulance - Patient does not need an Ambulance.
(8) What medical condition requires the patient to use an Ambulette?
Please describe the patient's medical condition that requires the patient to use an Ambulette in terms that an average person could understand. The description of the patient's medical condition should support that all of the criteria in the question above was met.
(9) How long may the patient require an Ambulette for transportation?
Permanent - The patient is expected to need an Ambulette for transport for at least 365 days from the date of the first transport.
Patient is expected to need an Ambulette for transport for how many days from the date of first transport because of the medical condition(s) identified in number 8 and because they meet all criteria in number 7. This certification form is valid for the estimated length of time as designated by the attending practitioner.
(11) Who is the attending practitioner that has ordered the Ambulette transport? | 2019-04-21T10:24:13 | http://www.buckeyeambulance.biz/ambulette-form/ |
0.995978 | Ariana Grande's debut solo album "Yours Truly" will hit record story shelves and iTunes on Sept. 3 in the United States, and fans are already anxious to hear the entire record from the "The Way" singer. Though four songs have been heard in full: "The Way" (feat. Mac Miller), "Baby I," "Right There" (feat. Big Sean) and "Almost Is Never Enough" (feat. Nathan Sykes), much of the album has remained a mystery excepting short snippets released on Grande's Instagram account.
Now, two weeks before "Yours Truly" is due out, snippets of each track from the album can be previewed on iTunes. The 90-second snippets deserve snippet-y reviews.
Here are the first impressions of each song from Ariana Grande's "Yours Truly."
1. "Honeymoon Avenue" - The first song off a debut album is an important stepping stone for the rest of the record. "Honeymoon Avenue" seems to indicate that as opposed to upbeat pop numbers, "Yours Truly" will be an album full of pure R&B anthems. Though there are pickups in the pre-chorus, the rest of "Honeymoon Avenue" is full of finger snaps, breathy vocals and powerful runs, proving that at just 20 years old, Grande is fully capable of making an adult album.
2. "Baby I" - The second song from "Yours Truly" is coincidentally the second single. There's little to say about this stomper that hasn't been said already, but Grande surely establishes herself as the next Mariah Carey here.
3. "Right There," feat. Big Sean - The song fans get when they pre-order "Yours Truly" on iTunes, "Right There" features Grande's power vocals, with strains in the chorus. The comparison of the beat to Lil Jon's "Snap Yo Fingers" still can't be ignored, but "Right There" adds an element of '90s R&B to the previous two tracks, which are more modern R&B.
4. "Tattooed Heart" - The piano of this track brings to mind shuffling '50s doo-wop beats. Grande croons about an intense, permanent love. The backing vocals constantly singing "tattooed heart" mixed with the instrumentation gives this song a young, puppy love feeling, even though the intensity of the relationship is well beyond that. Though "Yours Truly" is a mostly mature debut, this song shows off Grande's youth.
5. "Lovin' It" - No, this song is not an ode to McDonald's. Instead "Lovin' It" finally ups the energy and the tempo, with rushing snares and speedy vocals from Grande, bragging about how she spends all her time loving her baby. Though Grande falls slightly back into comfortable territory during the verses, five tracks in, "Lovin' It" is the most banging track on "Yours Truly."
6. "Piano" - It seems as though the center of the album is where "Yours Truly" really picks up. Though the song title would indicate that this track would be a simple, acoustic ballad, "Piano" is yet another poppy fun love song and features full instrumentation that just oozes of hope and happiness. This song is sure to become a favorite with Grande's younger female fanbase.
7. "Daydreamin'" - Feeling similar to "Tattooed Heart" in sweetness and in the '50s-vibes, "Daydreamin'" is yet another innocent love song with Grande yearning for an unreachable dream love. It feels like a Sandy song from "Grease" in a way, with the perfect blend of pure love and youth.
8. "The Way," feat. Mac Miller - The lead single from "Yours Truly" is tucked in to the back half of the album but it still manages to stand out from the crowd. The most modern track on the record, "The Way" still perfectly blends R&B influences from yesterday and today to create what became a top 10 smash hit.
9. "You'll Never Know" - Featuring a variety of electronic jangles and upbeat happy drumbeats, "You'll Never Know" is the frontrunner for the most dance-friendly song on "Yours Truly," surpassing earlier tracks easily. It still feels incredibly old school, but "You'll Never Know" brings '90s R&B into a musical landscape where fans can be nostalgic while listening to new music.
