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__label__cc	0.743224	0.256776	ASHRAE - Technical Seminar on Thermal Energy Storage for Energy Efficient Building Design From Thursday, June 13, 2019 - 14:30 To Wednesday, June 19, 2019 - 17:30 Y304, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon Mr. Chris Kwan at email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thermal Energy Storage (TES) used for Off-Peak Cooling of buildings, has a long history around the world with over 7,000 commercial installations in 40 countries. By storing cooling at night, in the form of ice or chilled water, and using it during the day to cool the buildings, major reductions in on-peak electric demand and energy costs are realized. This technical seminar will demonstrate the basic types of TES systems, how energy storage on both the Grid side and Building side of the meter will be covered along with their respective applications and the myths surrounding Ice-based TES. Topic 1: Energy Storage, Smart Grid and Zero Energy Buildings: Building Capacitance Together (GBCI Approved \| 1 CE Hour \| 0920017339; AIA Approved \| 1LU \| MacCracken01) Whether the reason is Energy Independence, National Security or Climate Change, reducing our use of Carbon will be critical to our society’s future. One critically important aspect about fossil fuels is that they are not just forms of energy, they are forms of “stored” energy. If we are going to reduce our dependence on them by using renewable energy like Wind or Solar, which are forms pure energy, we will also have to replace the storage aspect of the them. Energy Storage on both the Grid side and Building side of the meter will be covered along with their respective applications. Topic 2: TES Myths Thermal Energy Storage, used for Off-Peak Cooling buildings, has a long history around the world. The technology’s application in commercial cooling has evolved and improved over the past three decades; however, myths continue to keep it from becoming a staple in energy efficient building design. This talk covers some of the myths surrounding Ice-based TES. Mark M. MacCracken, P.E., Pte., LEED Fellow Mark M. MacCracken is the CEO of CALMAC Manufacturing Corporation, whose main products are used for off-peak cooling of buildings using Thermal Energy Storage. In his almost 40 years with the firm, he has been involved in all aspects of the company including, R&D contracts, patents, manufacturing, marketing and finance. He was the principal investigator on research projects contracted by Oak Ridge National Labs, NASA and National Renewable Energy Research Lab (SERI). Mr. MacCracken’s company has been involved in over 4,000 thermal storage systems in 37 countries. He has three U. S. patents, is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey and has written numerous technical articles. He was the 2011 Chair of USGBC’s Board of Directors, Vice-Chair of ASHRAE Standard 1891.1, the former Chair of ASHRAE’s Thermal Storage Technical Committee, and on the Board of Director’s of AHRI. HK$ 300 [Member of ASHRAE Hong Kong] HK$ 350 [Member / Staff of Supporting Organizations] HK$ 400 [Standard] 3-hour CPD certificate will be provided. Registration & Enquiry Number of participants is limited and prior registration is required. For registration, please complete Registration Form in the following link: https://forms.gle/9cTwP3W5T3qZWgR2A. The deadline of application is on 8 June 2019. After online registration, please make a crossed cheque payable to "ASHRAE Hong Kong Chapter" and post to our mail box at "P.O. Box 35612, King's Road Post Office, North Point, Hong Kong". At the back of cheque, please kindly state “ASHRAE DL Series – Mark MacCracken”, Name of Participant, Name of Company / Organization and Contact Number. Successful members will be notified by e-mail on or before 10 June 2019, which has to be presented at the registry of the venue entrance for verification. If the applicants have not received the confirmation e-mail on or before 10 June 2019, their applications will be regarded as not successful. If typhoon signal no. 8 or black rainstorm signal is in force and still hoisted after 1:00 pm on that date, the workshop would be cancelled without further notification. For enquiry, please contact Mr. Chris Kwan at email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7096
__label__cc	0.749949	0.250051	Global Environment, Health and Safety [email protected] Submit a Manuscript Ethical MalPractices Mara Madaleno researcher at the Research Unit Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOOP),Portugal. Mara Madaleno holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Aveiro, Portugal since 2011 and works as researcher at the Research Unit Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOOP). She has been working as a teacher of Finance and Economics since 2007 at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism where she is currently full time Assistant Professor. She is co-author of books ad has articles published in referred international ISI and Scopus Journals. Participated in several conferences as presenter, experience in the organization of international conferences and meetings and also participated in some financed projects. Has been referee for several international journals in economics, energy, environment and finance fields. Presently she is Director of the Master Degree in Economics (branches of Business Economics and Finance) at the University of Aveiro. She is a member of Portuguese Economists Order, IAEE (International Association of Economists of Energy) and treasurer at APEEN (Portuguese Association of Energy Economics). Financial Economics, Electricity Financial Markets, Energy Economics, Energy and Environmental Policy, Behavioral Finance and Economics and Derivatives Markets.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7097
__label__cc	0.701371	0.298629	Antiplatelet drugs and the perioperative period: What every urologist needs to know Pawan Vasudeva, Apul Goel, Vengetesh K Sengottayan, Satyanarayan Sankhwar, Divakar Dalela Department of Urology, C.S.M.M.U (Upgraded King George Medical College), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Pawan Vasudeva Department of Urology, C.S.M.M.U (Upgraded King George Medical College), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Antiplatelet agents like aspirin and clopidogrel are widely used for indications ranging from primary and secondary prevention of myocardial infarction or stroke to prevention of coronary stent thrombosis after percutaneous coronary interventions. When patients receiving antiplatelet drugs are scheduled for surgery, urologists commonly advise routine periprocedural withdrawal of these drugs to decrease the hemorrhagic risks that may be associated if such therapy is continued in the perioperative period. This approach may be inappropriate as stopping antiplatelet drugs often exposes the patient to a more serious risk, i.e. the risk of developing an arterial thrombosis with its potentially fatal consequences. Moreover, it has been seen that the increase in perioperative bleeding if such drugs are continued is usually of a quantitative nature and does not shift the bleeding complication to a higher risk quality. We, in this mini review, look at the physiological role and pathological implications of platelets, commonly used antiplatelet therapy and how continuation or discontinuation of such therapy in the perioperative period affects the hemorrhagic and thrombotic risks, respectively. Literature on the subject between 1985 and 2008 is reviewed. The consensus that seems to have emerged is that the policy of routine discontinuation of antiplatelet drugs in the perioperative period must be discouraged and risk stratification must be employed while making decisions regarding continuation or temporary discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy. Although antiplatelet drugs may be discontinued in patients at a low risk for an arterial thrombotic event, they must be continued in patients where the risks of bleeding and complications related to excessive bleeding are less than the risks of developing arterial thrombosis. Vasudeva P Goel A Sengottayan VK Sankhwar S Dalela D Antiplatelet drugs perioperative period Cited by others 13	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7101
__label__cc	0.657079	0.342921	Hilo Weather Kona Weather Saddle Road Tide Chart Hawaiian Moons Meet The InstantHawaii Team (alphabetical order) John has lived in Hawai'i most of his life and has spent much of his spare time exploring and learning about the Big Island. Co-owner of Dolphin Bay Hotel in Hilo, John uses his vast island knowledge to help his guests enjoy and appreciate all that Hawai'i has to offer. John is the source of much of the basic information in this site, from which we do further research. In fact, this site would not be possible without John's valuable experience. David fell in love with Hawai'i and the Volcano in the early 90's and moved to Hawai'i in the late 90's. owner of Cookware Software, a Hawai'i based company that provides Internet, Web, and Software services, David also works for Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i providing computer programming for the Subaru Telescope Project on Mauna Kea. David and John together do all the hikes, trails and scenic drives on this site. However, while some of the photographs on InstantHawaii show John in them, you never see David as he is always behind the camera. InstantHawaii Team Auxiliary Members Coco came to Hawai'i with David in the late 90's. A beautiful Golden Retriever and Red Lab mix, Coco is often along on hikes and trails and can be frequently seen in many of the photographs on this site, including a few where dogs are not allowed (because she considers herself 100% human). Update: Coco passed away on June 13, 2005 at the ripe age of 18. We have dedicated a trail to her memory. Please join us as we enjoy Coco's Trail in Hawaiian Paradise Park. Harry is an African Grey Parrot with an extensive vocabulary and good sense of music. Born in a school on Oahu, Harry was adopted by John and came to live with him on the Big Island. Harry also considers himself 100% human and can prove it by saying many phrases and identifying items. If you dare to disagree, he will be more than happy to show you the strength of his beak. Keetan Keetan (key-tan), a Ragamuffin breed of cat, was adopted shortly after David and Coco moved to Hawai'i as a companion for Coco. Coco who nursed more than one litter of kittens (due to inattentive moms) loves cats and the two often sleep nestled together. Keetan also is present during most of the writing for this site and demands petting while David is trying to type. Rubble (or Rebel or Rubber, depending on your mood) is also an unknown breed of cat, born in Hawai'i. Rubble is John's cat and is also the official Dolphin Bay Hotel cat. She is always on the run defending the hotel from other stray cats and the local peacocks. A favorite of many guests to the hotel, Rubble can be found sleeping on the cars or going room-to-room looking for handouts. Meet Rubble, one of the Dolphin Bay Hotel Cats Filmed by Dolphin Bay guest Zack Scott This page is named 'Team'. Can't Find It? http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hi?Team	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7102
__label__cc	0.55257	0.44743	Home Small Business Asiaonair To Go Regional With Streaming Solutions Asiaonair To Go Regional With Streaming Solutions By Raymond Hor \| August 10, 2001 Malaysian streaming media solutions provider Asiaonair Digital Broadcast Network is planning a regional expansion drive as early as end-2001, after reaping profits just 15 months into the game. Its target: to expand into Singapore, Indonesia, China, Korea and Australia by 2002. "We expect streaming media to grow into a huge business over the next five years and dominate the current media businesses. Digital convergence is inevitable and we will be conducting most of our communications, information search, entertainment and commercial transactions on broadband networks," said founder and chief executive officer David Yong. The company had spent the past year building its brand and promoting its localized services (its streaming solutions are developed by local talent). Asiaonair's streaming content consists of more than 1,500 original video clips in English and Mandarin, and it boasts a stable of 60 international broadband content partners. According to Yong, the company's revenue from providing services, solutions and content redistribution in Malaysia has grown threefold from RM50,000 (US$13,200) a month in January this year to a current figure of approximately RM150,000 (US$39,500) a month. He acknowledges that the local environment is not conducive enough to help sufficiently grow Asiaonair's business. A lack of venture capitalists and technology exchange to help fast-growing IT companies, as well as the slow development of broadband infrastructure in the country, are obstacles that Asiaonair must overcome as a pioneer in the streaming media industry, he said. Yet another challenge is the relatively slower acceptance of new technologies and growth of the IT sector in Malaysia, as compared to those in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, China, Japan and Australia, Yong added. To date, Asiaonair has spent RM3.2 million (US$842,100) to build its business in Malaysia and finance its expansion into China, Singapore and Indonesia beginning end-2001. It is currently on the lookout for a strategic partner to expand into Southeast Asia to gain market share in broadband applications as broadband access in the region becomes more affordable and consumer demand becomes more sophisticated. On Asiaonair's regional expansion drive, Yong is confident that the company's client list and its competitive pricing will help mitigate the threat of competition in China and Singapore. He believes that companies in China are ready to accept streaming media as a new way of advertising, as they are aware of the convergence of rich, digital and streaming media types. As for the economic downturn experienced by companies in Singapore, and the current climate of political uncertainty in Indonesia, Yong is of the opinion that businesses will still need to market their products or services; they will continue to allocate funds for marketing or streamline business processes to reduce cost and enhance efficiency. Asiaonair expects to venture into Australia and Korea - markets that have high Internet usage - by 2002, armed with a stronger range of products, services and content offerings.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7105
__label__wiki	0.730989	0.730989	The Pottery Exhibition Coming from a father, Shinpei Asai, who is a photographer, and a grandfather who is a potter based in the city of Seto, the genes of creativity have passed on to son/grandson, Ryusuke Asai, who became a ceramic artist. Ryusuke Asai – a dynamic artist who also happens to be a musician - produces classical bowls with an ever so nuanced, simple approach and a sense of taking great care in the expression of each piece. While his works sometimes possess the essence of Koetsu, Kizaemon, or Raku Kichizaemon, they also have an international flare. Asai is an artist with a high level of positive reception; a ceramicist with many fans. He is a highly anticipated mid-career potter. Ginza Ippodo Gallery will exhibit a variety of his works, including tea bowls and Guinomi (Sake cup). Ryusuke Asai (b. 1966) is the son of Shinpei Asai, who was the official photographer for the Beatles in Japan. Asai formed his own band and still likes to sing John Lennon's 'Imagine', but his grandfather and uncle were both potters and so he had contact in the field from an early age. He first worked with clay while he was a student at Dartington Hall School, a British public school situated in the county of Devon, where the famous British potter, Bernard Leach, once built a kiln and also worked as a teacher. After graduating from Waseda University, he attended the Department of Art at Goldsmith's College of London University, where he studied pottery while devoting himself to contemporary art. During a trip back to Japan in 1991, he studied for a period under Ryoji Koie, allowing him to learn from Koie's artistic spirit (Koie is renown for transcending boundaries of Japanese tradition and art crafts as he works with clay). Later, after he returned permanently from England in 1994, he worked at the office of Shigeru Uchida, who was a leader of interior design at that time. Since then, he has continued to produce chic works, combining styles of East and West, classic and contemporary. Possessing elegance and subtle sensitivity, his tea bowls in the classical Oribe and Kuroraku styles have captured the hearts of Japan's young tea aficionados.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7107
__label__cc	0.726009	0.273991	Get Fundraising Janki Saye Foundation Enabling solutions for people with disabilities The Janki Saye Foundation is pleased and proud to announce that we have awarded our first grant!! June 22, 2015 By ss The grant has been awarded to Patrick, who has been registered blind since 2009, and has been used to fund a Prodigi Duo “reading” device. This will provide Patrick with access to previously inaccessible materials such as job postings, research papers and specialist/reference books. This is the foundation he needs to seek employment, enabling him to rebuild his confidence, reconstruct his life and turn despair into hope! Patrick was working as an award winning building services design consultant until he suddenly lost his sight. From that point, not only was he unable to work, but he also had to learn a new way of life. He has since re-acquired computer keyboard skills and uses available technology in the local library so that he can access the internet and use email. Now he has the Prodigi Duo, his goal is to seek employment so that he can continue his work as a consultant and also help other visually impaired people. Read the full story Charity Registration Number 1161371 • Copyright © 2019 • Janki Saye Foundation	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7109
__label__wiki	0.763451	0.763451	Posted: Oct 11, 2012 \| 12:48 AM 1811: The first steam-powered ferryboat route begins between New York City and its little brother, Hoboken, N.J. Let's go on a tour of marvelous Hoboken, birthplace of baseball, Sinatra, zippers, ice cream cones, and slide rules. 24 pizza places in one square mile. 1884: Eleanor Roosevelt, Humanitarian and First Lady, born in NYC. 1906: Charles Revson, founder of Revlon, born. He will die 68 years later. 1913: The Giants lose the World Series to the Philadelphia A's 3-1 at the Polo Grounds. The series was 4-1. 1918: Jerome Robbins choreographer born, living to 79. 1925: The New York Giants plays its first NFL game. They lost to the Steamroller in Providence, RI. 1936: In 1908 Elijah West Price was the fastest man on the world. His iceboat hit 140 miles per hour, faster than any surface vehicle at that point. He died on this day. 1943: The Yankees win the World Series 2-0 against the Cardinals, making up for their 1942 loss to them. The series was 4-1. 1960: Aretha Franklin makes her NYC onstage debut at the Village Vanguard at age 18. 1968: Jane Krakowski, Actress and star of 30 Rock, born in NJ. 1975: Comedic genius George Carlin hosts the first episode of Saturday Night Live. 1994: Basketball coaching great Frank McGuire dies at 80. The St John's alum coached his alma mater for a 102-36 record from 1947-52. He moved to NC where in 1957 the team went 32-0 and won the NCAA.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7110
__label__wiki	0.632334	0.632334	Home Posts tagged “second marriage” The Longshot Comedian Tim Conway died today. He started his career on “McHale’s Navy” and was best known for his role on “The Carol Burnett Show.” During the last year of his life, his daughter from his first marriage squabbled with his second wife of 35 years over his medical care. The daughter sought to be appointed conservator (i.e. guardian) of him even though Conway had executed a health care power of attorney designating his wife as his health care decision maker. The daughter’s petition was denied and eventually the wife was designated as the conservator. The daughter said she would continue to be an advocate for children seeking visitation denied by a step-parent. Several somewhat redundant points: 1. Because Conway had executed a financial power of attorney and health care power of attorney in favor of his wife, a conservatorship was unnecessary because those documents determined his wishes. 2. It is bananas that animosity between a child and step-mother does not subside after 35 years of marriage. 3. The daughter’s declaration of victory and promise of advocacy after having no legal basis for her position and then being thwarted by the court is Trumpian. Photo Credit: Fox News video #MeToo (#SheWasFirst) William Agee was a boy wonder corporate exec in the late 70’s and early 80’s when he helmed Bendix Corporation. Mary Cunningham was a Harvard MBA grad voted most likely to be CEO of a non-cosmetics company. She spurned job offers on Wall Street to work for Bendix as Agee’s personal assistant before being promoted to Vice President. They eventually divorced their spouses and married each other while ignoring rumors that Cunningham had “slept her way to the top.” After Agee’s several failed business deals reportedly undertaken under Cunningham’s advice, Cunningham became known as the Yoko Ono of finance. They settled in Napa Valley where Cunningham acquired the moniker of “Tomato Lady” for growing special tomatoes. Six weeks before he died, Agee, reportedly suffering from dementia, changed his will to leave half his assets to his children from whom he had been estranged for 35 years. He also filed for divorce from Cunningham and named his daughter as his health care power of attorney. His last communication with his wife was via Face Time from Seattle. Cunningham is challenging the will although it does not matter because most of his assets were in his trust which was unchanged before his death. A few points: 1. A will change six weeks before death to benefit children who have been estranged for 35 years will always generate questions of competency.. 2. If Agee changed his will prior to his death, he should have also changed his trust if his assets were titled in the name of the trust. 3. Yoko Ono of finance? Tomato Lady? Music fans could only wish that Yoko Ono had grown tomatoes instead of creating unlistenable music and breaking up the Beatles. Photo Credit: Mary Moritz for the New York Times King of Cruelty When unfunny comedian, Jerry Lewis, died last month, he was survived by 5 sons from his first marriage, his second wife (SanDee, a former Vegas dancer 25 years younger than him), and a daughter from his second marriage. His 2012 will left his entire estate to his wife and daughter. He purposefully excluded his six sons (including his son who died of a heroin overdose in 2009) and their descendants. Lewis’ sons had long accused him of treating them cruelly with the deceased son claiming that he had beaten them viciously. When that son died in 2009, Lewis refused to pay for his funeral. Lewis is reportedly only worth several million dollars, but the value of his estate is in the movie rights he owns to his movies. Several minor points: 1. Lewis was not obligated to leave anything to his sons. 2. It was smart of him to specifically exclude the descendants of the deceased son so someone cannot try to claim part of the estate by alleging to be an illegitimate grandchild. 