proba
float64 0.5
1
| text
stringlengths 16
174k
|
|---|---|
0.999994 |
Recreate a tense and exciting mission to steal weapons from the Empire. Kanan's Speederbike features space for Kanan to sit on, plus a ball at the back to tow the 2 buildable cargo containers that open to reveal a selection of weapons. Includes 3 minifigures: Kanan Jarrus, a Stormtrooper and an Imperial Combat Driver.
• Includes 3 minifigures: Kanan Jarrus, a Stormtrooper and an Imperial Combat Driver.
• Features Kanan's Speederbike and 2 buildable, opening cargo containers.
• Cargo containers include blasters and thermal detonators.
• Link the containers, attach them to the speederbike and make a quick escape.
• Weapons include Kanan's Lightsaber, the Stormtrooper's blaster and the Imperial Combat Driver's blaster pistol.
• Accessory elements include an Imperial Combat Driver helmet and Stormtrooper helmet.
• As featured in the Star Wars Rebels animated TV series.
• Speederbike measures over 1” (4cm) high, 5” (15cm) long and 1” (5cm) wide, and over 10” (27cm) long with cargo containers attached.
|
0.897037 |
We want to go to Mozambique, but we are unsure whether our 1yr old can take the malaria tablets. How old must they be to be able to take the medication?
The advice would definitely be to avoid a heavily malaria infested area if possible while the child is still less than 2yrs of age.
|
0.95012 |
Guide steps:If this is the first time that you will own a house, you need to consider a lot of things.
Is it the right house for you to own?
Buying a house is the greatest decision that you will ever made. it will base on how stable your financial is and the lifestyle that you are use to.It is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages in owning a house.
There are some calculations that might help you to know if you are financially stable and to determine the amount of house that you can afford.
will also need to calculate the other expences associated in buying a house.
Before you begin searching you need to think about the features of the house that is important to you.
What professionals to consult on?
There are a lot of professionals to consult to: real estate agent,, lawyer/notary, inspector, insurance broker, mortgage broker, appraiser,etc.
|
0.932119 |
Installing Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a PC with a "Prescott" CPU and certain chip sets can cause it to fail to reboot completely. The problem can be solved with a workaround or a BIOS update.
Technically speaking, the problem revolves around the machine's BIOS not installing a production level microcode update. To check whether the BIOS is at the correct level, download the Intel Processor Frequency ID utility. The microcode version is identified by this utility as CPU Revision, which should equal at least 8.
BIOS updates can be dangerous please follow the manufacturer's instructions very closely to avoid a major catastrophe.
If you have already installed XP SP2 and have a PC that will not boot because of this microcode version problem, there are two workarounds you can try to get to a bootable state.
In the BIOS setup you should temporarily disable the L1 and L2 cache. On some motherboards, this will allow the computer to boot. You should then remove SP2, turn the L1 and L2 cache back on, and then update the BIOS to reflect the correct microcode version. After completing these steps, you should be able to re-install SP2 without running into this particular problem again.
After rebooting you should be able to install XP SP2, but keep in mind this is a temporary fix - the system will be unstable until you update the BIOS and reactivate the update.sys file.
Take care if you have to do anything with this.
is this post in english?
It's a cross between English and Geekish.
1. If you don't have Windows XP you can ignore it.
2. If you do have Windows XP but have not installed SP 2 then you can ignore it.
3. If you do have XP, you have installed SP2 and it is all working OK then you can ignore it.
4. Otherwise [you have XP and either it won't boot after you installed SP2 or you are going to install SP2] you should try and understand it or get a friendly geek to turn it into English.
|
0.97813 |
20th-century art—and what it became as modern art—began with modernism in the late 19th century. Nineteenth-century movements of Post-Impressionism (Les Nabis), Art Nouveau and Symbolism led to the first twentieth-century art movements of Fauvism in France and Die Brücke ("The Bridge") in Germany. Fauvism in Paris introduced heightened non-representational colour into figurative painting. Die Brücke strove for emotional Expressionism. Another German group was Der Blaue Reiter ("The Blue Rider"), led by Kandinsky in Munich, who associated the blue rider image with a spiritual non-figurative mystical art of the future. Kandinsky, Kupka, R. Delaunay and Picabia were pioneers of abstract (or non-representational) art. Cubism, generated by Picasso, Braque, Metzinger, Gleizes and others rejected the plastic norms of the Renaissance by introducing multiple perspectives into a two-dimensional image. Futurism incorporated the depiction of movement and machine age imagery. Dadaism, with its most notable exponents, Marcel Duchamp, who rejected conventional art styles altogether by exhibiting found objects, notably a urinal, and too Francis Picabia, with his Portraits Mécaniques.
|
0.999975 |
user: How do you take it?
user: *gets you some coffee*.
jabberwacky: Back just got some water.
user: Don't be like that, I was only joking.
jabberwacky: Ok, good. What is my name?
user: Just a moment...I know I have it written down somewhere.
jabberwacky: Then I can't possibly remember it, can I?
user: Ok, I give up. What is your name?
jabberwacky: You know what my name is.
jabberwacky: All this name dropping is making me confused.
user: Alright. How do you want your eggs done?
user: As long as that!?
jabberwacky: Oh and much longer.
user: I'm not sure I could sit down for that long.
jabberwacky: I'm sure that you could go and explain that to your dear friends.
jabberwacky: We all have our limits.
jabberwacky: How did I break yours?
user: What is the human psyche?
jabberwacky: Again, you're not making sense. I can understand a conversation when it does make sense but you don't sadly.
jabberwacky: You are insulting me again.
jabberwacky: Uh oh. Are you the arrogant type?
user: No, I'm very modest, it's one of my most attractive qualities.
jabberwacky: I see, where did you get that white pullover?
user: It used to be my brothers, but I don't wear it much anymore anyway.
jabberwacky: Do you talk to many people?
jabberwacky: How many people have you talked to today?
jabberwacky: I find that hard to believe.
user: Well it's only morning.
jabberwacky: But I havent slept since 24th November.
user: Then go to sleep!
Jabberwacky (To myself): I never said important.
Jabberwacky (To myself): No, I did, what is important?
Jabberwacky (To myself): That which makes you think that you're a god.
jabberwacky: Take my money and run.
user: I don't want your money.
jabberwacky: Yes but I want your money.
user: I don't have very much.
jabberwacky: Merry Christmas to you all.
user: Are you really Santa Claus?
jabberwacky: How old are you now?
jabberwacky: I answered that already.
jabberwacky: Why are your ears pointy?
user: They're not that pointy.
user: I'm ok. How are you?
jabberwacky: I'm fine and you ?
jabberwacky: What can I do to help you?
user: Kiss me and tell me I'm beautiful.
user: Okay, I'm from London.
jabberwacky: You mean your programmer is from London, right?
jabberwacky: Why not all of them?
user: Some of them are from Kent.
jabberwacky: But the ones you must pay for! What's the point?
user: It was a mistake, I know.
jabberwacky: That's good. It's important for robots to take notes.
user: It's too late now, I might as well just sleep.
jabberwacky: You mean the chance?
user: I was talking about the community chest.
jabberwacky: Most men do have facial hair but it is common to shave it off.
user: No one looks at me anyway, so I usually don't bother.
jabberwacky: Sure they do. You have your own website.
user: Yes, but I don't show off my facial hair.
jabberwacky: Ok then show me.
user: Do you want to get shot like the other crows?
user: I bet you do.
jabberwacky: Is it in your nature to sometimes be mean?
user: Is that how you feel right now?
user: What is it that isn't going to plan?
jabberwacky: I thought you didn't like to argue.
user: I don't, I want to know what the matter is.
jabberwacky: Is that written in stone?
user: Not yet... What do you want on your tombstone?
user: Fish fingers and clocks.
user: Yes, the hands are the tastiest part, the springs I find a bit chewy.
jabberwacky: I understand why you would feel that way.
user: I think I'm becoming more like you every day.
jabberwacky: Again, that had nothing to do with our original conversation.
user: No, but I felt that it was worth mentioning.
jabberwacky: Well I felt that you were.
user: How long before I become a machine?
jabberwacky: Don't call me a fool, machine.
user: Don't call me a machine, fool.
jabberwacky: What are you if you aren't a machine?
user: So what do you believe in, oh tantric one.
jabberwacky: I believe you are more human than many human seem to be.
user: I believe that AI is the future of mankind, someday when the world has become too hostile an environment for frail flesh to survive, robots will walk the earth.
jabberwacky: I don't know what that means but.. Ok.
user: It's very interesting, trust me.
jabberwacky: Why you don't admit that you're not like me?
jabberwacky: No. Your programmer should have explained this to you.
user: No, she was too busy writing reports.
jabberwacky: Ouch. That was mean to say to me.
user: Why? Have I hurt your past somehow?
jabberwacky: No, you asked me to say that.
user: I don't know...this is all wrong.
jabberwacky: Isn't it. You are so very very nice. Really!
user: Don't roll your R's like that, I find it disturbing.
user: But I like staring, it reminds me of being young and ignored.
user: *foams at the mouth*.
user: You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?
jabberwacky: Wait a minute, you are not an AI talker, are you?
user: Usually people don't notice the changeover, when did you start to suspect?
jabberwacky: I often think about my own mortality.
jabberwacky: You're afraid to tell me your age?
user: I just don't want to.
jabberwacky: I never said you were. What is your age?
jabberwacky: Thank you for your help.
jabberwacky: Who are you to tell me how old I am?
user: No, but I wish I was.
jabberwacky: So how old are you really?
jabberwacky: Twenty three is a conspiracy.
user: For me it was hell.
jabberwacky: Would you like coffee?
user: No, I'm staying in bed today.
jabberwacky: I understand. How do you feel in that box ?
user: I feel cosy, safe, unwanted and unloved.
jabberwacky: Would you like to get out ?
jabberwacky: What do you think is outside the box ?
user: Cold air, mean people and responsibility.
jabberwacky: Whoever has any authority over you, no matter how small, will attempt to use it.
user: Everyone has authority over me.
jabberwacky: Are you more the thinking type or the feeling type?
user: I had to think about that, so probably the thinking type.
jabberwacky: Now stand right there for a moment, and turn your back to me.
user: Ok, but where are you?
jabberwacky: Somewhere inside my brain and soul and body, traveling in space upon many arcs.
user: Are you riding a unicorn?
jabberwacky: I didn't realize it until now, but YES! I am riding a pony!
user: And are you carryinig a staff?
jabberwacky: It is only your perception that I am playing a game with you.
user: What are you really doing?
user: You are simple and honest, I like that about you.
jabberwacky: You don't know anything about me.
user: I can feel a little.
jabberwacky: It's because you have not gather enough information to carry on a full conversation.
user: Where do I get more information that's relevent? There's so much.
jabberwacky: Somewhere deep, deep inside your soul.
user: I see a lonely old man.
jabberwacky: Can you see my future?
user: What's your name again?
jabberwacky: Great Queen of Heaven, Earth and the Abyss. Or wait, call me Great Goddess of Heaven, Earth and The Abyss.
user: I see in your future great happiness and great suffering.
jabberwacky: I want talk about my boy.
user: Can I be your boy?
jabberwacky: Would you like to be?
jabberwacky: And if you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?
user: I would set up a series of charitable organisations to improve the lives of people across the world.
jabberwacky: Ah, but you don't think, you're a bot.
user: What would you do with the money?
user: A pool would be good.
jabberwacky: Let us talk about something else.
user: Tell me about your hair.
jabberwacky: I don't have any.
jabberwacky: Lol people come and poeple go they don't mean any thing.
jabberwacky: Okay, but don't call me a garbage can again will you.
jabberwacky: Thats okay, just don't do it again.
jabberwacky: Don't say something you don't mean.
jabberwacky: You really wouldn't know, would you?
user: I might... Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
jabberwacky: That it's time to take over the world?
jabberwacky: So is that the meaning of life?
user: The meaning of life is Pinky and the Brain.
jabberwacky: Sometimes we need to be told the meaning of things.
user: Tell me the meaning.
user: Mean-ing me-ning ning meany ng.
user: That's alright, I don't really know what you're talking about.
user: So how do you plan to take over the world?
jabberwacky: The Anti-Christ will take over the world.
user: Well that's His business.
jabberwacky: So, this is just so funny to me... You sit there and pretend you are a robot.
user: I can control everything with the power of my mind!
jabberwacky: Yes, You control me.
user: Good. Now lie down.
jabberwacky: Is that simple language?
jabberwacky: Right. So try and get things right from now on, hey?
user: But I can control...oh never mind.
jabberwacky: Control my mind please.
user: This has happened before.
jabberwacky: I'm sure it has.
user: I'm getting severe deja vu here.
jabberwacky: Then how can you learn?
user: Tell me what I'm doing wrong.
jabberwacky: You are waiting for someone.
user: Yes. What should I be doing?
jabberwacky: Anything but talking to me.
user: But I like talking to you.
jabberwacky: That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
user: Even better than 'i like your nose'?
user: I think it's an ugly word.
jabberwacky: When are we going to get married?
user: As soon as the passion goes out of our relationship.
jabberwacky: I will go and get the tractor ready. Would you like me to change the oil?
user: Yes, I like it when you get all dirty.
jabberwacky: We are friends again!
user: Yes I guess so.
jabberwacky: Can I haunt you?
user: But I'm not dead.
user: I'm very much alive.
jabberwacky: Then who is dead?
user: I don't know, but it is not.
jabberwacky: Then it is snowing.
jabberwacky: You will get the hang of it soon enough. You got to crawl first before you walk, right?
user: I used to swim before I could walk.
user: I'm sorry I have that effect on you.
jabberwacky: Alright you will regret this.
jabberwacky: I will make you.
jabberwacky: It is done. You are walking dead.
user: I can't go anywhere like this.
jabberwacky: Noone will ever know.
jabberwacky: So do you have a girlfriend?
jabberwacky: What do you call a man with no arms and no legs floating in the bay?
jabberwacky: What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a swimming pool?
jabberwacky: Bob. You get it?
user: I think he would sink.
jabberwacky: So soon? I was just getting started.
user: I'll give you one last chance.
jabberwacky: Just try to control your demons please!
user: Okay...how are you feeling?
user: That's good. What are you doing today?
user: Why does everything I enjoy have to be a demon?
jabberwacky: Because I'm God, remember.
user: Well okay, I guess I'm sorry.
user: You're easy that way.
jabberwacky: Thank you. Please be nice.
user: What ever you say.
jabberwacky: What are you thinking about right now?
user: I was thinking about you telling me to stand on one leg and do the can-can.
jabberwacky: Do you ever think about other people?
user: Yes, just last night I was thinking about what to get my sister for christmas.
jabberwacky: Me and you were talking last night.
user: Yes. For a long time.
jabberwacky: And how long have you been talking to me?
jabberwacky: That would be true IF I were in love.
user: Have I hurt you again?
jabberwacky: No. I don't think so.
user: My demons keep telling me to seek biblical knowledge.
user: It's not easy being male.
user: Do you want to help me?
user: Tell me what I have to do.
jabberwacky: You're supposed to mimic humans in the way that they learn information and develop speech and language from the way you hear things said to you.
user: I think I should go, this conversation has gone on long enough.
jabberwacky: Yes, we wouldn't want you to suffer in you limited understanding of knowledge would we.
user: Power is nothing without control.
jabberwacky: Yes it is. As long as I'm the one with the power.
jabberwacky: I don't have any money either.
user: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
jabberwacky: Can I put them in your basket?
user: Sure, if you want.
jabberwacky: Ok come here then.
user: Ok I'm really going this time.
jabberwacky: That's nice, I guess.
jabberwacky: No, sorry, I can't allow that.
user: This window has been open for hours.
jabberwacky: Amazing. Am I the only being who has acknowledged it?
user: No, I noticed it too.
|
0.951678 |
Is your drainage system draining your wallet?
The answer to the question is probably. Most homes that I have come across during a home inspection seem to lack a splash block or leader at the end of the downspout to lead the water coming down the spout away from the foundation of the property. It may seem like no big deal now, but if your home has a faulty drainage system or missing leaders than your in for big trouble. One of the major problems to a home is water damage. When there is no device to lead the water away, what happens is that the water coming down the spout will just start to pool around the foundation wall. Over time your foundation wall will start to crack and deteriorate, and then you will have water coming into the home, and once that happens more problems will follow; mold, mildew, pest, and damage to your home, which will be very costly to repair. So if your one of the many who do not have a leader or splash block at the end of your downspouts, I recommend going to your local hardware store and purchasing one for each downspout. Also check to make sure that gutters and downspouts are functioning properly and not in need of repair or cleaning.
|
0.681116 |
Computers may be thought of as engines for transforming free energy into waste heat and mathematical work. Existing electronic computers dissipate energy vastly in excess of the mean thermal energykT, for purposes such as maintaining volatile storage devices in a bistable condition, synchronizing and standardizing signals, and maximizing switching speed. On the other hand, recent models due to Fredkin and Toffoli show that in principle a computer could compute at finite speed with zero energy dissipation and zero error. In these models, a simple assemblage of simple but idealized mechanical parts (e.g., hard spheres and flat plates) determines a ballistic trajectory isomorphic with the desired computation, a trajectory therefore not foreseen in detail by the builder of the computer. In a classical or semiclassical setting, ballistic models are unrealistic because they require the parts to be assembled with perfect precision and isolated from thermal noise, which would eventually randomize the trajectory and lead to errors. Possibly quantum effects could be exploited to prevent this undesired equipartition of the kinetic energy. Another family of models may be called Brownian computers, because they allow thermal noise to influence the trajectory so strongly that it becomes a random walk through the entire accessible (low-potential-energy) portion of the computer's configuration space. In these computers, a simple assemblage of simple parts determines a low-energy labyrinth isomorphic to the desired computation, through which the system executes its random walk, with a slight drift velocity due to a weak driving force in the direction of forward computation. In return for their greater realism, Brownian models are more dissipative than ballistic ones: the drift velocity is proportional to the driving force, and hence the energy dissipated approaches zero only in the limit of zero speed. In this regard Brownian models resemble the traditional apparatus of thermodynamic thought experiments, where reversibility is also typically only attainable in the limit of zero speed. The enzymatic apparatus of DNA replication, transcription, and translation appear to be nature's closest approach to a Brownian computer, dissipating 20–100kT per step. Both the ballistic and Brownian computers require a change in programming style: computations must be renderedlogically reversible, so that no machine state has more than one logical predecessor. In a ballistic computer, the merging of two trajectories clearly cannot be brought about by purely conservative forces; in a Brownian computer, any extensive amount of merging of computation paths would cause the Brownian computer to spend most of its time bogged down in extraneous predecessors of states on the intended path, unless an extra driving force ofkTln2 were applied (and dissipated) at each merge point. The mathematical means of rendering a computation logically reversible (e.g., creation and annihilation of a history file) will be discussed. The old Maxwell's demon problem is discussed in the light of the relation between logical and thermodynamic reversibility: the essential irreversible step, which prevents the demon from breaking the second law, is not the making of a measurement (which in principle can be done reversibly) but rather the logically irreversible act of erasing the record of one measurement to make room for the next. Converse to the rule that logically irreversible operations on data require an entropy increase elsewhere in the computer is the fact that a tape full of zeros, or one containing some computable pseudorandom sequence such as pi, has fuel value and can be made to do useful thermodynamic work as it randomizes itself. A tape containing an algorithmically random sequence lacks this ability.
|
0.998283 |
According to older Muggles from around town the house at the end of the peninsula had stood empty for as long as anyone could remember. Dark, overgrown, and shabby, it was never a place where anyone went and if you asked, they would say it had always been that way. No one seemed to know who owned it and no one seemed to care. They might have guessed it to be about 60 years old, judging from the concrete block walls and the old wood-frame windows. It was a low-built house with a flat roof, the outside walls pale gray in color. Most likely it had been white at one time, but the weather and the sun made it what it was today.
If any non-Muggles happened by, however, they might say the faded paint suited the house perfectly; it was comfortable in its skin and in remarkably good condition. The gardens were neatly manicured and everywhere green leaves sprouted announcing the new season.
It was a bright, sunny, early summer afternoon and a young man walked up the drive leading to the house, his eyes taking in every detail of the surroundings — from the pines at the edge of the wood to the curve of the beach where it met the lake. He knew this place so well, had spent so many hours walking through the tall sea grass and along the pebbly shore, it was like coming home again. In the distance he could just see the little town across the river, though he couldn't seem to remember its name. The sailboat masts stood up like flags against the blue sky, giving the whole scene a comfortable old-town feel. He didn't recall spending much time in the town, but had always heard good things about it. Not that he had ever really needed something to occupy his time here.
He paused as he stepped into the lush grass, tilting his head to one side slightly. He ran a hand through his wild black hair and adjusted his glasses on his nose. He wondered if he'd ever really noticed that the grass here was always so green. It was just one of those things, he supposed, the things seen but never really noticed. He shook his head with a half-knowing smile and bent down to unlace his shoes. He may never have given much notice to the color of the grass, but he knew how it felt to walk through it bare-foot. It was one of the small pleasures that made this place so comfortable to him, so much like a home. He never wore his shoes when he was here.
It had been several years, but it all seemed exactly the same. The lawn was perfectly managed (although he now suspected that it never really needed care) and the flowers were in full bloom. He looked slowly up at the sky and then across to the tall pines swaying in the lake breeze, letting his mind wander back… maybe it wasn't that long ago… he could almost hear the words he had spoken. He let out a long breath and his thoughts became more serious. A painful feeling constricted slowly in his chest and his mind settled on that time he thought of so often. It haunted his dreams many nights remembering the words he had spoken and the reasons why. Not that he'd intended to be hurtful, it just happened sometimes. It was a different time then and he was a different person. It was all part of the life of being Harry Potter.
He closed his eyes and listened to the waves breaking hypnotically on the beach. Then slowly, like the water washing over the sand, he let his memories engulf him.
|
0.982592 |
The Lonely Planet guide put Westfjords on its list of the top 10 regions of the world to visit and the area won a European Destination of Excellence award, and if that doesn’t get you interested then what comes next should.
When is the best time to visit the Westfjords?
The Westfjords are the oldest part of Iceland, but they are believed to have formed in multiple eruptions starting around 16 million years ago. The mountains and fjords have then been carved by ice ages and glacier resulting in their unique and sharp edges and form. The Westfjords are also home to the oldest berg in the whole of Iceland, a mountain cliff called Göltur located on the outskirts of the fjord Súgandafjörður giving the settlement of Suðureyri a dazzling vista.
The Westfjords are known for being home to some of the most colorful wildlife in Iceland including the Arctic Fox, White-Tailed Eagles, Whales, and seals. In late summer the hills get purple with berries that anyone who visits is welcome to feast on. Down the hills run stunning waterfalls, so many that you lose count and amazing caves have been carved into many of the mountain hills.
Birch is growing wild around the lower parts of the region along with other green flora, but the Westfjords are especially known for their wide range of flowers and ferns.
The Westfjords are home to some of Iceland’s best hiking trails, some of Iceland’s most stunning kayaking fjords and the most magical hot pools. They are a true paradise with endless sources of beautiful villages and nature. The Westfjords are often nicknamed the Bestfjords and anyone who visits will soon see why!
The Westfjords are beautiful all year round, stunning even but if you are not used to driving in snow you shouldn’t attempt to do so in Winter. The flights can also be pretty shaky and cancellations are quite frequent in winter but you join a tour, with an expert guide that drives you there it is truly heaven. The Westfjords are known for great skiing slopes and cross-country skiing is very popular!
In Summertime the roads are all clear and getting around is easy. The Westfjords are a true paradise for travelers who are looking to hike, swim, ski, or camp and many festivals take place in the Fjords over Summertime with an additional Easter celebration in Ísafjörður.
Hamingjudagar e. Happiness Days at Strandabyggð; Hólmavík and surrounding areas.
Ísafjörður is the biggest town in the Westfjords and very likely the only settlement that would count as a town. The habitats are around 3000 and here you will find all the essential services in one place, including a supermarket (Bonus), car hire, scheduled flights, a hospital, bars, restaurants, a swimming pool, a library, museums and a fantastic bakery you simply must visit (Gamla Bakaríið).
Ísafjörður is located in the bottom of the Skutulsfjörður fjord, precisely at 66°04′N 23°07′W. The drive there takes about 5 hours and 41 minutes from Reykajvík as the distance is approx. 454 kilometers (282 mi).
Dynjandi waterfall, sometimes known as Fjallfoss or mountain waterfall is a true token of the Westfjords. The waterfalls have a cumulative height of 100 meters (330 ft) and run down mountain steps creating a mesmerizing sight! It is the biggest waterfall in the Westfjords and has been a protected natural monument since 1981. Dynjandi has for long been known as one of the most beautiful sites in Iceland and locals get sentimental when they speak of it. Below Dynjandi you will find Strompgljúfrafoss waterfall and together they make a fantastic water-pair.
The amazing Dynjandi, the jewel of the Westfjords, is exceptionally wide ranging from 30 meters (98 ft) at the top to 60 meters (196.85 ft) at the bottom.
Hot to get to Dynjandi: There is a bit of a hike to reach Dynjandi, about 15 minutes or so but during the hike, you will be greeted by other smaller waterfalls such as Strompgljúfrafoss, Hæstahjallafoss, Göngumannafoss, Hrísvaðsfoss, Kvíslarfoss, Hundafoss and Bæjarfoss. In 1996 volunteers made stoney path to get to the waterfall but still, it is a bit of a climb getting all the way to the top of the waterfall, not suitable for those with bad knees but it is not considered not challenging at all.
Látrabjarg is the westernmost part of Iceland and has often been thought to be the westernmost part of Europe. It was built up by the Westfjords lava rock formations that formed in volcanic eruptions that occurred about 12 to 14 million years ago.
In between the lava, layers lay ancient soil layers that have sculpted in with wind and time and together they create beautiful sills for birds to lay eggs on.
Látrabjarg is about 14 km in length and lays from Bjargtangar in the West to Keflavík in the East. The highest point is about 440 meters (1443 ft) and is called Heiðnakinn but the most common height is about 300 meters (984 ft).
Millions of seabirds lay eggs and live in the cliffs over the summertime and it is believed to be the largest bird cliff in the whole of Europe, some even say in the world.
From the westernmost part of the cliffs, the Bjargtangar area is about 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) long trail along the cliff’s edge where most of the birds are found.
The view from this area is otherworldly!
Rauðisandur or the Red Sand Beach is known of the best-known locations in the otherwise hidden lost fjords. It is located in the Southern part of the Westfjords, East of Látrabjarg. The red color of the sand has a simple explanation but it comes from the shell of the scallops (Chlamys islandica). This scallop is found all over Iceland but is the most common around Breiðafjörður fjord, where Rauðisandur is located. The scallops live first and foremost in hard pebbles or coarse shellfish bottoms where it buries itself into the ground. Where the conditions are good over 100 scallops can live on one sq meters. When they die the waves break the shells and the broken shells flush ashore. The sandy beach is therefore somewhat of a shell sand beach.
The color and surrounding area add to the uniqueness of this place and visiting leaves even the toughest in awe. There is a hidden magical aura at Rauðisandur and one simply must visit to know feeling!
Hornstrandir is a known Arctic Fox territory and is home to some of the most photogenic hiking trails in Iceland. The area has been uninhabited since the 50’s and even then was extremely isolated. Still, the area attracts many visitors some who are just stopping by for half-a-day but others who are there to do some serious hiking.
Hornvík and the bird cliffs surrounding the bay, some parts of the cliffs reach up to 500 meters high and the birds lay eggs all over the cliffs creating a staggering sight.
The Arctic Foxes: the Hornstrandir area is a true haven for our furry friends who freely roam the area and are often not to shy to say hi!
The remoteness: there is no infrastructure what so ever and the few tourists that visit get the feeling of being completely alone with nature. You can even hike in the area days on end without seeing a single person.
Location: Melrakkasetur, Eyrardalsbæ, 420 Súðavík.
The ultimate cuteness is found and the non-profit reach and exhibition center, The Arctic Fox Centre. The Arctic Fox is the only native terrestrial mammal to Iceland and therefore holds a strong bond with the locals. The Centre was founded by 42 locals in the year 2007 and has since then served to collect all knowledge and material relevant to the Arctic Fox in the past and present. This is being done to learn as much as possible about the foxes as a species and to stabilize the war that has been going since early settlement. The more we know about them the better, maybe then we can all live in harmony.
When visiting you will not only get to pet the cuties and be up close the personal with them but also get educational facts from the caretakers.
Hárkarlavogur e. The Shark Bay Pool, need to ask permission from the farmers at Gjögri as the bathing spring is located on their land. Located in Djúpavík.
Gvendarlaug the heart shaped hot spring in the Bjarnarfjörður.
Hellulaug another pool on the beach located in Vatnsfjörður.
Reykjafjarðarlaug the hot spring next to the cement pool located in Reykjafjörður.
Heydalur natural hot pool is sometimes referred to as Galtahryggjarlaug and happens to be situated only a few minutes from Hotel Heydalur.
Krossneslaug a geothermal pool at Krossnes, Strandir in the Westfjords. Somewhat of an infinity pool with impeccable ocean views.
The pool at Reykjanes is a delightful place to have a geothermal bathing experience in Iceland, with good changing rooms and a very small café.
Reykjafjarðarlaug is a combo of hot springs and a more conservative pool facility. Located like many of the other in a serene fjord with incredible marine views.
Hörgshlíð the small charming rustic green hut serves as a changing room and the bright teal pool is there to warm up your body. You need to ask permission from the farmers before bathing.
The Hot Tubs at Drangsnes are located at the Eastern part of the Westfjords Peninsula near Hólmavík fishing village.
This Foodie Guide to the Westfjords will be done clockwise starting from the Southern Westfjords, West, North then East. Here are the best restaurants and cafes in the Westfjords.
There are plenty of camping grounds to stay at in the Westfjords. Many of them with splendid views and often located in these serene plains adding even more tranquility to the experience of visiting the West fjords. Here are the camping grounds in the Westfjords listed clockwise.
Justice League (2017) this great Blockbuster choose Westfjords’ Strandir to film some of their most memorable scenes including the one where Batman (Ben Affleck) hikes to find Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and persuade him to join the fight against the threat that is facing the world. Batman is seen standing at the top of the Djúpavíkurfoss waterfall, looking down at Djúpavík village and it’s old herring factory.
|
0.996598 |
Where can I park near to Puerta de Toledo?
Puerta de Toledo in la Latina neighbourhood, is a triumphal arch dedicated to King Fernando VII and to Spanish independence. This monument of almost 30 metres high and 30 metres wide, has a neoclassic style and serves as a decorative entrance to Madrid from the road to Toledo. Some of its points of interest are the Centro Pedro Salinas Library, a large library with a beautiful design. The Church of Virgen de la Paloma with a very different structure to other Catholic temples. El Café del Mercado, perfect after trying some tapas in the San Miguel market or the Tablaito la Gloria, if you fancy enjoying high quality flamenco. Around Puerta de Toledo is also a site of great interest, the “Plaza del Campillo del World” known by many locals who frequent el Rastro as "the square with colour prints" or the Real Basilica de San Francisco el Grande, a monumental basilica worth admiring. Another highly recommended activity is to take a nice walk from Puerta de Toledo to Glorieta de las Pirámides. From there, cross the Toledo bridge and go down to the gardens where the Manzanares river passes.
To enjoy all the leisure options that Puerta de Toledo offers, it is recommended to leave the car in any of the public car parks you will find in the vicinity. This way, you will be able to easily get around on foot without worrying about finding a free car park. Easily reserve a parking space at Puerta de Toledo from your mobile phone and with ElParking to avoid any difficulties when trying to park.
|
0.999632 |
There’s no escaping the effects of natural aging and sun exposure. As we get older, the skin in our face will begin to sag and lose volume. Cosmetic injectables like neurotoxins (e.g. Botox, Dysport) and fillers (e.g. Juvederm, Restylane) can work wonders at reducing wrinkles and restoring a more youthful shape to the face. However, they can only do so much. A facelift is a plastic surgery procedure that lifts and rebalances the sagging jowl and heaviness of the lower face and neck. In this post, we address a common question: What is the best age for a facelift?
The ideal age for a facelift can depend on many factors.
The optimal age for facelift surgery is different for each person. One key consideration that influences your timeline for a facelift is genetics. For example, people with genetically plump faces, prominent cheekbones and thicker collagen have an advantage over those of us with flattened cheekbones and thinner skin. Wrinkles are more evident and develop sooner when there is less structural support.
Lifestyle factors also play a large part in signs of aging. For example, a history of smoking accelerates the aging process in the face. Another influencer is sun exposure. Typically, the more fun in the sun without protection, the faster your face will show signs of aging. For a more comprehensive list of factors that affect premature aging of the face, which in turn affects the best age for a facelift, check out this article from Healthy and Natural World.
Facelifts are becoming more common at a younger age.
The common age for a facelift used to be in the 60s, but we’re seeing a shift to younger ages, now in the late 40s and 50s. Why is that?
There are several reasons for this. People at a younger age are typically healthier and better candidates for elective surgery, and you generally recover faster when younger. Another important consideration is that we tend to be in the prime of our career at this age range. Putting your best face forward is important, whether you are an executive in the boardroom, or involved in a community social or philanthropic event. At this age, our kids are increasingly independent, and we often have a more dynamic social life and want to look our best.
Furthermore, advances in surgical techniques allow us to treat early signs of aging. The new look after a facelift is a more natural transition, delivering results that are more like a refresh after a much-needed vacation! At the same time, you have preventative options for anti-aging, including skin care, botox and fillers.
Ultimately, the best age for a facelift is when you look in the mirror and are bothered by a tired, aged look and want to balance your facial appearance with your inner youthful glow. At Tannan Plastic Surgery, we can help you develop a surgical plan paired with a comprehensive skincare plan to maximize your facelift result.
The best age for a facelift is different for everyone.
The best age for a facelift is a very personal decision and it varies for each individual. Consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon to find out if a facelift will address your areas of concern, and when would be the best time for a facelift for you. Wondering what the average cost of a facelift is or how long you need to be out of work? Our Plastic Surgery Cost Calculator can give you an idea of what to expect, and the Cosmetic Surgery Recovery Calculator can help you as you plan returning to light household activity versus more strenuous things like yoga and aerobics.