10. "Almost Is Never Enough," feat. Nathan Sykes - Unlike "Piano," which has quite the misleading title, "Almost Is Never Enough" is where the soft acoustic ballad finally comes into play. Released yesterday (Aug. 19) as a promotion for the new "The Mortal Instruments" movie, "Almost Is Never Enough" is a heartbreaking love song, wherein Grande and The Wanted's Sykes trade off vocals effortlessly.
12. "Better Left Unsaid" - Grande returns to form and finishes off "Yours Truly" with a blast of vocal power, crooning "Some things are better left unsaid" with a terrifying amount of force. The track then takes on a straight party atmosphere in an interesting twist, as dance beats and a voice calling for listeners to party chimes in. It's perhaps the most uneven track on "Yours Truly," and perhaps would've been better as a simple ballad instead of trying to make Grande an EDM artist. | 2019-04-24T20:09:55 | http://mstarsnews.musictimes.com/articles/18193/20130820/review-ariana-grande-yours-truly-full-album-snippets-released-on-itunes-sam-cat-star-proves-she-can-balance-youth-adult-audience-on-debut-album-videos.htm |
0.99954 | The idea of being on the full meal replacement plan is to ensure you only eat a specific number of calories per day. Obviously by controlling what you eat you should start to lose weight.
Although I do want to lose a bit of weight it's not that big a priority. Over the last 15 years my weight has always been between 70-76 kilos (154-167lbs) which is not too bad for my 5 foot 7 inch frame and mostly within the recommended range for my Body Mass Index (BMI). Currently I'm at 74kg (163lbs) after loosing a kilo in the last couple of weeks and could probably do to lose 2-3 kilos to be at what I feel is my ideal weight.
The problem I found with Light n' Easy mainly is that the breakfast, lunch and snacks menu includes too much fruit. Don't get me wrong, I love fruit. I wish I could eat more fruit all the time but my stomach won't let me. Too much fruit gives me cramps, gas and the constant feeling that my stomach is empty - like when your stomach rumbles because you're hungry but mine does this all the time.
Light n' Easy menus are pretty well set. They can't really cater to specific needs. At best they can suggest alternatives that you can purchase yourself to replace anything in their menu that may not work for you. For me they suggested replacing some of the fruit with carrot or celery... you can almost hear the sound of my displeasure. Celery isn't even food.
If it wasn't for the fruit thing I'd probably still persist with the entire menu but I was also having an issue with the so called 'easy' part of preparing my lunch and breakfast. I'm pretty simple when it comes to food. I don't need lots of variation, I especially don't like the hassle of cooked breakfast and I do prefer sandwiches to almost anything else for my lunch.
A Light n' Easy breakfast low.
Every day was something different. I will admit the cooked breakfasts and lunches were nice but sometimes more trouble than I'd ever go to preparing my own food.
On the flip side, sometimes breakfast was a little too 'easy'. When the Light n' Easy menu served up a piece of raisin toast with butter on it and a small vanilla yogurt cup I felt I'd reached a dietary low. Isn't breakfast supposed to be the most important meal of the day? I can tell you that morning didn't start with a spring in my step.
After a week, for breakfast, I just wanted a modest sized bowl of cereal, a couple of biscuits with a cup of tea - which is all I used to have.
I've since replaced the cornflakes and a couple of sweet biscuits for breakfast with a small bowl of natural muesli and a couple of muesli breakfast biscuits. That's all I need for breakfast. Virtually no preparation, no thinking, and just enough food to sit and enjoy whilst reading a few pages of whatever book I'm reading.
Light n' Easy lunches are pretty amazing if you like salads and cooked lunches. Other than the fruit there wasn't really anything I could fault with the lunch menu... except the lack of bread and sandwiches. Like breakfast it was a bit too much variation for me and I don't like to think too hard about making lunch either.
For lunch I'm now having a single round of multi-grain sandwiches filled with salad and either deli meat or tuna fish along with a side of nuts or something else healthy. I'll also have an orange or some other piece of fruit that doesn't disagree with my stomach too much.
Overall, if you're wanting to eat healthy and don't have any foods that particularly play havoc with your stomach, Light n' Easy food is nice and probably more varied than what you're currently eating - and likely has a lot less calories and sugar perhaps?