3. I would have taken the under on an allegedly cruel man remaining married to a Vegas dancer with two capital letters in her name for 35 years. Photo Credit: WireImage Not All Step-Mothers Are Evil A British farmer died and left his second wife of nine years the sum of $155,000. He left each of his sons from a prior marriage the sum of $81,000. The sons contested the will by arguing that their father, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 20 years, was incompetent when he made the will. The argued that his prior will which left his wife the sum of $125,000 was his real will. After years of litigation, and $250,000 of legal fees, the court ruled that his last will was valid and that all of the legal fees for the will contest were to be paid by the sons, not the estate. In his ruling, the judge stated the sons were unreasonable and frivolous for fighting over such a small amount which was motivated by their dislike of their mother. Several non-pithy points: 1. The sons were simply expressing their disdain for their dad’s second wife by fighting over such a small amount and likely hoping to force their step-mother to spend her entire inheritance on legal fees. Bleed her dry, if you will. 2. Unlike the U.S. where each party is responsible for his own legal fees, the British system allows the loser to pay the legal fees of all parties. 3. Editorializing a bit here, I have never understood the visceral dislike or animosity towards second spouses. From a child’s point of view, I embraced my mom’s second husband because he was able to provide her companionship, someone to travel and dine with, a social life, and mental stimulation. He was also able to assist her with her medical needs, whether they were doctor appointments or recovering from surgeries or illnesses (the same applies times two for the woman my father in law has dated for five years – she is an angel). I never viewed him as a replacement for my father, but simply as a good man in the next chapter of my mom’s life. Sadly, I do not think enough children view their parent’s second spouse in a similar manner. These British guys were twits in not appreciating the woman who took care of their ailing father to the best of her abilities. Photo Copyright: Paul Keogh	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7113
__label__cc	0.559029	0.440971	A 39-point blueprint for ignorance http://www.jeffjacoby.com/853/a-39-point-blueprint-for-ignorance "WHAT DO YOU THINK all students should know and be able to do?" The Massachusetts Commission on the Common Core of Learning claims to have spent the past six months combing the state to figure out the answer to that question. What it has come up with is a 39-point "first draft" that is so vague, so weak, so mushy, so devoid of content that only a team of professional education bureaucrats could have written it. Nowhere in the commission's proposed Common Core, for example, is there any requirement that a public school graduate in Massachusetts be able to analyze the causes of World War I. Nowhere does it declare that a student must understand how the periodic table of elements is organized. Or be able to recite the Gettysburg Address. Or know how photosynthesis works . . . or where the Nile flows . . . or how Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata sounds . . . or what the Fifth Commandment commands . . . or how to take 15 percent from $249 . . . or why Columbus sailed west. Those are examples of specific knowledge, and specific knowledge is what the commission's draft goes out of its way to avoid. From the first item on its list ("Identify well-defined, realistic goals and priorities") to No. 39 ("Participate in meaningful community-service and school-service activities"), the commission has drafted a blueprint for learning that would require Massachusetts students to actually learn almost nothing. Gov. Weld repudiated the document yesterday. "Most parents," he wrote in a letter hand-delivered to the two state officials driving the commission, Board of Education chairman Martin Kaplan and Education Commissioner Robert Antonucci, "have an old-fashioned conception of education -- that their children need to know first and foremost how to read and write and that high academic standards are not elitist." Biology is left out of the Common Core draft. So is physics, Shakespeare, and the Bill of Rights. But it does specify that, upon graduation, all students must be able to "identify stereotyping," "understand human sexuality," "generate original ideas," and "use appropriate gestures." Use appropriate gestures? In 1818, Thomas Jefferson needed just one sentence to outline a core curriculum for students in what we would call grades K-12. In the Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia -- a landmark document on American education -- he wrote: "To instruct the mass of our citizens in these -- their rights, interests, and duties as men and citizens -- being then the objects of education in the primary schools . . . in them should be taught reading, writing, and numerical arithmetic, the elements of weights and measures, and the outlines of geography and history." Nope, nothing in there about using appropriate gestures. But then, Jefferson never had the benefit of 1970s-style educational progressivism. It never occurred to him that academic rigor -- teaching students to think by making them absorb language and mathematics, master facts and figures, study names and dates and classic texts -- should be jettisoned in favor of soft, sloppy, faddish curricula built around windy notions like self-esteem, relevance, social justice, or diversity. No wonder Johnny can't read. No wonder most Massachusetts students flunk standard tests of basic competence. No wonder 40 percent of Boston public school graduates are illiterate. The wreckage of the modern grade-school curriculum is captured magnificently in the Common Core of Learning draft. "Converse and listen to share information," yes. Homework, no. "Promote understanding," yes. American history, no. "Concepts, themes, skills, and current issues," yes. Facts, no. This is what you get when education is controlled by teachers' unions instead of parents, when tests are dumbed down so nobody will flunk, and when it is thought more important that children express their feelings and clarify their values than overcome their ignorance. But the common core draft is not just shallow and perverse; it also flies in the teeth of the Education Reform Act of 1993. That statute -- under which state spending on public schools will skyrocket by $5 billion before the decade is out -- directs the education commissioner to "develop academic standards for the core subjects of mathematics, science and technology, history and social science, English, foreign languages, and the arts." Real standards -- not the squishy drivel of the commission: "The standards shall be formulated so as to set high expectations of student performance and to provide clear and specific examples that embody and reflect these high expectations" and "shall be expressed in terms which lend themselves to objective measurement . . . and facilitate comparisons with students of other states and other nations." The statute even specifies that the curriculum "shall provide for instruction in . . . the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Federalist Papers." The Massachusetts Commission on the Common Core of Learning managed to leave all that out of its report. But at least it didn't forget the importance of using appropriate gestures. (Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe.) Related Topics: Education receive the latest by email: subscribe to jeff jacoby's free mailing list Biden was right. Busing was wrong Non-diversity and the spelling bee Special Olympics can soar on its own	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7114
__label__cc	0.544679	0.455321	Jeremiah Watkins Stand-Up On The Spot Regan and Watkins Jeremiah Watkins: Bio Jeremiah Watkins is heralded as the comedian for making Judd Apatow fall in love with comedy again, and that's a direct quote from Judd himself! You may know him as 1/3 of The Wave from Comedy Central's Roast Battle, as Moshpit (a roadie/hypeman) in The Comedy Jam, or as 1/2 of the musical comedy super-duo Regan and Watkins during Kill Tony, the #1 Live Podcast in the world. He performs stand-up at all of the major clubs in Los Angeles throughout the week and became a Paid Regular in 2016 at The World Famous Comedy Store, getting his name painted on their prestigious wall in 2017. The Comedy Store is also the home for his wildly popular live show Stand-Up On The Spot, which just came off a hit run of shows at Montreal's Just For Laughs Comedy Festival and was named by GQ Magazine as one of the "5 Funniest Nights in America." Since moving to LA from Kansas, he has established himself as one of the most physical stand-up comedians in Los Angeles with his high energy and off-the-cuff style. He placed 2nd in the 2015 Big Sky Comedy Festival, and has performed at Just for Laughs, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, TBS's New York Comedy Festival, South by Southwest, Riot LA, Moontower, and many other festivals throughout the country. Other film and tv appearances include: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central's The Comedy Jam, Big Jay Oakerson's What's Your F@%king Deal?! on Seeso, star of the the film i-Lived (available on HULU), supporting in the film The Bet (available on Prime), and he can also be seen in the season 2 finale of HBO's Crashing with Pete Holmes. He is a graduate of the Second City, has trained at The Groundlings, and has performed improv all over Los Angeles. No matter what size the audience, Jeremiah Watkins guarantees a memorable show experience like you've never seen before. © The official website of comedian Jeremiah Watkins	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7115
__label__wiki	0.503734	0.503734	HomeFind a JobCompaniesBarilla America, Inc Current Jobs (8) At Barilla, we believe that the making — and enjoyment — of food is an art. Through our pastas and sauces, we want to bring Americans the best that Italy's culinary traditions have to offer; and through our promotion of Italian food, art, and culture, we want to inspire everyone to share in the values that have guided us for more than a century — a love of life, a devotion to quality, and a respect for tradition. Since its founding in Parma, Italy in 1877, Barilla has been a family-run company, dedicated to producing the highest quality food products for consumers around the world. Barilla America, Inc., the U.S.-based division of The Barilla Group, extends the company's commitment to flavor, convenience, and the highest culinary standards to America, where, following its launch in 1996, Barilla has become the #1 national brand of pasta. Barilla America, Inc., the U.S.-based division of The Barilla Group, Italy’s largest food producer, was launched in 1996. Just three years later, Barilla became the No. 1 brand of pasta in the United States (and today produces the fastest-growing pasta and sauce brands in their categories). To achieve this milestone in such a short time is a testament to Barilla’s history of 130 years of excellence in food production, brand-building, product quality, and global consistency. At Barilla, food production is guided by three essential principles: product quality, commitment to nutritionally balanced eating, and, of course, flavor, the unmistakable hallmark of the Barilla brand name. To maintain these standards, the Group engages in extensive research and development that helps us produce the best products, while always considering the concerns and needs of our customers. The Group also operates with respect for the environment and consumer health, and serves as a helpful, caring partner in the communities in which we operate. Finally, because Barilla considers its people to be its greatest asset – the key to its development, growth, and success – we work hard to foster natural talent and leadership with a managerial style that is based on integrity, sound decision making, and business practices that are always professional and ethical. Barilla America, Inc Wholesale / Retail Trade (non-computer) www.barillaus.com 885 Sunset Ridge Rd	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7116
__label__wiki	0.875518	0.875518	Iyanla Vanzant on why she passed on putting R. Kelly on “Fix My Life”: “He didn't have the emotional capacity for healing” January 11, 2019 ABC Music Courtesy of OWN As Iyanla Vanzant gears up for another explosive season of Fix My Life on Saturday, the life coach and television personality is also weighing in on the recent controversy surrounding R. Kelly and the Lifetime docuseries that highlights his alleged sexual abuse. Turns out Vanzant had the opportunity to put the singer on her show, but passed. “R. Kelly reached out to Fix My Life, long before this documentary was ever done,” Vanzant reveals to ABC Radio. But she explains that she wasn’t able to offer the singer any help because he didn’t meet the show’s criteria. “Are they willing? Are they ready? Do they have the capacity to do the work?” she says, ticking off the criteria. “He didn’t have… the emotional capacity. Just didn’t have it. And I knew, based on what I was looking at — the paces that I would have to take him through — it would have been brutal.” But even though Vanzant says Kelly “hasn’t done the work” to fix his behavior, she doesn’t believe that sending him to jail will help him. “I would never ever condone, or justify anything that he’s been accused of doing,” she says. “But locking him up in jail…it’s not the answer…he’s sick.” Vanzant says to really “fix” the lives of everyone involved, there needs to be a “massive healing,” which would involve Kelly getting help and owning up to his wrongdoing. “But what I do know is that, without some long term intervention, he doesn’t have the capacity,” she says. “Just wouldn’t be able to hear it, receive it…. Classic thing is that he’s not telling the truth about it…he’s still saying he didn’t do this.” The new season of Iyanla: Fix My Life premiere Saturday, January 12 at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7117
__label__wiki	0.830124	0.830124	MyKlovr, World's First Ever Digital College Counselor Announces Two Major Strategic Additions to its Advisory Board SOURCE myKlovr NEW YORK, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MyKlovr is delighted to announce the appointment of two new advisory board members who bring more than 65 combined years of business, benefits, and human resource experience. MyKlovr's new board members are pillars in Fortune 500 companies, industry leaders, and humanitarians. Nancy Newman is SVP of HR at Viacom Inc. Ms. Newman leads all HR-directed practices throughout the organization and previously served as the EVP and Chief of Staff to the divisional president of MTV Networks, VH1, CMT, and LOGO, acting as a senior strategic partner to the president for all business and organizational decisions within the $2 billion enterprise. Ms. Newman is a member of Viacom's Executive Global Inclusion Advisory Board and was named Working Mother of the Year by Working Mother Media. Ms. Newman holds an M.A. in organizational psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in psychology with a minor in business from Trinity University. Ms. Newman praised the myKlovr platform by saying, "I have never seen a product that can do so much, for so many, at such a low cost. The fact that myKlovr can be offered as a Total Rewards Benefit package makes it a compelling proposition for Benefits Managers. Kudos to myKlovr, you fixed one of the most pressing HR issues, how to attract and retain talent." Larry Kirshner is Co-President at Frenkel Benefits – an EPIC Company. Joining Frenkel as EVP and an equity-holding partner in 2001, Mr. Kirshner has played a significant role in the exponential growth that Frenkel Benefits has achieved along with the firm's leadership position in the industry. Mr. Kirshner graduated from State University of NY at Oneonta with degrees in history and political science. Mr. Kirshner has been recognized as an Alumni of Distinction after establishing the Kirshner Family Scholarship in 2017 for first-generation college students. "As a parent who has recently gone through the college admissions process, I appreciate the incredible weight that myKlovr takes off families' shoulders. As a benefits provider, I am thrilled to offer the first ever virtual college counselor to our dedicated workforce and clients alike," Mr. Kirshner commented. MyKlovr's founder and Ceo, Gustavo G. Dolfino added, "It is a privilege and an honor to have Nancy and Larry join our advisory board. Their guidance and expertise will prove crucial to myKlovr's scalability." With a rate of nearly 500 children per high-school counselor, college admissions is a major issue facing most families. MyKlovr's artificial intelligence driven virtual college counselor, helps students get admitted to the school of their dreams, by focusing on both EQ and IQ, and doing so at an early age, where strategic interventions are more likely to succeed. The myKlovr benefit is provided by companies to their employees for the benefit of their families, either on a company paid basis, as part of a total rewards benefit offering, or employee paid, on a voluntary after-tax basis. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/myklovr-worlds-first-ever-digital-college-counselor-announces-two-major-strategic-additions-to-its-advisory-board-300869950.html ©2017 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved. Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. Frankly and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact pressreleases@franklyinc.com	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7119
__label__wiki	0.739183	0.739183	Advice for Actors from Backstage West Looking Good on Paper A sound resume can make a difference by Andrew Salomon So much of what contributes to actors' success lies beyond their grasp: current tastes and trends, an agent's diligence, a casting director's mood. Advice from industry insiders is essentially thus: Concentrate on what you can control and leave the rest alone. Even if actors pay attention to that bromide, however, they'll hear it so often they'll begin to tune it out. So let's talk about what you can control, what you can literally touch and shape -- that 8-by-10 piece of paper that sums up who you are: the resume. According to agents, casting directors, directors, and educators -- in other words, the people who sift through hundreds of headshots a week -- a resume should function just as an actor should at an audition: clearly, honestly, and with an absence of fuss. "Don't obsess too much about it," Natalie Skelton, the school administrator for the Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improv company, wrote in an email. "We just need to know a little bit about your background and a picture to remember you by, since we audition hundreds and hundreds of students." This is not to say a resume shouldn't command an actor's time and attention. It must, because, in addition to your self and your headshot, it's one of the few things that tells the industry exactly who you are. "I do look at credits," writes Stewart Schulman, who has directed many plays in New York, L.A., and regionally. "If one or two things 'pop' to separate them from most of the other talent that you're looking at or auditioning, or in some way legitimizes them in your mind, then that may give them the shot for the audition or actually give them the part." The Lies That Bind Nevertheless, other than clearly presenting the details of their career -- work, training, union affiliations, and representation -- there isn't much that actors can put on a resume that will elevate them above the pile. Above all, actors should never lie, even though they do it "all the time," according to Skelton. "Students have claimed to be Groundlings company members when they weren't," she writes. "The only way to become a Groundling is to go through all the levels of the Groundlings School and then get voted into the company from the Sunday Company by current company members. So many people say they are Groundlings when they have only taken one or two classes here.… Remember, we have a lot of real former Groundlings out there in the industry, so you might find yourself lying to a prominent casting director one day." Joan Lynn, of Joan Lynn Casting in New York, once auditioned an actor who listed on his resume a certain play with a prominent New York company. Lynn knew he hadn't done the work, because she had cast that play herself. "If an actor lies," Lynn says, "I will never see that person again. Ever. And it's a small world out there. Word gets around; people talk." Another thing that irritates her is when actors "write that they're 'SAG eligible,' " referring to the Screen Actors Guild. "Well, anybody can be eligible. Don't write that until you're officially in SAG or AFTRA or Equity.... I love actors. I really do. But it's upsetting when people fib." An Obsession Back Stage sent queries to actors around the country to get their perspectives on the resume-writing process. The consensus seems to be that actors do, in fact, obsess about this. When asked, "How much time and thought have you put into writing your resume?," most answers reflected equal parts diligence and anguish: "Tons." "Constantly." "About 15 hours, give or take, a day." "Three years." "Years." Mandi Bedbury of New York wrote, "Hours!!! Days!!! Years!!! The thing that frustrates me, however, is that as much as you want to make it your own, there is still a 'cookie cutter' layout that you have to use to make the casting directors' lives easier." Indeed. CDs, agents, directors, and other gatekeepers simply want an actor's resume to get to the point. At the top should be the vital statistics: name, height, weight, hair and eye color, vocal range, phone number (only one), and email address. Never list your Social Security number, Lynn says: "People only need that after you've booked a job." Also, list your union affiliations and the name of your agent and/or manager, but only if you have a signed contract with them, she says: "Don't say you're represented by an agency if you're only freelancing for them. I've called up agents and mentioned actors' names and they'd say, 'Who?' Not only does it make you look bad, it makes me look bad, and that makes me angry." After the vital statistics, there is a generally accepted order in which actors' work should appear, Lynn says: theatre, film/television, commercials, education/training, and special skills. "I was lucky to have found a great format early on and have stuck with it," writes New York actor Suzanne Du Charme, whose resume hews closely to what Lynn suggests. "In fact, when Phil Rosenthal [the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond] was starting out, he was trying to be an actor.