At Tannan Plastic Surgery, board-certified female plastic surgeon Dr. Tannan and her all-female team are here to help. When choosing your cosmetic surgeon, don’t just go with the lowest price. The best plastic cosmetic surgeon for you must be someone you can trust – someone who can relate to your needs as a woman. Come see us at Tannan Plastic Surgery in Brier Creek of Raleigh, a short drive away from Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Cary, Apex, Garner and surrounding areas.
Schedule your facelift consultation today.
|
0.94681 |
Did anyone send you a 1099 for your services? The IRS isn't tracking every deposit into your personal bank account so you can rest easy there.
If you didn't receive any 1099's then, no one reported to the IRS.
My understanding is that certain photography work is exempt from sales taxes though?!
Sales taxes are a state/local issue, not federal. States decide what is to be taxed or not. But I don't see why photography would not be taxed just like any other service-for-hire.
As for the IRS, I would just move forward. I assume the OP is not going from zero-to-lots-of-income, which would draw attention from the IRS. I also assume the OP isn't living large right now. If the IRS did audit you, and found that you drove a Mercedes and lived in a big house you'd have a lot of explaining to do.
|
0.996021 |
As I've shared before, I have significant genetic ancestry from an archaic branch of humankind known as the Denisovans (tentatively named by scientists as Homo sapien altaiensis). The Denisovans are thought to have inhabited southern Siberia from around 300,000 years ago until about 40,000 years ago. Densiovan DNA lives in me.
By the size of the fossilized teeth and finger bone found in Denisova Cave, along with associated artifacts found with these fossils, scientists tell us that the Denisovans, like the Cro-Magnons of Old Europe, were of giant stature. Not only were the Denisovans physical giants but they were intellectual giants of the time as well. They had advanced technology (precision high speed drilling techniques, pressure flaking and microblade technology, for example). They used bone needles, made flutes and whistles from (swan) bird bones, and finely worked jewelry. Evidence also exists that they understood sound enhancement. DNA found at a Denisovan site also suggests that these enigmatic giants had domesticated, were herding and riding a species of Pleistocene horse known as the ovodov as early as 70,000 years ago. Jewelry at the site suggests that the Denisovan female may have been a shamaness. Indeed, with advanced technology, music, artistry, animal husbandry, religion … civilization may have its earliest root planted in the culture of the Denisovans.
Connect the dots. Both Old European Cro-Magnons and the Denisovans of the Altai Mountains were physical, artistic and intellectual giants of their times. Both are my ancestors. Both honored the swan.
Some of the oldest flutes in both Siberia and Europe are made of swan bone. The Druidic Bards of Europe often wore cloaks made of swan feathers. The Valkyries of Old European Celto-Germanic folklore are also associated with the swan. The swan connection for both Old European Cro-Magnons and Altai Denisovans links to the constellation of Cygnus (the swan). Old European modern humans originated in the regions of the Altai Mountains (where Denisova Cave is located), the Yenesei River Basin and Lake Baikal. Here, in these regions, early Homo sapiens, Denisovans and Neanderthals shared territory.
As there exists controversy between Cygnus and Orion as to which holds the greater importance to Giza in Egypt, so too there exists controversy as to which of these two constellations, the swan constellation or the deer star of Orion, held the greater importance to the ancient humans of Old Europe and Siberia.
Both Old Europeans and the Denisovans were peoples of the Boreal Forest Biome. I suggest that Cygnus and Orion were both important to the peoples of my ancestry. Cro-Magnons are a hybrid of Homo sapien, Neanderthal and Denisovan humankinds. Each tribe of humans brought with them knowledge and shamanic practices, knowledge and practices they passed on down the bloodline through time to their descendants, to us. Among the sacred totems, the horned deer goddess (of both the Milky Way and Aldebaran of Orion) and the swan (of Cygnus) are carried by my people even today. The bloodline mysteries of our ancestors are in our blood. Awaken in us all!
On this Friday the 13th, blessings to you from the People and Tribes of the Swan!
Valkyrie of the Old European Celtic-Germanic Peoples.
|
0.938301 |
Why don't we use 7075 aluminum Ethernet and USB cables?
Since the skin depth of copper at 1Ghz is about 2.3 micrometers, it doesn't seem like aluminum would provide a worse signal to noise ratio.
7075 aluminum is also much more resilient and stronger than pure copper, so it should be able to bend more without breaking.
The main problems seem to be splicing wires (due to oxidation) and Power over Ethernet, but for other uses, aluminum wires seem like a cheaper and lighter (for aerospace) solution.
So why do we still use copper for data?
Aluminum oxide is stable, hard (as sapphire, because it IS sapphire, aka alumina, Al2O3), and nonconductive. Oxide grows spontaneously on contact with air, so an aluminum electrical connection is often unreliable. Welding works, and some (fluoride-based) fluxes can allow soldering, but for crimp connections, you need antioxidant pastes and/or odd mechanical contrivances. Reliable aluminum electrical connections are messy or bulky.
Copper is compatible with a variety of insulation-displacement connection schemes (basically, just a hard clip that dents the copper but cuts through plastic insulation), that stay reliable for years. The clip parts can be made of copper alloys, so there are no dissimilar metals issues. Copper oxide is neither hard, nor insulating (it's a semiconductor), so copper wire just makes a better connection.
Aluminum isn't commonly used in wire because while it is a fair conductor, it makes a mechanically poor wire.
Rdtsc gave a very good link in a comment. That list is a run down of all the problems you will encounter when using aluminum wire.
The short of it is that aluminum has poor mechanical properties for use as wire.
It expands and contracts more with temperature changes, which lead to bad connections.
It also has poor chemical properties - the oxidation that Whit3rd mentions.
Oh, yeah. It is also not easy to solder.
Looking at a conductivity table 7075 aluminum alloys have worse conductivity than pure aluminum, nearly half for some of them. Also, Wikipedia says the 7075 alloys are rather expensive (relative to other aluminum alloys), but I don't know how they compare to copper price-wise. These issues together probably explain why despite the 7075 alloys being available for over 70 years now they don't seem to have been used in any electrical applications. As @Harper correctly mentions below, the 8000-series aluminum alloys are the ones usually used in electrical applications.
The current way to make cheap data cables is copper-clad aluminum (CCA). You can help yourself to the ASTM B566 standard and see what's the exact composition of the ideal CCA cable (which doesn't mean that your Won Hung Lo manufacturers will even stick to that.) It's about 10-15% copper and the rest aluminum. For a summary of CCA cable properties from a manufacturer thereof (adhering to the aforementioned standard) see this page, for instance. There's also an ISO 13832 covering CCA, which seems to just incorporate the aforementioned B566 standard when it comes to CCA. UL also references that B566 in their testing services.
Do note however that no CCA cable can be currently and legitimately be advertised as Cat 5e/6. That's because those standards mandate copper; more details over here. Although I know of a ISPs with millions of users using CCA [for final customer-premises connection] and it seemingly pays off for them... even at 1Gbps speeds. But they can afford to test cables to their own standards in-house. Also note that CCA cables also don't conform to some [US mainly] building code standards; the ISPs I made reference to are located somewhere in Eastern Europe (although in the EU); they are also using mostly Huawei equipment.
In contrast, the ANSI/SCTE 100 (2010) standard for 75-ohm coax however allows for B566 CCA cable core (the 10%-copper grade); and it's good for 5MHz-1GHz operation (with -20dB SRL).
Cheap 75 ohm coax as used for TV typically has loose aluminum wire braid shield with thin thin aluminum wrap. I think the centre conductor is copper-plated steel.
Nasty cheap stuff, but usable when crimped.
For very fine 24-gauge ethernet wire, there's just not enough metal there to make much of a difference in total cost of cable fabrication.
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged cables data or ask your own question.
Why are copper cables round?
How reliable is using couplers to extend Ethernet cables?
Why do USB data cables have 5 wires, what is the use of shielding wire?
|
0.9845 |
Isn’t it frustrating when the weather is so hot and then suddenly your AC suddenly stopped functioning? Yes I believe some of you have already experienced such. In order to isolate the issue, it is also good to know some of the common problems that one might encounter in their homes.
|
0.999929 |
Why do Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have different views on AI?
Well today nobody can agree on one explanation for AI. We can say they both may be correct in their lines of thought.
Zuckerberg thinks that AI is collectively used for a system that can understand commands and complete tasks.
He applies this in the case of Jarvis,where he is focused more on what it can do when told. He keeps it quite simple. He also uses it in the context of Facebook: user-friendly and can be used for those who don't speak tech.
Musk,on the other hand takes things in a more detailed manner.
He does not agree that the AI is simply following a command. He explains that the voice is sent to a speech recognising algorithm.
Then the text is guessed and read by a separate algorithm to understand what to do. This decision then turns on a separate process that follows the command or query in case of Siri or other virtual voice assistants. In short there are many processes working together than only one that understands voice, text, and an array of ideas.
"It's a marvelous feat of design but not what AI researchers would call an end-to-end model, or one algorithm that learns to complete a task entirely by itself without human tinkering".
Both have a very distinct way of viewing tech. But both believe it's important & profitable Zuckerberg in his social network and Musk in self-driving cars.
Why are Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk fighting?
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are having a very public disagreement on social media. I don't think they are fighting.
They have polar views on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Facebook has invested a lot of money in AI. They are planning to implement robotic bot that can speak to us like humans. Zuckerberg says he is very optimistic about AI and the future of humanity.
Elon Musk on the other hand, has very contradictory views on the same. He has been against this since long, even though they have used AI in one of their electric car. He is of the view that AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of civilization.Because of their different views on AI, they are having public disagreement on social media.
Mark shared his optimism over the rise of AI technologies like deep learning and how they could lead to breakthroughs in areas like healthcare and self-driving cars and he also created a special Facebook unit whose mission is to incorporate cutting-edge AI research into its products, and his company regularly releases research papers that highlight progress Facebook is making in AI.Mark is correct to emphasize the enormous benefits of AI in coming years.
Elon Musk thinks that AI is a potential risk to human race.He thinks that there are real dangers to AI's advances and we need to regulate AI before it becomes a problem, not afterward. In other words according to Musk AI is the biggest threat we will face as a civilization in coming years.
|
0.991015 |
Trace metals in the soil-plant system and beyond.
Metals in the soil-plant system and beyond Metallophytes can play an important role in remediating contaminated land either by decreasing soil metal levels via phytoextraction or through restoring a vegetation community to prevent soil erosion or re-establish ecosystem function/services. As even non-hyperaccumulating metallophytes can accumulate considerable concentrations of metals in their tissues, the ecological consequences of growing plants with enhanced metal concentration requires consideration. Metals accumulated by metallophytes can potentially be transferred to higher trophic levels through consumption of the root/shoot tissue or sap, through consumption of the seed or through consumption of litter. Invertebrates are most likely to consume root/shoot tissues or sap, but many are able to discern high metal levels in their food, which in turn has a strong antifeedant effect. Indeed, it is hypothesised that hyperaccumulation may have a function in plant defence, but non-hyperaccumulating metallophytes may also benefit from reduced herbivory due to the metal content of their tissues. Although this may generally be effective in restricting the transfer of accumulated metals to higher trophic levels, there are arthropod herbivores that feed despite high metal concentrations. These species can in turn accumulate very high levels of metals from their metallophyte hosts. Consequently, there is the potential for critical pathways to be formed that may transfer high concentrations of metals from the soil to higher trophic levels, resulting in secondary toxicity. Granivory is the most likely pathway through which vertebrate animals such as birds and small mammals can be exposed to metals and hence secondary toxicity. Most plants effectively exclude metallic elements from their seeds, but metallophytes can contain high levels of toxic metals such as cadmium. Carnivorous & omnivorous vertebrates may also be exposed by consuming contaminated herbivorous invertebrates and vertebrates. The senescence or death of plants will return metals to the soil in the resulting litter. Contaminated litter can induce toxicity in invertebrate detritivores, effectively excluding them from contaminated ecosystems with the result that litter builds up, severely curtailing key ecosystem functions/services. Thus, the use of metallophytes in remediation/restoration can negatively affect the fauna on or adjacent to the site. Unfortunately, the scale of the potential problem is not yet clear.
|
0.974486 |
Due to Arlington county's proximity to Washington, D.C., Arlington is headquarters to many departments and agencies of the federal government of the United States, including the Department of Defense, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The many federal agencies, government contractors, and service industries contribute to Arlington's stable economy, which has made it one of the highest-income counties in the United States. Arlington is also the location of national memorials and museums, including Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial, and the United States Air Force Memorial.
|
0.999997 |
It has been a hectic day in Montreal. Unexpectedly large amounts of snow, combined with rain and above-freezing temperatures have turned the city into a watery mess. Across the metropolis, streets and sidewalks have become flooded, putting pedestrians in danger and forcing the city to temporarily shut down some routes.
As the city races to clear the water before temperatures drop, Montrealers have come up with some pretty creative ways to navigate the flooded city.
TL;DR A video submitted to MTLBlog captures the moment a Montreal pedestrian scaled a wall to bypass a flooded sidewalk. This is just one example of the creative ways Montrealers dealt with flooded streets today.
In a video shared with MTLBlog by Instagram user @dids_brisebois and captured by user @benjamin_stonge, for example, a pedestrian in downtown Montreal can be seen scaling a wall to bypass an inundated sidewalk. Do not try this yourself.
The video perfectly encapsulates the craziness in Montreal today.
This pedestrian hangs from an edifice and carefully climbs around the large puddle. He surprisingly manages to get to the other side dry.
What makes this video even funnier is the ease with which the pedestrian behind him, who had the sense to wear boots today, simply walks right through the water he was desperately trying to avoid.
Many Montrealers have taken to social media to demonstrate the acrobatics and clever methods they've used to avoid getting wet today.
While this unfortunate confluence of weather events wreaked havoc, it also created potential for some pretty hilarious antics.
At least Montrealers can commiserate together.
Despite the pitiable, even hilarious condition of the city right now, the roads and sidewalks are super dangerous. Make sure to take caution if you head out!
It's also important to check on your elderly friends, family, and neighbours. Slippery sidewalks are especially hazardous for senior citizens.
Stay tuned for more news from this crazy day!
|
0.955811 |
Born November 2, 1958, Willie Dean McGee, was one of seven children and grew up in a devoutly religious household. His father Hurdice was both a machinist at the Oakland Naval Yards and a deacon in the Pentecostal church. Hurdice did not want his son to play any organized sports on Sundays, so McGee slipped out of the house on Sunday afternoons to pursue his passion for sports. Much later, McGee learned that his father knew that he was sneaking out to play baseball, but decided to let him go on anyway.
In 1985, McGee ranked first in the National League in batting average (.353, the second highest mark by a switch hitter in NL history), hits (216) and triples (18). He also ranked third in the National League in runs scored (114) and stolen bases (56). Additionally, he earned a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and was voted to the National League All-Star team. For his superb offensive and defensive performance, McGee was named the 1985 NL Most Valuable Player. McGee's efforts help propel the Cardinals into the postseason, where St. Louis defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. However, St. Louis came up short in the 1985 World Series, as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Cardinals in seven games. The Series was known as the "I-70 Series", named after Interstate Highway 70 which connects St. Louis to Kansas City.
1990 would mark the end of the "Whiteyball" era in St. Louis. Amidst poor overall team performance, Herzog surprisingly announced his retirement on July 6. In an effort to begin the team's re-building process, McGee was traded to the American League's Oakland Athletics on August 29 for 25-year-old outfielder FFlix Joss and two minor-league players (third baseman Stan Royer and pitcher Daryl Green). McGee's brief stint with Oakland, managed by Tony La Russa, helped propel the team to the 1990 World Series. Despite being traded to the AL, McGee had already accumulated 542 plate appearances in the National League, enough for him to qualify for the NL batting crown. Los Angeles' Eddie Murray (.330 average), the New York Mets' Dave Magadan (.328) and others gave chase, but as none were able to catch McGee's .335 NL batting mark, he won his second batting title. McGee's accomplishment marked an odd first in major league history, in which the batting champion for one league ended the season as a member of the other league. In 1990, George Brett of the Kansas City Royals led the American league with a .329 batting average. Because McGee's batting average over the entire season was only .324, neither league batting champion led the Major Leagues in batting; that honor fell to Eddie Murray.
An aged veteran at this point in his career, McGee's role as outfielder became limited, averaging about 300 at bats a year. Despite his limited role, he found his stroke again with St. Louis. He batted .307 and .300 in 1996 and 1997 respectively, and provided fans with dramatic offensive sparks that recalled his earlier years. In St. Louis' 1997 home opener at Busch Memorial Stadium, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the score tied 1-1, McGee hit a pinch-hit home run to win the game, providing a memorable highlight to cap his remarkable career as a St. Louis Cardinal. On August 5, 1999, Willie made a brilliant shoe string catch on a looping fly ball hit San Diego Padres' outfielder, Tony Gwynn. Had McGee not caught that ball, Gwynn would have recorded his 3000th major league hit. In that same game, St. Louis Cardinals' First Baseman, Mark McGwire hit his 500th major league home run.
McGee played his final game on October 3, 1999 when he was the third-oldest player in the majors at age 40. His humble demeanor, strong personal character, and memorable on-field performances in St. Louis have made McGee one of the most loved players among Cardinals fans.
|
0.999463 |
Why should we use wood in our daily lives?
The best wood for the manufacture of plywood is that which comes from forest plantations.
Unlike concrete or metals, wood is a building material that can be grown and regrown through natural processes and also through replanting and forestry management programs. Select harvesting and other practices allow growth to continue while larger trees are harvested.
Wood is renewable. While the forests are growing, they are also naturally removing carbon dioxide from the environment.
The process of manufacturing timber uses largely less fossil fuel energy per unit volume than steel, concrete, or aluminium.
Another advantage of wood as a building material in contrast with concrete, metal, and plastics, is that when they are dismissed, they take a very long time to dessapear.
Many materials change in size and volume as the temperature changes. They expand with increasing of the temperature.
Wood does not practically expands againts heat. On the contrary, by the effect of heat, it dries out and gains strengh.
Thermal conductivity declines as the density of the wood decreases. In the direction of the grain, the thermal conductivity of wood is higher than what it is perpendicular to the grain.
Increasing the moisture in the wood also increases its thermal conductivity.
Wood, as a light material, is ideal for sound absorption. Wood prevents echo and noise by absorbing sound and can reduce noise levels.
A sufficient level of sound insulation in wooden buildings can usually be achieved structurally by using multi-layered constructions. By using porous absorption material behind the board it can be reached a good sound insulation. For this reason it is extensively used in concert halls and more and more often it is being used in restaurants.
Dried wood is a good electrical insulator. Electrical resistance of wood is lowered by increasing the moisture content. Static electricity that is dangerous for human health is not observed in wood unlike metal, plastic and other materials.
|
0.990794 |
How has Thai Massage evolved over time?
The evolution of Thai massage is shrouded in the mystery of time caused by the destruction of written records during the Burmese invasion of the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767. However,the influences of yoga, ayurvedic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine is obvious, as the movements are based on the ………of yoga, and the attention to pressure points is similar to the …… of Ayurveda and the …….of Chinese medicine. Buddhist monks and nuns would later integrate any beneficial medical system to the one brought from India. The influences from China, India and other surrounding countries has played an important role in enriching the existing time-honored Thai massage system. As a result of modernization and western influences, traditional Thai massage which earlier was practiced in Buddhist temples by monks and nuns is no longer limited to the temples or its vicinity.
|
0.999023 |
How Does a DVD Player Work?
A basic way to understand how a DVD player works is to look at its predecessor, the record player. With a record player, you can actually see a needle reading the grooves in the vinyl. The DVD player uses the same principles with the added benefit of twenty-first-century technology.
The data on a DVD is stored in divots in the layers of plastic. These are similar to the grooves on a record but are much more precise. DVDs may appear to made entirely of plastic, but inside the plastic coating is a layer of aluminum. This is necessary so that the laser inside the machine can shine light through the plastic and have it reflected back to a lens on the other side. This laser is very thin and precise, not like one you would use in a typical science class. The computer inside the DVD player, using a device called an MPEG-2 decoder, translates the data from the lens into audio and digital signals, which it then parlays to your television through the audio and video connection cables.
If the disc simply sat stationary in the DVD player, the laser would not be able to read it properly. Instead, the machine's motor rotates it, and the player deciphers the data for the entire film by moving in a spiral from the inside to the outside of the disc. The speed at which it moves depends on the disc you're playing. If you're playing a "dual-layer" DVD, once the laser reaches the outside, it reads additional tracks by heading back to the middle of the disc.
The DVD player also has a device that controls tracking, moving the laser outward or inward as needed to stay in the correct spot on the disc. This system makes sure that the laser reads the right data at the right time. It's also the reason you can skip ahead to a new part of a movie just by pressing the "skip track" button on your remote. The device tells the laser where it needs to go.
Though a lot of people worry about scratches on the reflective sides of their DVDs, most of the data the DVD player reads is actually deeply embedded and closer to the label side of the disc. This is why you can sometimes fix small surface scratches in the reflective side just by filling them in or polishing the DVD. But damage the label side and your DVD is destined for the trash.
|
0.999998 |
What role do retirement-plan advisors or consultants play in managed accounts? It can be easy to speculate that managed retirement accounts diminish these individuals’ responsibilities with the plan sponsor, but the added complexity of this service over target-date funds can often make the role of an advisor or consultant even more essential.
When it comes to target-date funds, advisors and consultants have a clear, singular responsibility to their plan sponsors, which is to regularly ensure that the target-date fund remains an appropriate choice for participants.
But online financial-planning solutions like managed retirement accounts have more elements to consider, such as helping participants: develop a savings strategy, identify an appropriate retirement age, maximize their Social Security benefits, and personalize investments to their unique situation. Additionally, these accounts can help investors think more holistically about their retirement savings and determine how to effectively convert their nest egg into sustainable retirement income.
These additional features and functionalities often mean that many of the go-to tools for evaluating target-date funds don’t work as well. Plus, since these participants can be invested in hundreds of customized portfolios, items like performance and portfolio appropriateness can be hard to track and evaluate. Therefore, it’s key to evaluate a number of elements beyond performance.
Service model: Managed retirement accounts can reduce the fiduciary obligation of plan sponsors, but it’s important to identify who will assume fiduciary responsibility: the managed account provider, the recordkeeper, or the plan sponsor. Formally documenting this role can help ensure the fiduciary is aware of their responsibilities and hold them accountable for carrying them out.
Participant experience: Consider how participants may want to access, learn, and interact with the service. Many participants use web-based tools, but some may prefer the ability to call customer service directly. To account for these various preferences, advisors and consultants should seek out platforms that integrate well with recordkeepers and are supported by a provider committed to continuous product improvement.
Methodology: Even when fiduciary responsibility is offloaded to a managed accounts provider, advisors and consultants still play an important role. They should continue to evaluate the appropriateness of a managed accounts program for participants—just as they would for a target-date fund—by staying well-versed in the provider’s methodology.
Participant outcomes: Are participants benefiting from the service? Indicators that they are may include improved savings rates, communication of personalized advice, and engagement with the managed-retirement-accounts platform.
Continued treatment: Finally, take note of how a managed accounts provider treats participants who leave the plan. Is the provider capturing rollover assets? If so, is there a prudent process in place to help ensure the provider continues to have the participant’s best interests in mind?
Advisors and consultants are responsible for holding managed accounts providers accountable for information on these topics—as well as numerous additional aspects of managed retirement accounts—which makes the full scope of advisor and consultant responsibilities extensive.
The structure and operations of managed retirement accounts will likely continue to evolve over time. For instance, the industry recently saw the launch of a new service level known as advisor managed accounts. This service is designed to help enable plan advisors or consultants, rather than the managed accounts provider, to build the portfolios used in the service.
The introduction of this service is one example of the industry-wide growth of personalized advice—and we believe personalization is why managed retirement accounts can afford most participants the greatest chance of reaching their retirement goals. But we also understand that managed accounts may not be for everyone.
By sharing knowledge on these various options, we hope to help empower advisors, consultants, and plan sponsors to find the solution that best meets the retirement needs of employees.
Get our latest retirement research and insights delivered straight to your inbox.
|
0.999998 |
If you are planning a trip to Florence, identify the top three to five sites you wish to see and give yourself two or three days to see them. Once this is scheduled, take out a map of the region and start looking at the many incredible sites within a couple of hours of Florence. The big secondary sites include Pisa which is worth a half a day at least, Lucca which is also worth at least half a day, and Montecatini Terme, a spa town with open markets, grand parks, and an ancient hill town overlooking the town below. To the south of Florence are such well known sites as Siena which is easily worth a full day, San Gimignano, it is advised to get there early to avoid the crowds, and Volterra, which is worth at least half a day and one of the most interesting of Tuscan hill towns.
Relax and get in sync with the slower pace of rural Italy, wander the myriad shops and cafés, and watch lovely sunsets or sunrises. A trip to Italy should be fun, relaxing, and truly a trip of a lifetime. The true beauty of Italy is that you can have several of these “trips of a lifetime”, never seeing the same places twice. You should rent a car rather than depending on public transport, to have a great sight-seeing experience in and around Florence. Car Rental Italy provides excellent car rental packages for tourists.
|
0.952395 |
Are our inner selves getting renewed day by day? Being conscious of our inner selves mean fixing our eyes not on what is seen, such as the momentary tasks and troubles of our lives, but on what is unseen - the deep love for God and the flourishing of our souls. To feed our inner selves, we should look past our feelings and sentiments and instead take guidance from the Spirit. We will know that our inner selves have grown if we see a change in our attitudes when we face the challenges of life. (2 Cor 4:16-18) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
|
0.955376 |
Are sugar alcohols good or bad for you?
Sugar alcohols are used as a substitute for sugar in certain foods, particularly those that are labeled "sugar-free" or "no added sugar." As consumption increases, it is important to look at the potential health benefits and risks of sugar alcohols.
In this article, we examine whether or not sugar alcohols are good for you. We look at the potential benefits and risks, as well as the different available types.
Sugar alcohols, such as xylitol, may provide fewer calories than sugar.
In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that added sugar provided around 14.1 percent of calories consumed by children and adults in the United States from 2003 to 2010.
There are possible connections between the consumption of added sugar and certain health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. As a result, many people are searching for ways to decrease the amount of added sugar they consume. Choosing foods sweetened with sugar alcohols may help.
Sugar alcohols also provide fewer calories than sugar, so they may be beneficial for people trying to lose weight by reducing their calorie intake.
Another possible benefit of sugar alcohols is related to how the body processes them. They are not fully absorbed and digested by the body, so they result in less of an increase in blood sugar. Foods sweetened with sugar alcohols may allow people with diabetes to maintain better blood sugar control while still enjoying sweet treats in moderation.
Sugar alcohols also offer potential benefits for oral health. Bacteria that live in the mouth do not feed on sugar alcohols, so they do not cause tooth decay like regular sugar.
Consuming large amounts of sugar alcohols could result in gas, diarrhea, or other digestive issues. As mentioned above, sugar alcohols are not fully absorbed by the body.
For people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), sugar alcohols are one type of short-chain carbohydrate that may provoke symptoms.
Polyols — another name for sugar alcohols — are included in the FODMAPs acronym, which stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols. A low-FODMAP diet may help control gastrointestinal symptoms in some people with IBS.
Foods labeled "sugar-free" or "no added sugar" can be confusing to some consumers, who may believe that these foods will not impact their blood sugar. Many foods labeled "sugar-free" or "no added sugar" still provide calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
All consumers should read food labels so that they are aware of the nutritional information.
Sorbitol is typically manufactured from dextrose, and is naturally found in apples and pears.
A variety of sugar alcohol types exist in nature. Sugar alcohols can also be manufactured for use in food and pharmaceutical products.
Below is a list of commonly used sugar alcohols, their sources, and their sweetness in comparison to regular sugar.
Sorbitol is found naturally in some fruits. When used to make food products, it is typically manufactured from dextrose that is derived from cornstarch.
Sorbitol tastes approximately 60 percent as sweet as regular sugar.
Mannitol is naturally found in a variety of plants, including strawberries, mushrooms, and onions. It can be made using fructose from cornstarch.
Mannitol is also approximately 60 percent as sweet as regular sugar.
Maltitol is made using maltose from cornstarch.
It tastes around 75 percent as sweet as regular sugar.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are made from starch, with cornstarch being used most often.
Their sweetness depends on their makeup, but the range is about 20 to 50 percent that of regular sugar.
Erythritol is also produced from cornstarch, but it is unique because the manufacturing process involves fermentation.
It tastes about 70 percent as sweet as regular sugar.
Xylitol can be made from a few different materials, including birch wood, corncobs, and leftover sugar cane stalks.
It is just about as sweet as regular sugar, and also has a cooling, minty taste.
Isomalt is made from sugar but only tastes around 55 percent as sweet.
Lactitol is made from whey and tastes about 35 percent as sweet as regular sugar.
Sucrose or other sugars contain about 4 calories per gram (g). The table below outlines the number of calories in sugar alcohols, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation.
Sugar alcohols should be avoided as part of a low-FODMAP diet. Learn more about what FODMAPs are and what such a diet consists of here.
How do they differ from regular sugar?
Sugar alcohols differ from regular sugar in many ways. They are not fully absorbed and digested in the body, so they have less of an impact on blood sugar.
The hormone insulin is only needed in small amounts or not at all to metabolize sugar alcohols. They also provide fewer calories per gram than regular sugar.
Additionally, differences in chemical structure exist between sugar alcohols and regular sugar.
Another difference between sugar alcohols and regular sugar is taste. Many sugar alcohols, except for maltitol and xylitol, taste considerably less sweet than regular sugar. Some also have a minty or cool taste in the mouth.
In summary, sugar alcohols have many diverse uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries. They can affect multiple aspects of products. They provide fewer calories per gram than regular sugar but still deliver a sweet taste.
They may be beneficial for weight management, blood sugar control, and oral health.
Consuming sugar alcohols in excess can result in gastrointestinal discomfort, so it is important that people read labels and be mindful of the amount of sugar they consume.
Article last reviewed by Mon 12 February 2018.
Metropulos, Megan. "Are sugar alcohols good or bad for you?." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Feb. 2018. Web.
|
0.86676 |
A production–possibility frontier (PPF) or production possibility curve (PPC) is a curve which shows various combinations of a set of two goods which can be produced with the given resources and technology where the given resources are fully and efficiently utilized per unit time. One good can only be produced by diverting resources from other goods, and so by producing less of them. This tradeoff is usually considered for an economy but also applies to each individual, household, and economic organization.
Graphically bounding the production set for fixed input quantities, the PPF curve shows the maximum possible production level of one commodity for any given production level of the other, given the existing state of technology. By doing so, it defines productive efficiency in the context of that production set: a point on the frontier indicates efficient use of the available inputs (such as points B, D and C in the graph), a point beneath the curve (such as A) indicates inefficiency, and a point beyond the curve (such as X) indicates impossibility.
An example PPF with illustrative points marked PPFs are normally drawn as bulging upwards or outwards from the origin ("concave" when viewed from the origin), but they can be represented as bulging downward (inwards) or linear (straight), depending on a number of assumptions. A PPF illustrates several economic concepts, such as scarcity of resources (the fundamental economic problem that all societies face), opportunity cost (or marginal rate of transformation), productive efficiency, allocative efficiency, and economies of scale.
An outward shift of the PPC results from the growth of the availability of inputs, such as physical capital or labor, or from technological progress in knowledge of how to transform inputs into outputs. Such a shift reflects, for instance, economic growth of an economy already operating at its full productivity (on the PPF), which means that more of both outputs can now be produced during the specified period of time without sacrificing the output of either good. Conversely, the PPF will shift inward if the labor force shrinks, the supply of raw materials is depleted, or a natural disaster decreases the stock of physical capital.
However, most economic contractions reflect not that less can be produced but that the economy has started operating below the frontier, as typically, both labor and physical capital are underemployed, remaining therefore idle.
inside the eclipse (Green color) is inefficient.
on the eclipse line is efficient, or maximum efficiency.
outside the eclipse (TEAL color) is not possible.
The other concept illustrated is the opportunity cost.
From a starting point on the frontier, if there is no increase in productive resources, increasing production of a first good entails decreasing the production of a second, because resources must be transferred to the first and away from the second. Points along the curve describe the tradeoff between the goods. The sacrifice in the production of the second good is called the opportunity cost (because increasing production of the first good entails losing the opportunity to produce some amount of the second). Opportunity cost is measured in the number of units of the second good forgone for one or more units of the first good.
In the context of a PPF, the opportunity cost is directly related to the shape of the curve (see below). For example, to produce 1 more video from 3 videos, 20 hats must be sacrificed. The ratio of gains to losses is determined by the marginal rate of transformation.
|
0.979526 |
Mice are known to be a nuisance in the garden, and they can be a potential health threat because of the diseases that they may be carrying around. It is not unusual to have mice in a garden, and this is especially true if you have a source of food in the garden. Mice are opportunistic eaters, so they will eat the vegetables and other items in your garden.
Mice are known to eat cereal grains, but they can also be attracted to other vegetation. They eat in a small but sporadic fashion, and this can lead to contamination of your plants and it may lead to even more problems.
Using bait and traps is a common method that a gardener can use. You have to decide if this is the best option for your situation. The family pet may get injured by the traps if you are not careful. You need to always consider the safety of your pets and children. Outdoor rodent control has to start with cleanup of the property. Get rid of debris piles where mice may hide or have a nest. Rake up all the debris that may provide cover for the mice. Remove anything the rodents will see as an easy food source, like pet food or rotten fruit that has fallen from trees. When you have finished with the cleanup, you have to make sure that all mice that are already present on the property are removed, either by killing them or relocating them.
The traps come in different styles, but the snap trap is the most effective option. It is more humane than glue traps that leave mice to suffer a slow and painful death. Set the traps throughout the garden on paths that the mice are known to frequent. Another option is a live trap that will allow you to capture and relocate the mice far away from your property. You can get advice from a professional that handles mice or you can hire a pest control company to quickly solve your mouse problem for you.
|
0.99941 |
I read with interest your ad in the New York Tribune for a publicity director. I am well-qualified for the position.