If you're wanting to lose weight then the full meal replacement plans are the better way to go. I guarantee you won't be impressed with some breakfasts and lunches but if you make the effort to pick and choose from the two menus on offer, you should be able to avoid a single piece of toast and vanilla yogurt for breakfast. (You'll end up with this at least one morning if you just pick the default menu).
I suspect people who say Light n' Easy is terrible are just grumpy that they can't eat doughnuts and Macca's any more. The food is nice and, if you take the time to put it on plates rather than eat straight out of the containers it comes in, you won't feel so much like you're on a diet. It'll feel like you're eating your regular meals, just healthier.
I've only just got round to answering this, it's been in my Inbox for ages waiting for me to get to it. I wondered what the Lite n'Easy was like. Someone on my Friends List on FB had it awhile ago and wasn't very I'm pressed with it. It sounds alright.
I wouldn't like the full day's meals either. I can do my own breakfast and lunch. I pretty much like the same as you. I've been having those Plus cereals which are supposed to be full of fibre and good for you, although it's said that the dried fruits aren't suppose to be as they are sugary. According to Lesley, (my daughter and your sister, incase anyone else reads this) they are full of chemicals, so you can't win. I generally have a sandwich for lunch, a toasted one in winter or some cheese on toast. I buy the lite cheeses and milks, but this lite stuff has more salt in it to make up for the flavour, so, what can you do!
I'm glad you dropped the two biscuits, as you don't need those at breakfast, I don't think. What you're having now for breakfast and lunch sounds pretty healthy and the grain breads are good. I still have the soy and linseed bread but sometimes have to get the grain breads if they've sold out.
I always cook for myself, mainly having the grilled meats ie: steak, lamb chops, or a pork loin chop with the steamed vegie mixes of carrot, broccoli, peas and corn or some have cauliflower or green beans and peas et that you do in the microwave. I sometimes use the frozen winter vegies to do in my small stainless steel pan. This kind of meal doesn't take too long to do either. I put foil on my grill with another on top with the sides turned up to catch the juices so no grill to wash.
I do sometimes do quick meals such as the tinned dinners with vegies on toast and I have the crumbed fish with frozen chips done in the oven for Saturday nights. Mostly though I'm cooking my own meals. I do chicken drumsticks by the 'cook in the bag' method in the oven and make the gravy from the juices after getting most of the fat off when it's cooled and been in the fridge. I don't eat the chicken skin. I do this with lamb cutlets in winter.
When your Auntie Margaret was looking for meals at home other than the meals on wheels which didn't do special diets, she was looking into the Light n' Easy too, but remarked that they didn't do special diets. I heard the Home Chef advertised on the radio and looked on line and it was a little dearer than Lite n' Easy but they did do special things for people. I don't know if they are a national company or not. She went to live with your Dad then so I didn't get a chance to suggest it.
Is Enigma still doing it then and are you still doing the evening meals? How much are the evening meals, though it's probably different for WA, but I expect it says online, but I can't remember now.
I wondered if you should check with the doctor to see why fruit affects you like that. I remember you telling me that apple juice was too gassy for you. I don't drink any fizzy drinks as they bloat me too much. I haven't done since the 70s when I last had that feeling.
I still have biscuits but just with my breakfast and they're muesli 'breakfast' biscuits. Gotta have biscuits with my breakfast tea!
We're both still doing Light'n'Easy as described in my post. I'm not sure what the overall costs are as Enigma orders all the meals. It's probably more expensive than what you might spend on groceries but you are paying for convenience and a proven weight loss system (speaking of which I'm currently down to 71.9kg and enigma has lost a a few kilos more than me because she's sticking to the full program).
I've asked the doctor many times about why fruit affects me so badly but I can never get a straight answer other than some fruits can affect people that way.
Yes, I just meant not to have ordinary sweet biscuits. Don't forget the exercise too. I think walking is best, doesn't have to be a lot, just regularly. I think I'm 56 kilos. That's about 8 stones in the old scale. A stone is 14 pounds, 16 ounces make 1 pound. I have my bathroom scales. I'm still at my wedding day weight, well, only 7lbs (pounds) over, or half a stone.