… I worked with his mom. One day, Phil came into the office and asked me for help putting together his resume, since he liked the format of mine so much. I actually typed his first resume for him." 'Husband, Father, Psycho' One issue for many actors is how to specifically define the work they've done. With so many plays and independent films out there that no one has heard of, let alone seen, much of what an actor lists on a resume can seem irrelevant. But actors should indicate whether the role was a lead or a featured part. (Don't, Skelton says, list your work as an extra.) Russell Hess, an actor in Sarasota, Fla., received a tip from a casting director that takes it one step further: Describe each of your roles. For instance, Hess worked in an independent film, Hymns of You, that was made by Sail Forth Productions. He played the character Harrison Morgan. In addition to the word "lead," he put "lonely, frustrated husband." For another movie, Unearthed, Hess played Frank Bruer, "overzealous detective." Other types he has played include "husband, father, psycho," "hitman/heroin dealer," and "aimlessly wandering young man." "If you do an indie film and nobody's ever heard of it," Hess writes, "then how will they know what type of role you played as Henry from Who Stole My Toenail Clippings? Now, if you have that same line, same title, and you put 'Henry -- homosexual, lumberjack, heroin dealer,' that says something, or better yet, it poses questions." Does It Really Matter? As for how seriously the actors think members of the industry consider their resumes when giving out auditions or jobs, the reactions were mixed. "So many projects…need to be booked so quickly that casting directors just need to cull out actors who don't fit the breakdowns," Du Charme writes. "But at theatre auditions, for example, they always look at the resume. Well, almost always." "When I get a resume for a project I'm developing, I read the resume, but I've heard others don't even turn the headshot over," writes Hess, who is also a producer and writer. "For my purposes, I like to read the resumes so I can see what they've done.… If you know what to look for, you can tell if you think they'll be good on set." Has their resume ever made a difference in getting them a job or an audition? "I don't think so," writes John Joseph Gomes of Rhode Island. "I've heard more from directors and casting directors about being called in for an audition because of my 'unique' look. Whatever that means." But for Du Charme, that piece of paper has turned the key "quite a few times." "Once I was auditioning for a Shakespeare company, and the director read my resume right then and there. She said, 'Oh, I see you've worked with so-and-so. I've also worked with him.' We got to talking, and I got the part." Schulman maintains that resumes can and do influence his choices as a director. "If you're in callbacks, or post-callbacks and deciding on your final cast, you do often refer to the resume to see if there is past work experience that supports your desire to hire them," he writes. "And then you really have to think: 'Even though they gave a great initial audition and callback audition, will they have the chops to pull off what's required in this piece?' Casting is vitally important and the decisions are usually tough. Resumes can make a difference." 'An Interesting Little Glimpse' At the bottom of most actors' resumes is the heading "Special Skills," which can be anything -- a dialect, juggling, riding a unicycle, or sometimes a combination of the three. The actors surveyed offered a vast array of special skills, either those they possess or have seen listed on other resumes. They include: The ability to put a leg behind one's head, the ability to raise one eyebrow, ambidextrous, "dead-on" Bart Simpson imitation, baton twirling, beekeeping, belly dancing, a brown belt in Shuri-ryu karate, camping, contact juggling, crying on cue, ear wiggling, Elizabethan verse, fire breathing, flag spinning, fly fishing, go-go dancing, great with kids, lisping, miming musical instruments, rapid shoelace tying, rock 'n' roll roller-skating, stuttering, touching one's nose with one's tongue, tying a cherry stem with one's tongue, throwing a spiral (football), yodeling. As for special skills these actors don't possess but wish they did, they mentioned acrobatics, fluency in sign language, fluency in any language, the eyebrow wave, horseback riding, playing a musical instrument, singing well (the most common wish), tightrope walking, and yodeling. "That area does show personality to some extent," Schulman writes. "And you never know what skills they have that you might need in the project you're casting." Bedbury adds, "I've heard of people getting the job because they have 'good with guns' on their resume.… It's an interesting little glimpse into your life that helps determine if you get the audition." For others, special skills aren't such a big deal. "Initially I put a lot of thought into this part," writes the ambidextrous, sky-diving, jet-skiing, rope-swinging, typing, lisping, stuttering Hess, who lists 26 special skills. (Actually, it's a lot more than that if you count his "over 40 specific" vocal impersonations.) "But after so many years of doing this, I don't think most people even get that far down." Lynn, the casting director, says the important thing for special skills "is that you have to deliver on what you promise." And that's true for anything you put on a resume. Skelton, from the Groundlings, wants to make sure actors understand one thing when it comes to their resumes. She feels so strongly about it, she wrote it in italicized, boldfaced capital letters and punctuated it with four exclamation points: "Please staple your headshot and resume together at home. Otherwise, you come across as very unprepared. Drives us nuts." http://www.backstage.com Labels: actor, advice, los angeles David Blaine Street Magic a kate west favorite David Blaine appears to trick two unsuspecting bystanders by seemingly knowing more about them than they know themselves. On closer look, we realize it's a parody, and a damn good one, thanks to Groundlings company members Mitch Silpa, Mikey Day (MTV's "Wild-n'Out") and Michael Naughton. It's worth several viewings and will only be funnier each time. And since a picture is worth a thousand words ... enjoy! Mikey Day and Michael Naughton Mitch Silpa as David Blaine Mikey Day and Michael Naughton as Victims (a.k.a. Idiots) www.groundlings.com Read more! Labels: Comedy, Cult, David Blaine, Fans, Favorite, Groundlings, Humor, Magic, Magician, MTV, Parody, Rave, Satire, Video, YouTube	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7120
__label__wiki	0.81265	0.81265	The Duck and Rice Review British Summertime Festival: Only Barbara Streisand could sing Silent Night in mid-Summer Barbra Streisand gave the audiences at the Barclay’s British Summertime event in Hyde Park,July 7th, everything they could have hoped for. And more was to come. The legend was joined for three ‘surprise’ duets during her set. One with Kris Kristofferson, who had performed a set earlier. He joined her on stage following giant screen images of the pair starring in the iconic 1976 film A Star is Born which tells the poignant tale of fading rock star, Kristofferson, whilst Streisand’s career is in ascendancy. Duets were also performed with West End star Ramin Karimloo and Lionel Richie, the latter overwhelmed to be in Streisand’s presence. Throughout the set Streisand served as a raconteur, illuminating highlights of her career accompanied by giant screen shots and songs, all the while sipping English Tea from English bone china. Streisand has had Number 1 albums in all of the last six decades,11 US Number 1 albums, 6 in the UK, an extensive film career winning 2 Oscars, 10 Grammys (including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), 5 Emmys and the Golden Globe ‘Best Director’ – the only woman to who have ever won this. Opening the Great Oak Stage (a magnificent example of set design), was The Kingdom Choir, a London gospel choir who performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Richard Marx Jamie Lawson and others. Bryan Ferry gave a great performance, deserving of his iconic star status. Other artists included Richard Marx, Jamie Lawson and others A huge celebrity turnout in the style of the Oscars included Ralph Fiennes, The Beckhams, Rebel Wilson, Myleene Klass, Dermot O’Leary, Andrew Scott, Ronan & Storm Keating, Leigh Francis, Claudia Winkleman, Richard Curtis, Emma Freud, Kelly Hoppen, Kate Garraway, Jacob Anderson, Richard E. Grant Streisand took the opportunity to remind us about our planet and our responsibility to the help save the environment. She sang all our great favourites, looked stunning and a several decades younger than her age. She is truly one of the world’s greatest performers. My only complaint? I didn’t get to interview her (yet). Boaters off and congratulations to all who made this best of British Festivals possible including AEG, The Royal Parks, the Outside Organisation and all who worked on presenting this first-class event. Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park is amulti award-winning festival and they presented another splendid and mesmeric evening.The organisation of an event of that magnitude takes administrative excellence andlarge experienced shoulders to pull it off. It showed. The Royal Parks is a charity created in March 2017 to manage 5,000 acres of historic royal parkland across London. The Royal Parks are: Hyde Park, The Green Park, Richmond Park, Greenwich Park, St James’s Park, Bushy Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, and Kensington Gardens. We also manage other important open spaces in the capital including Brompton Cemetery, Victoria Tower Gardens, Canning Green and Poet’s Corner, and we maintain the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street. It costs £40m a year to manage the parks. We raise around 75 per cent of this money ourselves, with the remaining 25 per cent coming from Government. Follow us on Twitter @BarclaycardNews http://www.bst-hydepark.com facebook.com/BSTHydePark @BSTHydepark READ The Egerton House Hotel Afternoon Tea Review Opera at the Royal College of Music Kate Hawthorne	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7121
__label__wiki	0.757773	0.757773	About KMR Consulting For more than two decades, Kelly Rosati has been one of the nation’s highest-profile and most effective advocates for children and the sanctity of human life. It’s that track record that fuels and informs her work as president of KMR Consulting. Rosati’s firm offers clients innovative, practical insights and action steps to achieve their strategic goals in communications and community and government relations. Before founding KMR Consulting, Rosati served for 10 years as vice president of Advocacy for Children and Community Outreach at Focus on the Family. She co-founded Focus’ nationally recognized Wait No More program, which recruits adoptive families for children in foster care awaiting adoptive families. Rosati has testified before Congress on the program’s success recruiting thousands of new families to initiate the foster care adoption process. Prior to joining Focus, she served for 10 years as the executive director of Hawaii Family Forum, where she advocated for Hawaii’s children and families in the Legislature and media. In 2001, she was named by the Honolulu Star Bulletin as one of the “10 Who Made a Difference” in the state for her pivotal role in raising the state’s lowest-in- the-nation age of sexual consent from 14 to 16. She was appointed by Hawaii’s governor to serve on several child and family state boards and commissions, including the Hawaii Children’s Trust Fund. In her role as a child advocate, while exploring barriers to adoption and how to change them, she began to realize that she had the opportunity to do more than simply advocate for children in foster care. So she and her husband, John, adopted four children – two boys and two girls – through the foster care system, a journey told in the couple’s 2011 book, Wait No More. While she is thankful to be able to provide a forever family to her four kids, Rosati knows there are still more than 100,000 children in the foster care system awaiting adoption – and her passion remains to find permanent homes for those boys and girls. Rosati is a frequent public speaker on the topics of the sanctity of human life and adoption and orphan care. She currently serves on the board of directors for the national March for Life and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Denver Post, New York Daily News, NPR, Christianity Today, and Good Housekeeping, as well as many radio and television stations nationwide. Rosati received her undergraduate degree from Marquette University and graduated cum laude from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Rosati and her husband have been married since 1991 and live with their four children in Elbert, Colorado. Read what Kelly’s colleagues and former coworkers are saying… Get in touch here. Theme: Illdy. © Copyright 2018 by KMR Consulting. All Rights Reserved. KMR Consulting	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7123
__label__wiki	0.989109	0.989109	The song in New Girl when they are running the marathon Season 1 Episode 19 Secrets The song in New Girl when they are running the marathon Season 1 Episode 19 Secrets is I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You Labels: The song in New Girl when they are running the marathon Season 1 Episode 19 Secrets The song in the Volvo commercial for S60 R-Design ... The song in This Is 40 trailer The song in the Hide Away trailer The song in the Hope Springs trailer The song in the Captain Morgan commercial for Blac... The song in the Adidas Adizero Sonic commercial fo... The song at the beginning of Supernatural Season 7... The song in Nikita when they arrive in the car Sea... The song in Nikita playing in the gallery Season 2... The song in The Giant Mechanical Man trailer The song in the Lowe's MyLowes commercial with the... The song in the Lowe's commercial with animated bi... The song in the HTC One commercial with people sky... The song at the end of Vampire Diaries Season 3 Ep... The song at the end of Person Of Interest Season 1... The song at the end of Grey's Anatomy Season 8 Epi... The song at the beginning of Grey's Anatomy Season... The song at the end of CSI Season 12 Episode 20 Al... The song at the beginning of CSI Season 12 Episode... The song in CSI during the wedding Season 12 Episo... The song at the end of Criminal Minds Season 7 Epi... The song at the end of Charlie's Angels Season 1 E... The song at the beginning of Charlie's Angels Seas... The song in Charlie's Angels at the party Season 1... The song in the Google Chrome commercial with the ... The song in Don't Trust The B---- In Apt 23 at the... The song in the Discovery Channel North America co... The song in the Hershey's Drops commercial 2012 The song in the Delta commercial for In2ition with... The song at the end of 90210 Season 4 Episode 21 B... The Raven is not bad just don't expect too much The song in the Philadelphia commercial with the c... The song at the end of Make It Or Break It Season ... The song at the end of HOUSE Season 8 Episode 18 B... The song at the end of HOUSE Season 8 Episode 17 W... The song at the beginning of HOUSE at the fair Sea... The song in Hart Of Dixie that Scotty plays Season... The song at the end of Hart Of Dixie Season 1 Epis... The song at the end of Gossip Girl Season 5 Episod... The song at the beginning of Gossip Girl Season 5 ... The song at the end of The Good Wife in the bar Se... The song in The Client List that they sing at the ... The song at the end of Mad Men Season 5 Episode 15... The song at the end of Harry's Law Season 2 Episod... The song at the beginning of CSI NY Season 8 Episo... The song at the beginning of Fringe in the club Se... The song in Magic City during the pageant Season 1... The song at the end of The Lucky One in the end cr... The song at the end of Think Like A Man in the end... The song in Think Like A Man playing in the car The song in the Lola Versus trailer The song in the H&M commercial Spring Fashion with... The song in the London Olympics commercial London ... The song in the MetLife commercial with Snoopy in ... The song in the Dirty Girl trailer The song in the Chimpanzee trailer The song in The Miracle Of Belle Isle trailer The song in The Cabin In The Woods that the girl d... The song at the end of The Cabin In The Woods in t... The song at the end of Lockout in the end credits The song in the Lockout trailer The song in the Sunkist commercial head for the su... The song in the Dodge commercial for Journey with ... The song in the Adventure Time commercial with the... The song at the end of The Three Stooges in the en... The song in the Magic Mike trailer The song at the beginning of American Reunion The song at the end of Touch that she sings Season... The song in Grey's Anatomy when Cristina is crying... The song in Raising Hope during the flashback Seas... The song at the end of Raising Hope Season 2 Episo... The song at the beginning of 90210 Season 4 Episod... The song in the Victoria's Secret commercial Angel... The song in the Subaru commercial for Impreza with... The song in the Nivea commercial that goes For The... The song in the Apple iPhone 4s commercial with Zo... The song at the beginning of Ringer Season 1 Episo... The song in Private Practice when Mason mother die... The song at the end of Private Practice Season 5 E... The song at the beginning of Private Practice Seas... The song in the Stolichnaya commercial the most or... The English rap song in the Adidas commercial with... The song in the Subway commercial with people eati... The song in the Mountain Dew commercial This Is Ho... The song in the Hampton commercial 2012 The song near the end of Battleship when they are ...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7128
__label__wiki	0.842335	0.842335	1891 United States Senate election in New York The 1891 United States Senate election in New York was held on January 20 and 21, 1891, by the New York State Legislature to elect a U.S. Senator (Class 3) to represent the State of New York in the United States Senate. 2 Candidates Republican William M. Evarts had been elected to this seat in 1885, and his term would expire on March 3, 1891. At the State election in November 1889, 19 Republicans and 13 Democrats were elected for a two-year term (1890-1891) in the State Senate. At the State election in November 1890, 68 Democrats and 60 Republicans were elected for the session of 1891 to the Assembly. The 114th New York State Legislature met from January 6 to April 30, 1891, at Albany, New York. Candidates[edit] Smith Mead Weed was a major organizer and financial supporter of the Democratic effort to claim control of the legislature in the 1890 elections. With a small minority in the Senate but a slightly larger majority in the Assembly, the Democrats were positioned to elect one of their own on the legislature's joint ballot. Weed expected to be the Democratic candidate, but agreed to withdraw if Governor David B. Hill desired the nomination. Hill decided to run and Weed withdrew. When the Democratic caucus met on January 19, 74 State legislators attended, and State Senator John C. Jacobs presided. Governor David B. Hill was nominated by acclamation. The Republican caucus met immediately after the Democratic caucus ended, Assemblyman James W. Husted presided. They re-nominated the incumbent U.S. Senator William M. Evarts unanimously. Result[edit] On January 20, both Houses of the State legislature took ballots separately. The incumbent U.S. Senator Evarts was the choice of the State Senate, Gov. Hill the choice of the Assembly. On January 21, both Houses met in joint session, and comparing nominations, found that they disagreed and proceeded to a joint ballot. Gov. Hill was elected by a majority of 2, every member of the Legislature being present. 1891 United States Senator election result U.S. Senator (Class 3) State Senate (32 members) David B. Hill 13 William M. Evarts 19 State Assembly (128 members) David B. Hill 65 William M. Evarts 58 Joint ballot Aftermath[edit] The seat became vacant on March 4, 1891. David B. Hill remained in office as Governor of New York until December 31, 1891, and took his seat only on January 7, 1892, missing actually only one month of session. There were no special sessions during the 52nd United States Congress and the regular session began only on December 7, 1891. Hill served a single term, and remained in the U.S. Senate until March 3, 1897. In January 1897, Hill was defeated for re-election by Republican Thomas C. Platt who had been a U.S. Senator briefly in 1881. Members of the 52nd United States Congress EXIT DAVID BENNETT HILL in NYT on January 20, 1891 [The headline expresses the erroneous belief that Hill, after his election, would resign the governorship and go to Washington, D.C.] HILL'S FRIENDS NERVOUS in NYT on January 21, 1891 HILL'S MAJORITY OF TWO in NYT on January 22, 1891 Elections in New York NY State Senate NY State Assembly NY Governor and NY Attorney General NY Comptroller NY Judicial Class 1: 1789 6thS 20thS 'S', 'S1', and 'S2' denote special elections, see also Political party strength in New York Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1891_United_States_Senate_election_in_New_York&oldid=889985345" United States Senate elections in New York (state) 1891 New York (state) elections 1891 United States Senate elections	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7131
__label__wiki	0.574134	0.574134	"FLL" redirects here. For other uses, see FLL (disambiguation). "Hollywood Airport" redirects here. For the airport serving Hollywood, Los Angeles, see Hollywood Burbank Airport. IATA: FLL ICAO: KFLL FAA LID: FLL WMO: 74783 Broward County Aviation Department Greater Miami unincorporated Broward County, Florida Hub for Tropic Ocean Airways Focus city for 65 ft / 20 m 26°04′21″N 080°09′10″W / 26.07250°N 80.15278°W / 26.07250; -80.15278Coordinates: 26°04′21″N 080°09′10″W / 26.07250°N 80.15278°W / 26.07250; -80.15278 www.broward.org/airport FAA diagram Location of airport in Florida / United States Show map of Florida FLL (the United States) 10L/28R 9,000 2,743 Asphalt 10R/28L 8,000 2,438 Concrete Total passengers 35,963,370[1] Aircraft operations Based aircraft (2017) Source: Federal Aviation Administration[3] Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (IATA: FLL, ICAO: KFLL, FAA LID: FLL) is in Broward County, Florida, United States, The airport is off Interstate 595, U.S. Route 1, Florida State Road A1A, and Florida State Road 5 bounded by the cities Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach,[4] three miles (5 km) southwest of downtown Fort Lauderdale[3] and 21 miles (34 kilometers) north of Miami. The airport is near cruise line terminals at Port Everglades and is popular among tourists bound for the Caribbean. With over 700 daily flights to 135 domestic and international destinations, FLL has become an intercontinental gateway since the late 1990s, although Miami International Airport still handles most long-haul flights. It is the largest base for Spirit Airlines, catering mainly to the airline's international to domestic network, and it is a focus city for JetBlue and Norwegian Air Shuttle. It is also a focus city for Allegiant Air and Southwest Airlines. In 2016, the top five air carriers by market share were JetBlue at 24.1%, Southwest Airlines at 21.2%, Spirit Airlines at 20.6%, Delta Air Lines at 9.7%, and United Airlines at 6.1%.