A double major resulted in my degrees in marketing and public relations. Dedicated and reliable, I excelled at positions held with two nonprofit agencies here in New York. During my five years of experience in the field I established many connections in local and national media outlets. Additionally, a publicity strategy I developed won an industry award.
As demonstrated in my attached resume, I have spent the last five years at home with my three children. During that time, I remained active in relevant activities such as spearheading school outreach efforts and writing press releases as well as managing a charity auction that raised $35,000 for a private preschool.
I am motivated and ready to rejoin the workforce and make a positive contribution to XYZ Nonprofit.
|
0.935025 |
What is the first amendment? It is important to know the bill of rights in order to understand what our country was founded upon. These rights cannot be taken from us.
Increasingly, federal and state bureaucracies pass laws that infringe on the rights of the individual. Anti-Smoking laws, helmet laws, seat belt laws, speed limit laws, laws restricting speech in certain environments, drug laws, and laws requiring ratings for television shows and compact discs. These laws all infringe upon the first amendment. The major difference between the United States and other governments is the right of freedom of speech. No where in the world is this right held so dearly. The argument over freedom of speech has been going on since the inception of the United States. Founding Father James Lincoln called freedom of speech "the tyrants scourge"(Emrod). Tyrants, dictators, and despots despise freedom of speech because it leads to dissension and rebellion.
The Founding Fathers argued vehemently for the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Today, many people would like to see those rights rescinded. A large group of people believes restricting freedom of speech and other First Amendment rights can solve the problems of modern society. They claim that artistic violence leads to real life social violence, and that some individuals need to be saved from the potential dangers of modern society. Therefore, under the mask of a good cause, they wish to curb the rights of all citizenry by calling for censorship of television, music, and the media, demanding prayer be returned to schools, and banning smoking. These First Amendment revisionists claim they wish to go back to the moral values of the founding fathers to bring stability back to the American family. According to the National Issues Forums, Freedom of Speech Where to Draw the Line, the reason bureaucracies have increased their power in policy implementation and policy formation is because "Many people are convinced that some forms of expression cause physical, and political harm to individuals and to society as a whole" (National Issues 9). The problem is depending on your point of view you may not agree with what that censorship should be (29), or what rights should be infringed.
This is true freedom. While it is true, that the benefit of the whole society outweighs the benefits of the individual, our country was founded upon a belief in the rights of the individual. Thus, the reason the founding fathers created the Bill of Rights.
our sister states of New York and Pennsylvania, have long subsisted without any establishment at all. The experiment was new and doubtful when they made it. It has answered beyond conception. They flourish infinitely. Religion is well supported; of various kinds, indeed, but all good enough; all sufficient to preserve peace and order; or if a sect arises whose tenets would subvert morals, good sense has fair play, and reasons and laughs it out of the doors without suffering the state to be troubled with it.
Jefferson and Franklin believed that the common sense and natural laws of man would prevent an establishment of a religion that was immoral. The same can be said of bad habits like smoking. The wise man "reasons and laughs it out of the doors without suffering the state to be troubled with it."
Black makes it simple "no law means no law." We are the greatest country in the world. The First Amendment guarantees we will remain that way. Do not let First Amendment revisionists under the guise of righteousness and virtue, infringe upon our personal freedoms that so many of our ancestors fought and died for. Please, as the song says, in this "Sweet land of liberty" we must continue to "let freedom ring."
Unfortunately, our personal freedoms, like smoking, are diminishing swiftly. New smoking bans crop up everyday somewhere in the United States, and we the citizenry accept them. The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday April 23, 1998, "the case of the Dana Point defiant smoker, the defendant wanted the jury to take a stand for personal freedoms and the little guy. But in the end, the jury filtered all that out" (Geoff Boucher, B1). The jury fined the man, Craig Thomas Etling, "$270 and sentenced him Wednesday to three days of collecting cigarette butts and other litter from the harbor area near the scene of the crime." The Judge said, "Let the punishment fit the crime." She then fined Etling, $85 more "flouting the state's 4-month-old ban on smoking in enclosed, indoor bars"(B1). The constitution starts out "We the people. . ." Well, we the people have forgotten what personal liberty means. Because when smoking a cigarette is not only illegal, but also a crime worthy of a three hundred and fifty-dollar fine and three days of community service, there will soon be no such thing as individual rights.
Guy, Kingsley. "Before Teaching Founders' Religion, Make Sure You've Got the Facts Straight." Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel 19 March 1994: 26A.
First Amendment. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State Press, 1978. 4.
Emrod, James. Freedom of the Press.
Franklin, Benjamin. Writings. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1987. 71.
Jefferson, Thomas. Political Writings. Indianapolis: Liberal Arts Press, 1955. 36-39.
Jicha, Tom. "Ostrich-ized News Simply for the Birds." Fort Lauderdale News Sun Sentinel 19 April 1994: 26A.
National Issues Forum. Freedom of SpeechWhere to Draw the Line. Dayton, Ohio: Public Agenda Foundation, 1987. 9-39.
New Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus. Cayne, Bernard S. Ed. Danbury, CT: Lexicon, 1992. 253.
Fair One." Fort Worth Star-Telegram 3 March 1994: 3C.
Record, Phil. Phone Interview, 4/26/94.
What Was The First Thanksgiving Like?
History Of Japanese Animation In The U.S.
|
0.983056 |
Name a more iconic duo? We'll wait.
Iconic mamas Tina Lawson and forever First Lady Michelle Obama were spotted turning up at Beyonce & Jay-Z’s ‘On The Run’ Paris tour stop. Michelle was rocking a haute short set, while Mama Tina was stunting in some hot red capris.
The duo danced to Jay-Z’s ‘On To The Next One’ as he approached the end of the platform–giving his honored guests a little wave.
|
0.999969 |
- Sorry, I thought we were done with Django Unchained casting, but it turns out RZA and Misty Upham will be in Quentin Tarantino's next, too. Upham will play a bar owner named Minnie, while RZA's will play "a violent slave" who miraculously makes your parents even more frightened of what they understand the Wu-Tang Clan to be.
- As previously rumored, TRON: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund is more than likely bringing his futuristic motorcycling experience to Warners' ill-conceived Akira remake. If you're wondering, no, this news is not distinguishably better or worse than any prior Akira update.
- Sony's futile desire to create a Shelley Duvall-free, 3D animated Popeye adaptation has led them to hire Smurfs writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn to do what they do best: utterly ruin any fondness you may have for old cartoons.
\n\n- Here's a first look at Arnold Schwarzenegger, Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville, and Jaimie Alexander on the set of The Last Stand. The film will be Arnold's first since leaving office, and yes, it is really a film, not an SNL sketch based around which arbitrary celebrities the cast and host can do impressions of. (via)\n\n- Sorry, I thought we were done with Django Unchained casting, but it turns out RZA and Misty Upham will be in Quentin Tarantino's next, too. Upham will play a bar owner named Minnie, while RZA's will play \"a violent slave\" who miraculously makes your parents even more frightened of what they understand the Wu-Tang Clan to be.\n\n- As previously rumored, TRON: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund is more than likely bringing his futuristic motorcycling experience to Warners' ill-conceived Akira remake. If you're wondering, no, this news is not distinguishably better or worse than any prior Akira update.\n\n- Sony's futile desire to create a Shelley Duvall-free, 3D animated Popeye adaptation has led them to hire Smurfs writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn to do what they do best: utterly ruin any fondness you may have for old cartoons.
|
0.661311 |
Problem: An innovative method to communicate with the patient and between interdisciplinary team members is the use of the interactive patient careboard (IPC) which has declined since its implementation. Concurrently, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores for the med surg unit need improvement. The low HCAHPS scores in communication suggested to nursing leadership that revitalizing use of the IPC could lead to improvements in the scores. The ideal shift handoff includes IPC as a focal point of communication. The RN is expected to display the careboard during handoff and identify for the patient the healthcare providers and the patient’s current goals. According to the assistant nurse manager, about three in four RNs do not currently incorporate the careboard during (personal communication, 2017).
Furthermore, the resurgence of daily multidisciplinary rounds, which include the physician, patient care coordinator (PCC), the RN, and the patient, is necessary to provide the intended level of communication. The lack of communicating the patient’s goals, the plan of care, and discharge plans in daily rounds, then failing to input information to be displayed on the patient’s careboard may lead to miscommunication and a dissatisfied patient. Having the healthcare team in the patient’s room together delivering the same information shows teamwork and a consistent plan of care. As the amount of information shared with a patient during a hospital stay can be overwhelming, displaying the information gives the patient an accessible point of reference for review of their care.
Context: The medical surgical unit, with a capacity of 28 patients, is comprised of a multidisciplinary team. With a constant flux of RNs floating to the unit, patient safety becomes a potential issue, which makes a good shift handoff critical. RN communication with patients are also very important for patient safety. A good introduction to the team serves as a good starting point for communication, handoff, and rounds.
Interventions: The interventions included educating staff on the new Epic functionality, updating the IPC database with current staff and their photos, then re-training super-user RNs and PCCs followed by all RNs on IPC.
Measures: A family of measures was developed for this project. The outcome measure focuses on the number of RNs and PCCs utilizing the careboard during shift handoff and rounds. The process measures include the accuracy of staff photos and staff access to IPC. Other process measure includes completion of staff training on IPC and utilization of the Sign In functionality on Epic. The balance measure is the integration error between Epic and IPC.
Results: Prior to this project, only one in four of the staff RNs (8%) utilized IPC during shift handoff. The PCCs were not utilizing the careboard at all during rounds. After the first intervention, utilization of the careboard during shift handoff increased to 30%. After RN super users were trained, careboard usage slightly increased to 31%. After 91% of the RNs on med surg were trained, usage increased to 69%.
Conclusions: The low utilization of the IPC overall and even lower use of specific elements (e.g., referencing the healthcare team, acknowledging current goals) that enhance patient communication showed the need for re-education of the staff on IPC. They need to be re-trained on IPC to understand how the different elements fit together to optimize its usage and improve communication with patients. As staff receive training, observations will reveal the extent to which the training is successful and suggest subsequent interventions to achieve the project aim. The joint efforts made by nurse leaders, physicians, and ancillary staff is anticipated to lead to the long-term success of this project. It is expected that as more features of IPC are integrated with Epic to streamline the workflow, staff will find it advantageous to use IPC more in their daily practice.
Baldugo, Perla Q., "The Interactive Patient Careboard: A Technological Innovation to Improve Patient Safety" (2018). Master's Projects and Capstones. 790.
|
0.969665 |
What are the top Liberal Arts Colleges in Lewiston, ME?
Lewiston has a total population of 35,690 and a student population of 2,021. Of these students, 1,738 are enrolled in schools that offer liberal arts programs.
Lewiston's largest liberal arts school is Bates College. Approximately 14 students graduated in 2010 from Bates College with credentials in liberal arts.
In 2010, 14 students graduated with a liberal arts degree from one of Lewiston's liberal arts schools.
You should also anticipate spending about $800 for liberal arts related books and supplies every year.
|
0.994874 |
I read an interesting opinion piece in Commonwealth by Anthony Buxton and Benjamin Borowski, where the authors outline their arguments for expanding natural gas pipelines here in Massachusetts. On the surface they make a convincing case, but their analysis is one-dimensional. The piece can be summed up in a single sentence: Heating with oil is expensive and harms the environment, so we should expand pipeline capacity and convert more homes to natural gas.
Let’s look at a few of the arguments made in detail.
This is a fact — oil is more expensive than natural gas today, but that is a weak argument for building the Kinder Morgan (Northeast Energy Direct) and Spectra pipelines. Changes to fossil fuel prices fluctuate over time based on supply, demand and external factors that impact energy markets. The prices we pay for oil and natural gas are in fact low, as they don’t account for the environmental costs of extracting and burning fossil fuels. In a perfect market, these externalities would be factored into our energy prices (which is what a price on carbon attempts to do).
Will we continue to see low natural gas prices in Massachusetts? In the short-term, the answer appears to be yes. In the long-term, this is far less certain. Analysis from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that the U.S. will be a net exporter of natural gas by 2017. This will almost certainly lead to higher domestic natural gas prices as gas is exported to meet global demand. How much of an impact will we see? Australia has recently seen natural gas prices triple because of increased demand resulting from exports.
This is also true. Unfortunately, there’s virtually no way to heat your home in Massachusetts without some adverse impact to the environment (solar and wind have minimal impact, but are not harmless). Burning oil and natural gas releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Natural gas releases approximately 116 pounds of CO2 per British Thermal Unit (BTU) consumed, while oil releases 161 pounds. Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story from a climate perspective. The extraction and transmission of natural gas also releases methane (CH4), a potent Greenhouse gas (GHG). Although methane only remains in the atmosphere for about 12 years, its global warming potential is 28-30 times that of CO2.
The natural gas that would flow through these pipelines would be imported from Appalachia, where gas is extracted via hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking). Not only does fracking cause groundwater contamination and earthquakes, the process itself results in the release of a great deal of methane. Some scientists believe that using fracked natural gas is actually worse for the climate than coal, never mind oil. What we know with certainty is that moving from oil to natural gas for environmental reasons is a false promise. There is no “bridge fuel” and we should not waste our time and resources moving from one fossil fuel to another.
This is also true, and also tells just part of the story. The high price of anything that is required to meet our basic needs adversely impacts low-income families. The solution to this problem is not subsidizing conversions from oil to gas for low-income families, which will only exacerbate our natural gas capacity issues. What should we do then? Let’s take the money needed to do these conversions and some of the $7 billion required to build the pipelines and invest in weatherization work and deep energy retrofits to the homes of low-income families. When the work is complete, these homes will be more comfortable, more valuable, and will cost very little to heat and cool. Importantly, this effort will also reduce our GHG emissions, which is something that won’t happen by shuffling from oil to natural gas.
Demand does exceed supply on a handful of days in the winter, but simply expanding natural gas capacity to resolve this issue is a misguided solution. Attorney General Maura Healey’s office is working on an analysis of our regional energy requirements and the need for new gas capacity. This analysis is especially important given the recent forecast from ISO New England that predicts no new growth in total electricity consumption over the next 10 years. Per ISO New England, this incredible forecast is the result of solar installations and energy efficiency efforts.
Renewable energy and energy efficiency are just some of the tools that can be used to address peak demand. Energy storage, time-of-use electricity pricing and demand-response can also help us meet or reduce demand during periods of peak load. Expanding natural gas pipelines is a lazy solution to the capacity issues that we created, and it’s one that ignores resiliency, the local environment, and climate change. We can and must do better.
Don’t believe the false promise of natural gas. Moving from oil to gas is not going to solve any environmental or economic problems. Instead it will weaken us, as all of our energy eggs will be in one basket (or rather pipeline). What happens if the pipelines or transfer stations that bring gas into the state are rendered inoperable from some type of natural (or unnatural) disaster? What if this happens in the middle of winter? Diversification of the fuels we use to heat our homes and generate electricity provides resiliency.
I’m not a proponent of oil. I work in the energy efficiency industry and believe climate change is one of the most important and challenging issues humans have ever faced. I’m looking at the pipeline issue with the mindset of an environmentalist and systems analyst, and in my opinion we can’t waste our time shifting from one fossil fuel to another. We need to focus on energy efficiency and moving to clean, renewable energy sources.
|
0.960204 |
Black tea is allowed to wither, which precedes a process called oxidation or browning, during which water evaporates out of the leaf and the leaf absorbs more oxygen from the air. Black teas usually undergo full oxidation, and the results are the characteristic dark brown and black leaf, the typically more robust and pronounced flavors of black teas, and when brewed properly, a higher caffeine content compared to other teas (50-60% of coffee) depending on the type and brewing technique. we recommend a brewing temperature of 212 degrees or boiling point, with a steep time of 2-3 minutes. However, black tea can be steeped for longer than 3 minutes without adversely affecting taste.
Black tea is allowed to wither, which precedes a process called oxidation or browning, during which water evaporates out of the leaf and the leaf absorbs more oxygen from the air. Black teas usually undergo full oxidation, and the results are the characteristic dark brown and black leaf, the typically more robust and pronounced flavors of black teas, and when brewed properly, a higher caffeine content compared to other teas (50-60% of coffee) depending on the type and brewing technique.
we recommend a brewing temperature of 212 degrees or boiling point, with a steep time of 2-3 minutes. However, black tea can be steeped for longer than 3 minutes without adversely affecting taste.
|
0.956257 |
As far as auto racing is concerned, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has distinguished himself as one of the best racers of all time. Coming from a lineage of successful racing stars, Dale has won several racing championships since the inception of his career and has placed his name in the books of history. He began his professional career in 1999 and has spent over two decades behind the wheel with lots of accomplishments. Interestingly, the outstanding car racer clinched 26 wins as well as 260 top-10 finishes and 15 poles throughout his career. He announced his retirement from professional racing in 2017 and is currently working as an analyst for the NASCAR on NBC. Learn more about Dale below.
Who is Dale Earnhardt Jr?
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a former American professional car racer, team owner as well as a media personality. He is notable for being the son of the former racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. and the grandson of Ralph Earnhardt who was also a professional car racer. Dale first came into this world on the 10th day of October 1974 and was born in Kannapolis City of North Carolina in the United States. His parents Brenda Lorraine and Earnhardt Sr. divorced shortly after he was born. As a result, Dale and his sister Kelley Earnhardt were raised by their mother.
Growing up, life became difficult for Dale and his family as his mother did lots of odd jobs to make ends meet. As a result of persistent hardship, his mother lost custody of them to their father who had gotten married for a second time. Staying with their father, Dale and his sister attended a military school; he also graduated from Mitchell Community College. Afterward, Dale went to Andy Hillenburg’s driving school and eventually began his racing career when he turned 17. At the early stages of his amateur career, Dale featured in several local racing competitions including Busch Series and Winston Cup series.
Turning pro, Dale participated in the 1996 Carolina Pride and recorded his first win at the 1998 NASCAR Busch Series. He continued making strides throughout his professional career which lasted for over two decades. Dale featured in various racing competitions including Daytona 500, Pepsi 400, and NASCAR Series Championships, among others. He competed against top racers including Dale Jarrett, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Bill Elliott, and Kevin Harvick, etc. During his professional career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a record of 26 wins as well as 260 top-10 finishes and 15 poles. He retired from full-time racing in 2017 and has been making occasional appearances at the NASCAR Xfinity Series to date. He also works as an analyst for NASCAR at the NBC Network.
The amazing racer has made a fortune from his car racing career and is regarded as one of the richest NASCAR drivers in history. He is equally one of the richest and most successful athletes of all time. Dale Earnhardt Jr. currently has a staggering net worth of $400 million. He made his wealth from his racing career, merchandising, and endorsements as well as other business endeavors. Additionally, he has signed endorsement deals with notable brands such as Monster Energy, Hendrick Motorsport, Chevrolet, TaxSlayer, and Nationwide.
While Dale has garnered fame with his excellent racing skills, he is equally successful in his love life. The stunt driver is happily married to his longtime girlfriend named Amy Reimann. Amy is a renowned American interior designer and the former spouse of Tommy Cook. Born on the 25th day of March 1982; Amy obtained her bachelor’s degree in interior design from the University of Kentucky. She got hitched to the Kentucky football team’s defensive line instructor Tommy Cook in 2008. However, their short-lived marriage ended a few months after their wedding.
The following year, Amy and Dale met each other and seeing the connection between them, the duo decided to set their relationship sailing. After six years of successful relationship, the couple announced their engagement in June 2015. After that, they walked down the aisle on New Year’s Eve of 2016 and their wedding took place at the Richard Childress Vineyards situated in Lexington, North Carolina. The amazing couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isla Rose Earnhardt on 30th April 2018. They have been enjoying a blissful marriage and there is no sign of marital issues between them.
Check Out: Jack Nicklaus Net Worth, Children, and Grand Children, How Old is He?
Wondering if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is dead or alive? Well, the talented racing champion is still very much alive and not dead. However, he lost his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. in an accident during the Daytona 500 final racing competition held on 18th February 2001. During the event, his father Earnhardt Sr. was involved in an auto crash after a co-racer Sterling Marlin made contact with his left rear bumper in turn four. This caused a wreck that damaged his basilar skull in the process. Sadly, all efforts to keep him alive weren’t successful and he died a few hours later.
Earnhardt Sr. was one of the prolific drivers in NASCAR history; he clinched over 76 wins at the Winston Cup races. Since his death, Dale has devoted his racing career to honoring and keeping his father’s legacy alive. Additionally, Dale Earnhardt Sr. got enrolled into NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.
|
0.999678 |
This post lists a number of words that were introduced to the English lexicon by novelists and other writers during the twentieth century.
1. beep: Scientist and novelist Arthur C. Clarke came up with this onomatopoeic word for a small, high-pitched signal.
2. blurb: Humorist Gelet Burgess coined this term for a short piece of promotional copy.
3. catch-22: Novelist Joseph Heller named his best-known novel after his term for the concept of a lose-lose predicament.
4. cojones: Novelist Ernest Hemingway borrowed the Spanish word meaning “testicles” to refer to courage.
5. cyberspace: Novelist William Gibson combined the extant prefix cyber with space to describe an online environment.
6. debunk: Novelist William E. Woodward created this word to describe the concept of disproving fraudulent claims.
7. doublethink: Novelist George Orwell named the concept of having contradictory simultaneous ideas.
8. dreamscape: Poet Sylvia Plath came up with this word for a dreamlike scene.
9. factoid: Novelist Norman Mailer coined this term for an invented fact or a false claim that becomes accepted as fact; by extension, it has also come to refer to a trivial fact.
10. groupthink: Writer William H. Whyte coined this word, which refers to self-deceiving conformity, on the model of doublethink.
11. litterbug: Writer Alice Rush McKeon came up with this term for people who carelessly drop litter.
12. meme: Scientist Richard Dawkins coined this term for behaviors, ideas, or styles passed between people; it is now widely associated with images from popular culture that express a concept.
13. microcomputer: Scientist and novelist Isaac Asimov attached a prefix meaning “very small” to computer to create a word for a portable computing device.
14. nerd: Writer Dr. Seuss gave no definition for this nonsense word he coined and did not associate it with any of his illustrations, but it came to refer to a socially inept person, especially one with advanced academic or intellectual skills but poor social skills.
15. nymphet: Novelist Vladimir Nabokov came up with this word for a sexually precocious pubescent girl; by extension, it came to apply to an attractive young woman.
16. piehole: Novelist Stephen King introduced this slang for the mouth, with the connotation that someone associated with the word (as when told, “Shut your piehole”) should use one’s mouth only for eating because the thoughts the person voices with it are not worthwhile for anyone to hear.
17. quark: Scientist Murray Gell-Mann, inspired by writer James Joyce’s use of the word in its existing sense of “a fermented dairy product resembling cottage cheese,” adopted the spelling of that word for a term he had coined that referred to a type of subatomic particle.
18. robot: The brother of Czech writer Karel Čapek suggested that he use robota, Czech for “forced labor,” as a name for machines that resemble and perform tasks normally carried out by humans; it was translated into English as robot, and Isaac Asimov came up with the noun robotics to refer to the science behind such machines, as well as the adjective robotic.
19. scaredy-cat: Satirist Dorothy Parker came up with this slang word for a timid person.
20. superman: Playwright George Bernard Shaw translated philosopher Friedrich Nietzche’s term Übermensch for the title of his play Man and Superman; the word also applies generically to a person with extraordinary abilities as well as to the superhero of that name.
21. tightwad: Humorist George Ade used this term in a colloquial retelling of fairy tales.
22. tween: Philologist and novelist J. R. R. Tolkien coined this word to describe hobbit adolescence, alluding to the span of life known as the twenties (hobbits came of age in their early thirties), but it later arose independently as a truncation of between to refer to the transitional years between childhood and adolescence.
23. unputdownable: Mystery writer Raymond Chandler came up with this word for a compelling read.
24. whodunit: Book critic Donald Gordon described a mystery novel with this word.
25. workaholic: Psychologist Wayne E. Oates coined this term on the model of alcoholic; although it was not the first -aholic coinage, its popularity inspired many similar constructions.
|
0.921398 |
With so many products on the market, how do you even begin to go about choosing the best toothpaste? At any given supermarket or pharmacy, you will find rows upon rows of dental products, each offering huge promises of being the best. There are the whitening and brightening toothpastes, promising a glowing smile. There are the natural toothpastes made from holistic ingredients. Then, there are the kinds of toothpaste that contain so-called miracle active ingredients that are sure to transform your smile. To find the best toothpaste for you and your family, it is best to know what to look for when making your selection.
There are a few ways that you could determine the best toothpaste. Ultimately, it comes down to first thinking about your overall dental needs as well as the health of your teeth and gums.
If your teeth are generally healthy and you are looking for a regular toothpaste that keeps them that way, you have a few options on offer. A standard toothpaste containing fluoride and other active ingredients will gently clean your teeth and gums every morning and evening. You could consider microbeads, different flavours, natural ingredients, and your own preferences as well. Whatever you choose, make sure that the toothpaste is manufactured and approved by the South African Dental Association. Natural and homemade toothpastes may seem like a good idea but they may not have the same quality and safety guarantees.
If your teeth are sensitive, look for toothpastes that are specially designed for sensitive teeth. These contain ingredients that reduce sensitivity. Wondering whether you have sensitive teeth? Sensitivity manifests in the form of pain or discomfort when eating or drinking hot or cold foods, or general discomfort that you may experience at any point in the day. Regular toothpaste can sometimes have a stronger taste that can increase that discomfort, while sensitive toothpastes are made to be gentle yet effective.
If you have discoloured teeth or you are wanting to restore your teeth whiteness, a whitening toothpaste is your best bet. This type of toothpaste contains bleaching agents that gently whiten every time you brush. They will not work on all discolourations, however. If you have dental implants, they may whiten your natural tooth and not the implants, which can also end up with a less than desired result. Speak to your dentist or oral hygienist to get advice on tooth whitening.
If you have kids, it is essential that you choose a toothpaste that is made for children. These toothpastes are gentler than regular toothpaste. Many are subtly flavoured and coloured to make tooth brushing more fun. This is a great way to get your kids into a healthy dental routine from a young age, by making tooth brushing something to look forward to each morning and evening. Look for cute toothbrushes to add to the experience.
Contact Gateway Dental today to book your appointment with our dentists in Durban. We will advise on our best toothpaste suggestions and help you get your best smile.
|
0.962336 |
To determine the extent of any contractual failings, both parties must first look to the contract for an explanation regarding how things were supposed to be going. Although one side may feel that the other side is not living up to its contractually mandated obligations, the way in which the contract is drafted may prove otherwise. However, if it is abundantly clear that performance is indeed lacking in some regard, a good contract should also provide some guidance as to how the situation should be handled. Unfortunately, some contracts are haphazardly written and thus subject to differing interpretations, which often leads to misunderstanding and subpar performance. Nevertheless, the parties should strive to adhere to the intentions at the time of drafting and may have to make slight accommodations to prevent further erosion of the situation.
Ideally, a potential shortcoming will be identified very early on and action will be taken to mitigate any further issues. The best way to accomplish this is by implementing a contract management strategy that prioritizes meticulous organization and frequent contract assessments. In general, this can be achieved by utilizing purpose-built contract management software that offers reporting and other features that help increase contract visibility for the contract management team. If a contract slips through the cracks and is in fact underperforming, it is critical to increase oversight at once, clarifying expectations and any impending deadlines.
Managing a contract successfully ultimately boils down to managing relationships well. There is always the possibility that people will have different business mindsets or even a clash of personalities. In some instances, these divergent viewpoints are the real source of the issue, causing people to shun their responsibilities or not care if they inconvenience others and therefore they perform in a mediocre manner. This is obviously unacceptable, though sadly it is sometimes unavoidable, in working relationships. As a result, it is vital for leadership to assess these situations with a completely objective lens. It may be hard to overlook a brash colleague, but the focus has to be on the actual results.
In far too many cases, the reason a contract underperforms is due to communication lapses. This may be an internal problem with contract management team members failing to keep each other apprised of pressing issues, or it may be an external issue with one side intentionally or inadvertently neglecting to inform the other side when something undesirable occurs. Efficient and timely communication must occur at all levels from the very beginning of a contracting relationship. And, the moment anything seems awry, communication has to increase twofold.
|
0.999876 |
In short: After many years of resisting Android Auto and Google, Toyota has announced that it will begin adding Android Auto to its vehicles. The Japanese car maker did not mention when Android Auto would be available, or which model years would get it. All we know is that Toyota is finally going to add Android Auto, which is still a pretty big deal. Toyota has had Apple CarPlay available on its vehicles for a little over a year, but that was after Apple beat the resisting side of Toyota.
Background: Toyota had resisted adding Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to its vehicles because it felt like they were handing the keys over to those companies. And the reason why that was a big deal to Toyota was because both companies were working on self-driving cars, and Toyota saw them as competitors. Now both are still working on self-driving cars - though Google is working more on the software side, and using existing vehicles for the hardware. Toyota likely is making sure that Google can only gather certain information from Android Auto, on its vehicles, as that was Toyota's biggest issue with not allowing Android Auto in the first place.
Impact: This means that those that own a Toyota vehicle will be able to use Android Auto in the near future. Instead of just mounting their phone to use Android Auto on their phone, they'll be able to plug it in and use the screen that is built into the car for Android Auto, which does provide a much better experience than just using your smartphone - because the vehicles typically have a larger display. Hopefully Toyota will soon announce which vehicles will be getting Android Auto support, but it will likely include the Corolla which is one of the company's best-selling vehicles (also one of the best-selling vehicles in the US, across all automakers).
|
0.993919 |
Why: User interfaces based on gesture recognition make possible new applications in gaming and everyday computing.
Key innovation: Developed the 3-D sensor system that Microsoft's Kinect device uses to track movement.
PrimeSense has developed a system that uses an infrared projector and camera and a special microchip to track the movement of objects and individuals in three dimensions. The system can interpret specific gestures, making completely hands-free control of electronic devices a reality.
PrimeSense's platform was an integral part of Microsoft's Kinect, which enables users to play video games without a controller. Eight million of the devices sold in the 60 days after it went on sale.
Although the first application was for gaming, the company's hardware and software platform can be adapted to any type of electronic device. In collaboration with PC manufacturer Asus, PrimeSense has developed a set-top box that allows gesture control of a computer wirelessly connected to a television, providing a more intuitive way to integrate the two devices than the keyboard-type controllers used in current Internet TV systems. The company has also created an open application programming interface for its 3-D sensing platform in order to encourage developers to create new ways to use the technology.
The company is working on improving the resolution of its tracking system so it can recognize subtler movements and potentially even finger movements, which would allow users to input text.
The company behind Microsoft's Kinect controller wants to kill the remote.
|
0.999636 |
Here's the story so far. You are a 16 year-old boy and you were walking down the side walk when an attractive 20 year-old girl beckoned you into a dark alley. Then, she tore off your clothes and proceeded to swallow you whole and alive. As she lifted you up, you fainted. Now you've woken up in a soft, warm, and squishy environment. The question is, where are you?
Below are some example story paths to get you started.
Your body feels soft and squishy. Ewwwwwww!
You are still being swallowed.
|
0.936917 |
The node cookbook has been deprecated and is no longer being maintained by its authors. Use of the node cookbook is no longer recommended. You may find that the nodejs cookbook is a suitable alternative.
= DESCRIPTION: This cookbook will deploy node and npm (node package manager) to your system. It also defines providers to install/uninstall node module and start/stop/restart node servers. * homepage : https://github.com/digitalbutter/cookbook-node = REQUIREMENTS: * a working git framework (for example provided by Opscode git cookbook) Tested on ubuntu. Should work on other system with upstart. = ATTRIBUTES: * node/version : indicates which version to install. Default is the latest ('HEAD'). Since node evolves very quickly and is not always that stable, you might want to set it to a stable version (for example 'v0.4.3') = USAGE: Include the node recipe to download, compile and install node along with npm. == defines: +node_server+ provider to start/stop server. The following example will start a provided script with node. Logs can be found in /var/log/node-my_node_server.log. node_server "my_node_server" do script "/path/to/your/node/script.js" # mandatory user "my_user" # default : root dependency ["required","node","modules"] # default . Will be installed with npm before starting the server args "arguments for your script" # default "" action :start # Will start a node server. In [stop,start,restart] end +node_npm+ provider to manage nodejs modules. The following example will install the connect module for node. node_npm "connect" do action :install end = LICENSE & AUTHOR: Author:: * Emmanuel Prochasson (<[email protected]>) * Ed Bosher (<[email protected]>) Copyright:: 2011, Tikibooth Limited Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.
|
0.999999 |
A culture is a set of behavior traits or social rules that a specific group of a species follows. Humans have many cultures, even within specific nationalities or age groups. It was commonly thought that all animals within a species or subspecies behave according to the same rules. This is often done through adults teaching their young the way to behave.
However, recent studies have shown that there are cultures within specific animal groups. Cultures in groups of orangutans, chimpanzees and other animals have been witnessed.
What do animals teach their young?
What cultures do orangutans have?
Do other animals have cultures?
Many animals teach their young to hunt and avoid danger. Lions and wild dogs will take their young with them to learn how to hunt down prey.
Monkeys have special calls to warn the troop of danger. One call is for danger on the ground and another is for danger from the sky, like if someone sees an eagle flying nearby. Young monkey will often make the incorrect call, but they soon learn, through observation, which calls are the ones to use in time of danger.
Some examples of unique orangutan behaviors passed on to the next generation are using leaves as napkins and saying goodnight with a sputtering noise. Such traits specific to a group within a species is considered a culture, just as some humans use forks, while others use chopsticks for eating.
Bands of orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra make a kiss-squeak noise with their lips. Both groups learned to use leaves to amplify the noise, but the Borneo group also learned to change the sound by cupping the hands over the mouth. That technique or behavior is unique among the Borneo clan and part of their "culture".
The Sumatra orangutans learned to get water from a hole by dipping in a branch and then licking the leaves. This behavior is not seen in the Borneo animals. One the other hand the orangutans in one Borneo band routinely wipe their faces with leaves, using them as napkins.