I do 12 kilometers on my Orbital stepper machine 5 days a week, plus take the dogs for a 45 minute walk 7 days a week so I think I've got the exercise covered. | 2019-04-20T12:34:00 | http://www.tet.life/2016/03/one-week-on-light-n-easy-lightneasy.html |
0.999999 | Will Intel Score an Apple Inc. iPhone Modem Win After All?
Intel may be inside of a lower-cost iPhone set to hit the market next year, according to one Street analyst.
In a research report obtained by Barron's, Raymond James' Hans Mosesmann claims that Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) will, indeed, start selling cellular modems to Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) next year. The analyst cites "multiple [Silicon] Valley data points" suggesting that Intel has succeeded in convincing Apple to adopt its upcoming XMM 7360 stand-alone cellular modem.
Mosesmann, citing his colleague Travis McCourt, says that Intel's initial "incursions" into Apple's iPhone supply chain will be in lower-end devices (i.e. successor to the iPhone 5c) in 2016 with the potential to get into the flagship devices in 2017 "at the earliest."
Does this make sense? Let's take a closer look.
XMM 7360 in a lower-cost phone?
The upcoming flagship Apple iPhone 6s/6s Plus models are expected to feature Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) MDM9x35 cellular modems. These chips offer theoretical peak download speeds of 300 megabits per second and upload speeds of 50 megabits per second.
The Intel XMM 7360 actually offers maximum theoretical download and upload speeds of 450 megabits per second and 100 megabits per second, respectively, which is actually the kind of capability that I would expect to see in the flagship iPhone 7/7 Plus devices that will likely launch in the fall of 2016.
That said, if Apple plans to launch three new iPhone models in the fall of 2016 (4-inch, 4.7-inch, and 5.5-inch), then I could see Qualcomm winning the 4.7/5.5-inch models exclusively with Intel and Qualcomm splitting the orders for the 4-inch model.
XMM 7460 potentially going for flagship iPhones?
I expect that Intel will formally reveal its next generation stand-alone modem, the XMM 7460, in early 2016 (possibly at the Mobile World Congress event in February). The modem itself will probably begin sampling in late 2015/early 2016 for volume production during the second half of 2016.
In addition to a feature set that should be enough for an iPhone that launches in 2017, Intel will have the advantage of manufacturing this modem on its 14-nanometer manufacturing technology. As I have written about in the past, this should put Intel's offerings on even footing with what Qualcomm will be offering in terms of manufacturing technology, eliminating an advantage that Qualcomm's modems currently have over Intel's.
It's probably too soon to tell whether Intel will actually be able to win some of the orders for a flagship iPhone that's two years out, but I suspect that Intel's mobile group is working feverishly to make "Intel Inside" Apple's iPhones a reality.
What kind of financial impact could we be looking at?
Intel's mobile business is currently in financial hot water; the division is likely generating minimal revenue (in the quarter before Intel folded it in with its PC Client Group, its Mobile and Communications Group generated negative $6 million in revenue).
Part of the bleak revenue picture is due to the fact that Intel has been providing "contra-revenue" subsidies for its Bay Trail tablet processors. However, another major part of it is that Intel's mobile group simply isn't selling much in the way of product in the mobile space.
Winning a spot inside of some of Apple's iPhones with a stand-alone modem won't bring enough revenue to justify Intel's mobile efforts (i.e. bring the business to breakeven or better). However, as I've argued in the past, the iPhone business would be a nice near-to-medium term boost in mobile-related revenue to tide Intel over until it launches products that can successfully penetrate the large market for low-end and mid-range mobile applications processors. | 2019-04-19T22:16:41 | https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/08/26/will-intel-score-an-apple-inc-iphone-modem-win-aft.aspx |
0.843663 | What explains the very different — albeit short — trajectory of Providence Island from the more illustrious history of the Massachusetts Bay colony? The roots of this difference are not to be found in the germs, culture or ideas that colonialists brought with them — after all, it was the same group of people spearheading both colonization efforts.
Instead, it lies with the conditions that the Puritans encountered, and it was these conditions that ultimately shaped the path of the Massachusetts Bay colony towards inclusive institutions, while strengthening the extractive character of those in Providence Island.
The first factor was that Providence Island became from the get-go a militarized colony, partly because the Company was expecting hostilities from the Spanish (and also intended to use the island as a base against the Spanish). It was also partly because, for reasons we next explain, the elite needed the military fist to control the settlers. This militarized atmosphere contributed to the conflict on the island, discouraging investment and economic activity.