[5] FLL is ranked as the 18th busiest airport (in terms of passenger traffic) in the United States, as well as the nation's 14th busiest international air gateway and one of the world's 50 busiest airports. FLL is classified by the US Federal Aviation Administration as a "major hub" facility serving commercial air traffic. In 2018, the airport processed 35,963,370 passengers[1] (10.6% more than 2017) including 8,608,363 international passengers (19.8% more than 2017). 4 Terminals 4.1 Terminal 1: "New Terminal"- Yellow 4.2 Terminal 2: "Delta" Terminal- Red 4.3 Terminal 3: Main Terminal- Purple 4.4 Terminal 4: International Terminal- Green 5 Airlines and destinations 5.1 Passenger 5.2 Cargo 6.1 Top destinations 6.2 Annual traffic 6.3 Airline Market Share 7 Art Exhibit 8 Ground transportation 8.1 Rail 8.2 Road Find sources: "Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Merle Fogg Airport opened on an abandoned 9-hole golf course on May 1, 1929. At the start of World War II, it was commissioned by the United States Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale. The base was initially used for refitting civil airliners for military service before they were ferried across the Atlantic to Europe and North Africa. NAS Fort Lauderdale later became a main training base for Naval Aviators and enlisted naval air crewmen flying the Grumman TBF and TBM Avenger for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps aboard aircraft carriers and from expeditionary airfields ashore. NAS Fort Lauderdale was the home base for Flight 19, the five TBM Avengers that disappeared in December 1945, leading in part to the notoriety of the Bermuda Triangle. NAS Fort Lauderdale closed on October 1, 1946 and was transferred to county control, becoming Broward County International Airport. Commercial flights to Nassau began on June 2, 1953, and domestic flights began in 1958–1959: Northeast Airlines and National Airlines DC-6Bs flew nonstop to Idlewild, and Northeast flew nonstop to Washington National. In 1959 the airport opened its first permanent terminal building and assumed its current name. In 1966, the airport averaged 48 airline operations a day; in 1972, it averaged 173 a day. The Feb 1966 Official Airline Guide shows three nonstop departures to New York–Kennedy and no other nonstop flights beyond Tampa and Orlando. Five years later. FLL had added nonstop flights to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York–La Guardia, Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. (Northeast's nonstop to Los Angeles had already been dropped.) By 1974, the airport was served by Braniff International Airways, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, National Airlines, Northwest Orient Airlines, Shawnee Airlines and United Airlines. Delta and Eastern were the dominant carriers, with 12 and 14 routes from FLL respectively.[6] By 1979, following deregulation, Air Florida, Bahamasair, Florida Airlines, Mackey International Airlines, Republic Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Western Airlines also served the airport.[7] Low-cost airline traffic grew in the 1990s, with Southwest opening its base in 1996, Spirit in 1999, and JetBlue in 2000. Spirit Airlines made FLL a hub in 2002. In 2003, JetBlue made FLL a focus city. US Airways also planned a hub at Fort Lauderdale in the mid-2000s as part of its reorganization strategy before its merger with America West.[8] Low-cost competition forced several major legacy airlines to cut back service to FLL, with United pulling out of the airport entirely in 2008[9] and American Airlines moving its New York and Los Angeles services to West Palm Beach in 2013.[10] During the 2005 hurricane season FLL was affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma. Katrina struck land in late August as a Category 1 and made landfall on Keating Beach just two miles from the airport (near the border of Broward and Miami–Dade counties) with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds but caused only minor damage; however, the airport was closed for about a 48-hour period. However, when Hurricane Wilma made landfall in October roof damage was reported along with broken windows, damaged jetways, and destroyed canopies. The airport was closed for a period of 5 days. Hurricane Wilma was a Category 2 when its center passed to the west of FLL. In February 2007, the airport started fees to all users, including private aircraft. FLL is one of the few airports to administer fees to private pilots. A minimum charge of $10 is assessed on landing private aircraft. On October 11, 2016, Emirates announced that they would operate a flight from Dubai to Ft. Lauderdale daily using a Boeing 777-200LR. The airline decided on Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami, which has considerably longer runways and better facilities for long haul flights, because of its codeshare agreement with JetBlue. The airline started flying in December 2016. On October 27, 2016, British Airways announced a flight from London Gatwick to Ft. Lauderdale three times a week, which began on July 6, 2017. A shooting took place at the airport on January 6, 2017 in Terminal 2, claiming five lives and injuring six.[11] In 2018, NORAD announced that it would be stationing fighter jets at the airport during President Donald Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago.[12] Facilities[edit] Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport covers 1,380 acres (558 ha) and has two runways:[3] 10L/28R: 9,000 x 150 ft (2,743 x 46 m) Asphalt 10R/28L: 8,000 x 150 ft (2,438 x 46 m) Concrete (Opened September 18, 2014.)[13] In August 2017, there were 102 aircraft based at this airport: 6 single-engine, 17 multi-engine, 68 jet and 11 helicopter. Silver Airways has its headquarters in Suite 201 of the 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd building.[14][15] When Chalk's International Airlines existed, its headquarters was on the grounds of the airport in an unincorporated area.[16] Expansion of 10R/28L Runway In 2003 plans to expand the facility started. Proposed improvements include an extension of runway 10R/28L,[17] construction and modifications to the airport's taxiway system to provide for increased speed, improved inter-terminal passenger movement and extensive terminal upgrades. The plan was updated a second time on April 25, 2006. Complaints by nearby communities about noise, along with concerns about buyout requirements, delayed construction that is expected to keep Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport viable through 2020.[18] On June 5, 2007 Broward County commissioners voted six to three in favor of extending the southern 10R/28L runway. The proposal looked to extend the runway to 8,000 ft in order to accommodate larger aircraft and to allow airplanes to land side by side at the same time. The proposal was approved by the FAA and expansion of the south runway is now complete, with the opening of the runway in September 2014.[13] The crosswind runway (13/31) was decommissioned on May 6, 2013.[19] All four terminals, now having 63 gates, will have 97 with the completion of a new long-haul international Terminal Four and Concourse A at Terminal One. By 2020, Ft. Lauderdale–Hollywood is projected to handle 36 million passengers annually.[20] Demolition and Reconstruction of Terminal Four During and after the expansion of runway 10R/28L, reconstruction of Terminal Four will begin at the cost of $450 million. The H concourse will be demolished to build the new "G" concourse. In this process four new gates will be added. Concession space will be increased from 2,128 ft² to 28,000 ft² and a secure walkway will be added to connect terminals three and four.[21] Maintenence on North Runway On June of 2019, north runway closed for maintenance, reducing the number of passengers flying in until October 2019. The airport has last seen major renovations on the north runway since 2004, with parts of the runway still dating back to 1943.[22] Terminals[edit] Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport has four terminals. Terminal 1, commonly referred to as "The New Terminal," opened in stages between 2001 and 2003 and was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum[23] and Cartaya Associates.[24] The other three terminals were constructed in 1986 and designed by Reynolds, Smith & Hills as part of a $263 million construction project.[25] Terminal 4, commonly referred to as the International Terminal, was inaugurated by a Concorde visit in 1983. Since 2005, T4 has been undergoing renovations and a major expansion designed by PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The airport announced that Terminal 1, common known as "The New Terminal", underwent $300 million makeover. Construction began in late 2015 and was completed in June 2017.[26] Terminal 1: "New Terminal"- Yellow[edit] The Yellow Terminal has three concourses (A, B, & C) and 23 gates. Concourse A opened on July 5, 2017 and has 7 gates (A1-A7), Concourse B has 7 gates (B2, B4-B9, B3 is now A1), and Concourse C has 9 gates (C1-C9). Concourse A mainly serves international travelers. United Airlines operates a United Club in Concourse C, which opened with the new Terminal in May 2001 as a Continental Airlines Presidents Club. This Terminal is only used by Swoop, Southwest, Alaska, Allegiant, Silver, United, Bahamasair, Copa, and WestJet. Terminal 2: "Delta" Terminal- Red[edit] The Red Terminal has one concourse (D) and 9 gates. Delta Air Lines operates a Sky Club here – one of six clubrooms in the state of Florida. This Terminal is only used by Delta and Air Canada. Terminal 3: Main Terminal- Purple[edit] The Purple Terminal has two concourses (E & F) and 20 gates. In May 2013, a food court opened in Concourse F. It currently consists of a Pei Wei, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and a Steak 'n Shake.[27] This Terminal is only used by JetBlue, Azul, Emirates, American, and Norwegian. Terminal 4: International Terminal- Green[edit] The Green Terminal has one concourse (G) and 12 gates (G1-G6, G9-G14). Concourse H closed in December 2017 and has since been demolished. Concourse H is currently being reconfigured and designed by the architectural firms of PGAL/Zyscovich joint venture. The new three-story facility renamed Concourse G will have 14 new gates, 11 of which are international/domestic capable and one arrivals area for bussing operations. New concessions and approximately 50,000 s.f. of administrative offices for the Aviation Department are being designed on the upper levels of the facility. Western Expansion began construction in 2013. Currently, gates G1-G6 on the east end and G9-G14 on the west end are operational and in use. Eastern expansion opened its first phase also in December 2017. An expanded Federal Inspection Services facility will also be included in the new Eastern Expansion construction. This Terminal is used by Spirit, Frontier, Air Transat, Avianca, British Airways, Caribbean, TAME, IBC, and SkyBahamas. Airlines and destinations[edit] Passenger[edit] Air Canada Seasonal: Halifax [28] Air Canada Rouge Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson Seasonal Ottawa (begins October 27, 2019)[29] [28] Air Transat Montréal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Halifax, Québec City, Vancouver (begins December 20, 2019)[30] [31] Alaska Airlines Los Angeles, Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: San Francisco [32] Allegiant Air Allentown, Asheville, Belleville/St. Louis, Columbus–Rickenbacker, Charlotte−Concord, Cincinnati, Flint, Greenville/Spartanburg, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Memphis, Norfolk, Plattsburgh (NY), Syracuse Seasonal: Grand Rapids [33] American Airlines Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia [34] Avianca Bogotá [35] Azul Brazilian Airlines Belém, Campinas, Recife [36] Bahamasair Freeport, Nassau [37] British Airways London–Gatwick (ends September 7, 2019) [38] Caribbean Airlines Kingston, Port of Spain [39] Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen [40] Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Raleigh/Durham, Salt Lake City [41] Delta Connection Seasonal: Raleigh/Durham Emirates Dubai–International [42] Frontier Airlines Long Island/Islip, Trenton Seasonal: Cincinnati (resumes October 11, 2019),[43] Cleveland (resumes October 10, 2019),[44] Denver [45] IBC Airways Guantánamo Bay, San Juan [46] JetBlue Aguadilla, Albany, Aruba, Atlanta, Austin, Barbados, Bogotá, Boston, Buffalo, Camagüey, Cancún, Cartagena, Charleston (SC), Chicago–O'Hare, Cleveland, Grand Cayman, Guayaquil, Hartford, Havana, Holguín, Jacksonville (FL), Kingston–Norman Manley, Las Vegas, Lima, Los Angeles, Medellín–JMC, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Newburgh, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Providence, Providenciales, Punta Cana, Quito, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan, Santa Clara, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo–Las Americas, St. Maarten, Washington–National, White Plains, Worcester Seasonal: Hayden/Steamboat Springs [47] Norwegian Air Shuttle Oslo–Gardermoen, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Stockholm–Arlanda Seasonal: Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome–Fiumicino [48] Silver Airways Freeport, George Town, Governor's Harbour, Key West, Marsh Harbour, New Bight, North Eleuthera, Orlando, Pensacola (FL), South Bimini, Tallahassee, Tampa, Treasure Cay [49] SkyBahamas Airlines Freeport, Marsh Harbour, New Bight, South Bimini [50] Southwest Airlines Aruba, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Belize City, Boston (begins November 9, 2019),[51] Cancún, Chicago–Midway, Columbus–Glenn, Dallas–Love, Denver, Grand Cayman, Havana, Houston–Hobby, Indianapolis, Long Island/Islip, Jacksonville (FL), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Montego Bay, Nashville, Nassau, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Providence, Providenciales, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, San Antonio, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington–National Seasonal: Albany, Birmingham (AL) (begins November 3, 2019),[52] Buffalo, Cleveland (begins November 23, 2019),[53] Hartford, Manchester (NH), Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia [54] Spirit Airlines Aguadilla, Armenia (Colombia), Aruba, Asheville, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Austin, Baltimore, Bogotá, Boston, Cali, Cancún, Cartagena, Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Cleveland, Columbus–Glenn, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Hartford, Houston–Intercontinental, Jacksonville (FL), Kingston–Norman Manley, Las Vegas, Latrobe/Pittsburgh, Lima, Los Angeles, Managua, Medellín–JMC, Montego Bay, Myrtle Beach, Nashville (begins October 10, 2019),[55] Newark, New Orleans, New York–LaGuardia, Niagara Falls, Orlando, Panama City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Plattsburgh (NY), Port-au-Prince, Punta Cana, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo–Las Américas, Tampa Seasonal: Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul [56] Swoop Hamilton (ON), Winnipeg (begins November 16, 2019)[57] [58] TAME Guayaquil [59] Tropic Ocean Airways Freeport, Great Harbour Cay, Marsh Harbour, North Bimini, St. Petersburg–Downtown, Treasure Cay [60] United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles Seasonal: Cleveland [61] United Express Seasonal: Cleveland WestJet Toronto–Pearson Seasonal: Calgary, St. John’s [62] Cargo[edit] FedEx Express Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Worth/Alliance, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Key West, Lubbock, Marathon, Memphis, Nashville, Newark, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa IBC Airways Miami UPS Airlines Fort Myers, Hartford, Louisville, Miami, Orlando Statistics[edit] Top destinations[edit] Busiest domestic routes from FLL (April 2018 – March 2019)[63] 1 Atlanta, Georgia 1,356,000 Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 2 Newark, New Jersey 848,000 JetBlue, Spirit, United 3 New York–LaGuardia, New York 717,000 Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 4 Baltimore, Maryland 619,000 Southwest, Spirit 5 New York–JFK, New York 592,000 Delta, JetBlue 6 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 482,000 American, JetBlue, Spirit, United 7 San Juan, Puerto Rico 444,000 JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 8 Detroit, Michigan 435,000 Delta, Spirit 9 Boston, Massachusetts 433,000 Delta, JetBlue Spirit 10 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 419,000 American, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit Busiest international routes to and from FLL (2018)[64] Top carriers 1 Nassau, Bahamas 504,136 Bahamasair, JetBlue, Southwest 2 Toronto–Pearson, Canada 438,775 Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, WestJet 3 Montréal, Canada 403,060 Air Canada, Air Transat, Sunwing, WestJet 4 Port-au-Prince, Haiti 394,373 JetBlue, Spirit 5 Montego Bay, Jamaica 373,076 Caribbean, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 6 San José, Costa Rica 338,299 JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 7 Cancún, Mexico 332,502 JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit 8 Havana, Cuba 291,061 JetBlue, Southwest 9 Kingston, Jamaica 265,700 Caribbean, JetBlue, Spirit 10 Bogotá, Colombia 251,409 Avianca, JetBlue, Spirit Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned), 1997 - 2017[65] 1997 12,277,411 2007 22,681,903 2017 32,511,053 1999 13,990,692 2009 21,061,131 Airline Market Share[edit] Airline market share (March 2018 – February 2019)[66] 1 Southwest Airlines 6,318,000 23.38% 2 JetBlue Airways 6,028,000 22.30% 3 Spirit Airlines 5,851,000 21.65% 4 Delta Air Lines 3,393,000 12.56% 5 United Airlines 2,150,000 7.95% Art Exhibit[edit] Internationally known artist and sculptor Duane Hanson created an installation for his work "Vendor with Walkman" at the Departure Level of Terminal 3 at the airport. Hamson, who retired and died in nearby Boca Raton, created a seated middle-aged man wearing a red T-shirt, blue pants, baseball cap and listening to a walkman during a break. The installation accessories give additional clues to the narrative of the artwork: toy airplane, various signs, and announcement for the shop, janitorial supplies.[67] The artwork has since been moved to Terminal 1 Arrival Level. Ground transportation[edit] Rail[edit] Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport is near the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport at Dania Beach train station, served by Amtrak intercity trains and Tri-Rail commuter trains. The latter provides a shuttle bus service from the station to three locations at the airport, all on the lower level: the west end of terminal 1, between terminals 2 and 3, and between terminals 3 and 4. The shuttles operate 7 days a week and are free for Tri-Rail customers. Road[edit] The terminals are accessible by U.S. Route 1. Other major roads that border the airport include Florida State Road 818, Interstate 95, and Interstate 595. U.S. Route 1 includes an underpass under Runway 10R/28L. Ride-sharing apps can also be used to and from the airport in designated pickup and drop-off places found between Terminals 1 and 2 and Terminals 3 and 4. The airport also offers airport parking and operates a consolidated rental car facility which can be accessed from Terminal 1 by a short walk and from the other terminals by a free shuttle bus service. FLL is served by Broward County Transit bus Route 1 which offers connecting service through the Central Terminal in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, and also service to Aventura, in Miami-Dade County. Accidents and incidents[edit] FedEx Express Flight 910 experienced a landing gear malfunction in October 2016 On May 18, 1972, an Eastern Air Lines McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 had its landing gear collapse and tail section separate during landing. The aircraft then caught fire but all passengers and crew were able to safely evacuate.[68] On July 7, 1983, Air Florida Flight 8 with 47 people on board was flying from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Tampa International Airport. One of the passengers handed a note to one of the flight attendants, saying that he had a bomb, and telling them to fly the plane to Havana, Cuba. He revealed a small athletic bag, which he opened, and inside was an apparent explosive device. The airplane was diverted to Havana-José Martí International Airport, and the hijacker was taken into custody by Cuban authorities.[69] On November 19, 2013, an Air Evac International Learjet 35 crashed shortly after take-off from the airport, on its way to Cozumel, Mexico, after calling mayday and during an attempt to return to the airport, possibly due to engine failure, leaving 4 persons dead.[70] On October 29, 2015, Dynamic Airways Flight 405, a Boeing 767-246ER (N251MY) was taxiing to a runway to take off for a flight to Caracas, Venezuela. when its left engine caught fire due to a fuel leak. The crew immediately stopped the airplane and fire crews arrived on the scene. All 101 passengers and crew were evacuated the aircraft, and 17 passengers were transported to a hospital. All runways were shut down and air operations ceased at the airport for three hours.[71] On October 28, 2016, Fedex Express Flight 910, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F cargo aircraft (N370FE) arriving from Memphis, Tennessee, caught fire after its left landing gear collapsed upon landing. The fire destroyed its left engine and wing. The three-person crew evacuated the aircraft safely. On January 6, 2017, a mass shooting occurred in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 of the airport.[72] Five people were killed, six others were injured. The shooter was taken into custody without incident and was identified by authorities as Esteban Santiago-Ruiz. Santiago acted alone.[73] In May 2018, Santiago plead guilty to the killings to avoid the death penalty as part of a plea deal. The specifics of the plea deal call for him to serve five consecutive life sentences followed by 120 years in prison without a right to appeal. Santiago was sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus 120 years in prison on August 17, 2018.[74] ^ a b c "2018 Year End Traffic Recap" (PDF). broward.org 28. December 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018. ^ "AirportIQ 5010". Gcr1.com. Retrieved September 11, 2017. ^ a b c FAA Airport Master Record for FLL (Form 5010 PDF), effective September 23, 2010 ^ "Zoning Map Archived June 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." City of Dania Beach. Retrieved on May 12, 2010. ^ "Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International (FLL)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. May 2011. ^ "Airlines and Aircraft Serving Fort Lauderdale effective April 1, 1974". DepartedFlights.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013. ^ "Airlines and Aircraft Serving Fort Lauderdale effective November 15, 1979". DepartedFlights.