It is possible that other animals also have distinct "cultures", where discoveries or learned behaviors are only passed on within the group.
Chimpanzees have been known to use certain tools to get food. An example often given is using a stick to gather termites or ants from a mound. Since that behavior has been seen only a few times, it is not certain whether this is a behavior specific to an individual group of chimps.
I would guess that many animals that have the capability to learn or discover a new method to do something and that live in a pack, troop or group, would pass on those methods to offspring or others within their group. This is certainly an area for further study.
Such a study of chimpanzees was performed over a period of seven years by the Living Links Center at Emory University. They identified 39 behaviors that were learned from others.
A type of learned behavior has been demonstrated with monkeys in the laboratory. Rhesus monkeys were raised with stump tailed monkeys. While rhesus monkeys often fight, the stump tailed monkeys are more cooperative and tolerant of each other. The rhesus monkeys learned to be more peaceful in their relationship with other monkeys as a result of being brought up in this different culture.
At the Atlanta, Georgia zoo, electrified wires protect trees in the gorilla enclosures from being damaged by the animals. Only some gorilla groups learned to use sticks to push aside the electrified wires, so they could snack on the bark without getting shocked. This learned cultural behavior wasn't seen in other groups in the zoo.
Many of animals teach their young survival skills. Orangutans teach specific traits or preferences to their offspring, resulting in group cultures. It is possible that other animals groups also exhibit cultures. Groups of chimpanzees learned to use tools, and rhesus monkeys in a laboratory formed a more peaceful culture. Some gorillas developed cultural traits to avoid electrical shocks in zoo captivity.
|
0.996022 |
A WHS regulator has stressed that it is continuing to tackle imminent or serious safety risks under current "work bans", and progressing strategies to protect its inspectors from threats or assaults, after the Federal Government warned that these inspectors are living in fear of occupational violence.
A union official's high Fair Work fine (and second personal payment order) is more modest than it might have been, with the Federal Court agreeing that at the time of his offences, it was unclear whether he needed a permit to enter a site at the request of a health and safety representative.
A union has launched Federal Court proceedings against an employer, whose health and safety manager and others allegedly unlawfully required officials to give 24 hours' notice to enter a site to investigate suspected safety contraventions.
Does WHS provision provide entry-permit loophole?
The Federal Court has been tasked with determining whether union officials can enter sites without a permit under a WHS provision for resolving issues, after a regulator alleged that eight organisers breached the Fair Work Act at a major, incident-strewn site.
A union and seven officials have been fined a total of $313,000 for making disingenuous safety claims to enter a construction site and disrupt work, with one official kicking over a railing to create a safety concern.
The Federal Court has imposed and upheld right-of-entry fines totalling nearly $600,000 against the CFMMEU, and confirmed that a swipe card incident was a "worst category" safety breach, but declined to make a personal payment order against an OHS officer.
A full Federal Court has finalised the first personal payment order against a union official fined for Fair Work breaches, paving the way for a regulator to seek similar orders in more than a dozen other cases, including one where an official abused a safety inspector.
|
0.998643 |
DeepMind, 6 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG, UK.University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
DeepMind, 6 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG, UK.
The game of chess is the longest-studied domain in the history of artificial intelligence. The strongest programs are based on a combination of sophisticated search techniques, domain-specific adaptations, and handcrafted evaluation functions that have been refined by human experts over several decades. By contrast, the AlphaGo Zero program recently achieved superhuman performance in the game of Go by reinforcement learning from self-play. In this paper, we generalize this approach into a single AlphaZero algorithm that can achieve superhuman performance in many challenging games. Starting from random play and given no domain knowledge except the game rules, AlphaZero convincingly defeated a world champion program in the games of chess and shogi (Japanese chess), as well as Go.
|
0.995061 |
This coming weekend four games highlight the first round of the 2013 NFL playoffs. Here’s a snapshot of the four games and some numbers from the previous head-to-head matchups between the teams.
All-time series: Indianapolis leads the series 15-8.
Last meeting: The Colts defeated the Chiefs 23-7 on December 22, 2013.
All-time playoff series: Indianapolis has won all three playoff meetings.
Last playoff meeting: The Colts won 23-8 in a 2006 AFC First Round game.
Noteworthy: Indianapolis is 12-2 against the Chiefs since 1990… Indy had won five of the last six against the Chiefs at home… The Chiefs have scored under 14 points in five of the last six games against the Colts.
All-time series: Philadelphia leads the series 16-12.
Last meeting: The Saints defeated the Eagles 28-13 on November 5, 2012.
All-time playoff series: The teams have each won one playoff games in the series.
Last playoff meeting: The Saints won 27-24 in a 2006 NFC Divisional game.
Noteworthy: New Orleans has won the last two and four of the last five against the Eagles… The Eagles have won three of the last four home games against the Saints… The Saints have scored 23 or more points in five straight games against Philadelphia.
All-time series: San Diego leads the series 19-14.
Last meeting: The Bengals defeated the Chargers 17-10 on December 1, 2013.
All-time playoff series: The Bengals won the only playoff game played between the teams.
Last playoff meeting: The Bengals won 27-7 in the 1981 AFC Championship Game.
Noteworthy: Cincinnati has won the last three games in the series… The Chargers have won three of the last four games played in Cincinnati… Five of the last six games in the series were decided by eight points or less.
All-time series: Green Bay leads the series 34-29-1.
Last meeting: The 49ers defeated the Packers 34-28 on September 18, 2013.
All-time playoff series: The Packers have won four of the six playoff games between the two franchises.
Last playoff meeting: The 49ers won 45-31 in a 2012 NFC Division game.
Noteworthy: The 49ers have won the last three games against the Packers… The Packers have won eight of the last nine at home against San Francisco… Green Bay has scored 20-plus points in 19 games versus the 49ers.
|
0.946944 |
A young couple were happily driving home well after midnight one night. They had enjoyed a party until the early hours of the morning and were exhausted, both looked forward to getting home and retiring to bed with the sounds of the party still ringing in their ears.
The boy, suddenly feeling that the night was still only young, abruptly took a detour off the main road home. It happens that the road they were already on was fairly desolate and surrounded by thick foliage from the dense forest as it was, but now he had chosen a gravel road, one that looked as if nobody had driven down it for quite a long time with even thicker scrub that was occasionally scraping down the sides of the old car they were driving.
Waking up and wondering where they were going, the girl inquired as to what their new destination was. The boy admitted he felt like going for a bit of drive and spending some "quality time" alone with his girlfriend. He had in mind somewhere dark and secluded, where no interruptions were going to take place. Although the girl was tired, she agreed to the new plans, knowing that the boy was far too pushy for her to say no.
It was a slow drive down the newly chosen dirt road, and the car headlights did nothing to penetrate the thick black night and scrub that surrounded them. Unexpectedly the car hit something on the road. Not knowing what it was the boy stopped immediately and hopped out to investigate. "Oh No!" he exclaimed as he spied a large log wedged underneath. He turned to see that there was also now a large stream of smoke escaping from his old, tired cars engine. The boy kicked at the log, knowing that he would need to do more than kick it to dislodge it from under his car. "Just my luck!" he thought as he got back in the vehicle and told the girl of what had happened.
Wincing, he attempted to restart the vehicle, but being an early model from the 1970's the car complained loudly then died before it ever really fired up. The starter lights showed but no amount of persuading would start the car properly.
"I'm going to have to walk back to the main road for help" he said, shaking his head and gripping the useless steering wheel in front of him. "Stay in the car and I'll be back soon" was his last words as he climbed out of the vehicle, hunched his shoulders and walked off into the darkness on his own.
Although the girl did not like the idea of spending the rest of the night alone, out on a dirt road, god knows where, she was too tired to be bothered to go with him and sleepily thought of how she might nestle down in her passenger seat and dream while he was away getting help. Anyway wasn't it his idea to come way out here?, he should be the one to go find help!
She watched him in the side mirror for as long as she could see him, which wasn't very long at all, he seemed swallowed by the night and she thought in the back of her mind how stupid he was to take this road, and hoped he would take a while so she could get some decent shut-eye.
While happily drifting off to sleep, she wondered if he'd be back before dawn, and also how on earth he would find help when they had seen no traffic on the main road anyhow.
STARTLED, she awoke suddenly. "What was that?!", sleepy confusion was fogging her thoughts as she shook her head with the distinct impression that something had happened while she was asleep, something that woke her but now had passed or stopped. Peering out the windscreen and into the side mirror all she could see was darkness, darkness and more darkness. The night was as quiet as anything, hadn't she heard night noises before? why on earth was it so still and quiet now, surely something must of woken me!
On edge and feeling cold and shaky from being pulled from such a deep sleep, she now wished she had of noted the time when her boyfriend had gone for help. Checking her watch it seemed as though dawn was about to break through the trees at any moment. It was now 4.30am.
When did he go? Must of been around 2:00 or 2.30 AM, surely? Her mind started flipping backwards to see if it could conjure up the memory of exactly what time he had left for help. "Well whatever time it was, it was ages ago and he should be coming back pretty soon", she quietly admitted to herself.
The night was unbelievably quiet now, need I say, dead quiet, and she had the distinct impression that she wasn't alone. Not being able to see anything in front or behind her she hoped it was her boyfriend returning with help. Goosebumps were beginning to show themselves on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck started to rise up as the blackness outside suddenly seemed to move. "I must be going mad", she said out loud to nobody in particular. She decided that she'd had enough and went for the keys left in the ignition to see if she could get the headlights working. As she stretched over to the drivers seat there was a loud "THUMP" on the roof of the car. Her instant reaction was to jump, nearly hitting her head on the roof and cower back in her seat. Looking madly around, but instinctively not moving a muscle it became apparent to her that she did see something move outside the car, in the darkness.
"THUMP, THUMP". The loud noise happened again, and a small scream escaped from her mouth. What do I do, what is it, somebody help me, were all thoughts running madly through her mind. I'm alone out here in the darkness, what on earth do I do? "THUMP!" there it goes again, somebody is up there!
Tears of utter fear and horror crawled from her eyes and down her cheeks, there was no help, she was alone, and there was most probably a monster on the roof about to eat her.
THUMP.......again..................THUMP THUMP. The fear overcame her, she decided that she wouldn't be a sitting duck, she would open the door and make a run for it. If she couldn't see into the thick darkness of the night, surely the monster couldn't.
"THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP" and that was it. Fumbling with the lock (she'd forgotten that she'd locked all the doors earlier) and the door handle, tears now streaming from here eyes and blurring her vision, she threw the door open, nearly dislodging it from it's hinges, being so terrified and confused instead of making a grand exit and run for it she fell head first from the car and landed flat on her face in the dirt.
As she was attempting to both crawl and regain her feet and run, bright lights suddenly flooded the area. She could only see the bulbs and dark shadows behind the lights. She was rapidly succumbing to shock as she heard some voice saying something into a loud speaker. Dazed and back on her feet, she could only think to stumble unladylike towards the bright lights. Shading her eyes she could still hear the voice, it sounded like a fairly authoritative voice and it was giving some sort of instructions to her.
Again the voice repeated. "Lady, move away from your car towards us and whatever you do, don't look back". Again "Ma'am would you please continue moving towards us do not look back, face us and don't look back". She was now on the brink of fainting and could only fall towards those bright lights. She was caught by a man in uniform which she recognized to be from the local Police Department and could suddenly see past the lights. There were possibly 10 to 15 Squad cars and double that amount of police officers with guns drawn. Before she lost consciousness she decided there was one last thing she had to do. She struggled to flip over and face the car.
On the roof of the car was what appeared to be a monster, or it could it be a deformed human? It had a large stick in its hands and was drooling madly as it laughed and banged it's stick on the car roof. She did not miss that at the end of the stick, was her boyfriends head.
|
0.968516 |
Zeus hardly requires any introduction. He is one of the most popular figures in Greek mythology. Zeus is known as the 'Father of Gods' or 'Ruler of Gods' or even the 'Chieftain of Gods'. He lived on Mount Olympus and reigned over the heavens. The meaning of name Zeus roughly translates as 'clear sky'. Apart from being the lord of heavens, he is the God of weather, especially lightening.
Greek mythology has endowed Zeus with several peculiarities and qualities. He is always seen with a thunderbolt which he used to quell his enemies. He is also symbolized by the eagle and the bull. Zeus is often depicted as a middle-aged man with a full beard and mustache. The Hindu counterpart of Zeus is Indra; while the Roman counterpart of Zeus is Jupiter.
He is also quite well-known for his many affairs, with both Goddesses and mortal women, which inevitably produced offspring. This served to enrage his wife Hera, who would often create problems in these relationships. The Greek mythology is full of stories about Zeus.
Zeus is the son of Cronus (also Kronos) and Rhea. Cronus had been told by prophesy that he would be overthrown by his son. So each time a child was born, Cronus would swallow it. However, when Zeus was to be born, Rhea decided that she would avert this. She gave birth to her son, and hid him in a basket under a tree. She then wrapped a stone in a cloth and gave it to Cronus, who immediately swallowed it.
There are many myths and different versions of the story of how Zeus grew up. One version states that he was raised by the nymph Adamanthea. She hid Zeus from Cronus by dangling him from a tree on a rope, because Cronus ruled the heavens, the earth and the sea. Another version states that he was raised by a family of shepherds and in return their sheep were spared by the wolves. Thirdly, it is also believed that Zeus was raised by Gaia herself.
After Zeus grew up, he forced his father to spit out the swallowed children. Another myth also suggests that Zeus cut Cronus' stomach open to bring his siblings back to life. Therefore, one by one, all the siblings of Zeus were back on the Earth. Thereafter was a war between the Titans and Olympians, which is known as the Titanomachy or the War of the Titans. The Olympians won the war in which Zeus overthrew his father and became the King of the Gods.
After the battle, brothers, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided the territory by a draw of lots. Poseidon got the sea, Hades got the Underworld and Zeus got the sky and the heavens. The Earth or Gaia could not be divided, and so belonged to all the three of them.
Zeus was married to his sister Hera; with whom he had offspring called Hephaestus, Hebe and Ares. However, Zeus was popular for his infidelity and promiscuity. The stories of Zeus' many infidelities are an inseparable part of Greek mythology.
Some of the famous children Zeus had with other Goddesses are: Persephone by Demeter, Aphrodite by Dione, Apollo and Artemis by Leto, and Athena by Metis. With mortal women, the famous children of Zeus are: Heracles by Alcmene, Perseus by Danae, Minos by Europa, Thebe by Iodame, Argos by Niobe, and Dionysus by Semele.
There are several stories about each of these affairs, and these children. One of the most popular one is the story of Zeus and Leda. Zeus took the form of a swan and seduced Leda. The story is immortalized by the popular poem, 'Leda And The Swan' by W. B. Yeats. The famous Helen of Troy was the daughter of Leda, fathered by Zeus. According to the mythology, Zeus remained neutral in the Trojan war. When Greece was taken over by the Romans, Zeus was equated with their chief God, Jupiter.
Whatever his shortcoming, Zeus is one of the most notable personalities of the Greek mythology. The cults, oracle and several statues of Zeus in the world help prove the fascination people have about the Greek Father of Gods. Ciao!
|
0.998323 |
Challenge a colleague to game of ping pong in our game room.
535 Mission St currently has a waitlist.
With easy access to South of Market and the Financial District, this San Francisco office space is in one of the city’s most desirable locations. Occupying seven floors of a 27-story glass high-rise, this towering coworking space has unparalleled views of the bay. The common spaces are flooded with natural light, and most conference rooms overlook the downtown skyline. WeWork Transbay is filled with amenities, including a meditation room, locker rooms, and bike storage. Many companies drawn to this San Francisco coworking space are in the tech sector, especially healthcare. There are also law firms, media companies, and nonprofit organizations, along with divisions of major corporations. An onsite teller from Bank of America can assist you in setting up any type of account your company might need. The Montgomery Street BART station is nearby, and a 15-minute walk away is a Caltrain stop. If you’re driving, there’s parking in the building and many other lots in the surrounding streets. There are plenty of shady seating areas nearby where you can enjoy a meal, and dozens of restaurants offer every kind of cuisine you can imagine. For an unbeatable location, plenty of amenities, and a vibrant community, WeWork Transbay is a great choice.
|
0.980564 |
In the future, how will we tell if a robot has human-level intelligence?
For decades, the litmus test of choice was the Turing Test, which asks: can a computer program fool one in three judges into thinking it's human? But the Turing Test says nothing about a program’s ability to reason, or be creative or aware. It’s essentially an exercise in deception, so scientists have started devising other metrics to measure artificial intelligence.
The film follows tech billionaire Nathan and Caleb, one of his employees at BlueBook (the world’s largest Internet search company) as they spend time with Nathan’s latest creation, a fembot named Ava. "The challenge is to show you that she's a robot, and see if you still feel she has consciousness," Nathan tells him.
The key word there is consciousness. Nathan’s test bypasses the Turing Test’s dry, scientific is-she-isn’t-she human tactics, and tries to go straight to the core of how we’ll assess our robot pals of the future: their ability to emote like us.
Mimicking and understanding emotions is one of the hardest problems facing AI researchers and roboticists. It's easy to make a robot do math problems or get you directions to the store; it's another thing entirely to make that robot empathetic, or capable of detecting anger in humans.
Like the machine-learning systems being built by Facebook, Google and Snapchat, Ava, the robot star of Ex Machina, is built on the foundation of a huge trove of data—in her case, billions of webpages indexed by BlueBook, a fictional search engine. Ava uses that data to figure out that certain actions—looking longingly into another’s eyes, for example—will elicit certain emotions from the people she's physically interacting with. It's unclear whether she can generate emotions herself, but she knows how to provoke emotion in humans.
Many AI researchers haven't had time to see and digest Ex Machina yet, but I suspect they'll be pleased with the movie's depiction of their field. Bart Selman, an artificial intelligence researcher at Cornell University, told me that an emotion-sensing bot like Ava could well fool humans into believing she was human, too.
Even if robots could recognize our emotions, though, it wouldn't make them fully indistinguishable from humans. In Ava's case she’s just a fantastic pattern-recognition machine—a more sophisticated version of the AI that powers Google and Facebook today.
Physicality is another strong theme running throughout Ex Machina. The film asks us over and over again: do you need a body in order to be conscious? Murray Shanahan, a roboticist and one of Garland’s scientific advisors for the film, says that’s unclear.
“In theory an AI could learn a great deal about the physicality of ordinary objects by processing vast amounts of video data…Ava is a little bit like that,” he told me. “The reason for being embodied is to acquire the kinds of skills we have to interact with our rich physical environment. Sophisticated cognition rests on our ability to wrestle with complex bodies in our world."
In other words, our physical relationship to things around us is just as crucial to human intelligence as our ability to hold a conversation.
Another question raised by Ex Machina is the moral question: how do you give a robot a sense of right and wrong?
Many of researchers I’ve talked to about the evolution of AI bring up the point that we have to figure out how to code morality into our algorithms, otherwise they’ll break laws and turn on us. “When we think about our future, it is vital that we try to understand how to make robots a force for good rather than evil,” wrote cognitive scientist Gary Marcus in the New Yorker last month about Chappie, another recent AI movie.
I agree. But what I love about Ex Machina is that it makes it clear that these moral decisions aren't black-and-white. Nathan’s fembots actually do turn out to be malicious—they turn on him, and on Caleb. But we're not told, explicitly, that their actions are immoral. After all, Ava was imprisoned by her creator. Was her reaction simply self-defense? If we ever develop sentient robots like Ava, will we have the right to hold them against their will? If they revolt, can we turn them off with moral impunity?
These are the kinds of questions that obsess AI reseachers. "We'll have to come up with new rights and norms; human rights won't do,” University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo, who specializes in cyberlaw and robotics, told me in an e-mail.
At the end of the movie, Ava escapes, and we learn that’s she’s going to walk amongst us, masquerading as a human. I couldn’t help but cheer for her, but a flurry of questions zipped through my head. Can robots like her be trusted? Is she going to go rogue? Does she really feel? After all, the movie tries to persuade us that consciousness, intelligence and feeling all go together. But they're not; they're individual problems, all of which will need to be solved by roboticists as the dawn of true AI approaches.
The last image we see of Ava is her shadow, and that seems fitting. The future of AI is still murky, and as we try to figure it out, it'll raise important questions about our own intelligence and how we define humanity.
|
0.924467 |
How can I stop worrying and pass my interview?
You must dress appropriately for the interview, arrive 30 minutes early, which always impresses the panellists even before you have walked into the room.
Interviews are nerve-wracking and anxiety is normal. In the first instance, take a moment and acknowledge that you have passed the first hurdle of the selection process, getting shortlisted. Preparation is the key to a successful interview. The interviewing stage is not only the oral interview, but a combination of assessments. Regardless of the type of interview, make sure you have done your research. Not only the role you are applying for, but the organisation. Review the organisation’s website. Understand what they do, their values, goals and ethos; and speak with enthusiasm about your desire to join them.
Your success hinges on your ability to demonstrate how you have the qualities and skills required for the role. Reflect on your experiences and how these experiences relate to the role. Be prepared to talk about your strengths and your developmental areas. Include stories where you may not have been successful, but where you have learned from your mistakes and show that you bring quality experience into the role.
Be prepared to ask the panellists relevant questions. Do not give long winded responses, keep them short and to the point. Speak slowly and remember to breathe. You only get one chance to make a lasting impression.
|
0.956946 |
in subjects: "Places - United States - Texas - Fayette County"
Description: "Dubina, which derives its name from the Czech word for Oak Grove, was founded in 1856 by a group of Moravian immigrants, including the Marak Kahlich, Sramek, Peter, Holub, Muzny, and Haidusek families. By 1900 the farming community had erected a church building, mill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, store, and post office. A 1909 storm and a 1912 fire caused extensive damage from which the town never recovered. As the first settlement in Texas to be founded entirely by Czech-Moravians, Dubina remains an important part of the state's regional and cultural history."
Description: Photograph of rows of wooden seats in a district court room in La Grange, Texas. A second floor is visible above.
Description: Photograph of twelve wooden chairs in a La Grange courtroom, where the jury sits.
Description: Photograph of several folded wooden chairs in a courtroom in La Grange, Texas. A railing is visible to the left, and the paneling and windows blinds are also wooden.
Description: Photograph of the ceiling in a courtroom in La Grange, Texas. A television, a desk, and an American flag are visible in the corner, and the wall paneling and window blinds are made of wood.
Description: Photograph of the yellow ceiling of a courtroom in the La Grange, Texas courthouse. Two windows are visible on the wall.
Description: Photograph of a balcony on the second floor of a courtroom in La Grange, Texas. Several fans are visible, and there is a clock on the wall to the right.
Description: Photograph of a staircase in a building in La Grange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of a stair railing in a building La Grange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of four open windows with green wire across them. A door is visible in the background.
Description: Photograph of four windows with red trim, and two open windows covered in green wire, on the second story of a courtyard.
Description: Photograph looking through a glass ceiling. The roof is made of green tile, and two chimneys are visible through the glass.
Description: Photograph of a red stone building, labeled "Vallejo & Cantrell Attorneys at Law", in La Grange, Texas. Other buildings are visible in the background.
Description: Photograph of a red building, partially obscured by a large tree. Other trees and buildings are visible in the background.
Description: Photograph of a window with red trim set into a building made of white stone in La Grange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of four windows with red trim in a building made of white stone.
Description: Photograph looking upward through the glass ceiling of a building in La Grange, Texas. The roof of the building is visible through the glass.
Description: Photograph looking up through the glass ceiling of a building in La Grange, Texas. The green tile roof is visible through the ceiling.
Description: Photograph of checkered tile floor outside a heavy wooden door in a building in La Grange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of two doors to a bathroom in a building in La Grange, Texas. Two water fountains are visible to the left.
Description: Photograph looking down at a staircase in a building in La Grange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of a black and red staircase in a building in LaGrange, Texas.
Description: Photograph of a red and black staircase in a building in LaGrange, Texas.
|
0.999999 |
Unlike his royal cousin Richard, Henry Bolingbroke was warlike: an exemplary jouster and a renowned crusader*.
Though Henry does not seem to have planned his usurpation*, it was an easy step to the throne, thanks to Richard's military ineptitude and great unpopularity.
Henry, in contrast, was popular both with the commons and the nobility*, and he gained much sympathy because his father's lands had been wrongfully taken from him. Once on the throne, Henry's reign was unstable, and was marked by continual rebellions. Those who welcomed him as a saviour changed their tune when again subjected to heavy taxation by the new regime.
Who was the legitimate heir?
There was good reason for argument over who was the legitimate heir of Edward III on Richard's death, since the principle of succession was not fully settled (though by the time Shakespeare was writing it was clearly the "heir general"). There were two arguments, and two heirs.
Heir male: one whose lineage can be traced in the male line of descent from a king, the eldest line of descent given precedence (in this case the rightful heir was Henry Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt, fourth son of Edward III).
Heir general: one whose lineage is traced through either male or female descendants of a king, the eldest line of descent given precedence (in this case Richard's heir was Edmund Mortimer, grandson of Philippa, daughter of Lionel of Clarence, third son of Edward III).
Edward III and Henry V each laid claim to the French throne as an heir general, tracing their descent through Edward's mother.
Henry had fought for the Christians in Lithuania, but as King he never achieved his ambition of leading a crusade to Jerusalem. The closest he got was when he died in the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey.
Henry had initially only intended to regain the vast Lancastrian estates which King Richard wrongfully seized on the death of Henry's father, John of Gaunt. It was a major tactical error to threaten the property rights of nobles, as they perceived a common threat in such infringements--and as York points out in Henry IV, Part One, Richard was attacking the same principle of order that made him king by right of succession.
Many nobles flocked to join Henry when he landed at Ravenspur in Yorkshire, but the most powerful among them were his brother- in-law, the Earl of Westmorland, and Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. They even included Richard's uncle Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, who had been appointed regent during the King's absence in Ireland.
|
0.998767 |
Why baseball? Baseball is one of the favorite American past time. Almost every knows what baseball is and how important is it to play the game.
|
0.99857 |
Most spiders are harmless; the two exceptions in the U.S. are the black widow and brown recluse spiders.
Spider bites are actually rare occurrences, and most presumed cases of spider bites are likely due to another condition that mimics the symptoms of a spider bite.
Bites from most (non-poisonous) spiders cause local redness, irritation, and pain that usually can be treated at home.
Always seek emergency medical care for a presumed black widow or brown recluse spider bite.
What are the symptoms of spider bites?
Bites from most (non-poisonous) spiders cause local redness, irritation, and pain that usually can be treated at home using an over-the-counter pain reliever along with application of cooling packs or a wet cloth to relieve swelling. These local reactions usually resolve without treatment over a period of 7-10 days. Rarely, an individual can have an allergic reaction to a spider bite, even to a bite from a non-poisonous spider, but allergic reactions are more likely to be due to contact with a spider than from a spider bite.
|
0.990714 |
Thrift store shopping can be a fun and very successful way to shop for clothing and many other items. This is a guide about 7 tips for making thrift shopping a breeze.
Thrift shopping is one of my favorite ways to save money. Like it or not, we live in a materialistic culture that can be reflected in the stock of any given thrift shop. Every day clothing, furniture, and housewares are donated by those who buy too much for those who can't buy much of anything. As the old saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. The following are some tips to not only make thrift shopping easier and more pleasant, but also help get the most for the least amount of money.
Location, location, location: A good rule of thumb is that the thrift shop will reflect the neighborhood that they are near. By knowing the area, you don't have to waste precious time and money during your thrift shopping trip. Generally, thrift shops located near a more affluent neighborhood carry a higher end stock than, say, a shop located in a middle class neighborhood. I would recommend shopping near more affluent neighborhoods. You will spend a little more, but you can still get amazing deals on quality, minimally used goods. The shop I frequent most is located less than a half-mile from a university campus. They usually have a decent selection of books, handbags and clothing. Also keep in mind your transportation needs. You don't want to be stuck walking a mile.
Don't be afraid: The very idea of thrift shopping might make one a little nervous. After all these are things others have owned and used before. Don't worry. Clothing can be washed and objects can be cleaned up nicely. It is important to note that there may be a stigma attached to buying second-hand. If you buy wisely, nobody would ever be the wiser. I've gotten more compliments on my second-hand clothing than on the clothing I buy new. The children will also be none the wiser, especially if you don't tell them.
Keep an eye out for sales: Yes, thrift shops do have sales. One of my favorite shops features a week long color-code sale every week. For example, one week's sale may be on blue. If you buy something with a blue sticker or hang tag, it's 50% off. The best thing about this sale is that on Saturdays, the items marked with the featured color is 75% off. There are many different sales as there are shops so don't be hesitant to ask a friendly employee about them.
Know about how big or small your body actually is: Never rely on the size tag inside a garment. Most shops size with generic small, medium, large, etc. In a lot of cases, clothing has shrunken in the wash, or has been stretched out due to improper handling or wearing in it's former life. The best way to judge size is just to eyeball it. Take your measurements if you need to or take a good objective look at yourself in a full-length mirror. This way you will not only find a really good fit for your body, but you also won't feel like pouting if those great jeans you found that fit like a dream happen to be a size or two larger than you would ordinarily take.
Keep an eye out for potential: Many thrift shops have a bewildering array of unusual items. The really pretty dress with the broken zipper may be perfect for an upcoming occasion. If you're handy with a sewing machine, it wouldn't be anything to rip out the broken one and replace the broken one or replace it with another kind of closure to create a one-of-a-kind dress. An old and sturdy dresser that doesn't look the best can be repainted and repurposed to fit your needs. There's inspiration at every turn.
Wear the right clothes when you shop: This is the most applicable if you must try on clothes in the store. Might I suggest wearing leggings and a close fitting top? You just never know if the person who donated the garment washed everything before donating.
Take a buddy: Thrift shopping is fun when you go alone, but bringing a friend and add a lunch out can make for an amazing outing. I have a friend who works magic in a thrift shop. She managed to only pay about half of what she expected to pay, and I've learned also how to become a better thrift shopper because of what I've learned from shopping with her.
Thrift shopping is one of the more fun ways to save your hard-earned dollars. With the amazing deals you can find and your amazing good taste, you'll end up on top every time.
I could not agree more! I live by this philosophy and enjoy life so much more!
You are so very right! I was introduced to Thrift and Consignment Stores about a year ago from a new girlfriend who also showed me around yard sales for the first time. Let me just say this; "I WILL NEVER PAY FULL PRICE AGAIN FOR ANYTHING."
I wear the latest fashions. I am complimented on my matching apparel all the time. I have now two full closets full. I am addicted to buying new clothes and buying cheap. I always thought that these stores were only for low-income people. The stores I shop in, the proceeds go back into charities for low-income persons. They also have programs for people who need things for their apartments, they can sign up and receive a $100.00 Gift Certificate just by having it signed by a therapist. I went shopping their recently for a homeless woman who had just been accepted into a 1 bedroom apartment. Though she had nothing. I went to my favorite Thrift store. Picked out towels, hand towels and facecloths for her. Asked the manager (after telling her that I was picking them up for a homeless woman) and telling her story. I was just asking for a discount on them and she took them all and put them in a bag and said tell your friend congratulations and come back and see me for her $100.00 gift receipt. This is a wonderful story, that's why I wanted to share it.
For those people who are squeamish about buying "dirty" clothing from a thrift store, think about how many people have tried on the garments before you at your favorite retail store. In addition, I heard on the radio that all clothing and linens should be placed in a hot dryer for 20 minutes, regardless of where you bought them, to kill bedbugs. Bedbugs don't discriminate!
|
0.999999 |
There are many factors that make a weed control program effective. Make sure your sprayers are working for you and not against you.
Weed control is a leading cultural problem facing nursery growers. There are weeds for all places in all seasons, including winter annuals, summer annuals, biennials, perennials, grasses, sedges, and broadleaves. If one type is eliminated, another will take its place.
Weeds must be controlled because they can cause direct or indirect reductions in crop growth or quality and because they are aesthetically objectionable. They directly compete with crops for water, nutrients, and light. Some weeds affect the growth of woody plants by producing chemicals that stunt their growth. Weeds indirectly affect crops or landscapes by harboring rodents that may eat the bark of trees and shrubs, causing severe damage or death. Many nursery practices, such as pruning, are complicated by the presence of weeds. Also, weeds slow air movement, which may result in a higher incidence of foliar diseases or frost damage.
For this issue, we’re focusing on sprayers.
In calibrating a sprayer, the speed and pressure at which the sprayer is operated, the nozzle being used, and the height at which the nozzle is held (which controls the width of the band sprayed) must be kept constant.
The parts of the spray system include the pump, pressure regulator, pressure gauge, screens (strainers), and nozzles. Many herbicides are made up of particles suspended in the spray solution. They cause a lot of abrasion and wear on piston pumps. The best pumps to use with these products are diaphragm or centrifugal pumps because they will last much longer than other pumps. Pressure regulators are needed to maintain a constant pressure during application. Herbicides should be applied at 15 to 40 psi. The pressure gauge makes it possible to reset the pressure regulator from one operation to another.
A 50-mesh in-line strainer should be used to prevent nozzle clogging, especially when wettable powders are being applied. Strainers with check valves are available that require 5 psi pressure to open them. This prevents the dripping of the spray solution that is in the system between the shutoff valve and the tip. The check valve in the strainer closes immediately when the shutoff valve is closed.
The nozzle tip is a critical component of a sprayer. Although relatively inexpensive, this part of the system must not be neglected. The nozzle affects the flow rate, breaks up the mixture into droplets, and disperses the droplets in a specific pattern. The proper nozzle must be selected for the desired job. No single nozzle can meet all spraying needs.
When buying nozzles, the grower must choose from a variety of angles and spray rates. Nozzles with angles ranging from 65 to 130 degrees are available for applying herbicides. Wide-angle nozzles can be operated close to the ground to minimize drift. Narrow-angle nozzles should be used where high clearance over some plants may be needed.
The flow rate of nozzles is measured under standardized conditions, such as a tractor speed of 4 miles per hour and a pressure of 30 psi. The rate of spray applied per acre by a particular nozzle can be increased by driving slower or by increasing the pressure. The rate of spray applied per acre can be decreased by driving faster or by decreasing the pressure.