But the most important reason related to what was on the ground and what the investors in London expected to reap from the ground. As noted above, the investors viewed Massachusetts as mostly barren, so did not expect huge profits. It is for this reason that they allowed John Winthrop to take the charter of the colony with him, meaning that authority would rest with the settlers, not back in London. It was for this reason that there was not much opposition to giving private property in land to settlers in Massachusetts. In contrast, the Providence Island Company was a major investment for the prospect of substantial profits. So the Company did not let the reins go and did not allow private property for settlers. | 2019-04-25T10:47:07 | http://www.tuttlesvc.org/2012/07/other-other-providence.html |
0.999999 | Hello, and welcome to the President's Office at our university. I hope you enjoy your time in our office; the view is fantastic, and that antique clock in the corner may be of dubious origin, but it is very old, yes. Whatever business you may have in our office, I sincerely hope to resolve it quickly and efficiently, thus making your day a little easier and brighter. As the president's friendly receptionist, I am here to serve you.
There is one small note, however. Many of you - perhaps as much as 70% of you - come into this office to drop off letters for various people. Now, it is completely understandable to me that you would ask where you can do this. And, although the phrase "You can put it in that box on the desk" does not seem terribly confusing to me - there is, after all, a box on the desk, and it is the only box on the desk, and there is a large sign on the box on the desk that reads INCOMING MAIL - I bear you no ill will when you do not understand what I am telling you at first. I cannot necessarily explain this, but I cannot necessarily explain many of the things that happen in my own head, so I will not presume to judge you for the momentary lapses your own brains may suffer.
However, the following is an example of the sort of conversation I do *not* wish to have with you.
DELIVERYPERSON: Hi, am I supposed to be here?
KYLIE: I... well, are you dropping those letters off?
DELIVERYPERSON: Yes. Do they go here?
KYLIE: I'm not sure, can you show me who they're addressed to?
KYLIE: Oh, yes, that's fine. You can leave them here.
KYLIE: In ::points:: that box on the desk.
KYLIE: In ::still pointing:: that box on my desk.
KYLIE: In that box on my desk right there.
KYLIE: Sir? Over here, on my desk.
KYLIE: Sir. In the box. On my desk. The box on my desk. Right there. The box.
KYLIE: ::gets up, walks around desk, places hand in the box:: This box. Right here.
DELIVERYPERSON: ::bursts out laughing:: Oh! The box! On your desk!
KYLIE: Yes! The box on my desk!
DELIVERYPERSON: I was walking out of the office!
DELIVERYPERSON: There's a box on your desk!
Just for future reference, when I say "You can put that in the box on my desk", it means that you can put that in the box on my desk. I am sure this will clear up any misunderstandings that might arise in the future and that we can have many long and happy years of incident-free letter droppage.
yep, your funny's back. :) this sure had me giggling.
And then I found out about O'Connor retiring and oh, God, I'm terrified, lietya. So terrified.
At least you didn't say "you can just stick those in my box." Because really, that brings up issues that make Kylie scared!
Now, imagine today were a national holiday, such as the 4th of July is there. Also, imagine that rather than working in the President's Office, you are working at a national tourist attraction. Got it? Okay. Now consider the fact that admission is free.
Imagine that those letter-deliverers are instead brightly-attired one-day-a-year patriots, constantly wanting to know what is going on, and where, and how, and why. And you have to answer each question five times because your answer, seemingly intelligible to you, is apparently gibberish to everyone else. Add to that the fact that your phone is ringing constantly with the same kinds of people making the same inquiries. | 2019-04-26T06:53:33 | https://slammerkinbabe.livejournal.com/425243.html |
0.999999 | You are given two strings s and t with respective lengths m and n. Tell if s is a subsequence of t, that is, if there is a subset of m positions of t, 0 ≤ j0 < … < jm−1 < n, such that s[i] = t[ji] for all 0 ≤ i < m. Additionally, tell if there is just one such subset of positions.
Input consists of several cases, each with s and t. You can assume 1 ≤ | s | ≤ | t | ≤ 105, and that the words are made up of only digits and lowercase and uppercase letters.