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013. ^ Alexander, Keith (November 19, 2004). "American Fare Cuts Presage Price War". Washington Post. Retrieved December 5, 2013. ^ "United Airlines to halt flights at Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach airports". Sun-Sentinel. June 25, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2013. ^ "American Airlines Moves Flights From Fort Lauderdale To Palm Beach". exMiami. August 12, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013. ^ CNN, Steve Almasy, Ray Sanchez, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz. "Sources: Airport shooting suspect used gun once seized by police, confesses". CNN. Retrieved January 8, 2017. ^ Nava, Victor I. (February 14, 2018). "Air Force to station fighter jets at Fort Lauderdale airport to protect Trump during Mar-a-Lago visits". The Washington Examiner. In an effort to improve response time to airspace violations over Mar-a-Lago, the U.S. Air Force plans to station fighter jets at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport during President Trump's visits, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. ^ a b "Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport Runway Expansion Project". Parsons.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015. ^ "Contact Us." Silver Airways. Retrieved on May 8, 2014. "1100 Lee Wagener Blvd, Suite 201 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315." ^ "Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport > Business > Tenant Directory Archived December 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine." Broward County. Retrieved on December 17, 2011. "1100 Lee Wagener Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL33315" ^ "Administration." Chalk's International Airlines. March 31, 2004. Retrieved on December 17, 2011. "Chalk's International Airlines 704 SW 34th Street Ft Lauderdale, Fl. 33315" ^ Broward County – Airport Archived April 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine ^ Adrain, Lindsay. "Decommissioning of Runway 13–31 at FLL". FABA. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014. ^ "WSVN-TV – Local News – Broward Commissioners vote in favor of FLL runway expansion". .wsvn.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. ^ Terminal 4 Archived January 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Broward.org. ^ "A million fewer people will fly out of Fort Lauderdale airport next summer. Here's why". Miami Herald. June 19, 2018. ^ "Meeting of January 5, 1999 Consent Agenda Board Appointments" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2012. ^ "Cartaya Associates – Fort Lauderdale / Hollywood International Airport Terminal No.1 (Concourses B & C)". Cartayaandassociates.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2012. ^ Lasalandra, Michael (March 4, 1987). "Firm Asks For Extra Payment Architect's Work at Airport in Dispute". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved June 16, 2012. ^ "Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport overhauls terminal to add more international travel". Sun Sentinel. December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013. ^ Inside Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport's major makeover, Sun-Sentinel, April 18, 2013 ^ a b "Flight Schedules". Air Canada. ^ "Air Canada / Air Canada rouge W19 Sun Destinations service changes as of 16JUL19". RoutesOnline. July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019. ^ "Air Transat schedules new routes in W19". RoutesOnline. May 8, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2019. ^ "Air Transat Flight status and schedules". Flight Times. Air Transat. ^ "Flight Timetable". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Allegiant Interactive Route Map". Allegiantair.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved April 7, 2018. ^ "Check itineraries". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Route map". Voeazul.com.br. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Bahamasair". Bahamasair.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ https://londonairtravel.com/2019/04/25/british-airways-suspends-gatwick-fort-lauderdale/ ^ "Caribbean Airlines Route Map". Caribbean-airlines.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Flight Schedule". Copaaor.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Delta.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Flight Schedules". Emirates.com. ^ https://www.lanereport.com/114269/2019/06/frontier-airlines-touts-four-new-routes-from-cvg/ ^ https://news.flyfrontier.com/frontier-airlines-announces-9-new-routes-including-a-major-expansion-in-las-vegas/ ^ "Route Map : Frontier Airlines". Flyfrontier.com. Retrieved December 31, 2018. ^ "Flights". Flyibcair.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "JetBlue Airlines Timetable". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Norwegian Air Shuttle Destinations". Norwegian.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) ^ "Flight Schedules". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ https://finance.yahoo.com/news/southwest-airlines-extends-flight-schedule-160000208.html ^ https://www.al.com/business/2019/05/southwest-airlines-offering-non-stop-flights-from-birmingham-to-fort-lauderdale-this-november.html ^ https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/06/southwest-airlines-adds-limited-holiday-flights-between-cleveland-and-fort-lauderdale.html ^ "Check Flight Schedules". Southwest.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Get Ready to Head to Music City! Spirit Airlines Brings its Low Fares to Nashville". Retrieved June 3, 2019. ^ "Where We Fly". Spirit Airlines. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ Liu, Jim. "Swoop schedules new routes in W19". Routesonline. ^ "Where we fly", Swoop, 27 March 2019 Retrieved on 01 April 2019. ^ "TAME locations". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Scheduled Service". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Timetable". Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Flight schedules". Westjet.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018. ^ "Fort Lauderdale, FL: Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International (FLL)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved June 27, 2019. ^ "BTS Air Carriers : T-100 International Market (All Carriers)". Retrieved April 29, 2019. ^ "Statistics". Broward.org. Retrieved June 4, 2015. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) ^ "Vendor with Walkman". Broward.org. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 N8961E Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL". Aviation Safety Network. ^ Harro Ranter (July 7, 1983). "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737 registration unknown Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV)". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 4, 2015. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. ^ McLaughlin, Eliott (October 29, 2015). "Plane catches fire on runway at Fort Lauderdale airport". CNN. Retrieved October 29, 2015. ^ "Report: Shooting At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Int'l Airport". cbslocal.com. CBS Miami. Retrieved January 6, 2017. ^ "Fort Lauderdale Shooting: Five Killed at Airport Shooting, Gunman ID'd as Esteban Santiago". NBC News. January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017. ^ Rodriguez, Alexandra. "Airport gunman sentenced to five life terms, 120 years". WPEC. Retrieved October 25, 2018. Media related to Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport at Wikimedia Commons Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (official site) "Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport". brochure from CFASPP Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum (History of Ft. Lauderdale – Hollywood Airport) FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective June 20, 2019 FAA Terminal Procedures for FLL, effective June 20, 2019 Resources for this airport: AirNav airport information for KFLL ASN accident history for FLL FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker NOAA/NWS latest weather observations SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFLL FAA current FLL delay information Municipalities and communities of Broward County, Florida, United States County seat: Fort Lauderdale Lazy Lake Hillsboro Pines Roosevelt Gardens Fern Crest Village Big Cypress Indian Reservation‡ Hollywood Seminole Indian Reservation Miccosukee Indian Reservation‡ Andytown Hacienda Village Major airports in the United States Atlanta (Hartsfield–Jackson – ATL) Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington – BWI) Boston (Logan – BOS) Charlotte (Douglas – CLT) Midway – MDW O'Hare – ORD Dallas–Fort Worth (Dallas/Fort Worth – DFW) Denver (Denver – DEN) Detroit (Detroit Metropolitan – DTW) Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood – FLL) Honolulu (Daniel K. 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Tallahassee (capital) Seal of Florida Spanish Florida British Rule East Florida West Florida Florida Territory Plantations of Leon County Florida East Coast Railway Florida land boom of the 1920s Everglades (Drainage and development) Major hurricanes Florida Keys (1919) Tampa Bay (1921) Okeechobee (1928) Treasure Coast (1933) Labor Day (1935) Dry Tortugas (1944) Homestead (1945) Fort Lauderdale (1947) South Florida (1948) 1949 Florida hurricane King (1950) Donna (1960) Betsy (1965) Elena (1985) Andrew (1992) Opal (1995) Frances (2004) Ivan (2004) Jeanne (2004) Dennis (2005) Wilma (2005) Irma (2017) Michael (2018) Cuban-American culture Floridians Haitian-American culture First Coast Forgotten Coast Halifax area Cape Coral–Fort Myers Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach Lakeland–Winter Haven Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent Sebastian-Vero Beach Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Miami‑Dade Mosquito (former county) Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Lauderdale–Hollywood_International_Airport&oldid=906626849" Airports in Broward County, Florida Economy of Fort Lauderdale, Florida Airports established in 1929 1929 establishments in Florida Articles needing additional references from February 2017	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7132
__label__cc	0.613219	0.386781	Newsletter 11 of March 10, 2016 Signed the Memorandum of Understanding "For a sustainable and unitary management of fisheries and the protection of fish stocks in the River Po" On September 30, 2015 the conference entitled "Sustainable fisheries to enhance the Po River" was held in Boretto (RE) on the boat Stradivari. The event was organized in collaboration with the Life Barbie. This conference linked two important moments. The first one, in the morning, when more than 70 participants took part in the round table "The centralized management of the river: objectives and decisions", chaired by the councilors of Agriculture of Lombardia, Gianni Fava, and Emilia-Romagna, Simona Caselli. In addition, Angelo Salsi (video conference) represented the Life program, Francesco Puma was present as general secretary of AdbPo, and general Alessandra Stefani, deputy head of the State Forestry Corps. While in the afternoon, they have worked on the program “I Life si incontrano”, with a time of direct dialogue with the stakeholders. The topic debated in the morning was mainly the "sustainable fishing" for which we have tried to identify shared and lasting solutions that take into account the complexity of the problem in the Po basin. This is why we wanted to build a unique path for the four regions covered by the river Po, two already partners CON.FLU.PO., in order to reach a unified, shared and sustainable management of this important ecological corridor. The main obstacles to this goal are: the difficulties of managing and controlling fishing activities the containment of invasive species These problems are exacerbated, in the case of the River Po, by administrative fragmentation and the lack of a functional coordination between different regions. The political representatives of the involved organizations, based on what emerged from the conference, acknowledged the need to coordinate in order to reach a shared management of the River Po in the sustainable fishing and environmental regeneration. Important in this sense the presence of the National Deputy Commander of the State Forestry Corp which is currently engaged, together with other national and local police forces, in the repression of the phenomenon of poaching, which is particularly prevalent along the river. In this context therefore it was decided to formalize an agreement between the four regions affected by the course of the Po, and the Basin Authority in order to draw up an Action Plan which develops the themes that emerged from the conference on sustainable fishing on the River Po; Councillors of the Region Veneto and Piedmont Region, unable to attend the conference, then have sent an official note of full participation in the initiative by confirming the availability of their regions to participate in the common work table. In view of this, for the first time was signed on 02.25.2016 a specific Memorandum of Understanding "For a sustainable and unitary management of fisheries and the protection of the fish stocks of the Po River" by: Gianni Fava - Councillor for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing Region Lombardia Simona Caselli - Councillor for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing Region Emilia Romagna Giorgio Ferrero - Councillor for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing Region Piemonte Giuseppe Pan - Councillor for Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing Region Veneto Francesco Puma - General Secretary Basin Authority of the Po River. The establishment of a dedicated control room has the objective of achieving a sustainable fishery in terms of: Environmental - To ensure proper long-term conservation status of habitats and species at the level of the entire course of the Po, through retraining of river habitats, reconnection of the river corridors and of qualitative and quantitative protection of water resources. Social - To ensure a respectful use of the river through shared regional regulations and coordinated and unified activities of control and repression of poaching. Economic - To ensure that the rational use of public resources dedicated can generate more and more benefits in the commercial fishing industry, game fishing and different sectors. The achievement of these objectives will be through the deployment of a specific program of actions coordinated to develop the following areas of priority: The simplification and harmonization of regional regulations on fisheries; The surveillance and monitoring operations, with particular reference to the fight against poaching; The promotion of tourism activities related to fishing and other related activities, which may favor the development of the territories concerned; The control and containment of invasive alien species; The native ichthyofauna protection, even with specific restocking actions; The long-term improvement of the conservation status of the Po River corridor and the Natura 2000 network sites; The sharing of knowledge on the topic by means of establishing a fishing observatory of the river Po; The promotion of initiatives, including design, for better implementation of the EC Fisheries Policy in relation to inland waters. Newsletter 19 - April 10, 2018 Newsletter 18 of 01 January 2018 Newsletter 17 of December 10, 2017 Newsletter 16 of October 5, 2017 Newsletter 13 of september 23 2016. Newsletter 12 of August 1, 2016 Newsletter 10 5 September 2015 Newsletter 9 of 1 July 2015 Newsletter 8 of 15 June 2015 Newsletter 7 30 april 2015 Newsletter 6 of 21 November 2014 Newsletter 5 del 15 October 2014 Newsletter 3 of 20 March 2014 Newsletter 2 of 9 Dicember 2013 Newsletter 1 24 May 2013 Newsletter 14 of 27 February 2017 Newsletter 15 of 16 June 2017	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7133
__label__wiki	0.797502	0.797502	LibDems question decision to suspend Ghaffur September 9, 2008 - Staff Liberal Democrat members of the London Assembly have expressed their concern over the decision by Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair to suspend Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur. Ghaffur has recently accused the force of of racial discrimination, claims the force denies. On Tuesday Sir Ian announced that he had “temporarily relieved” AC Ghaffur of his responsibilities in the Met’s Central Operations Directorate. A statement issued by the Met said the decision followed “consideration of the manner and impact of his recent press conference and media statements by him, or the advisors and organisations supporting him” Announcing his decision Sir Ian said: “it is the case that the interests of Londoners are not being well served by this current situation. Accordingly, I have decided that, for the time being, AC Tarique Ghaffur be temporarily relieved of his responsibilities although he will remain an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service.” LibDem Assembly Dee Doocey, who speaks on policing for her party, said she was “stunned by this decision” as a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority’s Professional Standards Cases Sub-committee on Monday night has concluded “that the conditions for suspension, as laid down in Misconduct Regulations, had not been met.” That ruling followed a request by Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson who had requested the Authority determine whether there had been any misconduct by AC Ghaffur following the public press conference he held on 28 August. Following news of the suspension Doocey told reporters she was “very concerned that despite the sub-committee finding there were no grounds for suspension, the following morning AC Ghaffur is suddenly relieved of his duties and sent on holiday by the Commissioner.” Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is due to take over as Chair of the MPA, described the suspension as “a necessary move in order to restore confidence that the operational efficiency of the Met Police is not compromised” but said he had “no intention of getting involved in employment tribunals or other inquiries but I am totally supportive of this action.” Sir Ian said the force “still want to find a way to resolve” Ghaffur’s complaints through a mediated process. Scotland Yard says Ghaffur is currently “on authorised leave of absence.”	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7135
__label__wiki	0.946335	0.946335	College football: Alabama vs. Clemson rubber match in Sugar Bowl seems like it was meant to be Paul Newberry \| The Associated Press Published on Dec. 31, 2017 Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, left, tries to get away from Alabama's Jonathan Allen during the first half of the NCAA college football playoff championship game Jan. 11 in Glendale, Ariz. Clemson and Alabama will meet Monday in the College Football Playoff for the third straight year when they square off in the Sugar Bowl. After finishing third in the Heisman voting, Watson passed for 405 yards and four touchdowns against ‘Bama while running for 73 yards in the 2016 game. CHRIS CARLSON / AP FILE NEW ORLEANS — When you’re in the midst of a historic trilogy, it’s hard to appreciate what it will mean to the ages. Alabama is focused on beating Clemson. Clemson is focused on beating Alabama. Taking time to savor the first two chapters between these college football juggernauts — and, ohhh, are they worth savoring — will only get in the way of preparing for the rubber match. “I just try to take it day by day,” Alabama center Bradley Bozeman said. “I’ll look back on it when I’m 40 or 50 years old.” No matter what happens tonight when the top-ranked Tigers take on the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game, this remarkable three-year run seems assured of joining all those great sporting rivalries that were doled out thrice. Ali-Frazier. Affirmed-Alydar. Nadal-Federer. Warriors-Cavaliers. “We’re in a good place if we’re seeing them,” Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said of the Tigers. “So, no, I’m not tired of them.” For whatever reason, the trilogy holds a special place in the sports lexicon. They come in all shapes and sizes, from one side pulling off a sweep (Affirmed edged Alydar three straight times to claim the 1978 Triple Crown) to those who saved the best for last (Ali beating Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila” after they split their first two heavyweight bouts) to matchups that signaled a changing of the guard (Nadal’s epic victory over Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final after losing to his Swiss rival the two previous years). Which brings us to Alabama-Clemson III. Already, they’ve produced a matching set of classics that rank among the greatest national championship games in college football history. Two years ago, Alabama won 45-40 in a breakneck affair that featured 40 points, a successful onside kick and a kickoff return for a touchdown in the final 10 1/2 minutes. Last season, Clemson rallied from a two-touchdown deficit and the Tide’s go-ahead TD with just over two minutes remaining to win 35-31 on Deshaun Watson’s 2-yard scoring pass to Hunter Renfrow with a single second hanging on the clock . The stakes are a bit different this time. Instead of meeting in the title game, Round 3 falls a week earlier in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Clemson claimed the top seed despite a loss to lowly Syracuse back in mid-October, while Alabama stirred up the biggest debate when it landed the fourth seed after a setback to Auburn in its final regular-season game and failing to even qualify for the Southeastern Conference championship. In the end, it’s hard to fault the selection committee for bending to the will of history. A deciding game only seems right. “Oh, it’s a lot of fun,” Tigers defensive lineman Christian Wilkins said. “The reason why I came to Clemson was to compete at the highest level, play against the best teams and win championships. You know if you’re Clemson and you’re playing Alabama, then you’ve had a good season. They’re always going to be at the top. That’s just the kind of program they are.” While many of the faces have changed — most notably, Watson moved on to the NFL after two brilliant performances against the Crimson Tide — there’s a familiarity between the programs that only adds to the buildup. They know each other’s tendencies, the plays they like to run and the ones they shy away from, their many strengths and those handful of weaknesses that might be exploited at a crucial time. Adding to the storyline: Clemson is coached by Alabama alum Dabo Swinney, whose goal all along was to turn the Tigers into an Atlantic Coast Conference version of the Tide. “It’s been great to compete against Alabama,” Swinney said. “One of the things that was a goal of mine nine years ago was build a program that can be consistent and to build a program that can beat the best, and Alabama has been the best.” Indeed, there’s still a sense that Alabama is