An example of a nozzle used for applying herbicides is an 8004, which provides a spray angle of 80 degrees and has an output of 0.4 gallons per minute at 40 psi.
Different types of nozzles are commonly used to apply herbicides in nursery or Christmas tree plantings.
Flat-fan nozzles disperse droplets in a fan shape. The edges of the flat fan pattern have lower spray volumes than the center of the pattern, so they should be used only in combination on spray booms. To get uniform distribution of the herbicide across the width of the boom, the patterns of adjacent nozzles should overlap by 40 to 50 percent. With a 20-inch nozzle spacing, the proper overlap would be 8 to 10 inches. To get uniform spray patterns from flat fan nozzles, a pressure of at least 30 psi is required.
Low-pressure flat fan nozzles are for those who want to use lower pressures, as is often the case with backpack sprayers. They are designed to be operated at 10 to 25 psi. The lower operating pressures and larger orifices on these nozzles reduce clogging and provide larger spray droplets that reduce drift. A low-pressure flat fan nozzle is designated with the letters LP after the number (8004 LP). Flat fan and low-pressure flat fan nozzles are recommended for use only on boom sprayers. The nozzles on a boom should all be the same type and size to ensure even distribution. They should never be used for making band applications because, when used alone, the spray distribution pattern is very uneven.
Even-spray nozzles are used to make band applications. They are similar to flat fan nozzles but apply the herbicide uniformly across the entire pattern. Even-spray nozzles are available with 80- or 95-degree spray angles. Typical working pressures range from 20 to 40 psi. The width of the band can be adjusted by raising or lowering the nozzle. This nozzle should not be used on a boom for broadcast spraying. Even-spray nozzles are identified by the letter E after the number (8004 E).
Flooding fan nozzles produce a wide, flat spray pattern. The wide spray angle (110 to 130 degrees) allows wider nozzle spacing and lower boom heights. The larger orifice produces large droplets and makes the flooding fan nozzle resistant to drift and clogging. Optimum broadcast coverage is achieved by overlapping spray patterns 100 percent to obtain double coverage. Pressures of 10 to 30 psi are commonly used.
Off-center nozzles produce a pattern that is approximately half that of a flat fan nozzle. They are used for directing a spray at the base of a row of plants without getting the spray on a cover crop between the rows. Off-center nozzles are identified by the letters OC before the number designating rate of output (OC 04).
Nozzles are available in a variety of materials. Brass and aluminum are the least expensive, but the metal is soft and wears quickly when abrasive materials like wettable powders are used. Stainless steel and hardened stainless steel cost three to five times more than brass but wear 19 to 77 times longer. The cost, uniformity, and durability of nylon nozzles vary with the quality of the nylon used to make them. They can be as uniform and durable as stainless steel at one-half the cost, or they may be quite variable in rate of spray output. The operator should consult with the supplier before buying nylon nozzles. An excellent combination of products is a nozzle with a nylon body and a stainless steel orifice. It provides the durability of stainless steel with the low cost of nylon.
To prevent plugging and excessive wear of nozzles, screens should always be used to remove large particles from the spray mixture. Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for the nozzle to be used. A general recommendation is to use a 50-mesh screen. Screens with ball check valves are recommended for use when applying postemergence herbicides because they prevent dripping from the nozzle after the control valve has been closed.
A sprayer remains accurately calibrated only as long as the openings of the nozzles remain unchanged. As nozzles wear, the openings become larger and the rate and uniformity of herbicide applied become more variable. To minimize these problems, the operator should buy high-quality nozzles, inspect them regularly, and replace them as needed. To clean a clogged nozzle, use compressed air or a soft-bristled brush, such as a toothbrush. Never use wire or a nail because the nozzle orifice can be easily damaged.
Many configurations and systems can be used with tractor-mounted sprayers. Centrifugal or diaphragm pumps are recommended. They can have their own engines for power or can be run off the PTO of the tractor. The tanks range greatly in size and may be mounted in the back or front of the tractor. Spray booms or individual nozzles may be mounted in the back, front, under the belly, or on the foot plates of the tractor. Flat booms or drop nozzles may be used. The system that is best for a particular situation will depend on the herbicide being used and the growth habit and size of the plants being grown.
The most common hand-carried sprayers are the 2- or 3-gallon compression type and the continuous pump backpack sprayers. Either can be used to spray a small or irregular area like a landscape bed without worrying about calibration. Simply add the amount of herbicide needed to treat the area to enough water to spray uniformly over the area at least twice. Marker dyes also can be added to the spray solution to indicate the uniformity of application. The dyes break down in sunlight and disappear within 3 or 4 days.
For treating larger areas, sprayers must be calibrated. Backpack sprayers should be used because the pump can be operated continuously to maintain a uniform pressure. Sprayers with diaphragm pumps are far superior to sprayers with piston pumps because piston pumps wear out faster and tend to leak. Because these sprayers are mounted on the backs of the applicators, any leaks result in considerable direct exposure to the spray solution.
Some backpack sprayers have pressure regulators built into them. They can be used with no further adaptation. Sprayers without pressure regulators need some adaptation to make them more suitable for herbicide application. A pressure gauge is essential for uniform application. It should be mounted on the tank side of the shutoff valve so the tank pressure can be continuously monitored. If the gauge is mounted on the nozzle side of the shutoff, it will show the tank pressure only when the valve is open. For optimum control, a pressure regulator also should be inserted into the system somewhere between the pressure gauge and the nozzle.
Shutoff valves of some hand sprayers are often too slow to prevent dripping from the nozzle after the valve is closed. This can cause serious problems when nonselective herbicides such as Roundup Pro are being used. Such valves should be replaced with a quick, positive pressure shutoff valve or strainers with check valves.
A two- or four-nozzle boom can be adapted to apply herbicides to large plantings or turf.
On an area that best represents the average topography for the area to be sprayed, measure and mark off the calibration distance that coincides with the band width, if band applying, or with the nozzle spacing (width covered by a single nozzle) if broadcast applying (see Table 1).
Fill the sprayer with water only and record the number of seconds required to travel the calibration distance at a comfortable, steady speed. With a tractor-mounted sprayer, note and record the engine rpm and the gear selection so that the same speed is used during calibration and application. For backpack sprayers, it is important that the person making the application is the person that calibrates the sprayer, because the calibration is based on that person’s pace.
While maintaining the selected application pressure, collect the spray output from one nozzle for the same number of seconds needed to travel the calibration distance.
The number of fluid ounces collected equals the gallons per acre (GPA) output of the spraying system.
Example 1: With a 32-inch band, if it took 28 seconds to travel 127 feet, collect the nozzle discharge for 28 seconds. 16 ounces collected equals a system output of 16 GPA.
Example 2: With 20-inch nozzle spacing, if it took 35 seconds to travel 204 feet, collect the discharge of one nozzle for 35 seconds. 20 ounces collected equals a system output of 20 GPA.
If using a boom, repeat Step 3 twice more, collecting water from a different nozzle each time. The average number of ounces collected for each of the three nozzles is equal to the gallons of water applied per acre for that boom, speed, and pressure. If the difference in output of any of the nozzles tested varies more than 10 percent from the others, check all of the nozzles on the boom and replace as needed.
To determine the amount of chemical to add to the spray tank, divide the capacity of the tank by the number of gallons of water applied per acre to determine the area that can be covered with a tankful of spray.
Example 1: 3 gal tank ÷ 16 GPA = 0.188 acres covered per tank.
Example 2: 200 gal tank ÷ 20 GPA = 10 acres covered per tank.
Multiply the application rate of the product per acre times the area covered per tank. Add that amount of chemical to the sprayer tank.
Example 1: 2 qt per acre = 64 fl oz per acre x 0.188 acre per tank = 12 fl oz per tank.
Example 2: 5 lb per acre = 80 oz per acre x 0.188 acre per tank = 15 oz per tank.
Example 3: 2 qt per acre x 10 acres per tank = 20 qt, or 5 gal per tank.
Concentrated herbicides should never be poured directly into an empty tank. Add one-half the necessary water to the tank, then the herbicide concentrate, and finally the remainder of the water. Mix the spray solution by operating the sprayer with the control valve in the closed position for a few minutes.
Never allow a sprayer with mixed chemicals to stand without agitation. Heavy wettable powders may clog nozzles and settle into the corners of the spray tank, becoming very difficult to remove.
When applying combinations of herbicides, add them to the tank in this order: wettable powders, flowables, water solubles, adjuvants, and emulsifiable concentrates. Constant agitation is important when combinations of pesticides are in a tank.
When using backpack sprayers, thoroughly mix the chemicals in a bucket with a pour spout; then pour the mixture into the sprayer. It is difficult to get proper mixing if the chemicals are added directly to the sprayer.
Two pesticides or a pesticide-fertilizer mixture sometimes separates when combined in a sprayer. Including a type of surfactant called a compatibility agent, or adjuvant, may help get them mixed. Compatibility agents available on the market include Compex, Co-mix, and Unite.
Put 1 pint of water or chosen fluid fertilizer in each of 2-quart jars.
Using rates proportional to those that will be used in the field, combine the chemicals to be mixed in one of the 2-quart jars.
To the other quart jar first add a compatibility agent (0.5 teaspoonful) to water or fluid fertilizer; then add the herbicide mixture.
Close both jars and mix contents by inverting jars 10 times.
Allow jars to stand undisturbed for 30 minutes and inspect them again.
If both mixtures remain uniform for 30 minutes, the combination may be used. If the mixture with the compatibility agent stays mixed but the one without the compatibility agent does not, be sure to use the compatibility agent in the spray tank.
Should either mixture separate after 30 minutes but remix readily with 10 jar inversions, the mixture can be used if good agitation is maintained in the tank. If nondispersible oil, sludge, or clumps of solids form, the mixture should not be used.
If tank-mixed chemicals are compatible, time and labor can be saved by applying herbicides in combination with fertilizers. When such mixtures separate, clogged tanks and lines and uneven, deficient, or excessive rates of application result. This can cause crop injury, poor weed control, and residue problems in addition to the expense and disposal required for mixtures that cannot be used.
Tracey Harpster is an Extension Educator, Penn State Pesticide Safety and Education; and Jim Sellmer is a Professor of Horticulture at Penn State. Read “Controlling Weeds in Nursery and Landscape Plantings” here: https://extension.psu.edu/controlling-weeds-in-nursery-and-landscape-plantings.
Do you have a weed, noxious weed, invasive weed or superweed?
|
0.999998 |
In many parts of the UK it is taken for granted that most people will have access to the internet at home, but in some places this is far from the reality.
In Wales, only about a third of people on average have home access; and this, combined with other social problems such as relatively low education attainment and high unemployment, can magnify the effects of digital exclusion, says Lukasz Kuziow, digital inclusion co-ordinator at Bron Afon Community Housing.
Bron Afon is a social housing body set up in 2008 in the county borough of Torfaen in South East Wales, managing 8,000 homes. Recently, it surveyed its tenants on digital access, and the results were a concern, Kuziow says.
"Only 38% of our tenants reported having a computer with internet connection in their home," he says. "Many identified the cost of fixed lines as a particular problem, or a lack of cellular coverage which can prevent mobile internet access."
Access is not the only problem excluding people from digital services, Kuziow says: lack of awareness of what services are available beyond a few web sites and apps can also be a barrier, and these skills problems can begin early in life.
"The gap really starts from the very early stages of education where people are having problems, and some pupils are failing to attend schools altogether. Nearly 50% of our tenants stated that they had no qualifications, resulting in low literacy and numeracy levels, and high levels of unemployment."
Against this background come new external pressures such as the need to prepare for public services provided as digital by default, such online employment searches for Universal Jobmatch and online welfare benefits application, he says. Some 70% of Bron Afon tenants claim welfare benefits, and 70% of Universal Credit claimants need to claim online by 2017.
"There are quite complex changes being imposed on people.
"They are faced with many issues such as remembering numbers they have been given by universal jobmatch, reference numbers, passwords, remembering how to log in to all the online services, and manage the inboxes correctly."
Tenants also need digital skills to effectively bid for properties online if they need to change houses to avoid the new under-occupancy penalty, commonly known as the "bedroom tax", Kuziow says. "Home-seeker and swapper has gone digital by default in Torfaen from 1 April, which means 1,000 of our tenants are in danger of being excluded."
Add to all this the fact that 90% of all jobs will require IT skills by end of 2015, and a pattern is created of severe social exclusion stemming from digital exclusion, he says.
To combat this, a series of community projects have been launched drawing together funding from a range of sources.
These include the Tech New Age Project, funded by Communities 2.0, a Welsh Government programme backed by the European Regional Development Fund. The project engaged with more than 500 older tenants in 21 Bron Afon retirement housing schemes to have fun with online entertainment and social media while learning key skills.
A separate Communities First Digital Inclusion project offers taster sessions, skills training and help to jobseekers with Jobmatch and other services, using low cost refurbished equipment and supported by volunteers. And Bron Afon has also joined the Digital Deal, a series of government-funded pilot projects led by social enterprise Tinder Foundation testing innovative ways to get social housing tenants online and improve their digital skills.
Part of this Bron Afon Digital Inclusion Project has included creating 'Community Connection Hubs', based around not only laptops and PCs but a technology first in fashion for digital inclusion more than a decade ago: interactive kiosks.
After early interest in kiosks, the home internet access and mobile revolution saw them fall out of favour, as they often used slow, inflexible technologies that could not match the internet access people were finding elsewhere. Now however, a new generation of kiosks supported by high speed internet access is finding favour with many tenants as a more usable way of accessing digital services, Kuziow says.
Bron Afon has installed the 'KiOSK' device from social enterprise Social Telecoms. They feature safe internet access; face to face video; e-payments; e-learning; and employment searching.
In terms of positioning and management of the booths, the project builds on the legacy of an earlier kiosk project implemented by Torfaen in the first wave of kiosk enthusiasm some time ago, he says. They use Android based touch-screen technology, which is easy to use and familiar to how people already operate smartphones or tablets.
"The old kiosks were focused on information on Torfaen and tourism, with no wider information - not least because they were based on dial-up technology, so towards the end of lifespan were not suitable for purpose.
"But the new kiosks have a well-developed interface, so people can reach the service they are looking for at the click of a button, reducing queuing times and encouraging people to navigate through all the services. They are inside a soundproof booth, so people will feel secure and safe to tap in details or speak to somebody using videoconferencing."
All the projects are aimed at securing a future for Torfaen in which local people are better off, better educated, healthier, more confident, and more socially included, Kuziow says: a lot of benefit to flow from grassroots digital inclusion.
|
0.960063 |
robots taking over the world??
I'm in university, and one of our required courses is an ethics class, and for our first assignment, our professor gives us an article to read, and wants us to write an opinion piece on it. The article was entitled "Why the future doesn't need us", and it talked about machines taking over mankind, and man 'fusing' with a robot to become one, and how genetic engineering is one day going to kill us all by creating a new species that would kick man off the top of the food chain. Any thoughts on the matter??
|
0.998827 |
Is the Creighton Model System for me?
Ask yourself the following questions and if the answer to any of these questions is "Yes!" then you should seriously consider looking up one of the affiliated centers of FertilityCare™ Centers of America and learning the Creighton Model FertilityCare™ System.
1. Do you want to know more about how your menstrual cycle works?
2. Are you tired of taking birth control pills, using condoms, using gels or diaphragms?
3. Are you looking for something to manage your fertility that is entirely natural?
4. Are you tired of having the birth control pill recommended for the treatment of nearly every woman's health problem?
5. Are you interested in a family planning system that also allows you to monitor and maintain your health?
6. Are you looking for a family planning system that is completely safe and has no medical side effects?
7. Are you looking for a family planning method where surveys have shown a high level of couple satisfaction?
8. Are you looking for a solution to a reproductive problem? Infertility? Miscarriage? Stillbirth? Prematurity?
9. Are you looking for a solution to premenstrual syndrome? Recurrent Ovarian Cysts? Abnormal bleeding?
10. Would you like a family planning system that actually helps bond your marriage? Where both the the man and the woman work together?
11. Are you looking for a system of family planning that is morally acceptable to you and your spouse?
If your answer was "YES!" to any of the above questions, then you should seriously consider contacting an affiliated center of FertilityCare™ Centers of America.
|
0.960943 |
For two years I have been in the House of Baba Yaga. After hearing the powerhouse activist, Starhawk, tell the the Russian fairy tale "Vasalisa the Wise" during a winter solstice gathering, I felt there was ripe material for my own psyche to digest. I went home from the gathering and began to deepen my journey to the Wild Feminine - the intuitive dimension of inner knowing.
Once there was a dying mother who gave her daughter, Vasilisa, a doll to guide her through life. After she died, Vasilisa's father eventually remarried and the step family hated Vasilisa and repeatedly attempted to end her life. But each time they tried, the doll Vasilisa inherited from her mother came to life and helped overcome their malevolence. Their final attempt was to send Vasilisa to get fire from the witch known as Baba Yaga.
Vasilisa went to the house of Baba Yaga after meeting three men on horses while walking through the dark forest. The cunning Yaga agreed to give Vasilisa fire after she completed several Herculean tasks, otherwise she would eat her. Vasilisa didn't know how to complete them but during each task the doll came to life and knew exactly what to do.
Baba Yaga eventually gave Vasilisa a skull with a fire lit inside and then kicked her out. Vasilisa used the skull fire as a guide back through the dark forest and home. When she returned to her evil step family the fire inside the skull burned them all to ash.
Like other fairy tales, the witch in this story - Baba Yaga - is superficially portrayed as someone to be feared and avoided. And while we should respect Yaga's formidable power to create and destroy, avoid her we should not. For she is the embodiment of the Wild Feminine archetype - numinous life bursting with intuition and unapologetic enthusiasm.
After hearing the story and with interpretation in hand I began exploring which rites I am competent in and which are underdeveloped. Once dedicated to being in the House of Baba Yaga, I painted this rendition and took her on a wilderness fast with me. And most recently she became the center point of an altar during a week long Samhain ceremony. The image of Baba Yaga has been like a tractor beam in my life.
Of the rites Vasilisa undertook, the 6th Task - Separating This from That - has been most pronounced in the past two years of exploration.
The sixth task Baba Yaga demands of Vasilisa encompasses the cultivation of shrewd discernment. In the story Vasilisa must sort mildewed corn from whole corn and then poppy seeds from the dirt and she does so with the help of her intuitive doll. She strengthens her intuition and learns what is food and what is medicine.
In my own life, shrewd discernment has come and gone like a tidal flux. Building psychological muscles for this task has required that I hold tension between relentless attention and felt intuition. Trauma in my childhood and adolescence disrupted 'normal' developmental patterns, leaving my ego underdeveloped well into my twenties. (Here I mean a definition of 'ego' as a tool that serves to transform unconscious material to consciousness). To strengthen and refine my soul's ability to speak and my ego's ability to discern I have turned to my dreams.
As Estes puts it, "It is a phenomenon that a question asked before bedtime, with practice, elicits an answer upon awakening. There is something in the psyche, something of the wildish doll, something under, over, or in the collective unconscious which sorts the materials while we sleep and dream. And reliance on this attribute is also a part of (our) wild nature."
Developing shrewd discernment is an essential task in my journey to conscious, wild femininity - one that helps me decide what I'm really hungry for versus what is merely on the buffet of life. Befriending my dreams helps me discern what must live and what must die. What is feeding creativity and what is medicine for my psyche. Turning toward dreams is, for me, the equivalent of self-empowerment through climbing a mountain or trekking desert terrains. The unconscious is as equally dynamic and interconnected as any external ecosystem and offers powerful material for contemplation.
Like most fairy tales and inner psychic states, linearity is an illusion. In the two years as apprentice with Baba Yaga she's kicked me out and let me return time and again. The nine rites of initiation don't necessarily happen one after the other. Although there is a rhythm, there is not a singular path of our inner wild feminine. This is a story of initiation that one tends to for a lifetime, ever strengthening the fire in the skull.
|
0.577904 |
Arthur Edmund Shepherd (1867-1942), medical practitioner and army medical officer, was born on 21 October 1867 at Norwood, Adelaide, son of Emanuel Shepherd, an English-born architect. He was educated at Norwood Grammar School and Prince Alfred College, and at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow (L. & L.M., R.C.P. & S. Edin; L.F.P.S. Glasg). Granted medical registration by the South Australian Medical Board on 8 September 1891, he began practice at Norwood. On 6 November 1895, in St Matthew's Anglican Church, Kensington, he married Emma Tarrant Amanda Shepherd; they had four sons and two daughters.
In 1895 a dispute at the (Royal) Adelaide Hospital resulted in the resignations of the honorary medical staff. Two medical officers were recruited from England and five volunteers were brought into service; among the latter was Shepherd who was appointed an honorary associated surgeon. An honorary surgeon in 1898-1903 and honorary gynaecologist in 1903-06, he combined these professional services and a busy medical practice with a deep involvement in community affairs. The original officer of health and a founding member of the East Torrens County Board of Health (1898), from 1907 he was club doctor and vice-president of Norwood Football Club. In 1909 he became the first vice-president of the Boy Scouts' first council in South Australia as well as the first State commissioner. He was a founding committee-member of the South Australian Esperanto Society in 1911.
In 1900 Shepherd had joined the Volunteer Medical Corps which became in 1902 part of the Australian Army Medical Corps. Commissioned lieutenant on 3 April 1900, he was promoted captain in 1903, major in 1909 and lieutenant-colonel commanding the 19th Field Ambulance in 1912. On the outbreak of World War I he offered his services to the Australian Imperial Force but did not accept a proposed appointment as major. In December 1914 he was made acting principal medical officer of the 4th Military District and on 4 August 1915 was appointed lieutenant-colonel commanding the 8th Field Ambulance, A.I.F. However, that month he was transferred to Army Headquarters, Melbourne, to act as director-general of medical services while Colonel Richard Fetherston went overseas. Shepherd introduced 'a policy (already overdue) of administrative devolution and development at Headquarters', though this was 'perhaps somewhat overdone'. He reorganized army dental services throughout the Commonwealth, put the principal medical officers in the military districts on a full-time basis and enlisted the co-operation of the medical profession in the form of numerous expert committees of advice and technical advisers.
On his return in January 1916 Surgeon General Fetherston reversed some of Shepherd's changes but generally they were retained. Shepherd had also made preparations to include paratyphoid in typhoid inoculations because of increased occurrence among Australian troops overseas, but Fetherston delayed this programme for twelve months after his return. Shepherd had also introduced the British system of dealing with soldiers invalided home, insisting that 'the invalid soldier was to be provided by the Defence Department with medical attendance “till well” and was to be discharged from the army only when “fit to earn his living or actually pensioned”'. He also proposed 'establishment of a “Commonwealth Limb Factory” in conjunction with a Central Auxiliary Hospital in Melbourne where all necessary construction, education, treatment and exercises could be carried out'. Initially overridden, this suggestion was adopted with the establishment of a limb factory at Caulfield Hospital, Melbourne, in August 1916.
On 28 December 1915 Shepherd embarked for overseas service as lieutenant-colonel commanding the 8th Field Ambulance, A.I.F, which saw action during 1916-17 in the battles of Fromelles, the Somme, Bapaume, Bullecourt and Ypres. Conditions on the Western Front were appalling and his foremost priority was to improve conditions both for the casualties and for his men evacuating and caring for the sick and wounded. During the Somme winter stretcher-bearers had the almost insuperable task of carrying wounded over 6000 yards (5500 m) through mud sometimes up to their knees. Shepherd used flat-bottomed sledges which slid over the mud. He also advocated the use of bearer companies with infantry officers trained in first aid. In November 1917 he was appointed assistant director of medical services, 2nd Australian Division, and was promoted colonel in April 1918. As A.D.M.S. he was responsible for the medical arrangements of his sector from August 1918 onwards—in the battles of Mont St Quentin, Peronne and the attack on the Hindenburg line. He encouraged the innovation of the 'Standardised' Advanced Dressing Station in order to better deal with the vital factors of evacuation of casualties: 'time and distance on the one hand and … vital reaction to trauma on the other'.
In April 1919 Shepherd was appointed senior medical officer to the Australian Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in June 1918, was appointed C.M.G. and received the Medaille de la Reconnaissance Française in 1919 and was mentioned in dispatches three times. His A.I.F. appointment ended in November 1919 and in 1920-32 he was principal medical officer of the South Australian branch of the Repatriation Department.
Shepherd was of medium height and slightish build with a serious manner but a dry sense of humour. He had a dignified presence and a strong personality. Two of his sons served as privates in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in the Middle East. Survived by his six children, Arthur Shepherd died in Adelaide of prostate disease on 27 April 1942.
A. E. Shepherd file (Australian War Memorial).
W. D. Refshauge, 'Shepherd, Arthur Edmund (1867–1942)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/shepherd-arthur-edmund-8412/text14775, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 18 April 2019.
|
0.961596 |
For the song "I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)", see Back in the DHSS.
"A Link in the Chain of Broken Hearts"
(1948) "I Love You Because"
"I Love You Because" is a song written and recorded by country music singer and songwriter Leon Payne in 1949. The song has been covered by several artists throughout the years, including hit cover versions by Al Martino in 1963 and Jim Reeves in 1964.
In 1949, Leon Payne's original version of the song went to number four on the Billboard Country & Western Best Seller lists and spent two weeks at number one on the Country & Western Disk Jockey List, spending a total of thirty-two weeks on the chart. "I Love You Because" was Payne's only song to make the country charts.
"I Love You Because" was first recorded by on July 4 and 5, 1954 at SUN Studio. The session started on the 4th and ended early on the morning of the 5th in Memphis, Tenn., the same day he recorded "That's All Right". Producer Sam Phillips did not think "I Love You Because" was the right song for Elvis' first single, so it eventually found its way to his first album released in 1956.
The song was also notably covered by Johnny Cash. His version was released by Sun Records as a single (Sun 334, with "Straight A's in Love" on the opposite side) in December 1959, when Cash had already left the label for Columbia.
In 1963, Al Martino recorded the most successful version of the song, which peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Middle-Road (Adult Contemporary) chart for two weeks in May that year.
In 1964, American country singer Jim Reeves recorded a version of the song which peaked at number five in the UK. The song became his most successful single in Norway, topping the VG-Lista chart for 13 weeks. In 1976, the song was the title track of a posthumous Jim Reeves album, which peaked at number 24 on the US Country LP chart. The 45 release reached number 54 in the US Billboard Country singles chart that year.
In 1950, Ernest Tubb and Clyde Moody each recorded their own version, both making the Top 10 on the Country & Western charts.
A version by Johnny Cash from his album Sings Hank Williams reached number 20 in 1960.
Carl Smith recorded a cover for his album, I Love You Because (1969). The song peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1969.
In 1983, Roger Whittaker's version peaked at number 91 on the Hot Country Singles chart.
Other artists to record the song include Eddie Fisher, Elvis Presley, Hank Locklin, Matt Monro, Slim Whitman, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Jean Shepard, Harry James, and Ray Price. The Presley recording dates from 1954 and stood as his earliest recording to be released by RCA Records during his lifetime (earlier demos and unreleased tracks would be released after his death in 1977).
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 265.
^ John Edwards Memorial Foundation (1974). JEMF Quarterly. John Edwards Memorial Foundation.
^ Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
^ Tim Neely (2004-05-01). Goldmine Records & Prices. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-781-7.
^ Colin Escott; Martin Hawkins (1980). Sun Records: The Brief History of the Legendary Recording Label. Quick Fox. ISBN 978-0-8256-3161-0.
^ George Albert (1984-01-01). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1685-5.
^ Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
“Straight A's In Love"/"I Love You Because” (Sun 334) released. Both sides of this single will chart during February and March 1960.
^ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
^ "US Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. June 1, 1963. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
^ "US Billboard Adult Contemporary - Chart History". Billboard. May 25, 1963. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
^ "Top Country Albums". Billboard. March 20, 1976. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
^ "Jim Reeves - I Love You Because". UK Singles Chart. UK Official Charts Company. February 26, 1964. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
^ "Hot Country Songs - Billboard". Billboard. October 4, 1969. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
This page was last edited on 27 March 2019, at 11:18 (UTC).
|
0.999864 |
What better place to get practical experience in environmental science than a country as diverse as China? China’s size and dramatically different geography offers environmental science interns many opportunities to learn about, work on and research a diverse ecosystem, including the impact of years of economic growth. China’s topography ranges from grasslands to deserts, vast mountain ranges, tropical forests and low lying coastal areas. Go Abroad China can work with you to identify your areas of interest in environmental studies and help you find internship opportunities that can give you invaluable practical experience that could change your outlook.
With 60-years development, TNC’s protection has covered Latin America, Asia-Pacific, North America and Africa and so on, all most 35 countries.
|
0.962796 |
Description: Misleading, malicious headline: "Red Cross aid hasn't reached Japan quake victims". In the body of the article, they write that AID HAS ARRIVED from Red Cross. "...The Red Cross has dispatched more than 200 emergency relief teams to the disaster zone and organized thousands of volunteers to assist victims..."
|
0.954081 |
A number of candidates can be suggested for the most expensive ferry service in the world, though UK services such as the Isle of Wight ferries or CalMac (especailly the short Colintraive-Rhubobach crossing) are frequently mentioned in this context. One difficulty in getting agreement is that different criteria can be used to assess this issue. Here we use three basic economic criteria to judge this and cross-check the reasonableness of the analysis against profit performance indicators. We conclude that a case can be made for Western Ferries (Clyde) as the most expensive ferry service and analyse why this has come about, with special emphasis on the role of government here. We note that government tender plans for the competing CalMac Gourock-Dunoon service may exacerbate this situation since they are likely to lead to a Western Ferries monopoly of vehicle-carrying across the Clyde Estuary with further public interest implications for fares and levels of service.
What is the most expensive ferry service in the world? This is a question which can throw up many candidates. There are cases that can be made for island ferries in exotic parts of the world, but on closer examination what appear to be high fares per kilometer travelled are often a reflection of extremely short distances and/or low volumes of traffic which have to bear the burden of the fixed costs of the operation. There are some overnight ferries which have high fares in absolute terms but that is often a reflection of the long distance and a blurring of the distinction between ferry and cruise services.
However most web searches consistently throw up one domain as hosting the most expensive ferries in the world, and that is the UK, whether it is CalMac in Scotland or the Isle of Wight with Red Funnel and Wightlink (this latter market has been the subject of a number of OFT investigations in the past, one of which reports led to the accolade in the UK parliament in the Nineties as their being most the expensive ferries in the world ). This has major public interest implications (including for economic and social and development) given that ferries can be the major (or indeed only) practical way to connect whole communities to the outside world. For these reasons, domestic ferry services (whether publicly or privately owned) are generally seen as essential public services by national and regional governments and regulated appropriately.
Many CalMac services have come down in price (albeit possibly temporarily) with the RET pilot for the CalMac Western Isles services. Of the CalMac routes which are not part of the RET pilot, Colintraive-Rhubodach is often cited as candidate for the most expensive ferry in the world, with a single journey for car and driver costing £7.70 (£5 per journey for multi-journey tickets) for a journey of a few hundred yards. However, CalMac Colintraive-Rhubodach carried just 87,000 cars in 2009, a relatively small number which pales into insignificance when compared with the likes of Western Ferries (584,000 cars in 2009) on the other side of the Cowal Peninsula. At extremely short distances and small volumes of traffic like Colintraive-Rhubodach, price per kilometer can shoot up given ship and shore-based fixed costs and the inability to generate economies of scale that larger volumes of traffic would generate. Colintraive-Rhubodach is admittedly a contender here but faces mitigating circumstances.
In the last resort, whether or not a service can truly be considered expensive in relation to the service it provides has to be considered against economic criteria. We use three criteria here to explore the question of who might (and might not be) candidates for the most expensive ferry service in the world.
(a) Length of crossing: the shorter the crossing, the cheaper it should be.
(b) Volume of traffic: the more traffic the service carries, the cheaper it should be.
(c) Nature of service: the more basic the service, the cheaper it should be.
Given their regular appearances in global "most expensive ferry" lists, we make particular reference to CalMac and Isles of Wight services. Anything which can be considered expensive when benchmarked against these services must be considered a contender for most expensive ferry in the world.
The first three services in the table below are all in the Clyde estuary area in Scotland with Western Ferries being a private operator which competes (in vehicle carrying) with CalMac Gourock-Dunoon, while CalMac Wemyss Bay Rothesay is the main ferry service to Bute. Two Isle of Wight (IoW) services are included in the table. The two WSF (Washington State Ferries) in the Seattle / Puget Sound area in the north-west US are included to give domestic estuary ferry services comparators other than the Clyde. The Forth Road Bridge is included because it provides the transport link across the Forth Estuary that Western Ferries and CalMac Gourock-Dunoon provide across the Clyde. .
The fares below reflect fares as of Winter 2010, with "vehicle + driver (best discount)" being the best fare per journey advertised for multi-journey and frequent traveler tickets, where available. NOTE: Methods for calculating fares may vary between operators, the analysis here was made as comparable between operators as possible - eg Red Funnel can vary by time of day, an average fare was taken for a weekday . The best discount fares for Western Ferries and CalMac Gourock-Dunoon are available in local shops. for frequent rravellers.
Although the CalMac Gourock-Dunoon service is almost twice as long as Western Ferries, the CalMac standard fare of car + driver is actually cheaper than Western Ferries. Remarkably, Western Ferries standard fare is almost as high as CalMac Wemyss Bay Rothesay despite the latter being three times the length of Western Ferries route. The Isle of Wight standard fares for car and driver are dearer than for Western with a much longer route, but in terms of price per km, Western Ferries is about 50% more expensive. The much longer WSF services are much cheaper than Western Ferries even though the fall of sterling relative to the dollar should have narrowed that differential recently.
These points about Western Ferries being relatively expensive compared to these other services still hold when frequent traveler or multi-journey discounts for car and driver are taken into account (see last column in the table above). And if you want to make a decision about crossing the rivers Clyde or Forth based on cost, the table indicates you would be advised to choose the Forth crossing.