For every case, tell if there are zero solutions, just one solution, or multiple solutions. | 2019-04-24T10:55:10 | https://jutge.org/problems/P40306_en |
0.998564 | Mechanical spiders have to eat. In fact, they usually have bigger appetites than the real-life spiders you squish under your shoe. What spiders am I talking about? The automated programs sent out by search engines to review and index websites. These "spiders" (sometimes called "bots") are looking for a reason to list your site within the database of their particular search engine. It's hard work roaming around the 'Net non-stop, and these little guys need some nourishment from time-to-time. In fact, when spiders find some hearty "spider food" (a.k.a. a site map with some meat to it), they sit down to stay a while. That's a good thing!
You've probably seen many site maps. The standard ones look like the example below with each phrase being linked to the page of the same (or similar) name.
Some site owners think that's enough. They think a page with keyword-rich titles and links is plenty for a hungry little spider to munch on. Not hardly! That's not a meal? it's just a light snack.
HOME - Home page for XYZ Depot, a home accessories outlet.
ABOUT US - Account of how XYZ Depot became the world's largest home accessories outlet.
SHIPPING RATES - Shipping rates and delivery times.
PRODUCTS - Complete listing of home accessories offered.
>> SMALL APPLIANCES - Exciting selection of small appliances to save you time in the kitchen.
------- MICROWAVE OVENS - Top-of-the-line microwave ovens from brands you trust.
and you have prepared a huge feast for the search engine spiders that is almost guaranteed to entice those hungry little critters to crawl through every available page of your site.
Does every site need a site map? It certainly wouldn't hurt. Sites with less than 20 pages or sites where most or all the pages have links directly from the home page generally don't "need" a site map, per se. However, practically every site of every size can reap benefits from including a map on their site.
If you're creating a site map for your site, don't stop with the basics. With just a little added effort, you'll have a four-course meal to serve the spiders that will keep them happy and satisfied and that will help get you exceptional rankings. | 2019-04-24T17:51:47 | http://articles.jak-stik.ac.id/web-design/50222.php |
0.999991 | Massive overlap on Chariot, not enough term for either Connor or Laine at that value (not saying you could sign either for 8 years at that AAV) and a terrible trade return for Trouba. Yikes.
Montreal would take that trade and run, terrible trade for Winnipeg.
Bowey is a 7th D at best, not sure why you think he's worth playing as a first pairing D!?
Lowry is unmovable, but the Jets would probably be open to moving Copp. The issue is that there is weak C depth and also bottom 6 "grit/sandpaper" guys and Maurice doesn't like to run a skilled 4th line. Don't know much about Marody but if he can step in and play 4th line C then a trade could be worked out.
Hayes and Myers are definitely gone. I expect WPG to trade Kulikov & Perreault in similar moves to the Steve Mason trade last offseason. Plus I fully expect Laine to take a 2 year bridge after such an up and down season. It will definitely be tough but I don't think the Jets will need to move Ehlers to make it work.
The 8th overall is enticing but Winnipeg do not need another young winger. Ehlers is a known commodity and signed long-term. Jets already have Laine/Vesalainen. Also don't need a future 2C they need a C now and Copp fulfils that.
Jets decline, nothing wrong with the valuation but the one position this team has no use for is wingers.
Not according to most of the beat writers on Twitter. That and it was Roslovic who stayed on with the other scratches like Niku, Bogdan, etc.
Roslovic & Beaulieu are out with the other scratches, I expect the lines to be the same from game 1 with the exception of Tanev in for Roslovic.
Swap Tanev and Perreault for sure.
With Lindholm drawing in for Roslovic if Maurice wants to grinding lines.
You top 6 is what I'd like to see but I feel like Connor will play with Scheifele and Wheeler.
I think Roslovic is unmoveable. But both Copp and Appleton definitely are, especially if you are including one of Kulikov or Perreault as cap dumps which you did.
You are really overpaying Copp. Not sure how many years you signed him for (it's not showing up for me), but around 2 is the number he'd get.
If you get rid of Roslovic and replace with Appleton, you'd have to rework the draft picks going both ways but the trade value is definitely close/realistic.
I'd rather reunite TLC and have Little centre the 4th line, but I think your lines are the lines Maurice is likeliest to go with. | 2019-04-26T11:50:39 | https://www.capfriendly.com/users/toque |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.