college football’s top dog, even though Clemson is the reigning champion. Nick Saban has carried on the houndstooth legacy by guiding the Tide to four national titles in the last eight seasons. His program is the only one to make the playoffs in all four years of its existence. The greatest testament to Bama’s decade-long dominance? Going back to the start of the 2008 season, Saban’s teams have played only three regular-season games — all at the end of the 2010 season — that didn’t have an impact on the national championship race. “It’s like anything in life,” Saban said matter-of-factly. “You make up a goal, you understand there’s a process of things that you have to do to accomplish the goal, and you have to have the discipline to execute it every day. That’s not necessarily a feeling. It’s a choice that you choose to be persistent at the things that are going to help you be successful and you resist the things that are not going to help you be successful.” For Saban and Swinney, that leaves little time to dawdle over how this trilogy will remembered in the big picture. But Renfrow has some idea. Maybe one day, long after his career is over, he’ll flip on the TV to watch a “30 for 30” documentary. They’ll call it “Tide vs. Tigers: The Trilogy.” “I guess the word is appreciation,” Renfrow said. “I’m just very appreciative for the opportunity to go out there and make the most of it and exhausting the moment. That’s something we talk about. Not wishing for tomorrow. Just living in the moment.” You see, this budding masterpiece is not yet complete. There’s still another act to go. It's Dawgs vs. the top dog for college football national championship: Georgia trying to take bite out of Alabama's dynasty Alabama beats Georgia 26-23 in OT for championship Clemson DT Christian Wilkins excelled in classroom, on field, says he can help with improving Browns culture Semifinal wins by Georgia, Alabama set up all-SEC national championship Sugar Bowl: Alabama dominated defending champ Clemson to advance to CFP final College football: Alabama chosen over Ohio State for fourth and final playoff spot Related Topics: College football, College Football Playoff, University of Alabama, Clemson University Click to view comments	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7136
__label__wiki	0.673655	0.673655	Blanket Town Preview: At the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design- Asheville -Nov.20th CCCD Hosts and Evening of Film, Music, and Stories From Local Factory Town Historians and former employees to reflect on Swannanoa's Beacon Manufacturing Company, once renowned as the largest producers of blankets in the world The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design's (CCCD) Benchspace Gallery & Workshop invites you to attend Beacon Blankets: Portrait of a Swannanoa Textile Mill, an evening of film, music, and stories about the rise and fall of the Beacon Manufacturing Company on Friday, November 20 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. East of Asheville, North Carolina, Swannanoa is a small community and the former home of Beacon Blankets, at one time the largest manufacturer of blankets in the world. In it's hey-day during the 1940's, Beacon was the largest employer in the Swannanoa Valley with more than 2,200 workers. Beacon closed its Swannanoa plant in 2002. The factory was burned to the ground in 2003. Beacon Blankets was at the heart of cultural life for the Swannanoa community. It historically sponsored recreation and activities for its workers. The company's most prominent owner, Charles D. Owen, was recognized for his community service through the naming of the Charles D. Owen High School in 1955. But like many mill towns, Beacon Blankets also struggled with issues of unsafe working conditions, segregation, and opposition to organized labor. When the textile industry continued to decline in the 70's and 80's and NAFTA was introduced in the 90's, small mill towns, like Swannanoa, began to disappear. "With the original Beacon site up for sale and growing interest in revitalizing the area, rebuilding the community today should take careful consideration of the history of Swannanoa and the Beacon story," said Marilyn Zapf, Assistant Director of CCCD. Beacon Blankets: Portrait of a Swannanoa Textile Mill will begin with a reception featuring mill-inspired music by Robert (Bert) Brown, a native of Swannanoa whose grandparents worked at Beacon. From 6 - 6:30 pm, filmmaker Rebecca Williams will be showing clips from her ongoing documentary project Blanket Town: The Rise and Fall of an American Mill Town, which examines the migration of the textile industry from England, to New England to the American South, and, with the advent of globalization, overseas. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with previous Beacon Blanket mill employees led by acclaimed Appalachian historian Dr. David Whisnant from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. The event is presented in collaboration with CCCD's current exhibition, Made in WNC, which examines the legacy of craft-based industry (textiles, pottery, and furniture) in Western North Carolina and its influence on artists and designer-makers working in the region today. Location: Benchspace Gallery & Workshop at The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, 67 Broadway Street, Asheville, NC 28801 Admission: Free and open to the public. Date: Friday, November 20, 2015 For more information about Made in WNC and other CCCD programs, call 828-785-1357 or visit www.craftcreativitydesign.org/made-in-wnc. This project was supported by the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. Beacon Blankets: Portrait of a Swannanoa Textile Mill receives media sponsorship from the Swannanoa Valley Museum and the Asheville History Center.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7141
__label__wiki	0.90475	0.90475	Katy Perry Strips Down 'One That Got Away' At AMAs After her set, Perry was presented with a special award for having five #1 singles on Teenage Dream. archive-James-Dinh 11/20/2011 In the past year, Katy Perry has pulled out some show-stopping performances, but the pop titan was all about simplicity when she performed an acoustic version of her latest single, "The One That Got Away" at the 2011 American Music Awards. Standing on a circular platform, Perry appeared onstage before pink-tinged light beams that appropriately matched her hair. In place of the midtempo tune that is heating up radio airwaves, the singer stripped down the song as she played the guitar and was accompanied by her background band. Mrs. Russell Brand belted her way through the regretful love song while her set turned into a starry sky when the backdrop evolved into a screen of speckled stars. Upon the conclusion of her number, the pop star was met with a standing ovation as well as a special award of achievement for scoring five #1 singles from Teenage Dream on Billboard's Hot 100, an achievement only equal to Michael Jackson and his 1987 Bad LP. "Yay! Can I just say, thank you so much for letting me be a chameleon this year," the starlet screamed during her acceptance speech. "I'm very, very, very pleased, and I want to give thanks to my amazing record label, EMI and Capitol. ... I'm about to wrap up my California Dreams Tour, 122 dates, so I want to thank my band and all the people that came out to see me, and all of you guys, 'cause you're pretty cool too!" This is just the latest treat Perry has offered fans in recent weeks. A little more than a week ago, she dropped the clip for the Dr. Luke and Max Martin-produced tune. The video, which was directed by Floria Sigismondi, takes viewers down memory lane as the pop star recalls her relationship with the one that got away. Did you enjoy Katy's acoustic set? Sound off in the comments!	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7142
__label__wiki	0.879555	0.879555	Not My Time To Die Did you know that Swedes made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic, after the Americans and British? Did you know that Swedes made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic, after the Americans and British? Author Lilly Setterdahl didn’t know, but after much research she found out, and found many other compelling things about Swedes onboard the doomed ship that sank exactly 100 years ago. Nordstjernan spoke to Lilly about how she got interested in the Titanic and her new book “Not My Time To Die: Titanic and the Swedes on board.” Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Store at Nordstjernan Lilly Setterdahl came to the U.S. in 1959 with her husband, the late Lennart Setterdahl, who was driven by an interest in and passion for documenting Swedish immigrants in America, which he did until his death in 1995. While her husband was busy with this, Lilly did her own writing. “I used to always write,” says Lilly to Nordstjernan. “When I was newly married, I got first prize for a piece I wrote for ‘Husmodern,’ the Swedish women’s magazine. But I was too shy to tell anyone about it!” When she first came to the States, she tossed her writing aside and focused on translating instead. Among other things, she translated the history of the Swedish settlement at Bishop Hill. In time, however, she turned to writing articles again. “But in 2006 I was fed up with writing nonfiction. I decided I wanted to write a novel, so I took a course, and the name of it was ‘How to build a novel.’ Little did I know that I was required to actually write a novel during that course!” She decided she needed a point in history with which to start her project and chose the Titanic. “Before that, I wasn’t very interested in the Titanic, and didn’t know that much. When I started writing, I knew I wanted to have a Swedish character in my story, and she became Anna. Anna is an invented character, who gets rescued from the waters by an Italian man named Roberto.” The name of Lilly’s first novel was “Maiden of the Titanic” and it was received so well that a sequel was asked for. Lilly followed up with her second novel, “Hero of the Titanic,” which tells the story about the character of Roberto. By this time, she had gathered a lot of information and knowledge about the disaster and thought she might write a nonfiction book in time for the Titanic's 100th anniversary. It became “Not My Time To Die.” Lilly says, “I had done a lot of research, I had gone to the library and pulled out a lot of books. I also went online to ancestry.com to find out what happened to the Swedes on board, although some of them were quite difficult to trace.” Lilly was surprised to find out so many Swedes were on board the ship. Because of a coal strike in England, many of the Swedes (most of whom were immigrating to the U.S.) were transferred from other ships to the Titanic at the last moment. Many probably considered themselves lucky, as a third-class ticket on the Titanic equaled a second-class ticket on other ships. “I wanted to focus on the third-class passengers,” says Lilly, “because so much focus has been on those who traveled first class. In that way, my book is unique. People at the bottom of the ship had trouble making it up to the deck. Families with children stood there hand-in-hand on deck, and jumped into the water together, because they didn’t want to be separated.” All in all, 89 Swedes perished and 34 survived. Of the four Swedes traveling in first class, two survived. “The women had better chances, because they were put into lifeboats. However, the Swedish men were strong. They were big and used to hard work. One man jumped into the water and managed to float by holding on to a piece of the wreckage.” Lilly traced what happened to these people. Because no counseling existed then, and the notion of post-traumatic stress syndrome hadn’t been invented, the fate of the people who did survive was in general grim. “Many of the men didn’t want to talk about it, because nobody believed them anyway,” Lilly says. “People thought they were lying when they said there hadn’t been any lifeboats. Few of them married, few had children, some moved back to Sweden, and one actually became mentally ill.” Yet, as Anna Nysten, one of the Swedish women who survived, wrote in a letter—and inspired Lilly Setterdahl for the title of her book—“It wasn’t my time to die.” Lilly Setterdahl's "Not my time to die: Titanic and the Swedes on board," presents a brief, but thorough history of the Titanic, and gives an array of information about the tragedy as reported by the press of the day. ISBN 978-09672176-8-0 Available through amazon.com or in Nordstjernan's book store. Swedes made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic after the American and the British. This book tells the first-hand stories of some twenty Swedish survivors, one traveling in first class, two in second, and the rest in third class. All in all, 89 Swedes perished and 34 survived. Setterdahl's novels “Maiden of the Titanic” and the sequel, “Hero of the Titanic”	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7148
__label__wiki	0.830349	0.830349	Tag Archive for John Terry Pride and Prejudice: Kick It Out, Ferdinand, Ferguson and the FA October 21, 2012 Football, Race One comment The story is now so well-known that I will not dwell on it too long. Yesterday, Rio Ferdinand, in defiance of his manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s wishes, refused to wear a Kick It Out T-shirt. His refusal was due to the fact that he, like his fellow protester Jason Roberts, felt that football’s authorities were not doing enough to combat racism within the game. Since Kick It Out – whose work is tireless, but whose remit and influence is sorely limited – derives the overwhelming majority of its funding from the FA, the PFA and the Premier League, Ferdinand identified them as the symbol of his discontent. Ferguson spoke afterwards of his embarrassment at Ferdinand’s refusal to toe the party line, and of his intention to punish Ferdinand. Whether that punishment will take the form of a fine or a fierce talking-to is still anyone’s guess. A widespread view is that Ferguson – who, it must be noted, steadfastly supported Ferdinand throughout the Terry case – has got this call wrong, in that he has put his own pride ahead of Ferdinand’s anger at the FA’s perceived weakness in dealing with prejudice. I will add two points here. First, the protest that Roberts and Ferdinand are making appears to be against the enabling of racism by football’s institutions. That is a far more difficult animal to tackle than racism from the crowds. A monkey chant is readily identifiable by audio or video. It is easy, comforting and cathartic to unite against the monkey chanter because the monkey chanter is outside football. He or she is in the crowd and can simply and summarily be excluded from the game. But what – and here is the more uncomfortable question – if there are those in senior positions in the game who actively or passively enable racist behaviour? Joleon Lescott has not worn a Kick It Out T-Shirt since 2007, when he was at Everton. This is not because he is angry at racist chanting from the crowds. This is because he felt that the authorities should have been stronger in dealing with Emre, the Turkey midfielder then at Newcastle United, who allegedly directed racist abuse at Joseph Yobo, Lescott’s fellow defender. In this case, for which Lescott provided written evidence, Emre escaped punishment. Lescott has found far less support or publicity for his stance than those who support the wearing of Kick It Out T-Shirts. But it may be that his stance is of equal importance. What is more, given that football is a self-regulating sport, there is no organisation with the independence to defend his position tirelessly. Secondly, it is notable that high-profile black and mixed-race players, either still playing or as pundits, are themselves divided over the T-shirt controversy. Viv Anderson, the first black footballer to play for England, and Ian Wright believe that no-one should have boycotted the T-shirt. David James, whilst criticising the “anti-racism industry”, believes that the FA were too slow to deal with the John Terry affair, particularly in the light of the revelation by the Crown Prosecution Service that they did not delay the FA from taking speedier proceedings against John Terry. I wonder whether there is something of a generational divide between Britain’s ethnic minority footballers: between the older guard, who remember racism as being far more overt and shocking, and the younger crowd, who have emerged into a world where most of football’s demons with regards to race have been swept aside (or, cynically speaking, under the carpet). I wonder whether the older guard look at the younger group of protesters and think, “it was far worse in my day; toe the line and build on the advances that we painstakingly made.” And I wonder whether the younger ones think, “yes, but we have more freedom today to say what you couldn’t. The time for biting our lips is past”. The older guard would have had to deal with colleagues who were initially either racist or ignorant but who have over time become loved or trusted friends. They would have had to help these colleagues to work through their prejudices, a process that would have taken great patience and which in any case would have been necessary for the furtherance of their careers. As Bob Hazell, the former professional footballer for Wolves, Leicester, QPR and Port Vale tweeted earlier today, “me & my generation spoke about ‘ignoring it’ and ‘it inspires us to play better’. We never spoke of feeling hurt devalued and fucking angry.’” Back then, that was just the way things were. They had to compromise. The younger crowd would have grown up in a world where racism was not the norm, it was abhorrent, and so are more confident to call it out. They have not had to compromise nearly so much. In that context, why should they engage in what they see, quite literally, as an exercise in window-dressing? T-Shirt or Not T-Shirt: Kick It Out and Jason Roberts October 19, 2012 Football, Race No comments The key symbol of racism in football this week is not the handshake, it is the T-shirt. Jason Roberts has refused to wear his Kick It Out T-shirt this weekend in protest that the organisation has not done enough to combat racial discrimination in the sport. As the Reading striker told BBC Sport, “I’m totally committed to kicking racism out of football but when there’s a movement I feel represents the issue in the way that speaks for me and my colleagues, then I will happily support it…I think people feel let down by what used to be called ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football’. People don’t feel like they have been strong enough.” Roberts’ announcement comes a week after David James castigated anti-racism groups for trying to justify their existence by exaggerating the issue. All in all, it has not been a good few days for Kick It Out. The organisation may then have been grateful for Sir Alex Ferguson’s support. In a press conference today, the Manchester United manager criticised Roberts, saying that “I think he is making the wrong point…Everyone should be united, with all the players in the country wearing the Kick It Out warm-up tops…” He added: “I don’t know what point he is trying to make. I don’t know if he is trying to put himself on a different pedestal from everyone. But he really should be supporting all the rest of the players who are doing it…”When you do something, and everyone believes in it, you should all do it together. There shouldn’t be sheep wandering off. [My italics]” Ferguson’s metaphor is an interesting one. Roberts would rather not be the sheep who blindly followed an orthodoxy he did not share. He would rather, one suspects, be the sheep that many argue that England’s Danny Rose should have been earlier this week, by walking off in the Under-21 game against Serbia after receiving racial abuse. Ferguson’s call for unity is a powerful and timely one, but it must be viewed against Roberts’ own frustration, which is overwhelming. His view is that football’s authorities have been too slow and too soft in dealing with the recent Suarez and Terry cases, and he believes Kick It Out to be primarily at fault. I have worked with Kick It Out – whose name has been changed to address all forms of discrimination in football, not just racism – and I have found them to be a very smart, very diligent group. We worked together on a campaign to address homophobic chanting at football matches, and the experience was a revealing one, for two reasons. First, though they had a series of excellent ideas, they were working within very considerable constraints: they were only granted a small five-figure sum for a promotional video. Secondly, they were operating on something of a leash. That same video, carefully crafted with the assistance of advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, was then pulled at the last moment by the FA, who were apparently worried about its controversial content. The only reason that the video ever saw the light of day was that it was leaked to BBC Newsnight. Kick It Out therefore operate in an atmosphere of caution and confinement. As they have stated today, “certain myths and misinformation about Kick It Out’s remit have been laid down…We are not a decision-making organisation with power and resource as some people think, and can only work effectively in the context of these partnerships” [My italics]. The last sentence says it all. In its own words, it is “a small campaigning charity” working in partnership with football’s leading authorities. There are only seven of them. Last year they had a budget of just over £450,000, of which £330,000 (about 73%) was provided by the FA, the Professional Footballers’ Association and the Premier League. Kick It Out does not have the influence and independence to speak unbridled truth to power. Nor was it ever meant to. Roberts’ important contention is that the current system is ineffectual; the football’s governing authorities cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, and are in need of more robust checks and balances. Kick It Out are unfortunate in that their success in gaining visibility has made them the public emblem of all efforts to fight discrimination in football; and that they are thus the unlucky anvil on which Roberts has chosen to beat out his point. On John Terry and racial abuse September 30, 2012 Uncategorized No comments So the verdict is out. An Independent Regulatory Commission has adjudged John Terry to have used “abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race” contrary to the Football Association’s rules. Terry has been given a penalty of a four-match ban from domestic football and a fine of £220,000; his penalty is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal, should he choose to make one. Though the full written reasons for this verdict have not yet been released, the Commission’s decision does not come as a shock. The difficulty that the prosecution faced at John Terry’s criminal trial for the alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand was the burden of proof, which was in that case insurmountable – there needed to be no reasonable doubt that Terry had said these words and meant them to be offensive. Here, the bar was far lower: it needed only to be a question of being more likely