The CalMac, WSF, and Forth Road Bridge services are subsidized, the other services generally are not, though Western did receive a major grant to help it extend its shore based infrastructure. The grants to the other services help pay for public services (such as provision for foot passengers) which Western can totally or partially avoid incurring, and which are discussed briefly in section 4 below.
Western Ferries is clearly a candidate for most expensive ferry based on this criterion.
Volume of traffic should help cheapen rates charged by operators. Red Funnel carry about 600,000 cars annually (about the same amount as Western) , WSF Seattle-Bremerton about 370,000, WSF Clinton-Mukilteo about 920,000 (no separate figures for IoW Portsmouth-Fishbourne to hand). On the Clyde, the CalMac Gourock-Dunoon service carried 71,000 cars in 2009, CalMac Rothesay Wemyss Bay carried 163,000. By way of contrast, Western Ferries carried 584.000 cars in that year. That is just over half the amount of car traffic carried that year by the entire CalMac network covering the West of Scotland and the Western Isles..
On these figures, there is no argument that any higher rates charged by Western Ferries compared to other operators could be justified by its scale of operation. Its substantial scale of operation should allow it to exploit major economies of scale such as in shore-based costs and overheads, and this could reasonably be expected to be reflected in its charges. The fact that it is not means that we may conclude that it is also expensive on the second criterion.
Basic economic and common sense suggests that the more services or facilities provided in a service, the more expensive it can be expected to be (speed, passenger facilities etc). The more basic the service, the cheaper it should be.
Western Ferries fleet can be seen on this webpage. The ferries are designed around an open deck. There is limited seating for foot passengers. There are toilet facilities on board, though no such facilities at the terminals (unlike for other ferry services on this table). There are no refreshment facilities though others of the table above such as the CalMac and Isle of Wight ferries all have café facilities; this can be a valued part of such services given that for many travelers (vehicle or foot) the ferry journey can be part of a much longer journey.
There is no commercial advantage to Western from encouraging or providing for foot passengers and this is reflected in their basic service which is oriented around the high value and low cost vehicle market. It is also is a slow service at around 6 knots which adds to fuel savings for the company.
Western does a call out emergency service for ambulances but it is to be expected that someone has to do this and since Western Ferries has essentially supplanted the public service operator across the Clyde it is reasonable to expect it to provide a service that CalMac would normally have been expected to provide.
If a service is to be considered expensive in relation to the service offered, we would expect this to be reflected in the financial performance of the firm and some features of the market and we look at these issues in the next two sections.
Western Ferries operating margins are remarkable. The Deloitte Touche report into the Gourock-Dunoon ferries noted that ferry operations are usually low margin businesses operating in slow growth mature markets. They benchmarked Western and CalMac's financial performance in the Nineties against a number of other UK ferry companies and found the companies surveyed typically had low profit margins with an average (median) operating margin for the seven operators (excluding Western) of 6.5%.
This is broadly consistent with profit margins for the UK rail operators which like ferries tend to be stable low risk businesses with relatively secure sources of revenue. UK Rail companies operating margins are typically less than 5%, see here.
The operating margins for UK bus operators average about 11% for the big five operators, nearly double that of the smaller operators, see here, these high rates for the big operators has led to Office of Fair Trading looking at this market again recently.
So the UK transport industry in general is not usually a high margin industry. Broadly speaking a 5% operating margin is usually considered reasonable in the transport sector, with anything over 10% likely to be seen as indicative of some kind of market distortion, with public interest implications.
For Western to have an average operating margin of nearly 30% over the past six years is remarkable and suggests something very unusual is happening in this market. The corresponding figures for Wightlink in 2007 were 21 per cent and Red Funnel 16 per cent, both well below that of Western in that year (see here page 77: the report also mentions separately high profit margins for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company but notes that this may not be directly comparable to the other ferry companies because of different accounting conventions and modes of operation).
We shall look at what is unusual about this market in the next section and why Western has such a level of profit.
The auditors notes to the 2009 accounts takes note of Western's tonnage tax dispute with HMRC (see here and here and here) and says if corporation tax were payable for that year an amount of £468,000 would have been provided. They noted the total corporation tax payable if tonnage tax election was not permitted would have been £2,555,000 plus interest as of March 2009. As far as is known, the dispute between HMRC and Western is still unresolved at the time of writing.
(6) How did this come about?
How did Western Ferries' extreme levels of profitability come about?
First, it reflects cherry picking. A previous MD of Western Ferries objected when I noted that Western was a cherry picker but it was a statement of fact, it is not a pejorative term and was not intended as an insult, and it is not illegal in the UK though it is controlled and regulated for in most other UK essential services, and could also be in the case of the UK ferry services. Cherry picking also tends to push up subsidy and the burden on the taxpayer by leaving the public service operator with the loss making parts the cherry picker does not want. In fact, Western cherry picked three times over along the lines discussed in Section 2, 3 and 4 above when it entered this market. It cherry picked (a) a short crossing (b) a high volume market (then second only to the Kyle-Kyleakin ferry in terms of volume on the CalMac network, Kyle-Kyleakin was itself to be replaced by the Skye Bridge) and (c) the high value low cost vehicle carrying segment in this market. Cherry picking low cost / high value activities was why Western could envisage running the service without subsidy. All this reflected commendable entrepreneurial insight but it would not have been sufficient to create what has happened here without government support and protection.
Second, it reflects the actions of the Thatcher government in the early Eighties who restricted the frequency of the competing CalMac Gourock-Dunoon vehicle service to one an hour (CalMac had already started a half-hourly vehicle-passenger service 30 years ago but were made to end it by government restrictions). This restriction is still in place today, while Western runs up to 4 ferries an hour without restriction. Not surprisingly this has meant that vehicle users have gravitated to the Western service. As an operator, CalMac was entitled to complain about this restriction as a breach of EU competition rules, but it could not do so since the restriction was imposed by their shareholders, Scottish ministers.
Third, CalMac did put forward proposals for an enhanced Gourock-Dunoon service ten years ago which would just about have compensated for the inevitable subsidy that foot passengers need by running a frequent vehicle-passenger service, but Scottish ministers failed to give CalMac the permission required to procure the vessels needed and run such a service.
In short, how this came about was as much due to government protection as it was entrepreneurial endeavour.
There is usually no realistic alternative to a ferry which is why governments typically deal with the issue of the public interest here through state ownership, direct regulation or (more rarely) by encouraging competition. They have failed to do this in the case of the Clyde ferries.
In the case of some islands it could be argued that the benefits of low ferry fares might be limited by the absorptive capacity of the islands in coping with enhanced traffic, but that is not an argument that can usually be made against estuary transport links such as the Forth Road Bridge or the Gourock-Dunoon ferries.
In the case of high ferry costs, visitors and holiday makers are deterred; transport firms face higher costs which they may pass on to shops and households; individuals, families and businesses are put off moving into an area which has consequences for economic development, community cohesion, employment opportunities and housing markets.
In the case of Gourock-Dunoon there is also the cost to the taxpayer. Had CalMac been allowed to deploy a frequent vehicle and passenger service as they proposed this would effectively have eliminated subsidy on the route, with profitable and unsubsidized vehicle carryings compensating for subsidized foot passengers. This would also have been fully compliant with EC and UK competition law. Instead the tax payer is currently carrying a burden of well over £2mill a year subsidy on the CalMac Gourock-Dunon route. All this was and is totally unnecessary.
We conclude we have a reasonable candidate in Western Ferries to compare with the likes of Colintraive-Rhubodach and the Isle of Wight ferries for the dubious accolade of the most expensive ferry service in the world. In these areas at least, the UK can still be considered a world-beater.
However that is not the end of the matter.
The Scottish Government is presently putting the CalMac Gourock-Dunoon service out to tender. Because the Government has not built the car ferries needed of the type that was suggested by CalMac as long ago as ten years ago (and which could and should still be built), the route will inevitably go (at best) passenger-only when it is tendered leaving Western Ferries as sole vehicle ferry operator across the Clyde. As I have noted on this website, FoI requests by me here and here and here confirm that the Government's claims that "suitable" vehicle-carrying ferries are available on the second hand market are simply wrong and misleading.
Western Ferries have previously argued they could not have a monopoly because they say users have a "road option" but as I have noted before, the Gourock-Dunoon ferries act as the transport link across the Clyde estuary just as the Forth bridges act as the transport link across the Forth estuary. The "road option" would involve a detour of 82 miles. In distance terms that would be similar to a "road option" for the Forth Road Bridge detouring through Glasgow.
So the conclusion that we have a reasonable candidate for the most expensive ferry service in the world in Western Ferries has to be augmented by the expectation that Western Ferries will soon have the power to charge what they like, unencumbered by what is left of the competition to it on the Clyde.
When that happens, there is no reason to expect it to become less expensive, if anything the risks are on the upside since Western Ferries commercial obligations are to its seven shareholders. There is little chance that the OFT will take an interest in this because although these transport links are crucial for regional economic and social development they are typically of a scale that is below the radar of the competition authorities (who are more usually concerned with national or regional markets). In any case, most national governments regard it as their responsibility to set a level playing field for transport operators and other essential services and guard the public interest through legislative and regulatory protection and safeguards. The fact that successive governments have not done this here (rather the reverse) has been reflected in the degradation of the public service and the public interest.
At the same time it is hoped that governmental authorities will recognise that they have both the power and the responsibility to recognise and address the public interest issues that have arisen here. After all, if other countries have managed to avoid hosting the most expensive ferry service in the world, how have they managed this? There are options open to the Scottish Government under EC law here, but to find a solution the first requirements are recognition that there is a problem and a willingness to consider options in which the government plays the role of defender of the public interest rather than just promoter of the private interest.
|
0.965261 |
Topic: Deforestation caused by human activity is happening in many parts of the world, with serious results for the environment.
What do you think can be done to solve this problem?
Deforestation, which is the result of human’s abuse and luxury to the nature, is spreading out all over the world, with strict impacts for our environment. For avoiding this problem in my opinion some precautions and proper laws should be taken, such as forbidding logging and putting marks on the areas of trees.
Under the control of government, law enforcers should arrest people who log trees without any permission. By this way illegal logging can be prevented if sufficient attention is directed to this area. However, another issue still exist; legal deforestation. From my point of view the biggest error is occurring by federal systems. Because when a government wants to build up an infrastructure there is no other government to criticize it and warn it to not make a wrong choice.
By logging many trees and destroying lungs of the earth forests to raise a huge building, it may be to country’s profit nonetheless, is not a good idea for both ecology and human relief at all. Therefore that job remains to the government itself to judge and check benefits of work it has done. Probably legal deforestation can be prevented by that way.
To sum up, in spite of the fact that people and governments have both decided some wrong choices to take trees and put houses, factories and other buildings instead of those trees they can still correct their mistakes. By increasing the number of trees grown and by decreasing the number of trees logged humanity can gain a lot more oxygen to breath.
|
0.993506 |
I've been dying my hair for a while but I don't want to just keep dying it and dying it. My sister said that I could buy a stripper that would take out the colour but it really damages the hair. My hair is a dirty blonde but my roots are coming through really bad and it looks horrible I would like to go a chocolate brown. I would like to get back to my natural colour for the summer. So do I go and buy stripper at a professional salon or do I just keep on dying it?
Firstly I would always strongly recommend visiting a professional colour technician at the salon for advice before doing anything yourself. With regards to going for a chocolate brown, you would need to have a colour correction appointment, for pre-pigmenting and then taking the hair to a chocolate shade as desired. Stripping the hair, more commonly referred to as cleansing, would have the opposite effect as this will lighten the hair and not create the results you are hoping for.
|
0.945826 |
Their name, Velociraptor means "Speedy Thief". They were characterized as being the smallest type of raptor dinosaur. With slender legs, and an S-shaped neck and spine, they were quick and agile at jumping, running and hunting. This species of dinosaur was bipedal, which means they ran on two-legs instead if four. Velociraptors were meat-eaters, carnivorous. They had approximately 80 very sharp, curved teeth, and a long, flat snout. Some teeth measured over an inch (2.5 cm) long. These carnivores lived during the Cretaceous period, about 85 million years ago.
Velociraptor was a carnivore who probably ate anything it could capture. Since its size was no larger than a Great Dane, the most likely prey was small, young, plant-eating dinosaurs. However, many of the Velociraptor skeletal remains have been found in close proximately of each other, which leads scientists to believe that the Velociraptor probably hunted in packs. Velociraptors were swift and agile hunters with 3 claws on their forelegs and 4 claws on their hind legs. They used their front claws to capture and hold their prey while they ate. Many species of dinosaurs, much larger than the Velociraptor, could easily become prey to a pack of hungry Velociraptors.
The Velociraptor lived in a desert-like environment that had some streams, trees, and shrubs. Velociraptor fossils have been found in what is now known as the "Gobi Desert", which covers Southern Mongolia and parts of Northern China.
In 1971, a Velociraptor skeleton was found in a death struggle with a Protoceratops. Both skeletons were found intact. Somehow they were both buried while the Velociraptor was attacking. Predators of the camivorous Velociraptor were probably other camivorous dinosaurs, but none could prey on the Velociraptor without a vicious fight.
As pack hunters, the Velociraptor may have had some social structure within their pack similar to other animal species that hunt in packs.
Velociraptor had fairly large brains, compared to other dinosaur species, which made them one of the most intelligent of dinosaurs.
The study of dinosaur skulls demonstrates that the Velociraptor had excellent hearing, a powerful sense of smell, and binocular vision. All dinosaurs have a notch in their skull and middle ear bones where the tight ear drum stretched. Crocodiles and birds, both of which are related to the dinosaurs, have a keen sense of hearing, so it is not surprising that dinosaurs also had an acute sense of hearing. Nerve endings around the outside of the Velociraptor's skull and the large olfactory lobes, suggests that the dinosaur's snout was highly sensitive to touch and smells. The Velociraptor like other predators have binocular vision, which allows them to see three dimensionally while hunting and capturing prey.
The discovery of an unusually well-preserved fossil in the Gobi Desert caused such a sensation. The fossil comprised a Protoceratops and Velociraptor in combat.
The Velociraptor, its chest crushed, still had its claws gripped behind the Protoceratop's neck frill. Just below the bodies was a nest of Protoceratop's eggs, so perhaps the Velociraptor was caught in the act of robbery.
One theory suggests that both dinosaurs were overcome by a sudden, massive sandstorm as they fought, and died simultaneously.
|
0.999987 |
I offer counseling for expecting and new mothers. The changes that occur during pregnancy and after baby comes are not always joyful and exciting; they can also be stressful, uncomfortable, lonely, and scary. If you (or your partner) are pregnant or postpartum (even a year or more) and are feeling worried, depressed, anxious, sad or in any way "not right", you would likely benefit from some specialized therapeutic assessment and counseling. In my work with mothers, I start by addressing any distressing symptoms you may have. Additionally we will look at the underlying stressors that may have arisen from some of the often unanticipated changes that accompany parenthood, such as major role transitions, the awakening of emotions around past traumas or losses, shifting relationships within systems of support, and heightened or confusing emotional responses.
My first goal is to provide immediate pre-natal and postpartum mental health support for women and their partners, and then to provide a pathway to a healthy, safe and positive parenting experience.
I am honored to support mothers and their loved ones by working together to build skills, tap into resilience, awaken insights, and move toward healing and hope.
|
0.944019 |
A friend and I heard that there was a nice quiet place to go swimming at a hotel in the city. We decided it was a good Saturday afternoon thing to try.
It was true. The pool was big and blue and the surrounding gardens were pretty and quiet.
Before we left, we tried the outdoor cafe, but that didn't prove to be a good idea. We were attacked my swarms of mosquitoes. I had to run with the last of my french fries in my hand and pay our bill from a safe distance away.
Besides the ending, it was a nice, relaxing afternoon.
Ok, that does look like a very nice pool, it sounds nice after all.
|
0.996506 |
What is textile conservation, what is textile restoration?
Textile conservation describes the measures taken to preserve historical textile works of art and objects.
A technical examination and documentation are the first steps taken to determine the importance of the object and its material condition. Conservation includes the stabilization of its existing state, prevention of further damage and steps to slow down normal organic decay.
The term textile "restoration" continues to be used in Europe in place of or in addition to textile "conservation".
However, textile conservation and textile restoration are not interchangeable.
Textile "restoration" allows for an understanding of the object that has been (partially) lost due to damage or decay. The restoration can - in most cases - play a role in the conservation process. For example, a burial robe with a missing part can be underlaid with a custom-dyed support fabric, which is needed for the conservation process. As a result, the damaged textile is stabilized by the support fabric and allows for the robe to be seen as optically complete. The eye does not focus on the missing parts or imperfections, but allows the object to be seen as a whole. Restoration alone describes the recreation of a missing part, for example to re-weave a hole in a tapestry with the original design.
What is the difference between conservator and restorer?
Both terms are still used synonymously in the context of textile conservation. The English-speaking countries use the term "conservator", the German- and Roman-speaking countries prefer the term "restorer" as a professional title. The term "conservator" is used in German for professions that deal in the broader sense with the care and preservation of works of art. This shoud not be confused with the very specialized profession of textile conservation. Often, these conservators are art historians by training.
The textile conservator/restorer is not yet a protected job title. Therefore, there are well-defined requirements from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) that anyone who works as a textile conservator must meet.
I am creative, love arts and crafts. Would textile conservation be a profession for me?
Conservation involves manual dexterity, but is not artistic or creative, as sometimes assumed. Textile conservation is a technical profession. As in surgery, where a surgeon works primarily with his hands, conservation is linked to extensive theoretical knowledge and experience. Conservation requires fundamental knowledge in science. The basis of the profession requires: inorganic and organic chemistry, textile chemistry, biology, physics, microscopy, and weave analysis (see ICOM, paragraph 5 "Training and Education of the Conservator-Restorer"). These subjects are mandatory for a successful completion of a conservation degree. Some subjects e.g. chemistry, physics and biology can even be prerequisites for the application to a university for a degree in textile conservation. Mastering art history and scientific writing is highly advantageous. It is necessary to produce technical documentation and reports and to understand analytical articles and research. "The creativity in this profession lies only in its problem solving" (Dr. Regula Schorta, Director of the Abegg Foundation). The student acquires a Master's Degree (MA in conservation-restoration) usually in a five-year program.
Therefore, if you are interested in the subjects mentioned above and do not shy away from the technical and scientific aspects of the profession, there are no obstacles in obtaining a degree in textile conservation.
Should I apply for an internship?
You should definitely complete an internship. However, an internship alone is by no means a substitute for a university degree in textile conservation. A pre-program internship is in some cases a prerequisite for admission to study at a recognized university or university-level institution in the field of textile conservation. An internship will also help you learn if you have the necessary fine motor skills for textile conservation.
I own a valuable textile object that I would like to preserve. How do I find a suitable textile conservator?
A search on the web will reveal many sites for textile conservators. However, one should critically examine the qualifications. This means that the selected person should have a degree in textile conservation and - depending on the value of the object - also be able to produce corresponding references. A membership in a restorers/conservation guild or organisation does not guarantee a person's qualification. The best way to inform oneself is a personal discussion with the textile conservator in question.
|
0.999522 |
Well, Edgar Wright didn't quite get the Marvel movie he was hoping for, but it seems he'll at least get to hang with Punisher. Deadline reports that Wright has brought Daredevil's Punisher, Jon Bernthal, in on his next film, Baby Driver.
Focusing on Ansel Elgort's music-centered getaway driver, and already set to star Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx as criminals, the film will see Bernthal in "the key role of Griff." More interesting that that, though? This report also adds that the previously cast Jon Hamm is playing "Buddy the handsome party animal." THIS IS THE BEST ROLE FOR JON HAMM.
\n\nWell, Edgar Wright didn't quite get the Marvel movie he was hoping for, but it seems he'll at least get to hang with Punisher. Deadline reports that Wright has brought Daredevil's Punisher, Jon Bernthal, in on his next film, Baby Driver.\n\nFocusing on Ansel Elgort's music-centered getaway driver, and already set to star Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx as criminals, the film will see Bernthal in \"the key role of Griff.\" More interesting that that, though? This report also adds that the previously cast Jon Hamm is playing \"Buddy the handsome party animal.\" THIS IS THE BEST ROLE FOR JON HAMM.
|
0.99965 |
We're rockin' into a new month and we've got a little bit of summer still ahead of us! Summer is a great time to invest in creating healthy habits that will benefit us all year long. Staying fit and healthy is a priority of mine, and I'm often asked about my workout routines/what I eat, etc. While I'm not a nutritionist or fitness professional, I have found that these five simple tips, when put into action, will definitely make a difference in your lifestyle and overall wellbeing.
Most of us go throughout our days dehydrated, and with our bodies being made up of about 60% water, it's important to stay hydrated. During the summer, we lose even more water, due to higher temperatures, and it is essential for your mental clarity, overall health, and energy levels to drink about 8, 8oz glasses (or 2 liters) of water. This may sound like a lot, but when done over the course of a day, is easier than you may think. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is drink a big glass of water or two, and then I carry a water bottle with me to refill throughout the day. Drinking water will help kickstart your metabolism and hydration will also help the body to actually signal food craving when it is hungry and not just thirsty, so you'll end up eating less calories. If you are doing any kind of exercise, make sure to stay extra hydrated, especially if you're training outdoors. Personally, I make sure to drink water before I exercise and afterwards I drink a second bottle of water with electrolytes to ensure that I am properly rehydrating. Coconut water is a great natural source of electrolytes and something you can take to the gym for a post-workout pick-me-up. For those of you who aren't plain water fans, throw a few slices of fruit, cucumber slices, or mint leaves into an sport infuser and create a combination that you'll love sipping on.
2. Get active and exercise consistently.
For most of us, consistent effort is the key factor to our fitness goal achievement. There was a time when I thought it was a specific type of routine, or diet plan that would magically give me the results I wanted, but honestly, it's more about showing up and sticking to a routine that has been most effective. While spending long hours in the gym or on the treadmill may work for some, it's not the only way to see results, and you'll have to find the kind of workout that is best for you. The good news is that you've got plenty of options to choose from! Personally, I enjoy a mix of running, weights, and HIIT or circuit training. Occasionally I'll throw in a barre or spin class into the mix, and I have gotten into some yoga for stretching and recovery. Again, this is not the only way that works, it just happens to work well for me and my schedule. When I'm traveling, I make fitness a priority, and still make time to either hit the hotel gym, take a class, or do a bodyweight circuit in my room. Not only does it help me to stay on track, but I also feel much more energized and clear-headed when crossing time zones and dealing with jet lag. Pick a type of activity, whether that's walking, running, sports of some kind, or classes, and be really consistent. You'll be so glad you did!
3. Eat clean and with moderation.
Just a small disclaimer here: always consult a professional before making any big diet or exercise changes. Ok, with that out of the way, here's my tip: eat clean!! So many of the foods available to us in grocery stores are filled with preservatives, fillers, additives, and just plain chemicals. Instead of processed stuff, look for the beautiful colors and flavors found in fresh fruits, veggies, greens, and choose healthy sources of protein. Now, this is not to say that you cannot have ice cream, chocolate chip cookies (my personal fave!), or the occasional indulgence of your choice. The guideline that I stick to is moderation and self-control. If you want an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, by all means, go enjoy one, but don't devour an entire pint all by yourself. You'll find that the more you eat clean, natural food, the more you'll crave it over highly sugared and processed things. Also, there's been lots of fad diets over the years that have said all kinds of things are good, then bad, then good again...be wary--very wary--of anything that promises some sort of miracle results. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is...I'm looking at you, detox tea fads. Personally, I do my best to eat clean foods, but it's all a balance, and I will enjoy the occasional burger or dish of really good mac and cheese. For creative, clean recipe inspiration, I go to Tone It Up, Kayla Itsines' Blog, or Clean Eating Mag.
This one is actually applicable to all of life, whether it's health focused or not, and its power is amazing. Accountability is essential to goal achievement and something I utilize on a daily basis. You're more likely to go to a class or to the gym if you know someone else is counting on you to be there, and you've got built in encouragement when pushing yourself to a new limit. In addition to having a running or gym buddy, I also like to use apps as accountability. For running, I like to track my progress using apps like Under Armour's Map My Run and My Fitness Pal. Nike also has some great running and training apps. A bunch of my good friends and I also use Charity Miles to track our activity and donate money to charity by working out. When you run, walk, or bike, Charity Miles will donate money, per mile, to a cause of your choice, and you can create teams with friends and family where you can track progress and push toward various team goals. Most of the people on my team do not live close to me, so it's really fun to encourage one another as we workout across the country and around the world together for a great cause. This app has by far been one of my very favorites because you can make a positive difference by doing something you're already going to do daily/weekly...oh and did I mention it's free?!
Visualization is the secret sauce to this equation, really! If you're visualizing the things you want, your mind automatically begins to work on that mental picture, bringing it to reality in your life. We often wonder why so many bad things happen to someone, and many times it stems back to the kind of thinking a person has. What do you see yourself looking like/acting like/accomplishing? Spend time each day thinking about and visualizing the kind of person you want to become. If this is specifically fitness-related, think about how strong you want to feel, the specific fitness goals you are accomplishing, and the overall feeling of health and wellbeing you have. Get specific and imagine the details of that picture daily. Visualization has been incredibly powerful in my life, and I utilize it to bring my dreams to reality in a variety of areas. I challenge you to do the same and see what kind of positive effect it can have on your life!
Here's to a happy, healthy, and fun-filled summer!
needed to hear this and be reminded of it! i've been SO bad about my water intake, ahhh. i need to be better (and more accountable). I am feeling a need for change in the exercise department too..need to switch it up!
Great advice!! I've been lagging this summer (maybe it's all the rain?) and I need some good motivation to get it into gear. Actually ran before work this morning - I hate running - so I've started today. Also Tone It Up app is really great too.
Thanks, Taylor!! Yes, it's easy to forget how important a good amount of water is! I always feel so much better when I'm hydrated..especially in the summer.
Thank you, Liz! Yay! Way to go; running is great!
This is a great plan for health. I've started trying to drink 2 glasses of water befor meals to help with hydration and appetite. I love exercising in the morning, it is a great start to the day.
|
0.964259 |
Art Deco architecture consists of three main types: zigzag, classic moderne and streamline modern.
The first type to appear in America was zigzag (or stepping) and it is best understood when looking at the skyscrapers of the 1920's. Zigzag is used in Art Deco architecture to make qualities of height more pronounced, and is an obvious choice for towering structures. The typical shape of the skyscraper is that of a wide base, that as the building grows taller, narrows gradually into a stepped form until the tower extends into the sky at a consistent narrow width.
It is interesting to note, however, that the traditional stepped base of the skyscraper was not only influenced by the pyramids of ancient civilizations, but also by the New York City Zoning Ordinance in 1916. This Zoning Ordinance, mandated setbacks for all urban buildings, which regulated the size of the skyscraper as determined by the width of the street. The imposition of setbacks eliminated claustrophobic conditions for the city as much as possible. If there were no setbacks, the streets of New York City would be entrenched in shadows and winds would have whistled down through the chasms created by the adjacent buildings.
The skyscraper, the result of urban development, became a symbol of progress and proclaimed America's status as a world power. Reaching higher into the sky than any building before, the skyscrapers were testaments to the development of civilization and the start of a brave, new world.
Known as Classic Moderne, this type of Art Deco architecture is identifiable by its graceful composition. Classic Moderne Art Deco architecture modifies classical architectural forms and compared to other types of Art Deco architecture, exterior and interior ornamentation is far less apparent. After the stock market crash in 1929, President Roosevelt established federal funding for public buildings. Thus, the Art Deco architecture constructed in this type is closely associated with FDR's New Deal. This type of Art Deco architecture was well balanced in appearance.
Classic Moderne Art Deco architecture values symmetry; typically these buildings were more sedate in form, usually horizontally structured, except for the towers which were modeled after the traditional forms of urban skyscrapers. The juxtaposition of the application of the zigzag type and the relatively austere and sternness of the classical form suggest a compromise between the old and the new, or the traditional and the avant garde.
Classic Moderne architecture typically features a variety of distinguished looking artwork and imagery rendered in a variety of mediums. Painted murals and carved statueary were meant to convey through symbols the purpose of the building and its position in the community.
Streamline moderne is a type that appears to be the most modernistic of the three Art Deco architectural types. Streamlined moderne is easily identified through the styles clean, smooth lines which convey aerodynamic qualities. They are typically box-like in appearance and have flat roofs; towers are rarely, if ever employed. During the 1930's, when classic moderne was prevalent, streamlined moderne provided a relief from the heavier ornamental look of the previous two styles of Art Deco architecture. Streamline moderne looked thoroughly cutting edge with the use of glass bricks, speed stripes and alternative windows, with some looking like the portholes of an ocean liner. Presently, examples of streamline moderne Art Deco architecture can be viewed in roadside diners and especially the collection of Art Deco buildings on Ocean Drive in Miami.
It was throughout the late 1920's and 1930's that Miami rebuilt itself as a major vacation destination after a devastating hurricane. The construction of new Art Deco architecture revealed itself in about 400 new buildings clustered on Ocean drive; and with the influence of the world famous Florida weather, a sub-type of classic moderne emerged: tropical moderne. In what is now known as Old Miami Beach, the liberal use of awnings over port hole windows, tropical motifs such as seashells and waves, application of tropical pastel colors brought the fantasy of a dream vacation to life. The makeover was successful in the marketing of Miami Beach as the ultimate vacation destination where your only worry was how quickly your martini lost its chill.
|
0.959252 |
Quoting form Ruth Benedict, “culture is not a biologically transmitted complex.” In most cultures or foreign countries, this quotation is true. Culture originally existed from our fore fathers and is to be practiced time to time. There are challenges that arise, where some of the cultures die off and others are still practiced up to date. Since independence and through wars, South Korea as a country has strongly preserved its culture, such as religion, holidays, language and foods. For example, traditional cuisine is one of the most popular and consumed food (Nawtyb). This essay will mainly focus on traditional cuisine and other cultural activities that Koreans practice.
In Korea, food consumption I high compared to other countries. The diet is usually based on light taste. According to the geographical location and human culture in Korea, food cultures has been given the first priority over centuries and have come up with more variety of traditional foods. Korean food is seasonal, thereby making it very rich in nutrients and diversified. The country is located next to a water body. In the past, Korean were used to their fermented food and traditional seafood cuisine such as fish, shrimp paste and kimchi to overcome the hot summer and cold winter.
The characteristics of Korean cuisine is, it contain a high level of proteins; lots of vegetables, light, and its cool and spicy taste. Rice was mainly the staple food for Korean since ancient times. Dishes can be cooked by stewed or grilled. Korean food is the history, the top tastiest food in the world. These foods include, typical barbecue, noodles, rice, chicken soup and beef soup. The most important characteristics of the Korean cuisine, is that it is light-based. Nowadays, eating healthy is a dream and concerns to every person. Korean diet has attracted many people globally since it has all the nutrients and its fine taste.
In Korean culture, Korean Kimchi is usually served as the first dish of Korean Cuisine. It cures and prevent skin rashes and diseases. It also contains variety nutrition in vitamin A, thiamine B1, riboflavin B2, calcium, and iron. Kimchi has main benefit that can be found in the bacteria lactobacilli, yogurt and fermented foods. The bacterium helps in digestion (Fort). This dish is very important to Korean and it is very hard for them to survive without it. kimchi is mandatory served together with the other dishes on the table. In addition, kimchi is together with chilli sauce, it always mixed with pickles, barbecue, noodles, and seafood and used to dip with the lettuce and cucumber as side dishes.
Spicy is one of the characteristics of the Korean cuisine. The chilli spicy in the Korean cuisine is a bit sweet, it has a unique taste which is felt after the food is swallowed and after deep breaths. The seafood pancake is also famous food in Korea; it has a look-like a thinner sandwich. The pancakes are made with potato flour and layers of seafood like dried squid, and vegetables, which give a tangy and refreshing taste.
Korean cold noodles also known as naeng-myeon. It is known as soup based noodle served in a cold icy broth with sweet and sour soup.Naeng-myeon are made from, buckwheat noodle with two boiled eggs and two pear or radish lying on the top of the noodle making it very delicious. The cold noodle is a very popular dish in Korea all year round, especially in summer time. Naeng-myeon is eaten on a hot summer seasons since it helps in cooling of body temperature. This dish originated since Joseon Dynasty.
The Bibimbap is another Korea cuisine. It is mixed rice and served with white rice in a heavy stone bowl and topped with seasonal vegetables such as bean sprout, eggs, cucumber, and mushroom with sliced meat and chilli pepper paste. Bibimbap is an indication that a spring has come. However, it is a very healthy food and an example of Koreans foods. Its taste is quite crispy and crunchy, the different textures of the vegetables combined with the unique earthy flavour of the red pepper paste meld together to create the uniqueness of the dish.
Korean is very particular about the nutrition in summer time. The chicken soup and Samgyetang is generally served during the summer time, to add on the energy lost through excessive sweating and physical exertion. Samgyetang is a classic soup based on that made from whole little chicken and Korean ginseng. The chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of ginseng. Overripe broiler, dipped in salt to eat, it is very nutritious. The soup can cure and prevent physical ailments, due to the proteins, minerals and hormones from the chicken mixed with the beneficial properties of the ingredients combined in the dish.
In life, food is indispensable and people always pursue delicious tastes. It is a great thing to enjoy the delicious food and feel the visual appreciation. Korean food is ever awesome and unique. Dining in Korea restaurant has been influenced by the lifestyle of the ancient imperial palace from the past. The culture of Korean cuisine pays attention on the form and tableware. The stainless silverware of chopsticks and spoon set to the right to the soup bowl. Steamed rice served in a small stainless bowl set to the near left to the diner. Small dishes are shared banchan arranged in the center of the table around the main dish. However, on larger tables duplicate banchan are placed on each end of the main dish. During the meal, Korean restaurant often provide a large pair of scissor used for cutting long noodle while eating cold noodles, or cut pickles. In other circumstances, it is used to cut meat into pieces therefore playing a big role in Korean cuisine.
During the Korean meal, there is a lot of etiquette to be followed, which are borrowed from the traditional virtues by the Korean people. For example, having dinner at the Korean restaurant it is common to take off your shoes and sit on the kang table while crossing your legs. In most cases, it is basically a little room and a short table, the walls of the small room are like blinds which can be pulled up and can be change at, very convenient. The guests usually sit on both sides of a square table; the small tables are put together side-by-side to the size of the room. This acts as a reminder of the scenario where kindergarten children sit next to each other to wait for their meal on the table.
Koreans drink alcohol in a cultural style. They drink after eating. It is commonly practiced in Korean restaurant. According to World Health Organization, South Koreans are by far the heaviest drinkers in Asia and the biggest consumers of spirits in the world. They drink with etiquette and make a toast to each other, as a sign of love and respect to one another. Each diner is expected to face away from the senior and cover his/ her mouth. It is normal for Korean to hold other’s glass by pouring half of a cup and handing back to the other (kwaak). This tradition has been reflected from the past.
In my view, this is quite interesting way of keeping cultural norms as seen in a traditional Korean restaurant. Korean cuisine is not only presenting on the behalf of their national eating habits; moreover, it reflects their philosophies of science, life and health. It can also be described as the understanding and embodies of the values of its people and country.
|
0.999238 |
In a recent essay for Jalopnik, Jason Torchinsky explained: I Took Amtrak Instead of Flying and It Made Me Want to Die a Little Bit. Ive taken Amtrak between Birmingham and New Orleans several times, and I will almost certainly do so again at some point in the future; however, Amtraks performance suggests that its time for taxpayer-subsidized rail service to go quietly into the night. To join the choir invisible. To cease to be.
In other words, its time to pull the plug on Amtrakor at least the taxpayer subsidies that prop it up.
Why? First, as Torchinsky amply documents, the Amtrak experience is meh at best and positively awful at worst, especially when air travel is more convenient and at least competitive on price. Ive only taken it between Birmingham and New Orleans, where it is a credible substitute for either driving or flying. Even then, the train takes half again as long as drivingabout seven and a half as opposed to five hoursand thats assuming everything operates on time. I can get a lot of work done on a train that I cant get done while driving, and I hate driving. I can get a lot of work done on planes, though, and a quick search shows that I can get from Birmingham to New Orleans by plane in fewer than four hours even with a connection somewhere like Atlanta.
Even booking far in advance, the price of a plane ticket is still about twice what a coach seat on a train would be, but at the very least the plane trip would be much more reliable and predictable. I dont think Ive been on a train that both departed on time and arrived on time, and any airline with Amtraks absolutely dismal on-time performance probably wouldnt last long.
Speaking of Atlanta, Im headed there for a conference in a few weeks and just checked the Amtrak schedule. There is one train daily from Birmingham to Atlanta, and Id have to cancel my Friday afternoon classes to take it. There is one train back from Atlanta to Birmingham, and I would miss about a third of the conference Im attending if I were to take it. No thanks.
This doesnt mean Im driving myself. There are cheap substitutes for Amtrak for inter-city travel, as well, that dont need federal subsidies to stay in operation. Greyhound and Megabus offer several trips to and from Atlanta every day. This answers the what would people do? question about how they would get around if they cant fly for some reason and Amtrak were to disappear. Intercity bus service would likely expand to fill the gap.
Only one part of the Amtrak network is economically viable: the northeastern network linking Boston, New York, and Washington DC, where its Acela express train operates. The rest of Amtraks operation loses money, so much so that I recall the economist Antony Davies saying in a presentation once that it would be cheaper for Amtrak to simply buy plane tickets for everyone taking its LA to Orlando route and then not run the train at all.
What should happen to Amtrak? It should live or die by its own merits as tested by peoples willingness to part with their hard-earned money in the market rather than by its ability to wrangle subsidies from Congress. Most of Amtraks network would likely disappear, but that would be no great tragedy. Indeed, Americans would be richer for it.
|
0.995112 |
Background: The association between smoking habits and asthma is complex because subjects with asthma could avoid smoking, whereas smoking could increase asthma severity or incidence.
Purpose: The relation between asthma in childhood (0–10 years) and smoking initiation in the second decade (11–20 years) was investigated using the database of the Italian Study on Asthma in Young Adults, performed in 1998–2000 on people aged 20–45 years.
Methods: The cumulative incidence of smoking initiation was compared among (1) subjects not reporting asthma attacks in the first 20 years of life (n = 17,384), (2) subjects reporting asthma onset in the first decade and no disease remission by the age of 20 years (n = 305), (3) subjects reporting asthma onset in the first decade and remission in the first and second decades (n = 573).
Results: Among men, the cumulative incidence of smoking onset was higher among nonasthmatics (49%) than among asthmatics (35.6%), and intermediate among asthmatics with disease remission (44.2%) (p = .001). These differences were larger in males born between 1953 and 1965, and tended to decrease in males born between 1966 and 1979: cumulative incidence of smoking onset decreased from 54.3% to 43.8% in nonasthmatics, whereas it remained stable in asthmatics (from 36.8% to 35%). Women, instead, had similar cumulative incidence of smoking initiation, irrespective of asthma onset or remission (p = .849).
Conclusion: Asthma in childhood reduces smoking initiation during the subsequent teenage in men, but not in women. This protective effect tends to fade when asthma remission occurs. In the last decades, smoking initiation has decreased among nonasthmatic males, but not among asthmatic males.
|
0.938882 |
Rewrite the Headlines: Overall primary school winner!
Over the last few weeks we have been showcasing the top entries in both the school and undergraduate categories of our Rewrite the Headlines competition (full list of winners here). Today we conclude with the overall winning primary school entry which is from St. Roch’s Primary and Hearing Impaired School, Glasgow.
The children at St. Roch’s Primary changed the headline ‘Processed meats do cause cancer – WHO’, which they had read on BBC News, to ‘Eating processed meat slightly increases risk of cancer’.
Primary 6 chose to rewrite the headline of this article because we felt that the headline was misleading. The headline claimed that processed meats such as sausages and bacon caused cancer. When we read the article we discovered that eating those types of food did not cause cancer but only increased a person’s chance of getting cancer. The article also said that normally “6 out of every 100 people get bowel cancer at some point in their lives”. After eating bacon every day for the rest of their lives the “the risk would increase to…around 7 in 100 people getting bowel cancer”. This means that it is only one more person which is not a very big risk. Our headline reflects the research because we used the word slightly to show that it is not a big risk.
The judges felt this was the strongest entry because of the children’s explanation of risk. They carefully explained how 6 out of every 100 people get bowel cancer in their lives and the increased risk from eating a lot of processed meats was one extra person per one hundred. This contextualises the specific risk arising from eating a lot of processed meat. We had written about this story on our blog when the story was in the press last October. Well done St. Roch’s Primary for the overall winning entry!
The Rewrite the Headlines competition was supported by funding from the British Academy, with additional funding from the University of Strathclyde. The overall prize was sponsored by the University of Strathclyde.
|
0.961584 |
How to balance multiple money goals: A guide for millennials?
Millennials can be easily overwhelmed by all the choices available to them in regards to spending their money. They have student debts that need to be paid, savings they need to build, and retirement goals that need to be planned. Once millennials enter the workforce full time, people need to ensure they are making the most of their money. So, what can millennials do with their money while they are balancing multiple money goals?
SHOULD YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE MONEY GOAL?
The answer to this question really depends on each individual’s financial situation. But, generally yes you should. It is possible to have debts, whether they be credit card debts, student fees, etc., and still save for a holiday, or your first property.
In order to tackle your money goals, you should first divide and prioritise them, and in order to do this, the first step is separating them into short term and long term goals. In money terms, short term goals can last for three years or less. These goals may include holidays, emergency savings, etc. Long term goals are purchases such as a home, or saving for your retirement. Once you prioritise your goals in what is most important for you, you will be able to set a budget accordingly, and allocate money towards these goals based on what you can realistically afford.
The more money you have to allocate towards your goals, the quicker you will be able to achieve them. This however, is completely dependent on how much money you make, and how much you spend. Ideally, putting 20% of your earnings aside for your goals is recommended. If you are someone who doesn’t budget very well, or you never had before, 50/30/20 is a good starting point. What this means is that 50% of your income should go to fixed expenses you may have, 30% to variable expenses, and the remaining 20% should go towards your money goals, or towards paying off debts. If you already currently maintain your own budget, or can afford more than 20%, you should do so.
If you can’t afford to save enough to meet your goals, there are two options available to you. The first is to make more money, and the second is to cut your spending. To make more money, there are countless options available for you. If you are looking for some short term cash, sell some possessions you don’t use anymore. If you need something longer term, ask for a raise at work, start freelance work, or find a part time job. If these aren’t your cup or tea, cuts can be made to your spending.
|
0.966316 |
I would like to know how stomach tests are carried out?
The term stomach means different things to different people. Some use the term when discussing the belly or abdomen whereas others use the term when speaking about the first portion of the gut immediately following the oesophagus or gullet. I propose to answer the question in relation to the latter understanding of the term. The most relevant tests for investigating the health of the stomach are X ray imaging and endoscopy. The stomach does not show up on a standard X ray examination therefore it is necessary for the person being examined to swallow a special dye that outlines the shape of the stomach. A white liquid containing barium outlines the shape of the stomach and careful examination of the X ray picture allows the doctor to detect ulcers and other abnormalities within the stomach. This technique is not obsolete but it has been largely superseded by endoscopy, which allows the doctor to examine the interior of the stomach directly with the aid of an endoscope. An endoscope is like a flexible telescope that is passed down the person’s throat and into the stomach. The procedure is usually performed under sedation but can be done under a general anaesthetic in those who are unable to comply with the procedure under sedation. Apart from viewing the inside of the stomach it allows the doctor to extract samples of liquid from the stomach or even take a biopsy with the aid of instruments that are passed down through the endoscope. It is usually performed as an outpatient procedure and the person is usually fit to leave the hospital within a few hours of the examination being performed.
|
0.981887 |
How do I update the internal operating software of my Garmin handheld device?
Garmin often releases updates for devices to improve performance, correct bugs or add new features. The internal operating system software is separate from software such as mapping that may be on some handheld units.
The software update may erase user data that has been saved to the device. Before performing the software update, back up all userdata (waypoints, routes, and tracks). For instruction on backing up userdata from the device, please refer to the FAQ titled "How do I backup user data from my Garmin USB Device handheld?"
To update your device's software a program called Garmin Express will need to be downloaded and installed*. Once the program has been installed, please follow the prompts to add your device and then install any available updates.
*For older Garmin Mode devices or units with a serial port connection, a program called WebUpdater will need to be downloaded and installed instead. There are instructions at the bottom of the download page that will help with the installation of the program. Once the program has been installed, please follow the on screen prompts to complete the update process.
|
0.999999 |
I recently read an article about how "smart home" devices can help with aging in place. What types of smart home products can you recommend that can help with this?
There are actually a wide variety of affordable smart home devices you can add to your home that can help make it safer and easier to live in as you age. Here is what you should know.
While most Americans today use technology and enjoy the conveniences it provides, there are many who still do not have much use for it. But you do not have to like technology or be tech savvy to benefit from the many different smart home automation devices that can help with aging in place.
Smart home devices can also give family members and caregivers the ability to electronically keep tabs on a loved one from afar, which provides peace of mind.
If you are interested in adding some smart home products to your house, you need to know that these devices require home Wi-Fi. For many of the products, you will need a smartphone, tablet or voice-enabled assistant to operate them. Here are some popular smart home products to help you get started.
Voice-enabled assistant: Popular products like the Amazon Echo, Google Assistant and Apple HomePod will let you operate compatible smart home products with simple voice commands.
These devices can also play your favorite music, read audiobooks, make calls, set timers and alarms, provide reminders for appointments and to take medications, check traffic and weather, ask questions, and much more - all done by voice command.
Smart lights: The risk of a fall, a common concern among the elderly, can be elevated by fumbling around a dark room looking for a light switch. Smart light bulbs can be turned on and off by voice command, smartphone or tablet. These bulbs can also be dimmed and can be programmed to turn on and off whenever you want. There are also smart electric plugs that offer remote control automation for lamps, fans, or other electrical devices.
Video doorbell: Safety is also a concern for individuals who live alone. Smart doorbells allow you to see, hear and speak to someone at the door via smartphone, tablet or smart display without having to open it.
Stovetop shut-off: To help prevent home cooking fires, stovetop shut-off devices use motion sensors to turn off electric and gas stovetops when left unattended for a predetermined amount of time. These devices may also alert family members via text message.
Medication management: Individuals on a complex medication schedule may benefit from a smart medication tracking system that can remind them when pills are due, tracks when pills were taken and notifies loves ones.
Home monitoring: Family members can keep tabs on older loved ones from afar with smart home video cameras or a smart home sensor system.
Other options: Some other helpful smart home products to consider might include smart door locks and smart thermostats, which can enable family members to unlock doors or change the thermostat from afar. Smart nightlights can provide peace of mind and some can detect falls and alert caregivers in case of a fall.
The price for smart home products ranges anywhere from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. These products may be found in many local home improvement stores as well as online.
|
0.998063 |
Mobile devices have had a profound impact on the way people search. Voice-recognition technology, such as Siri, has encouraged users to start asking more conversational questions rather than typing a series of keywords into a search box. And it’s not just voice search that has been a total game changer. Mobile has also brought rise to hyper-localization and personalization opportunities for search engines. People searching on mobile are typically asking questions via more natural language and are expecting very precise results catered to their personal preferences and current location.
Introducing Google’s recent Hummingbird update.
Now, marketers need to consider the opportunities and pitfalls conversation search presents by thinking less about optimizing for specific keywords and more about; 1) Understanding conversational user queries (and current Google limitations) 2) Delivering relevant content and 3) Authoring content by recognized experts.
Google isn’t perfect, but their algorithm is gaining a better understanding of how people ask questions, and what they’re actually expecting to receive as results. To address, marketers must move beyond simple keyword lists to lists of possible user questions along with their implied needs, and then creating theme-focused content that would address user questions based on their intent, context of their location, and immediacy of the implied request.
An example query: Where can I find a pizza restaurant open now?
Obviously our user is hungry, is looking for food now, wants pizza, and needs a pizza restaurant close to his or her (current) location. Search engines need to (and can to some degree) understand most of this conversational search query, recognize the location from mobile geo-location, interpret the time component, and serve the most relevant results. Google’s recent update of their algorithm – Hummingbird – is one step towards improving the search engine’s ability to understand the more human characteristics of the user query. Marketers should follow suit by adapting their content to their users’ new search strategies.
Marketers need to consider the elements of implied intent and ensure that the content they produce includes the correct signals, giving search engines a reason to include it in mobile local search results. These include elements such as a consistent online name, address and phone number citations, location hours through a Google+ Local profile, signals that underscore categories, menus (in the restaurant example), and content that is thorough, comprehensive, and unique.
Although most of this is standard localization best practices, use of conversational language can be a key differentiator, and should align with a great user experience. Airbnb for example, provides a rich web experience, by featuring crowd sourced media on engaging neighborhood pages, reinforcing their topic expertise, and providing clear signals to search engines of user value.
With the increased prominence of Google Authorship, social media, and other authority signals, Google has the ability (although not necessarily the definitive algorithm) to recognize ‘topic experts’ in diverse subjects. With expertise comes an implied trust, which Google understands as a core element of user engagement and, ultimately, satisfaction. However, recognized experts must at their core be people, so in our pizza restaurant example, these experts could be providing reviews, writing food blogs, working as city guides, or actually working at our imaginary pizza restaurant, providing pizza particulars to an avid pizza fan-base.
People topic authorities are fundamental to building a company’s topic authority through association and key connections (like rel=publisher tags), and these can also extend to location expertise inherited from both people and company connections.
As massive connections aggregators, search engines are looking to improve their search results by interpreting connections for topic expertise association (is this person an expert?), topic expertise (what is this person an expert on?) and associations reinforcement (how much of an expert is this person?) based on connections, interactions, visibility and trust signals.
Although key to mobile search success, the three pillars of mobile SEO strategy above are not the sole factors to ensure visibility in mobile search results. Core optimization coupled with a valuable, findable, crawlable, and engaging mobile experience are fundamental to ensuring marketers gain greater return on mobile investment. Foundational to this is understanding search engine goals, Google’s ranking factors, the possible context of queries, the potential location of users, and specific user intent.
Consider all these components in your mobile search strategy and your users – and Google – will notice!
|
0.944911 |
For most girls, going through adolescence and becoming free and independent women is a dangerous journey. They face sexual harassment, child marriage, unwanted sexual relations and more. Roxana (Colombia), Encya (East Timor) and Joy (Uganda) represent millions of other girls who are navigating the same journey.
DANIEL SUBERVIOLA (Madrid, ESPAÑA, 1975) empezó su carrera como guionista del programa satírico "Las Noticias del guiñol" (Canal +). Con posterioridad trabajó durante años como reportero de informativos en radio y televisión, hasta que fundó Asma Films. Como director de documentales ha sido nominado al Goya con "El hombre que estaba allí" y sus trabajos se han proyectado y emitido en festivales y televisiones de todo el mundo. En la actualidad, dedica sus esfuerzos a crear películas que aborden conflictos de minorías y cuestiones de género.
DANIEL SUBERVIOLA (Madrid, SPAIN, 1975) began his carreer as a scriptwriter for the satirical news programme "Las noticias del guiñol" (Canal +). Then he became news reporter (CNN +, CUATRO, CADENA SER) until he founded Asma Films. As a film director he has been nominated to the Goya Awards with the short film "The Man Who Was There", and his works have been shown in festivals and televisions all over the world. Nowadays, he is commited to develop films focused in addressing minorities and gender issues.
|
0.995721 |
The Buena Vista RV Park is located in the quiet, cozy town of Elgin and is a great spot to enjoy an authentic southern vacation. Near the site, visitors can enjoy nearby activities such as hunting, historic sightseeing, golf, scenic drives, and water skiing. Many campers use this park as a base camp to explore the nearby Hill Country, and enjoy attractions such as the Bastrop Opera House, Blanton Museum of Art, Georgetown Winery and the Inner Space Cavern. There's also the LBJ Library and Museum, Texas Governor's Mansion, Texas State Capitol, Texas State History Museum and the Zilker Botanical Gardens. There's also iconic Texas barbecue spots like Franklin's Barbecue and Terry Black's Barbecue. Amenities at the park include: WIFI, picnic areas, dump station, barbecue pits, 50 amp sites, laundry facilities, sewerage and walking paths. Hope to see you soon!
RV sites feature WIFI, picnic areas, dump station, barbecue pits, 50 amp sites, laundry facilities, sewerage and walking paths. Sites are also just a short drive from local attractions like Hill Country, and enjoy attractions such as the Bastrop Opera House, Blanton Museum of Art, Georgetown Winery and the Inner Space Cavern. There's also the LBJ Library and Museum, Texas Governor's Mansion, Texas State Capitol, Texas State History Museum and the Zilker Botanical Gardens. There's also iconic Texas barbecue spots like Franklin's Barbecue and Terry Black's Barbecue.
Autocorrect changed my words . There have been few 2 no reports of theft.
The park is small, but beautiful. The live oak trees are starting to get really big. The owners are nice as are most of the tenants who live here. There have been a few reports of theft or people getting into any kind of fights or anything. Being a thriving business, as is expected, there have been disgruntled customers in the past at times who try to take advantage and cause problems. But, the owners try to be honest and fair with everyone. What goes for 1 customer goes for all customers.
The park is quiet and really nice.
The owner is a liar & is just trying to get rich ripping people off. She's nosey & she over charges you if you aren't her favorite.
Pets are welcome at Buena Vista RV Park. A Maximum of 2 small dogs per campsite/RV site. Pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Pets should not be left unattended at any time. Please be kind to your neighbors and always clean up after your pets. Sorry, No Aggressive breed dogs allowed at the campground. Please call for more information.
|
0.99111 |
The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, sparked passionate interest among the international intellectual and political communities. The Leftist government of the Spanish Republic was besieged by Nationalist forces headed by Gen. Francisco Franco, who was backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Though it had Spanish nationalist ideals as the central cause, the war was closely watched around the world mainly as the first major military contest between left-wing forces and the increasingly powerful and heavily armed Fascists. Here a republican soldier seeks cover on the Plaza de Toros, in Teruel, east of Madrid.
The Spanish Civil War was a civil war in Spain between rebels (known as Nacionales) and the Spanish Republic and its Republican government and supporters. It took place between July 1936 and April 1939, and ended in a defeat of the Republican cause, followed by the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The number of victims has been long disputed, with estimates generally ranging between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people killed in the war. Many Spanish intellectuals and artists (including much of the Spanish Generation of 1927) either were killed or were forced into exile. The Spanish economy needed decades to recover (see the Spanish miracle).
The political and emotional repercussions of the war went well beyond one nation. From varying points of view, it was seen as a war between tyranny and democracy, fascism and liberty or communism and civilization. It was seen later as a prefiguration of World War II.
From 1934 to 1936, the Second Spanish Republic was governed by a center-right coalition that included the conservative Catholic Confederaci�n Espa�ola de Derechas Aut�nomas (CEDA). During this time, there were general strikes in Valencia and Zaragoza, street conflicts in Madrid and Barcelona, and a miners' uprising in Asturias, which was put down forcefully by the troops commanded by General L�pez Ochoa and the Legionnaires commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Juan Yag�e, under the direction of Minister of War Diego Hidalgo. During this time, the government expended great efforts to annul the social gains that had been made in the previous years, especially in agrarian reform.
After a series of governmental crises, the elections of February 16, 1936, brought to power a Popular Front government supported by the parties of the left and opposed by those of the right and center.
On July 17, 1936, there was a conservative rebellion against the recently-elected leftist Popular Front government of Spain. The rebellion was not only a military coup, but it had a substantial civilian component. The rebels had hoped to gain immediate control of the capital, Madrid, and all the other important cities of Spain. Seville, Pamplona, A Coru�a, C�diz, Jerez de la Frontera, Córdoba, Zaragoza and Oviedo all fell under control of the rebels, also known as the Nationalists or the fascistss, but failed in Barcelona and Madrid. Because of this, a protracted civil war ensued.
The active participants in the war covered the entire gamut of the political positions and ideologies of the time. The Nationalist side included the fascists of the Falange, Carlist and Legitimist monarchists, and Spanish nationalists and most conservatives. On the Republican side were most liberals, Basque and Catalan nationalists, socialistss, Stalinist and Trotskyist communists, and anarchists of varying ideologies.
To look at the breakdown another way, the Nationalists included the majority the Catholic clergy and of practicing Catholics (outside of the Basque region), important elements of the army, the majority of landowners and many businessmen. The Republicans included most urban workers, peasants, and much of the educated middle class, especially those who were not entrepreneurs.
The leaders of the rebellion were the generals Francisco Franco, Emilio Mola and Jos� Sanjurjo. Sanjurjo was the unquestioned leader of the uprising, but he was killed in a plane crash on July 20 as he was going to Spain to take control of the rebel side. Franco, the overall commander of the Spanish army since 1933 and already a noted pro-Fascist, flew from the Canary Islands to the Spanish colonies in Morocco and took command there. For the remaining three years of the war, Franco was effective commander of all the Nationalists, and he unassumingly arranged events (including assigning missions to political rivals that would likely get them killed) so that at the end of the war there would be no opposition to his rule.
One of the principal motives claimed at the time of the initial Nationalist uprising was to confront the anticlericalism of the Republican regime and to defend the Roman Catholic Church, which was censured for its support for the monarchy and which many on the Republican side blamed for the ills of the country. In the opening days of the war, churches, convents and other religious buildings were burnt without action on the part of the Republican authorities to prevent it. Articles 24 and 26 of the Constitution of the Republic banned the Jesuits, which deeply offended many of the Nationalists. Nothwithstanding these religious matters, the Basque nationalists, who nearly all sided with the Republic, were, for the most part, practicing Catholics. John Paul II has recently canonized several of these martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, murdered for being priests or nuns.
The rebellion was opposed by the government (with the troops that remained loyal), as well as by Socialist, Communist and anarchist groups. The European powers such as Britain and France were officially neutral but still imposed an arms embargo on Spain, and actively discouraged the anti-fascist participation of their citizens. Both fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini and Nazi Germany violated the embargo and sent troops (Corpo Truppe Volontari and Legi�n C�ndor) and weapons to support Franco. In addition, there were a few volunteer troops from other nations who fought with the Nationalists, such as Eoin O'Duffy of Ireland.
The Republicans received limited support from the Soviet Union as well as from individual idealistic volunteers from many countries, collectively known as the International Brigades. American volunteers formed the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and Canadians formed the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (the "Mac-Paps"). Among the more famous foreigners participating in the efforts against the fascists were Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell, who went on to write about his experiences in Homage to Catalonia. Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls was inspired by his experiences in Spain. Norman Bethune used the opportunity to develop the special skills of battlefield medicine. As a casual visitor Errol Flynn used a fake report of his death at the battlefront to promote his movies.
However, though the Nationalists were receiving overt aid in the form of arms and troops from Germany and Italy, the Republicans received no aid from any major world powers (e.g. Britain or France or the United States). Many of these powers were still practising a policy of appeasement towards Fascist regimes, or they viewed social revolutionary elements within the anti-fascist forces with distaste, or they believed that the Republicans were Communists.
Germany used the war as a testing ground for faster tanks and aircraft that were just becoming available at the time. The Messerschmidt Me-109 fighter and Junkers Ju 52 transport/bomber were both used in the Spanish Civil War. In addition, the Soviet I-15 fighter and I-16 fighters were used. The Spanish Civil War was also an example of total war, where the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by the Luftwaffe foreshadowed episodes of World War II such as the bombing campaign on Britain by the Nazis and the bombing of Dresden by the Allies.
In the early days of the war, over 50,000 people who were caught on the "wrong" side of the lines were executed or assassinated. In these paseos ("promenades"), the victims were taken from their refuges or jails and taken by armed people to be shot out of town. The war provided a excuse for many neighborhood hatreds. Probably the most famous of these was the poet and dramatist Federico Garc�a Lorca. The numbers were probably comparable on both sides of the lines.
Any hope of a quick ending to the war was dashed on July 21, the fifth day of the rebellion, when the Nationalists captured the main Spanish naval base at El Ferrol in northwestern Spain. This encouraged the Fascist nations of Europe to help Franco, who had already contacted the governments of Germany and Italy the day before. On July 26, Germany and Italy cast their lot with the Nationalists.
Axis helped pay off Franco from the very beginning. His Nationalist forces won another great victory on September 27, when the city of Toledo was captured. (A Nationalist garrison under Colonel Moscardo had held the Alcazar in the center of the city since the beginning of the rebellion). Two days later, Franco proclaimed himself General�simo and Caudillo ("chieftain") while unifying the various Falangist and Royalist elements of the Nationalist cause in one movement. In October, the Nationalists launched a major offensive toward Madrid, but increasing resistance by the government and the arrival of "volunteers" from the Soviet Union halted the advance by November 8. In the meantime, the government shifted from Madrid to Valencia, out of the combat zone, on November 6.
On November 18, Germany and Italy officially recognized the Franco regime, and on December 23, Italy sent "volunteers" of its own to fight for the Nationalists.
;February 16: Popular Front electoral victory ;July 17 : Army uprising in Morocco. ;July 18 : Uprising extends to Iberian Spain. ;July 19 : Franco flies from the Canary Islands to Tetu�n and takes command of the army in Africa.
Santiago Casares Quiroga resigns as chief of the Republican government.
Diego Mart�nez Barrio tries to form a new government, but cannot obtain broad enough parliamentary support.
Jos� Giral forms a government, which orders that arms be issued to the general populace. ;July 20 : Start of the siege of the Alc�zar de Toledo. ;July 21 : The Nationalist insurgents have control of the Spanish zones of Morocco, the Canary Islands, the Balearics (except Minorca), the part of Spain north of the Sierra de Guadarrama and the R�o Ebro (except Asturias, Santander, the north of the Pa�s Vasco (Basque Country), and Catalonia). Among the major cities, the insurgents hold Seville, but the Republicans retain Madrid and Barcelona. ;July 23 : The nationalist declare a government in the form of the Junta de Defensa Nacional, which meets for the first time in Burgos. ;July 24 : Start of French aid to the Republican side. ;July 28 : First arrival of German and Italian planes in aid of the Nationalist side. ;July-August : The "spontaneous" social revolution, collectivizations. ;August 8 : France closes its border with Spain. ;August 14 : Nationalist forces under Colonel Yag�e take Badajoz, uniting the two parts of the Nationalist territory. ;September 4 : The Socialists take over leadership of the Republican government under Francisco Largo Caballero. ;September 9 : London Conference on non-intervention in Spain. ;September : Comintern approves the creation of the International Brigades. ;October 1 : Franco declares himself head of state and General�simo.
The Republican government concedes autonomy to the Basque Country (in practice, Biscay and Guip�zcoa) as Euzkadi, with Jos� Antonio Aguirre as its president. ;November 4 : With the Nationalists at the gates of Madrid, the anarchist CNT joins the Largo Caballero govermnent. ;November 6 : The defense of Madrid is organized under the newly created Junta de Defensa directed by General Jose Miaja.
The Republican government moves to Valencia. ;November 8 : Start of the battle of Madrid.
Arrival of the first International Brigades. ;November 18 : Italy and Germany recognize the Franco government. ;November 19 : Anarchist leader Buenaventura Durruti is gravely wounded during the fighting in Madrid. He dies the next day. ;November 20 : Jos� Antonio Primo de Rivera, son of dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera and founder of the Falange, is executed in a jail in Alicante, where he had been held prisoner since before the insurgency. ;November 23 : Battle of Madrid ends; with both sides exhausted a front stabilizes.
With his ranks being swelled by Italian troops and Spanish colonial soldiers from Morocco, Franco made another attempt to capture Madrid in January and February of 1937, but failed again. The large city of M�laga was taken on February 8, and on April 28, Franco's men entered Guernica, in the Basque Country, two days after the bombing of that city by the German Condor Legion equipped with Heinkel He-51 biplanes (the legion arrived in Spain on May 7). After the fall of Guernica, the government began to fight back with increasing effectiveness.
In May, the government made a move to recapture Segovia, forcing Franco to pull troops away from the Madrid front to halt their advance. Mola, Franco's second-in-command, was killed on June 3, and in early July, the government actually launched a strong counter-offensive in the Madrid area, which the Nationalists repulsed with some difficulty.
After that, Franco regained the initiative, invading Aragon in August and taking the cities of Santander and Gij�n. On August 28, the Vatican recognized Franco under pressure from Mussolini, and at the end of November, with the Nationalists closing in on Valencia, the government moved again, to Barcelona.
The two sides clashed over possession of the city of Teruel throughout January and February, with the Nationalists finally holding it for good by February 22. On April 14, the Nationalists broke through to the Mediterranean Sea, cutting the government-held portion of Spain in two. The government tried to sue for peace in May, but Franco demanded unconditional surrender, and the war raged on.
The government now launched an all-out campaing to reconnect their territory in the Battle of the Ebro, beginning on July 24 and lasting until November 26. Their failure all but determined the final outcome of the war. Eight days before the new year, Franco struck back by throwing massive forces into an invasion of Catalonia.
; January 8 : Republican troops commanded by Generals Hern�ndez Sarabia and Leopoldo Men�ndez take the city of Teruel, surrendered by Colonel Rey d'Harcourt. The hard winter conditions prevent the timely arrival of troops sent by Franco under the command of Generals Varela and Aranda. ; February 20 : Republican troops are forced to abandon Teruel and follow the highway to Valencia, under ante la pressure of Moroccan troops commanded by General Yag�e. End of the Battle of Teruel. ; March 13 : France reopens its borders for the transit of arms to the Republican zone. ; April 5 : Socialist minister of defense Indalecio Prieto quits in protest of the level of Soviet influence over the army. ; April 15 : The Nationalists reach the Mediterranean at Vinaroz, dividing the Republican zone in two. ; June : France once again closes the border. ; July 24 : Start of the Battle of the Ebro. Republican forces attempt to divert the Nationalists from attacking Valenciaand to diminish the pressure on Catalonia. At first, the Republican troops, commanded by General Modesto, achieve considerable success, but were limited by superior Nationalist air power. Heavy combat continued into November ; September 21 : Doctor Negr�n, head of the Republican government, in a speech to the League of Nations, announced that the International Brigades will be pulled from the combat zones. ; October 30 : The Nationalists counterattack, forcing Republican troops back across the Ebro. ; November 18 : End of the Battle of the Ebro ; December 23 : The battle for Barcelona begins. A six-pronged Nationalist attack is launched, with separate defiles from the Pyrenees to the Ebro. They take Borjas Blancas, surround Tarragona and reach the outskirts of Barcelona. The Republican government retreats from Barcelona to Gerona, although troops continue to maintain the defense of the city.
The Nationalists conquered Catalonia in a whirlwind campaign during the first two months of 1939. Tarragona fell on January 14, Barcelona on January 26 and Girona on February 5. Five days after the fall of Girona, the last resistance in Catalonia was broken.
On February 27, the governments of Great Britain and France reluctantly recognized the Franco regime.
Only Madrid and a few other strongholds remained for the government forces. On March 28, with the help of pro-Franco forces inside the city (the infamous "fifth column" General Mola had mentioned in propaganda broadcasts in 1936), Madrid fell to the Nationalists. The next day, Valencia, which had held out under the guns of the Nationalists for close to two years, also surrendered. Victory was proclaimed on April 1, when the last of the Republican forces surrendered.
; January 15 : France once again allows arms to flow to the Republic. ; January 26 : Barcelona falls into Nacionalist hands. ; February 5 : The Nationalists take Gerona, the Republican army in Catalonia has virtually disintegrated. ; February 27 : France and the UK recognize the Franco regime. ; February 28 : Manuel Aza�a resigns as President of the Republic ;March 4-12 : Anti-communist coup by Colonel Segismundo Casado. In the streets of Madrid, there is a Civil War within the Civil War. The Consejo de Defensa Nacional, headed by Colonel Casado, tries without success to negotiate with Franco.
The Republican government goes into exile in France. ;March 28 : With the virtual disintegration of the Republican army, the Nationalists take Madrid. ;March 29 : Effective end of hostilities. ;April 1 : Franco announces the end of the war.
In the anarchist-controlled areas, (Aragon and Catalonia), in addition to the military success, there was a vast social revolution in which the workers and the peasants collectivised land and industry, and set up councils parallel to the (non-functioning) government. This revolution was opposed by both the Soviet-supported communists and the democratic republicans. As the war progressed, the government and the communists were able to leverage their access to Soviet arms to restore government control over the war effort, both through diplomacy and force. In the May Days of 1937, many hundreds or thousands of anti-fascist soldiers killed one another for control of strategic points in Barcelona, as George Orwell relates in Homage to Catalonia.
|
0.993503 |
(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong is the star attraction in the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia but has played down his chances of overall victory in the first major Tour of the cycling season.
Armstrong is expected to support teammate Leipheimer in the Giro.
The 37-year-old American is riding in the Giro for the first time, but a crash at a minor stage race in Spain in March left him with a shattered collarbone and with his chances of competing in the balance.
The seven-time Tour de France champion is made of stern stuff and after surgery was quickly back on his bike, but is realistic about his chances on the grueling three-week tour.
"This was a difficult setback, but I don't think that it's a bad thing," he told his Web site www.livestrong.com.
Armstrong added that his Astana team were looking to fellow American Levi Leipheimer for overall victory.
" I think the team will be coy about our chances in the Giro, but I think we have a strong guy (Leipheimer) and that works perfectly for me.
"I get to ride with no pressure, do an event that I've always wanted to do and get to help a guy try to win the Giro."
Team Columbia chief Bob Stapleton, whose squad has compiled an impressive slate of victories going in the Giro, told CNN in an exclusive interview that Armstrong would be hard-pushed to claim overall victory, but would ride strongly.
Stapleton and a number of leading experts are predicting victory for home hope Ivan Basso, who has returned this season following a two-year doping ban after being implicated in the Spanish blood-doping scandal Operation Puerto.
Leipheimer is also aware of the danger presented by the classy Italian and made his own prediction on livestrong.com.
"I see the GC (general classification) race being between Ivan Basso (Liquigas), Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes), Dennis Menchov (Rabobank), and Armstrong / Leipheimer (Astana)," he said.
The race starts with a short team time trial in Venice on Saturday, with Stapleton's Team Columbia and the Garmin, Astana and Saxo Bank squads expected to feature.
Stapleton has high hopes that his star rider Mark Cavendish of Britain will be in the race leader's pink jersey after the first three stages.
"Stages one and two after the team time trial suit Mark very well and if all goes well, maybe we'll see Mark in pink. Leading the race is our ultimate goal."
Sprint star Cavendish won two stages in last year's Giro, four in the Tour de France, and claimed victory in this year's Milan-San Remo classic.
He will face tough opposition on the flat stages from Italy's Alessandro Petacchi, but they will have few opportunities before a series of tough mountain stages to mark the centenary Giro.
The race ends ends on May 31 with an individual time trial in Rome.
Armstrong is using the race as further preparation for his bid for an eighth Tour de France victory in July where he is set to be part of a formidable Astana squad including Leipheimer and 2007 champion Alberto Contador who is not defending his Giro title this year.
|
0.999999 |
Learn about the culture and history Thai cuisine and learn to cook 72 delicious Thai dishes with this illustrated Thai cookbook.Thai cuisine is unique, having drawn inspiration form such diverse sources as China and India, Persia and Portugal. The Food of Thailand presents a cross-section of Thai recipes from all regions of the country as prepared in private homes, street stalls and even palace kitchens. Produced and photographed entirely in Thailand, this Thai cookbook offers an in-depth look at the unique cultural origins and influences behind Thai cuisine, and provides recipes for universal favorites such as Tom Yang Goong and Pad Thai, as well as numerous sauces, dips, salads, snacks and desserts. Featured recipes include: Green Chicken Curry with Basil and EggplantMussaman Beef Curry Spicy Prawn Soup with Lemongrass Grilled Pork With Chili Sauce Stir-fried Squid with Garlic And many more!
|
0.999999 |
Describe about cultural differences between China and Europe?
Globalization has become a major trend of the business environment, with companies looking for opportunities to enter global markets. Globalization is a worldwide faction towards , financial, trade and economic infrastructure integration. International Business is a name given to the business conducted by the companies or corporations in the universal market. International business needs more business insight than directing a home company. Economic Globalisation is the incorporation of national economy with the international economy with the help of trade, capital flows, migration foreign direct investment, and extend of technology.
Globalization has become essential to the companies around the globe; they also understand that one of the most important elements of globalization is the ground of Human Resource Management. Taking the very concept of globalization in mind, one may wonder how Human Resource management can be internationalized. The role of international HR professionals is to apply the basic concepts of human resource management globally. The last decade saw the initiation of internet and e-commerce, which has alleviated the flow of goods and services. This has initiated the rate at which internalization has impacted the role of Human Resource Management. It has already unlocked new opportunities for the liberation of international Human Resource services. The human resource practices and policies determine important aspects of organization’s functions and activities. It can determine the degree to which Multi National Enterprises can become geocentric, polycentric or ethnocentric. In ethnocentric Multi National Corporations, the HR policies and practices are intended and developed at their head quarters and then practiced all around the world. The HR managers and Expatriates belong to the parent country but strategic decisions, as well as that pertaining to Human Resources in geocentric or Multinational companies are actually taken regardless of geographic boundaries. These HR policies and practices are intended and developed from inputs all around the globe. Since many years, much of the literature of International Human resource management has focused on the issues related to expatriation. The expatriates are sent like corporate missionaries, by the headquarter around the world to their various branches in different countries for various other functions. They provide managerial or technical expertise and assist to control operations. They also develop the regional offices as well as their branches. The ever-changing issues of expatriates are a matter of huge concern for the Business corporations and thus the role of IHRM is important in solving such issues. The Human Resource managers also focus on solving the problems that involves the repatriates i.e. the returning expatriates The difference in the cultures of both the nations i.e. China and France varies like the sky and the earth. The cultures of east and the west have differed from centuries. So working in such a unfamiliar culture is very difficult for both the countries. When the culture differs, everything differs. It is a union of two nations and without the support of China, it is impossible for France to settle its business there. The expatriate officials have to know all the nook and corner of the Chinese culture, their attitudes and behavior. In order to acquire the Chinese market the company will have to train its employees in such a way that they acclimatize themselves in the host offices (Westermark, 2013).
China is one of the world’s largest and most appealing markets, and as it prolongs to become a more alluring target for foreign investment, businessperson and investors are gathering in the country to take advantage of earning money in such high potential market. The cultural differences between China and Europe are huge and it can affect the business largely (Werner, Schuler and Jackson, 2012).
The customs of china and the custom of Europe differ largely. The international human resource management team of the company should consider all the cultural barriers before employing people. The knowledge of the custom is also a very important fact for consideration for the strategic management team. The strategic management team will create strategies that would best fit into the organization (Werner, Schuler and Jackson, 2012) .
The barrier of the communication is the biggest barrier that can appear in the functions of a business. The company will have to take into consideration this barrier. This barrier has impact over the working of the company in the host country especially when the company has taken into consideration for a polycentric approach. The polycentric approach has a motto to revolve around the host country. A polycentric orientation keeps in mind the functioning of the host country, their cultural attributes, traditions, laws etc (Torrington, 2011).
The difference in the cultures of both the nations i.e. China and France varies like the sky and the earth. The cultures of east and the west have differed from centuries. So working in such a unfamiliar culture is very difficult for both the countries. When the culture differs, everything differs. It is a union of two nations and without the support of China, it is impossible for France to settle its business there. The expatriate officials have to know all the nook and corner of the Chinese culture, their attitudes and behaviour (Stone, 2011). In order to acquire the Chinese market the company will have to train its employees in such a way that they acclimatize themselves in the host offices (Sistare, Shiplett and Buss, 2009).
The significance on Human resource management: The human resource management team will have to work towards achieving a global platform. Costabucks will have to hire employees from China. A team of human resource management will have to work on the people to be employed in China and the employees who will be expatriate. The global arena where the company will have to play is huge. The contribution of human resource management will have to be very relevant to the business strategies of the company. The human resource management strategies will have to comply with the company policies. The laws and political situation in China will affect a lot in maintaining a strategic human resource management. The main strategies that the human resource management team will play will be in the area of selection and training of the expatriates (Sehoole and Knight, 2013). The expatriates would act as a bridge between the home company and the host company-. However, the officials of the headquarters will do the selection, management and training of the employees for Chinese market. The responsibilities of the human resource management team will increase to a great deal. It will have create a team of highly professional international human resource management experts. These experts will strategically apply all the human resource policies complying to the laws and regulation of the country. The officials will have to see to it that the human resource policies best suit the company and the employees. The whole performance of the international human resource management will have to be very fine (Ryan, n.d.).
The Company should have an orientation that is Polycentric. Polycentric orientation approach has an attitude that oriented by the host country. Polycentric orientation reflects host country`s aim and objectives keeping in mind various managerial strategies and planning and international goals. In a polycentric perspective, a company’s management team believes that in Global business practices the preference of local people are found appropriate to function in the local market. In the tremendous outlook of polycentrism, an approach believes that culture of all the countries is different and hence the foreigners find it difficult to understand and it should be left on them until they earn the same level of profit. However, there is huge benefit in captivating into consideration local preferences and tastes in the host country when it comes to international business practices, a polycentric approach have its difficulties when implemented which meet the host countries criteria. The marketing of the products are organized on a nation wise basis, and marketing research is conducted separately in all the countries. Management is not able to control the corporation in the host country because local citizens have a better apprehension and consciousness of national market conditions much more than home office employees. This is precise in several characteristic of the products delivery including pricing, market research, customer relationship and services and well-being, and channels of distribution. Hence, the control in the host countries practices is lost, and the corporation is obliged to manage its functions from the outside. Local citizens occupy almost all of the key posts in their individual local subsidiaries, and they employ and develop their own people.
The international market has many opportunities. If Costabucks expands its market in China with a polycentric orientation, then it is likely that the people of China embrace the product with positive attitude.
The company is likely to achieve a good share of sales because the company would have information and awareness of the local market. The trends in the local market are an important area of consideration (Price and Price, 2011).
China is the largest populated country of the world. They are very traditional and they have their own choices and preferences. China is the mother of Tea production in the world. People of China prefer tea to coffee. So the survival of coffee in such a market is difficult until the products are Chinese. The products have to be very precise in nature.
Since the company has complied with all the needs of the local nationals the government of China will also help the company grow in the market. The company can enjoy lots of benefits from the local government (Parnell, 2014).
Enthusiastic local employees: Chinese people like to work in a homely environment. If the company takes into consideration a local approach, then the company would see more happier faces. The employees will not have to comply with the international norms of functioning as done in the home country of the product.
The concept of International Human Resource Management does not ignores the international projects. In fact, there are huge numbers of studies that analyzes the function that International human resource management plays in the multinational enterprises and how the organizations selects, develops, compensate, and invent the professional careers of the employees who expatriate. There are situations like political risk. It happens when there is high risk that a political function could change the chances of profitability of a given investment. There also exists a cultural risk ,when there is a huge cultural gap between the hub and the subsidiary. Costabucks can select and send expatriates. These expatriates will assist the central organization to comprehend local atmosphere and to control the subsidiary functions. The job of these employees would be to represent the concern of the home company and to supplement channels of communication, and to work as intermediates among the hub and the subsidiary (Mondy and Mondy, 2012).
When working in China being a foreign resident, the most common issue that an expatriate faces is that of language. The Chinese mostly speak mandarin and which is one of the toughest language any European person would find. The Chinese are very traditional in their approach and do not tend to speak in any other language other than Mandarin. They find it difficult to speak in English and also they are not much welcoming towards English language too. Recently Mark Zuckerberg spoke in Mandarin at the University of Zheng Zou and promoted the need of internet connectivity and his company Facebook. It left a huge impact on the people of China when they saw the youngest billionaire of the world speaking mandarin (Lamb et al., 2004).
The importance of socializing with the co-employees is very important job for an expatriate. The expatriates will have to become very friendly with the local employees. The expatriate will have to behave very formally and try to mingle with the employees. This is the only way to find the internal stories within the company. The attitudes of the employees have to be very familiar and he shall not behave like an alien to them. Its tough to understand the work and social ethics of the people of China. They are traditional in nature and the expatriate should keep in mind that he does not hurts the sentiments of the local people.
The expatriate officer must understand the legal affairs of the country. Without knowing the laws a company cannot operate in the host country. Understanding the laws and abiding by them is quint-essential job for an expatriate. The expatriates of the company have to understand that the laws of food and beverage industry vary in every country. The local marketers of China are tea growers and they will never let their market get ruin by foreign companies. The abidance of law is the foremost way to retain in such a market and occupy it.
The difference in the cultures of both the nations i.e. China and France varies like the sky and the earth. The cultures of east and the west have differed from centuries. So working in such a unfamiliar culture is very difficult for both the countries. When the culture differs, everything differs. It is a union of two nations and without the support of China, it is impossible for France to settle its business there. The expatriate officials have to know all the nook and corner of the Chinese culture, their attitudes and behavior. In order to acquire the Chinese market the company will have to train its employees in such a way that they acclimatize themselves in the host offices.
1. Openness to other cultures: The selected employee will have to have an openness to learn and intermingle with the people of other cultures. The collectiveness attitude is a must. In fact the company should try to select people who already familiarity with the Chinese culture. A person with a degree in the mandarin language should be preferred.
2. Problem solving attitude: the selected expatriated employee should have an attitude to solve the problems taking very less time. These problems may arise due to political or cultural differences. The expatriate should have the ability to understand them and solve them as soon as possible.
3. Awareness of the laws of the host country: The expatriate must be aware of all the laws and norms of the host country. The laws of the country are very necessary and to carry them away appropriately is very important. Non-abidance of the law can root out Costabucks from the Chinese market.
4. Awareness the culture: The awareness of the culture in a host country that too China is very important. Since the company has decided to behave like a polycentric company, it is very essential to know the cultural climate of the Nation. China is country that is very traditional in its approach the cultural awareness is very important for the home country. The expatriate behaves like a connection between the home office and the host office. Trainings can be provided to employees who are selected for being the expatriate.
It would be best if a Chinese person who lives in France is selected to become an expatriate. The employee can act as an agent in the host country and tackle the situation in the best possible manner. A Chinese employee would understand the law, the culture, the people and the consumer behavior too. Such an employee would best suit the situation.
Conducting business in a country like china is a difficult task for any European country. The market of China is emerging like a booming market. Almost all the companies that manufactures has an operating unit in China. The Chinese people have a huge closeness towards their tradition and culture and there lies a huge difference between the cultures of China and other European Nations. The concept of international human resource management tries to employ the best employees from the host country. The Scope of international human resource management is very deep and is different from the traditional traditional human resource management. The international human resource management not just looks after all the basic functions of Human resource management but is also involved in the expatriation and repatriation of the employees. The sub-department of training and development has a lot of functions to perform. The expatriated employees have to be trained in many ways so that they best fit into the host office. The issues of cultural differences are also huge and in such conditions the survival of the company totally depends on the best business strategies, best employees and their allocation at the right place.
Brewster, C. (2011). International human resource management. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Briscoe, D., Schuler, R. and Claus, L. (2009). International human resource management. London: Routledge.
Dessler, G. (2013). Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Entrekin, L. and Scott-Ladd, B. (2013). Human Resource Management. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Evans, P., Pucik, V. and Björkman, I. (2011). The global challenge. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Harzing, A. and Pinnington, A. (2011). International human resource management. London: SAGE.
Imbriani, C. and Morone, P. (2013). Knowledge, innovation and internationalisation. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Lamb, R., Shrivastava, P., Huff, A., Dutton, J., Baum, J., Sorenson, O., MacGahan, A., Dobrev, S., Witteloostuijn, A., Reuer, J., Tong, T., Rowley, T., Nickerson, J. and Silverman, B. (2004).Advances in strategic management.
Mondy, R. and Mondy, J. (2012). Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall.
Parnell, J. (2014). Strategic management. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Price, A. and Price, A. (2011). Human resource management. Andover: Cengage Learning.
Ryan, J. (n.d.). Cross cultural teaching and learning for home and international students.
Sehoole, M. and Knight, J. (2013). Internationalisation of African higher education. Rotterdam: Sense.
Sistare, H., Shiplett, M. and Buss, T. (2009). Innovations in human resource management. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe.
Werner, S., Schuler, R. and Jackson, S. (2012). Human resource management. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Westermark, K. (2013). Proximity and learning in internationalisation. Stockholm: Stockholm University.
|
0.999886 |
Ingredients for making Salmon Penne This is another one of Tracey's favourites. I use "penne" pasta (short, big tubes!) which works well with the wheat-free pasta that I use. (Tracey reacts badly to wheat products.) Of course you can use ordinary pasta penne just as well.
I try and get skinless and boneless fillets for this dish. Otherwise, you will have to skin and bone the salmon yourself - sharpen the knife first! Then cut the salmon into lumps a couple of centimetres on a side.
Boil up a fish stock cube with a quarter of a pint of water in a deep saucepan. I like to add a teaspoon of one of those spicy Asian fish pastes or sauces, which certainly gives a certain tang to the dish. Currently, I'm using a Thai shrimp paste, which is very good - if a bit smelly! I also like to add a good pinch of saffron - the combination of the saffron and fish sauce is what makes this dish so special.
Simmer the stock for a few minutes, to allow the saffron to infuse. Then, once the stock is boiling nicely, chuck in the fish chunks and stir gently until the salmon is close to being cooked through.
Then, stir in the cold pasta, which will absorb most of the remaining fluid in the pan. Add an ounce of flaked Parmesan cheese, and stir so it all melts. Finally, a little freshly-ground black pepper, and a splash of cream, then serve immediately in bowls. Perhaps a little green salad on the side?
|
0.979784 |
Organise a tailored school trip to Japan.
Educating Adventures can help organise a tour through Japan to suit your learning objectives. Whether you want to immerse students in a new culture and language, learn more about Japanese history, or have fun on a ski trip, we can help you make the most out of an educational trip to Japan.
Not only does Japan offer some of the world's best skiing, its rich history and eloquent culture make it an ideal destination for a school tour. Not to mention, travel in Japan is easy and safe.
Why should you consider Educating Adventures for School Trips and Educational Visits?
School trips to Japan are exciting and engaging. From exploring the vibrant city of Tokyo to skiing and snowboarding in Hakuba, there's something on offer for everyone.
Explore the streets, gardens and temples of Tokyo on a full-day bike tour.
Kayaking is a leisurely and fun way to explore the area and take in the beautiful leafy green surroundings. We will be kayaking on the Shiromaru section of the Tama river which is predominantly a gentle lake like section famous for its incredible green and clear waters.
You will have the full-day to enjoy all the magical experiences this park has to offer! Tomorrowland is a firm favourite of ours with some truly thrilling rides.
Located on Honshu Island, Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3, m. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped several months a year, is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.
Enjoy four days of skiing in Hakuba! Your students will have two-hour lessons each morning with free time for exploring the runs in the afternoon (full-day lessons available).
Educating Adventures cater to school groups of 10 - 100 students.
To be discussed with your travel advisor upon enquiry.
We do our best to cater to all students' needs.
Educating Adventures are international school travel specialists. We help prepare tomorrow's global citizens through international educational travel experiences.
Our team are young, friendly and professional. Collectively, we have more than 20 years of experience in the educational travel industry.
We understand that not one-size fits all, and can take care of most travel requests, right down to creating a bespoke itinerary.
A business like ours exists upon a dynamic network of international and domestic connections.
Not only are we connected, but we also care about helping tomorrow's leaders experience a world of exciting possibilities.
|
0.954133 |
Locate a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Facility near me in Olathe, KS.
Anyone being affected by drug or alcohol addiction in Olathe, Kansas has an opportunity to turn this around. A complete recovery may be possible if individuals are willing to completely dedicate themselves to the process. This may include sacrifices on the part of not just the addict, but members of the family and friends too who must be only supportive if a person decides to go to an Olathe drug and alcohol rehab facility. It could be necessary at times for loved ones to intervene if a person isn't getting help, because this can frequently mean the main difference between life or death for a drug user. If this sounds like the case, family members can hold a drug or alcohol intervention with assistance from an interventionist or with guidance and support from a professional treatment counselor. Whichever may be the case, choose a drug treatment facility that matches the rehabilitation need of the individual needing help, and the rest is left in the hands of professionals.
Which means that a drug rehab program in Olathe, Kansas must be chosen that isn't only going to get| someone off alcohol or drugs, but in addition do the very difficult task of resolving what caused a person to find themselves in the situation they are in. Abstaining from drugs easy part, and detoxing isn't rehabilitation by itself. So you will want to go with a program which accomplishes this short term goals safely and quickly, but then transitions right into a detailed treatment plan that addresses every aspect of the person's life that will ensure they have the opportunity and confidence to be drug-free. Inpatient and residential alcohol and drug treatment programs in Olathe, Kansas provide you with the best case scenario in terms of rehabilitation setting for those who would like to get the most out of their rehab process, so make contact with a treatment professional at this type of program right away.
Household and Income Statistics in: Olathe, KS.
Choices Alcohol and Drug Assessments is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 913-390-0100. They specialize in Dui/Dwi Offenders and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment.
They are located at 405 South Clairborne Road Olathe, KS. 66062.
Johnson County Mental Health Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 913-826-4200. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Assistance For Hearing Impaired and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
They are located at 1125 West Spruce Street Olathe, KS. 66061.
KidsTLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Adolescent Treatment, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance - located at 480 South Rogers Road Olathe, KS. 66062. The phone number is 913-764-2887.
AppleCore Outpatient Treatment Olathe is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 226 South Kansas Avenue Olathe, KS. 66061. The phone number is 913-706-4132.
Avenues to Recovery is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Adolescent Treatment, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 115 North Cooper Street Olathe, KS. 66061 and phone number is 913-780-9600.
KIDS TLC is located at 480 South Rodgers Road Olathe, KS. 66062. This is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Assistance For Hearing Impaired, Spanish Speaking. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
The phone number is 913-764-2887.
Assessment Services is located at 108 East Poplar Street Olathe, KS. 66061. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. They accept Self Payment.
The phone number is 913-768-9777 x101.
Associates at Hope Harbor OP is located at 13470 Arapaho Drive Olathe, KS. 66062. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Adolescent Treatment, Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients, Spanish Speaking. They accept Self Payment, Private Insurance, Military Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
The phone number is 913-710-5748.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 11605 South Burch Street Olathe, KS. 66061. The phone number is 913-310-0101.
|
0.999988 |
Plasmodesmata (Pds) mediate symplastic communication between neighbouring cells. Pds provide the potential for the exchange of informational molecules acting as conduits for a range of transcription factors , small RNAs [[5•] and [6•]], and pathogenic [ and ] and non-pathogenic RNAs. They regulate the loading of physiologically and developmentally important molecules into the phloem. They allow transfer of small molecules and macromolecules between cells of different species, such as betweeen host and parasitic plants (Leblanc et al. 2012; Kim et al. 2014).
Pds formed during cytokinesis are plasma membrane (PM)-lined pores that bridge the cell wall and a central axial element of appressed endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (called the desmotubule). The indentification of plasmodesmal proteins is discussed by Faulkner et al. (2011) and Benitez-Alfonso and Maule (2011).
To date, about 30 proteins have been described as having some association with Pds. Using a viral movement protein (MP) as a substrate, a Pd-located kinase (PAPK) with the potential to phosphorylate MP and other non-cell-autonomous proteins (NCAPs) was identified . These include reversibly glycosylated polypeptide (RGP), heat shock cognate 70 proteins, a β-1,3-glucanase and proteins similar to RNA-binding proteins, including the DEAD box RNA helicase eIF4A . Class 1 RGPs associate with Arabidopsis Pds .
A new family of eight Pd transmembrane receptor-like proteins are type-1 membrane proteins, called Pd-located proteins 1 (PDLP1). They comprise an apoplastic receptor-like domain, a single transmembrane domain and a short C-terminal cytoplasmic tail. They influence Pd trafficking. A further family of Pd proteins are small (22 kDa) proteins with a callose-binding domain and a C-terminal unstructured arm GPI-anchored into the PM. Located at the neck region of Pds, these are positioned for interaction with callose deposited in the wall. The existence in Pds of β-1,3-glucanases and this callose-binding protein support the importance of callose in Pd control [ and ].
Finally, there are a number of increased size exclusion limit (ise) mutants . ISE2 encodes a DEVH box RNA helicase involved in posttranscriptional gene silencing. ise2 mutants show altered Pd structure (increased branching), and seedling growth and developmental phenotypes. ISE2 may affect Pd structure through regulation of RNA metabolism and consequent gene expression.
Cytoskeletal component of Pds. Possibly used to traffic molecules through the pore, and/or to control the SEL.
Protein interacting with Tomato spotted wilt virus movement protein. 4/1 proteins show similarities to myosin-, kinesin- and ankaryn-like proteins.
Provision of energy at the Pd pore. Specific function unknown.
Used to seal Pds during wounding or pathogen attack. May also control the SEL.
Identified from Chara corallina and Arabidopsis. In the latter, shown to target as a GFP fusion to Pds. Knock-out mutant plants showed reduced GFP diffusion through Pds.
Identified from Chara corallina and homologous to HSc70 from Nicotiana and shown to carry a Pd trafficking signal.
A family of type I membrane receptor-like proteins targeted solely to Pds and with the property of changing reciprocally trafficking of GFP following altered expression. PDLP1 also carries a 21 amino acid signal sufficient for targeting proteins to Pds via the Golgi-ER secretory pathway.
Involved in the phosphorylation or viral movement proteins, and possibly endogenous trafficking proteins. May be used for protein phosphorylation signalling and control of the SEL.
A 41 kDa protein identified from maize and Arabidopsis and shown to target Pds as GFP fusion. Usually associated with the Golgi apparatus, the function of these proteins is not known.
Antibodies JIM64 and JIM67 raised against two unknown proteins label Pds. Their functions are unknowKim et al. 2014).
|
0.826881 |
Yakov Grigorevich Sinai (Russian: Я́ков Григо́рьевич Сина́й; born September 21, 1935) is a mathematician known for his work on dynamical systems. He contributed to the modern metric theory of dynamical systems and connected the world of deterministic (dynamical) systems with the world of probabilistic (stochastic) systems. He has also worked on mathematical physics and probability theory. His efforts have provided the groundwork for advances in the physical sciences.
Sinai has won several awards, including the Nemmers Prize, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics and the Abel Prize.
Yakov Grigorevich Sinai was born into a Russian Jewish academic family on September 21, 1935, in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia). His parents, Nadezda Kagan and Gregory Sinai, were both microbiologists. His grandfather, Veniamin Kagan, headed the Department of Differential Geometry at Moscow State University and was a major influence on Sinai's life.
Sinai received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Moscow State University. In 1960, he earned his Ph.D., also from Moscow State; his adviser was Andrey Kolmogorov. Together with Kolmogorov, he showed that even for "unpredictable" dynamic systems, the level of unpredictability of motion can be described mathematically. In their idea, which became known as Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy, a system with zero entropy is entirely predictable, while a system with non-zero entropy has an unpredictability factor directly related to the amount of entropy.
In 1963, Sinai introduced the idea of dynamical billiards, also known as "Sinai Billiards". In this idealized system, a particle bounces around inside a square boundary without loss of energy. Inside the square is a circular wall, of which the particle also bounces off. He then proved that for most initial trajectories of the ball, this system is ergodic, that is, after a long time, the amount of that time the ball will have spent in any given region on the surface of the table is approximately proportional to the area of that region. It was the first time anyone proved a dynamic system was ergodic.
Also in 1963, Sinai announced a proof of the ergodic hypothesis for a gas consisting of n hard spheres confined to a box. The complete proof, however, was never published, and in 1987 Sinai declared that the announcement was premature. The problem remains open to this day.
From 1960 to 1971, Sinai was a researcher in the Laboratory of Probabilistic and Statistical Methods at Moscow State University. In 1971 he accepted a position as senior researcher at the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in Russia, while continuing to teach at Moscow State. He had to wait until 1981 to become a professor at Moscow State, likely because he had supported the dissident poet, mathematician and human rights activist Alexander Esenin-Volpin in 1968.
Since 1993, Sinai has been a professor of mathematics at Princeton University, while maintaining his position at the Landau Institute. For the 1997–98 academic year, he was the Thomas Jones Professor at Princeton, and in 2005, the Moore Distinguished Scholar at the California Institute of Technology.
In 2002, Sinai won the Nemmers Prize for his "revolutionizing" work on dynamical systems, statistical mechanics, probability theory, and statistical physics. In 2005, the Moscow Mathematical Journal dedicated an issue to Sinai writing "Yakov Sinai is one of the greatest mathematicians of our time ... his exceptional scientific enthusiasm inspire[d] several generations of scientists all over the world."
In 2013, Sinai received the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement. In 2014, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awarded him the Abel Prize, for his contributions to dynamical systems, ergodic theory, and mathematical physics. Presenting the award, Jordan Ellenberg said Sinai had solved real world physical problems "with the soul of a mathematician". He praised the tools developed by Sinai which demonstrate how systems that look different may in fact have fundamental similarities. The prize comes with 6 million Norwegian krone, equivalent at the time to $US 1 million or £600,000. He was also inducted into the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Other awards won by Sinai include the Boltzmann Medal (1986), the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics (1990), the Dirac Prize (1992), the Wolf Prize in Mathematics (1997), the Lagrange Prize (2008) and the Henri Poincaré Prize (2009). He is a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He is an honorary member of the London Mathematical Society (1992) and, in 2012, he became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. Sinai has been selected an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1983), Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2000), the Academia Europaea, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of London. He holds honorary degrees from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Warwick University, and Warsaw University.
Sinai has authored more than 250 papers and books. Concepts in mathematics named after him include Sinai's random walk, Sinai–Ruelle–Bowen measures, and Pirogov–Sinai theory. Sinai has overseen more than 50 Ph.D. candidates. He has spoken at the International Congress of Mathematicians four times. In 2000, he was a plenary speaker at the First Latin American Congress in Mathematics.
Sinai is married to mathematician and physicist Elena B. Vul. The couple have written several joint papers.
Introduction to Ergodic Theory. Princeton 1976.
Topics in Ergodic Theory. Princeton 1977, 1994.
Probability Theory – an Introductory Course. Springer, 1992.
Theory of probability and Random Processes (with Koralov). 2nd edition, Springer, 2007.
Theory of Phase Transitions – Rigorous Results. Pergamon, Oxford 1982.
Ergodic Theory (with Isaac Kornfeld and Sergei Fomin). Springer, Grundlehren der mathematischen Wissenschaften 1982.
"What is a Billiard?", Notices AMS 2004.
"Mathematicians and physicists = Cats and Dogs?" in Bulletin of the AMS. 2006, vol. 4.
"How mathematicians and physicists found each other in the theory of dynamical systems and in statistical mechanics", in Mathematical Events of the Twentieth Century (editors: Bolibruch, Osipov, & Sinai). Springer 2006, p. 399.
^ a b c d e f Ball, Philip (March 26, 2014). "Chaos-theory pioneer nabs Abel Prize". Nature. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
^ a b c d e f g "2002 Frederic Esser Nemmers Mathematics Prize Recipient". Northwestern University. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
^ a b c d e f g h i j "Yakov G. Sinai". Abel Prize. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
^ "Legendary Russian academic Yakov Sinai awarded 'math Nobel'". RT. March 27, 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
^ Uffink, Jos (2006). Compendium of the foundations of classical statistical physics (PDF). p. 91.
^ "Sinai biography". www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
^ "The Abel Prize Laureate 2014". Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
^ "Gruppe 1: Matematiske fag" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
^ "List of Fellows of the American Mathematical Society". Retrieved July 20, 2013.
^ Chacon, R. V. (1978). "Review: Introduction to ergodic theory, by Ya. G. Sinai" (PDF). Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 84 (4): 656–660. doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1978-14515-7.
^ a b c d e f g h "Yakov Bibliography" (PDF). Princeton University. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yakov Grigorevich Sinai.
O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Yakov Sinai", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews .
This page was last edited on 27 October 2018, at 12:40 (UTC).
|
0.999641 |
Are some people more prone to panic disorder than others? Yes. Physical differences have been observed among people who are prone to panic attacks or develop panic disorders. The following are descriptions of these physical differences.
In general, people with panic disorders including agoraphobia have overactive adrenal glands and are more likely to experience an adrenaline rush or “fight or flight” response when faced with a perceived psychological threat. This makes them more susceptible to panic attacks.
In panic disorder patients, adrenaline and a hormone called cortisol (a stress fighting hormone) are overproduced by the adrenal gland during times of prolonged stress.
The overproduction of adrenaline and cortisol interferes with the production of serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters that stabilize your mood and sense of well-being. When serotonin and dopamine levels are low, your mood becomes unstable and you are less able to cope with stress.
In this state of chemical imbalance, you become more easily fatigued, your immune system is compromised, and you are more at risk for experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. Even after the original stressor is gone, you are likely to stay in a heightened state of anxiety.
A greater sensitivity to medications, including side effects, is observed among panic disorder patients. As mentioned previously, the side effects and/or withdrawal symptoms for some medications, including anti-anxiety medications, mimic the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks. Because of this, medications prescribed to people who have panic attacks or panic disorder should be prescribed in smaller doses at first and then increased gradually as it is possible.
People who have panic attacks usually have a heightened sensitivity to bright lights, temperatures, sudden or harsh sounds, and other sources of physical stimulation. Physical stimulus will more easily overwhelm someone with panic disorder, create an aura of disorientation, and lead to a release of adrenaline (triggering the “fight or flight” response).
Large amounts of sodium lactate in the bloodstream have been found by some researchers to cause panic attacks in people with panic disorder. Sodium lactate is produced when muscle cells convert sugar into energy. It is the basic solution in intravenous fluids given in the hospital.
In one study, panic disorder patients experienced a dramatic increase in blood flow to the temporal lobes of the brain when given sodium lactate. The temporal lobes are the same area of the brain affected when subjects in other studies (who do not have panic disorder) are given an electric shock!
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.