than not that Terry had meant to abuse or insult Anton Ferdinand with the phrase “f*king black cnt”. Even at the first trial, the presiding judge considered that the prosecution had built “a strong case” and that there was certainly a case to answer. On that logic, the finding of proven misconduct does not seem to be an unreasonable one. There is great controversy over the length of Terry’s ban. Some have raised concerns that it is only one match longer than a player would be suspended for a red card offence. Others, more pointedly, have drawn a direct parallel with the punishment that the FA handed out to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, having ruled that he had made a series of racially offensive comments to Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Following a protracted and highly controversial case, Suarez was handed an eight-game ban, and a fine of £40,000. At first glance, the discrepancy in suspensions is startling. Yet the crucial paragraph of the Suarez-Evra judgment seems to be paragraph 411, which states that “Given the number of times that Mr Suarez used the word “negro”, his conduct is significantly more serious than a one-off use of a racially offensive term and amounts to an aggravating factor”. The logic seems to be that if Terry had repeatedly used the offensive phrase in question, then he would have found himself suspended for a similar period. Of additional, if brief, interest is the size of the fine levelled at John Terry. Though £220,000 may be, as several have remarked on Twitter, just under a fortnight’s wages for Terry, it remains a very considerable sum of money. Indeed, if there is any inconsistency, it is here: it is unclear – without the aid of written reasons – why Terry’s one-off utterance earned him a fine five-and-a-half times that of Suarez, who was adjudged to have made a series of racially offensive remarks. Until we see such reasons, we can at best leave a question mark over this area of the process. Perhaps, the key element in all this, though, is the non-financial price paid by John Terry: and that, ultimately, has been very significant. The FA, had it been harsher, could have denied him the opportunity to represent his country at the Euro 2012 tournament, or to play a leading role in Chelsea’s FA Cup and UEFA Champions League triumphs. Indeed, some of Terry’s comments have implied such a harshness, whilst in the circumstances the FA seem to have been very accommodating of his concerns. The greatest cost that Terry faced, as did Suarez, was to his reputation, which is why it would be somewhat surprising if he did not appeal this decision. Terry’s standing in the eyes of many will not be greatly altered by this verdict – there are many within his club who will swear by his day-to-day kindness and considerate manner around the place, just as there are many more outside Stamford Bridge who are convinced of his unpleasantness. We will probably never know quite how he was regarded within the England dressing-room when he decided to retire from international football. However, the suspicion is that if everyone associated with the national side had been as vociferous in their support of him as Roy Hodgson, then he might still be available for selection. Whilst it seems premature to consider this battle over, it does appear that, in one sense, there has been a winner: and that is the FA. It has shown, if somewhat falteringly, a rare fortitude over the last few months. In the face of tremendous pressure from some of the world’s biggest clubs, it has shown a persistence of which many commentators thought it incapable. Many will dispute the FA’s findings – whether Suarez said what he said, what Terry actually meant, whether choc-ice is a disreputable phrase – but few can recall a time when this institution has gone into more exhaustive detail, and then made its decisions open to such furious scrutiny. The Terry verdict was guaranteed to cause displeasure to almost everyone who received it: but the FA is to be commended for bringing the matter this far, towards some measure of closure. This article originally appeared for MSN Sport on 27 September 2012, titled “There’s only one winner – the FA”, at the following link: http://sport.uk.msn.com/socialvoices/blogpost.aspx?post=a49c30b6-ad4f-417d-89d4-3e1784021b22 Racism in Football: Buffy, McCammon, Ferdinand and Terry August 1, 2012 Culture, Football, Race No comments An edited version of this piece appeared in the Guardian’s Comment Is Free section, on 31 July 2012. The link is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/31/racism-kicked-out-of-football-not?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter The issue of racism in football is alive and well. Mark McCammon, a professional footballer, has just successfully brought a case for racial victimisation against Gillingham, his former football club. McCammon, who is black, was found by an employment tribunal to have been unfairly dismissed due to his race: this finding in his favour is the first of its type in English law. Elsewhere, the issue of racism in football – in the form of the Ferdinand-Terry saga – is alive and dull. Sometimes it feels like what this episode really needs is a vampire slayer: that it badly needs Buffy. But she has retired, and so this stubbornly undead affair trundles on, with two of its own protagonists perhaps most weary of this drama. The FA has charged Chelsea’s John Terry with the alleged use of abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand, contrary to FA rules. This comes, of course, after Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand in a criminal trial. More recently, the FA has also charged Rio Ferdinand, Anton’s brother, with acting “in a way which was improper and/or bought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race”. This latter charge came after Ferdinand, the Manchester United defender, retweeted and laughed at a comment referring to Ashley Cole, the Chelsea and England defender, as a “choc ice”. Some might say that this is minor compared to what McCammon suffered at Gillingham, who are due to appeal the finding of the tribunal. “Now that’s real racial victimisation”, they might say. What emerged from the Terry-Ferdinand trial was that, during that match between QPR and Chelsea on October 23rd, two grown men had traded insults in a childish spat, the likes of which you might find in a primary school playground at break-time. Ashley Cole, when called to give evidence, was clearly exasperated. “We shouldn’t be sitting here”, he told the court, and many, having followed the trial closely, would be minded to agree with him. At this point, in the manner of a popular chat-show, we can step back from the fray and ask – in an appropriately pompous tone – What We Have All Learned. There is nothing much new that has been learned about Anton Ferdinand, save his somewhat unimaginative choice of abuse. There is nothing new that we have learned about John Terry. Those with good or bad feelings towards him prior to this latest round of charges will feel much the same about him now. The same goes for Rio Ferdinand, although it is a minor mystery that a renowned authoritarian such as Sir Alex Ferguson allows one of his players to be so prolific and so vociferous on Twitter. But I think that a great deal more has been learned about the FA, and its attitude to racism in football. To use a well-worn analogy, that of Charles Dickens’ “The Tale of Two Cities”, this affair has shown the FA in the best of lights, and in the worst of lights. This affair has shown the FA in the best of lights, in their decision to charge Rio Ferdinand for his conduct on Twitter. If they had done otherwise, they would have opened themselves to the accusation that the only type of racially offensive slur that they found acceptable was that made by a white person about a black person’s skin colour. While this charge may to some appear trivial, I believe that it is consistent, and therefore fitting. It shows that the FA is determined to be exhaustive in its efforts to address any form of racial discrimination in football. In one key respect, this affair has shown the FA in the worst of lights. Though John Terry was well within his rights to seek a postponement of the trial until after the Euro 2012, I believe that the FA should have made him unavailable for selection during that time. This would not have foreshadowed his guilt: of course, in any criminal trial the defendant is innocent until proven guilty. Instead, the FA would have shown everyone that the disciplinary process takes priority over everything, including football: which, after all, is just another form of employment, if more glamorous than most. However, the FA did not have the bravery to take this opportunity. There will presumably be several players out there who have suffered racial discrimination in football, and who will anxiously be watching how the FA handles the final stages of this issue. They will be hoping that the FA plods scrupulously and rather more bravely through every stage of the process. The New York Times: Germany 4 England 1, match report June 28, 2010 Football, Sport No comments This piece originally appeared in The New York Times Goal blog, on 28 June 2010. The link is here: http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/when-passion-turned-reckless-england-paid-the-price/ “When Passion Turned Reckless, England Paid The Price” The game is up. Much emphasis — too much emphasis — is placed upon what is supposedly the England soccer team’s greatest asset, its passion. Readers of the domestic news media, and in particular its tabloids, are regularly assured that few if any footballers are more dedicated to their cause than those in English causes. This is a false orthodoxy on which many onlookers may choke — it’s not as if say North Korea were devoid of intensity during the national anthem before the Brazil match — but it’s also something of an irrelevance. During its 4-1 defeat to Germany, England was not beaten because of inadequate passion, but because of its lack of two other Ps: proper passing and positional sense. At first glance, the pass completion rates of Frank Lampard (78 percent) and Gareth Barry (75) in central midfield compare favorably with those of their Spanish counterparts. Xavi, rightly lauded for his role in Spain’s stellar qualifying campaign, had a completion rate after three matches of 78 percent, while Xabi Alonso had one of 81. If we are conducting a postmortem of England’s World Cup campaign, the truth is not to be found immediately in the midfield passing figures. One part of the England game that could usefully be eliminated, but for which there is sadly no readily available statistic, is the scoop. The scoop is a slow pass, lofted around waist height, that is hit over the distance of 10-15 yards. Viewed in isolation, the scoop looks fairly innocuous; but if it’s launched at a fellow player in a congested area or, worse still, hoisted across the face of a player’s own back four, it is very difficult to control, and is thus a threat to both the team’s possession and to its defense. We saw plenty of the scoop from England against Germany. We also saw plenty of the slash — the sliced, arcing, pass hit deep from one wing to the other. This is a technique that England’s players execute with impressive and professional regularity in the Premier League, but that too regularly ended up at the feet of an opposing defender or in touch. Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Barry were all anxious and unsuccessful purveyors of the slash; on a handful of occasions, they selected these passes when a simple square pass would have sufficed. The other main flaw was England’s positional sense, and here we may have had cause to rue the lack of genuinely defensive midfielders. Germany’s third and fourth goals arrived from counterattacks of beautiful simplicity, the result of English players left hopelessly exposed in space and without support. Take Thomas Müller’s first, which gave Germany a 3-1 lead. Here, Gareth Barry found himself on the edge of the opposition penalty area, several yards ahead of Lampard, who had just taken a charged-down free kick. Barry’s failure to play a telling through-pass was punished swiftly and severely, as Germany surged into the space directly behind him. Before Müller’s emphatic finish, we saw Lampard embark upon a futile 70-yard sprint toward his goal, at one point covering three attackers. Muller’s second, and Germany’s fourth, told a tale of a fullback caught short by the length of the field. When the ball was floated clear of the German penalty area, it fell to the gleeful feet of Mezul Özil. The Germans found themselves in a race with John Terry. Terry has many qualities, but chasing down playmakers as quick as Pegasus is not one of them. Glen Johnson, England’s right back, was stranded a few yards from his opponent’s goal; when Germany scored, the next player to arrive back in the area after the forlorn Terry was Ashley Cole, who had made a fruitless pilgrimage from the left flank. In the final analysis, it seems that England was undone by a surplus, not a surfeit, of passion. The positional mistakes that they made spoke of a desire and a desperation to do with their feet what the ball could have done both more safely and effectively. On one notable occasion in the first half, James Milner — a right-wing in England’s 4-4-2 system — was closer to the left touchline than Gerrard, who started on the left. In a split second of reflection, Germany’s counterattackers might have looked up ahead of them at the unguarded pastures ahead, and silently formed a plan. And so the game is up. While the cacophony of rage over Lampard’s disallowed first-half goal will continue, as will the supposedly jovial jingoism aimed at Germany by English tabloids, a silent and stark truth will eventually stand out. In a tournament where most hotly tipped teams lined up with one genuinely defensive midfielder (Argentina’s Javier Mascherano) or even two (Brazil’s Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo), England sacrificed such pragmatism on the altar of reckless tempo. Furiously kinetic, they have been eliminated from the World Cup, playing in a fashion that while true to their buccaneering traditions was cruelly and wholly exposed. At least, as they return home, they can tell all who assail them with criticism that they went out, if not in style, then certainly in their own.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7152
__label__cc	0.686757	0.313243	Enter the Snowflake's lair... Circulation: 192,851,041 Issue: 665 \| 17th day of Collecting, Y16 A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part Four by dogz_rock_98 Sierra burst through the University doors, checked in with the receptionist, and rushed to Professor Lambert's office. She found him sitting at his desk with a mug of tea and remnants of breakfast on a tray. "Ah, good morning, Sierra!" "Good morning, Professor. I'm terribly sorry, I would meet at a more decent time but I am extremely busy, we're going to the Battleground this afternoon, I-" He waved off her excuses. "Don't worry about it, eight in the morning isn't too early at all! Have a seat. What would you like to meet with me about?" She lowered her voice. "It's the Sway... I can already see that they are not who we think they are." She took out her notepad and handed it to him on the page that her map notes where on, and explained what happened over the last two days. "Taking a photograph of the maps is too risky, and I won't have time anyway since we are beginning our journey to Tyrannia this afternoon. I have to be there in a few hours." The Professor nodded, looking concerned. "Obviously they are suspicious already, which has nothing to do with your actions. How did they find out about your article?" "I don't know. Martha refused to answer me when I asked the same thing," she replied. "Hmm." He paused. "I need you to find out, if you can." "I will do my best." "Also, you mentioned that there are 'missions' that are run?" "Yes, I believe those are what the maps are for, as well as informing their sources. Based on my observations, that means that there are missions conducted to the various faction headquarters on a regular basis... including ours." The Professor's eyes widened. He began rummaging through the papers on his desk and drawers. "Right, all catalogues of everything must be reviewed, as well as checking if there's anything missing or in a different condition than what was in since it was seen last, more library monitors must be hired-" He looked at Sierra. "Oh, dear, I apologize. Thank you very much for imparting this information to me." "You're welcome. I understand that this will be an added burden to our faction and I wish I could do something about it..." She heard a pattern of clacking noises from outside. "What's that noise?" "It just sounds like the typewriters from out in the library." "Right." She subconsciously drummed the S.O.S signal with her claw on the desk. Her face lit up as an idea came to her. "I've got it! I know what we could do!" "Whatever do you mean by this?" "A handheld morse code clicker. Whenever I'm in the building during a mission, if that ever happens, I would click out a message, like S.O.S. or something to that effect, to warn you of our arrival. However, this would be in an ultrasonic frequency, so only a special receiver can process it and bring to frequency to an audible level. However, when I'm not in range, I can send you a rushed neomail with a certain message, like this-" She grabbed a pen and wrote down, 'Brace yourselves for those in black.' on a scrap of paper. "What do you think?" The Professor smiled. "I shall go get Katie." He stood up, then turned to her. "Wait a minute, did you say you would be on a mission here?" "I have no idea if that would ever happen, but I get the impression that eventually every member goes on one." Professor Lambert sighed. "Please be careful as you continue your research. Try to stay safe. You know how important you are to us." "If I try to stay safe, then I won't find out anything." "Sierra, help me set up these tents!" Martha yelled irritably, loaded down with supplies like a pack Bika. Sierra lifted her bicycle off of the rack on the back of the carriage and set it on the ground. "Can I at least get our stuff?" she huffed. She looked at her and Martha's bags, thinking of the best way to cart them over to the tent site. She propped up her main bag on her bicycle ,slung her weaponry bag over her shoulders, and attempted to pick up Martha's duffel bag. "Good grief! What do you have in here, a stack of bricks?" She struggled to half-carry, half-drag the bag over to the tent site. "I have everything that I need in that bag and the weaponry bag you left by the carriage. What did you bring?" "Everything that I need, as well." Once they had finished setting up and the carriages had left, the red carriages from the Order began arriving nearby. Members began pouring out and unloading the carriages, while higher officials ceremoniously flew in on their broomsticks. She saw Lily appear from one of the carriages and begin helping out. They made eye contact, and Lily seemed to begin to move in her direction. Sierra subtly shook her head, and Lily nodded, turning away to continue working. "Lily Tamir, fifteen, purple Shoyru, short term Order member, best friend of Sierra Hardingson." Sierra turned around in shock to face the green Techo she knew as the Nefarious Plotter. "Sir! How do you know this?" He eyed her dubiously. "We know everything about everyone, Sierra. Especially about faction members. It is suspicious and dangerous to be so closely connected to members in the other factions." She shifted her posture, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. "You still haven't answered that question." The Techo did not respond. Sierra sighed with a hint of irritation. She was getting nowhere, and just raising suspicions further. She decided to take a different approach. "So... um, what's our plan of attack? I mean, how are we planning to win this?" She plastered on an innocently eager façade. The Techo seemed to buy it. "We're going to fight in various day shifts and night shifts, starting with tonight. You will be fighting the morning shift tomorrow and the day after, and on the final day you will be fighting the morning and afternoon shifts. During these shifts, you will fight as many battles as possible, and you will need to win a minimum of twenty battles against each opponent within your HP limit each day." "That would be the fourth most difficult challenger if he or she did not take the HP and stat booster." "Correct. You should use your healer while fighting opponents with significantly less HP in order to get more wins in." "Right. Do I need to do anything else except fight?" "You will be given a list of the weapons our members are using, and based on that list you will recommend the weapon combinations to used based on the number rounds that are being fought. You mentioned in your paper that the weapon combinations are different for those mainly fighting two round fights versus three to five rounds, versus seven or more rounds." "I see you've read it. I shall do my best to provide helpful information." "You have been very useful to us, Sierra." "Thank you, sir." She paused in thought. "Is it common that people like me get the jobs that I have, yet know so little about us?" He hesitated. "No and yes. Members who were previously loyal to other factions, such as you, usually receive jobs that require little to no intelligence, such as making the wax seal molds for our letters, act as decoys or distractions during missions so that his or her partner who is a full member can complete the task at hand undisturbed, or simply fighting. However, we make sure that everyone whom we know will not be loyal to us for life gains as little information about us to prevent them from spreading the information to other factions or the Neopian press. It is our secrecy that makes us so successful. We can anticipate the behavior of our opponents, but they cannot do the same for us. Your... talents make you an exception, and that is why we wanted you to join." Sierra nodded. "That makes a lot of sense for a group such as ours to do this. Thank you for your explanation, sir." "You're welcome." "Wait a minute... You said that you wanted me to join... What do you do when you want someone to join? How do you persuade him or her to join?" "There are various methods that we used, one of which you already know." Sierra thought for a moment. Her eyes widened. "That dream... That wasn't a coincidence." He said nothing, just continuing to stare off towards the Obelisk. "You sent it to me, didn't you?" He merely nodded without looking at her. She paused for a moment before speaking, trying to process this. "Well, I must get going now, I have yet to make my final preparations before the battles tomorrow. "Good afternoon." "Very well, good afternoon. Also, Sierra - you are forbidden to attempt to communicate Lily Tamir while you are here, or accept any communications attempt from her. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, you do." After a long morning of hard battling the next day, Sierra wearily returned to her tent. She drank one of her healing potions, then began cleaning her weapons and returning them to their cases. After she changed out of her fighting outfit, she walked outside to be greeted by a Crokabek. It deposited a letter in her paws, screeched obnoxiously, then flew away. She hastily opened it. She sat down, and squinted at the written code. Ugh, Eliv Thade code. I'm terrible at this. Damien passed by in full fighting gear as she struggled to decode the message. "D- I mean Agent Night?" "Good afternoon." "Good afternoon. Would you help me with this, please?" She handed the letter to him. He skimmed the letter. "Do you have a pen?" "Yeah." She ducked into her tent and returned with one after a moment. He took the pen, wrote something on the letter, and handed the letter and the pen back to her. Agent Nova, I would like a private audience with you in the Grand Tent at four thirty today. Don't be late. She looked up at him. "Who's it from?" He lowered his voice. "Most likely from Norheim, using one of his aliases. The Grand Tent is where She resides during the duration of the skirmish. You can't miss it." "Okay. Thank you for your help." He nodded. He turned to leave, then turned back around. "By the way, hot chocolate will be served." He then turned and walked away. She pondered his words. Hot Chocolate? She searched her mind to think of what he could mean. She remembered the Innocuous Hot Chocolate from the War for the Obelisk prize shop in the catalogue. They must have the same hot chocolate that was offered in the prize shop! I wonder what is really in that stuff anyway... She returned inside the tent, and rummaged around in her suitcase, being careful not to disturb the carefully arranged healing potions among her clothes and various miscellany. She pulled out a small, opaque white packet. Curious, she opened it and emptied the contents on her sleeping bag. There were several empty, closeable vials, a vial full of a blue liquid labelled 'disappearing ink', a small pair of scissors, cotton swabs, a pocket knife, and a box of matches. She inspected the scissors, and saw a pair of glasses discreetly engraved in them. She smiled. Thanks, Katie. The Grand Tent loomed over Sierra as she approached the cloth doors. She knocked on the wooden beam just outside. Norheim appeared in the entryway. "Good afternoon, Agent Nova. Come in." "Good afternoon, my lord." She followed him inside, and took a seat in the chair across from her. She looked in awe at the intricate patterns on the tent walls, and the lavish furniture around them. "How did you transport all of this here?" she asked. Norheim poured her and himself a cup of hot chocolate. "We make special arrangements. Her ladyship requests only the finest furnishings for her residence." He took a sip of hot chocolate. "Aren't you going to have some?" "I'm going to wait until it cools, thank you." She paused. "I am honored and surprised that you requested a private audience with me." Norheim nodded, as if he wasn't listening. "How did your battling go today?" "Quite well, thirty wins, no draws or losses." "Very well done. Do we need to send out for more healing potions?" "No, I have nine left, that should be more than enough." "Very well. You are enjoying your time with us?" "...What do you mean?" "You enjoy being a member?" "Well, yes, I believe I do. It took me some time to figure out exactly what my job was considering I didn't receive any direct training, and there are some, well, members, that I, uh..." "Aren't used to their personalities and ways of thinking?" "Yes, I- wait, what?" "Never mind. We are glad to have you as a member." "Thank you." She chanced taking a small sip of the hot chocolate. It tasted good to her, but she wasn't sure whether the odd undertones she was tasting were real or if it was just her paranoid mind. She coughed and discreetly spit it back into the mug as an idea came to her. She looked around her saucer. "It seems that I am missing a spoon for the cream." She set down the cup. "Oh, I shall get one for you. One moment please." He got up and disappeared behind a curtain. Now's my chance. She quickly took the vial from her inner coat pocket, took a sample of the hot chocolate, then placed the closed vial back in her pocket. Norheim returned with a spoon and handed it to her. "Thank you, my lord." She took it, scooped some chantilly cream into her mug, and stirred it. "Why did you want my talents and my essay so badly? I get the impression that multiple attempts were made to get me to join." "What makes you say that?" "You sent me the dream, didn't you? You used magic to take a video and then you sent to me as a dream in order to convince me. You did the same thing with the voices. I get the impression you usually don't do that." "It's true, we don't. We do things very differently now than we did before. Before the War for the Obelisk, we only recruited members ourselves, and we did not recruit members as young as you, only members who were legal adults. You saw that from my reluctance in the mandatory Neopedia article. But as we needed more reliable members with unique talents, we began searching for and recruiting younger members. All the members we don't recruit have simple jobs, and they are the sheer numbers for the battling. The recruited members do the real work. Take Agent Night, for instance. He is one of our decoding agents since he has so much experience in the field. We recruited him just before the Obelisk was discovered. Strategically minded members such as you and him are very important." "But what about my knowledge specifically, and my essay?" "Success is like the valuables inside a box with many different locks. When you obtain the box, you gain the main opportunity. You must find all of the different keys to the locks in order to unlock the box, and obtain the reward inside. We already have the box and some of the keys, yet we still have much work to do. We believed that your essay is one of the keys, or at least part of one, and our assumptions were proven correct." She thought about his words, and pretended to take another sip of hot chocolate. "Oh, I have something to ask of you, Agent Nova," Norheim said after a moment's silence. "What is it, my lord?" He lowered his voice. "I have heard rumors of a suspected spy in our organization. I don't have any solid proof yet, which is why I am assigning you, Agent Night, and several other members to be on the look out for any suspicious behavior, and report it to me if you find anything. We do not tolerate traitors in our society, nor do we mourn the loss of them." "Yes, I understand." She tensed, and sat up straighter to hide it. I'm not scared. No. I'm not scared of anything. She thought she saw him reaching for something in his pocket, and she discreetly wrapped her paw around her dagger handle hidden by her jacket. "Is that why you trust no one?" "I beg your pardon?" "Is that why no one except a select few know what we are really fighting for? What our values really are? How can one know if the faction's values match up with one's own if the faction's values are unknown? You need the members to just do as they're told, and to trust that they're doing the right thing. How can they if they don't know?" Norheim scowled. "I disapprove of your searching questions, Sierra." "But knowledge of one's morals is everything!" "Yet curiosity killed the Kadoatie," he warned. Sierra realized what she had just said. "I think I must get going, thank you for the hot chocolate. Good afternoon, my lord," she hurriedly left. Norheim did not get up, but took the pen and paper lying near him on the desk and began to write a letter. Sierra returned to her tent, closed the door flaps and buried her face in her pillow. Did I say too much? I did, didn't I? Oh, I did! Oh Fyora! Her heart sank. A couple of teardrops fell onto her pillow. What have I done? Her mind swam and her paws shook as she sat up, her heart racing. She got up, and decided to take a bike ride. She walked over to the rack, got her bike, and sped around the inner circle between the campsites and the ledge that isolated the obelisk from the rest of Tyrannia. She loved feeling the wind blowing through her fur, and feeling so free. She was near the far border of the Order's campsite when she saw Lily walking among the tents. Sierra slowed down and swerved. She leaned to the side slightly, and jumped off in an attempt to make it look like she fell. Her bike clattered loudly. Lily ran over to her. "Are you okay- Oh, hi!" She lowered her voice. "You didn't really fall, did you?" Sierra shook her head, and grinned. "I'm fine." "How's it going?" Lily helped her up. "I'm not supposed to talk to you, they know about us." "...Oh." "Suspicion is rising," Sierra whispered. She picked up her bike. "Maps of factions headquarters. My essay. Infinite knowledge. They trust no one." Lily's eyes widened. "You need to tell her, you know." "Rasala?' "I'd better go, then." "Me, too," Sierra got back onto her bicycle, and continued her circuit around the Obelisk. Sierra paced along her row of tents the next afternoon, watching the dust stir with her steps. I've said too much, but what do I do? Leaving immediately after the battle ends would save me a lot of trouble, but they would get even more suspicious and I feel like I haven't found out enough. How long should I stay? Probably just until I figure out what they do during the truce time, and what a mission entails. She bumped into someone, and she mumbled an apology before noticing that something silver fell to the ground. She picked up the open locket, and a young, yellow Cybunny stared cheerfully back at her. She looked up to see Damien. Sierra closed the locket and handed it back to him. "Who's that in the locket?" she asked as kindly as possible. "Someone. It doesn't matter." He didn't look at her. She couldn't tell if he was nervous or just being cold. "Come on, you can tell me. Who is she? A family member? An old friend?" "It doesn't matter!" "Damien, please tell me. It's okay." He hesitated. "My... she's my sister," he mumbled. "She's not so little anymore." "Is she at home?" "Where is she, then?" He hesitated again. "I don't know." "Why not?" "I haven't seen her in six years!" His voice and paws trembled. "...Oh." Sierra wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm very sorry." Damien shook his head. "...Do you think we could find her?" "What do you mean by 'we?'" "Well, I could help you find her. We could go through whatever files and archives she has, and maybe we'll find an address or a Neoschool name, or at least a place where recent purchases have been made under her name." "Really?" "We'll have to be careful, though. I don't know if we'll be able to access those areas of the vaults. My access card is heavily restricted." "Well, it's always worth trying, isn't it?" He cracked a small, grateful smile. Hope glimmered in his eyes. "Thank you." She smiled back. "No problem. See? It's not that hard!" He didn't respond, but kept smiling. Sierra walked up to her house after spending the day completing her Defenders of Neopia courses. The front porch light flickered in the darkness, struggling to stay on. As she stuck the key into the lock, she heard a noise from inside. That's odd, she thought. Zane and Mom shouldn't be here until tomorrow morning... She pressed her ear against the door, but she didn't hear anything. She shrugged and quietly opened the door. In the foyer, she spotted a tall, cloaked, unfamiliar silhouette. She dove behind a large potted plant. Part of her screamed at her to run away, yet she stayed put. Two other silhouettes appeared out of the darkness. She could barely make out what they were saying. "Did you find it?" the tall one whispered. One of the other silhouettes shook its head. "We searched everywhere, but she must have taken it with her." "Hmm... This could prove to be a problem. Norheim will not be pleased about thi- Someone's here. Move!" They disappeared and she heard the back door closing. She left her hiding spot and turned on the lights to find her whole house trashed. Some of the Sakhmetan pottery was gone, as well as a small, antique desk lamp. She ran upstairs to her room to find a few of her books and her typewriter were gone as well. Tears streamed down her cheeks. I'll find whoever did this, I have to... Sierra woke with a start, smacking her head against a metal tent pole. Dawn barely peeked through the flaps. She blinked and wiped the dried tears from her face as she realized what had just happened. She quickly dressed, brushed her unruly hair and ran outside. She passed Damien as he returned to his tent, wearing his now-tattered fighting outfit. He tossed his weapons into the tent and pulled out a healing potion. "Sierra, what's going on?" She whirled around. "Where's Norheim? I must speak to him immediately." "Why do you nee-" "Where is he?" "He should still be in the secondary grand tent, to the right of the Grand Tent." "Thank you." She nodded her head and ran off. He ran after her. "Sie- Agent Nova, wait! Wait!" She kept running until she reached the tent. "Nova, why do you need to speak to him?" She whirled around and scowled. "I have my secrets, you have yours. Excuse me." "But I already told you something about me, and I know nothing about you! Surely it's fair-" "Why are you so interested in my past now? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me!" "Obviously things have changed in the past few days!" "I'll explain it to you later, just not now. I have something to take care of." She hurried to the tent, leaving Damien outside. She burst in, not bothering to knock, and Norheim looked up at her in faint surprise. She slammed her paws down on the desk and the surrounding papers fluttered messily in the air. "You! You were the one responsible for it all, weren't you? You-" "Now that's not a very polite way to greet your superior, Agent Nova. I expected better of you. Now what is this that you speak of?" "The robbery of my house two and a half years ago, that's what! It was planned, a mission that you carried out where you assigned former Thieves Guild members to break into my house and steal my essay! I can't believe that you would stoop that low and do such a thing-" "'Stoop that low,' you say? Oh please, we did not 'stoop' at all. We did what we had to do to get the essay in our possession. You can see how important it is to us, I explained to you two days ago. The essay was important to us then, but when the Obelisk appeared we realized the full extent of its importance. We knew all along you would choose the Seekers, but we needed to shift your loyalty, so to speak, to us." Sierra's eyes widened. "Did you have anything to do with the Neopian Times rejections?" "We may have spoken briefly with the editors about the matter-" "I can't believe it!" She slammed her paws on the desk again, fire raging in her eyes. She turned her back to him, wiped her face with her paws, then whipped around to face him again. "I can't believe you would go this far to get such a small tidbit of information when you already know so much... But why did you have to ruin my life in the process? We lost 200K in valuables from the robbery. It may not sound like much to you, but it was a lot to us, and it still is. You turned me into a paranoid freak who sleeps with a dagger under her pillow ever since, all for an essay that you just could have gotten from the Neopian Times!" "Oh no. The value is lost completely when something like that becomes public knowledge. It is no longer an advantage when everyone uses the same tactics." "Right, if your opponents can predict what you're going to do, they're more likely to gain the upper hand. That much makes sense, unfortunately." "You seem familiar with this topic." "And you're straying from the subject of importance." "You got your knowledge from the Seekers, I suppose? We've found out about your position in their society. I'm surprised that you would give all of that up to join us." Sierra froze, eyes widening. Oh no. They've found out! Norheim smiled thinly. "Oh dear, have we run across a slight problem?" She tried to hide her trembling in her cloak. "How did you find out about that?" She gritted her teeth. "We know many things, Sierra." "How? I'm sick of your cryptic answers! Give me a literal one, for Fyora's sake!" "I will not. It's my and Her Ladyship's best kept secret, after all." "Fine. If you'll excuse me, sir, I have some business to attend to. Good morning- actually, no, don't have a good morning, I hope you have a miserable one." She irritably marched out of the tent, where Damien was still waiting for her. "So that's what all of that was about-" Sierra stopped walking and whirled around. "You were listening to my conversation? I'm pretty sure that I made it clear that it was a private-" "-And that you'd tell me about it when you were finished talking. I was... gathering background information, of sorts." "Yeah right, 'background information.' How convincing." She rolled her eyes and continued walking. "Are you going to tell me about what that was about?" She sighed. "To make a long story short, about two years ago some people broke into my house and stole a lot of stuff. I had always thought it was solely the Thieves Guild who were responsible, but it wasn't until last night when I had a frighteningly accurate dream about it that I realized that Norheim organized it to steal my essay, which I had just finished. "I went to confront Norheim about to only for the conversation to veer off and to find out that he discovered my former position with the Seekers, which I didn't want him to find out." "Because I don't want them to use my knowledge that way. They've already got my essay, and that's already more than I bargained for when I joined. I just can't let them continue to leech knowledge from me." She paused. "I don't want to continue being used like this, being just a pawn in her chess game. I didn't realize this would be what I was getting into when I joined." "We're all pawns in her chess game. Every single one of us. She uses us all whether we like it or not, and we just have to go along with it. The consequences of betrayal are too great." She lowered her voice. "Do you know what her plan is?" "All I know is what I've been told, and that her ultimate plan that she has been working towards by making sure certain events throughout Neopia go a certain way is for the greater good of Neopia." "But how can you be so sure that it's for 'the greater good?' How do you know that when you don't know what their plans or ambitions are at all?" He responded with a look of confusion. "You see what I mean? They refuse to trust any of us, save for the select handful who know almost everything, so how can we ever trust them? It's kind of like us: the more we know someone, the more we trust them. They would only be so wary and careful around everyone, including their own members, if they have something to hide where knowledge of it would change everything. It can't be a good thing if people knowing about it would change their plans. If it truly was for the greater good of Neopia, then they should have no trouble telling the public and convincing them to help out." Damien nodded. The pieces were slowly coming together. "They've been working towards this great plan since the beginning of recorded history, maybe even before then." "So that's what, two or more thousand years? We can conclude from that since it's such a long term project that it could result in drastic changes in Neopia, whatever that may be." "Wait a minute, are you trying to find out-" "But, but-" he hesitated, a little flustered. "The consequences-" "I know. I need to find out anyway." I've got a plan, she added silently. She paused. "Do you still want to be just a pawn in her chess game? Think about it." She walked back to the tent, leaving him standing there in utter, overwhelmed surprise. » A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part One » A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part Two » A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part Three » A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7157
__label__cc	0.605922	0.394078	Meyer Melodia About Meyer Melodia Rising at a height of 10-storey, Meyer Melodia is a freehold condominium located along the seafront side of the Meyer Road with only a total of 16 exclusive residential units ranging from 2 bedroom apartments to penthouses, suitable for couples and even larger scaled family. Each unit comes fully equipped with high quality fittings and fixtures as well as marbled floors to exude a sense of luxurious living for you and your loved ones. Since it is just right next to the sea, future occupants of Meyer Melodia will be able to kick start their mornings with an unblocked and breathtaking sea view from the comforts of their own apartments. To provide you with a beach-side living experience, Meyer Melodia also has a comprehensive range of resort-liked facilities such as a swimming pool for you to cool off when the weather gets too hot, a pool deck for you to lounge around and get lulled into a state of complete peace and tranquility, an indoor gymnasium for those work out enthusiasts and residents who are trying to keep fit and healthy and not forgetting an outdoor dining and BBQ area where you can invite your friends and family over for a hearty meal of grilled food and some bonding session. Indeed, Meyer Melodia is more like a resort than a home therefore you will feel as if you are on an all year round beach vacation, perfect for those looking to live a life filled with comfort and serenity. Meyer Melodia is in a quiet and private enclave that is laden with a whole range of amenities just waiting for you to explore and discover. With malls like i12 Katong, Roxy Square, Katong Shopping Centre, Parkway Parade, Paramount Shopping Centre, Katong Plaza and The Odeon Katong just a stone’s throw away from the development, providing an array of retail stores, restaurants, F&B outlets and various entertainment facilities, you will be spoiled for choice when shopping at these places. For those die hard foodie fans, all your food cravings can be effortlessly solved at the nearby Old Airport Road Market, Jalan Batu Market & Food Centre and the East Coast Food Centre serving up mouthwatering local dishes that will melt the hearts’ of any food critics around. Engage in various sporting, lifestyle and recreational activities at the Kallang Squash & Tennis Centre, Singapore Swimming Club, Katong Swimming Complex, Marina Bay Golf Course, and the newly opened Singapore Sports Hub which are all within reach from Meyer Melodia. Meyer Melodia is just minutes’ away from the beautiful beach at the East Coast Park where you can feel the sand beneath your feet and the sea air upon your face, coating you in a feeling unlike any others. There are also a number of prominent and high respected institutions surrounding Meyer Melodia such as Chung Cheng High School, Kong Hwa School, Dunman High School, Northlight School, Tanjong Katong Primary and Secondary School, Broadrick Secondary School, Haig Girls’ School and Tanjong Katong Girls’ School which are known to provide excellent and top notch education to its students. Strategically situated at the city’s fringe, Meyer Melodia is less than a 10 minutes’ drive away from prime locations in Singapore such as the Central Business District (CBD), Suntec City and Integrated Resorts because it is well-connected to major arterial roads and expressways like the Mountbatten Road, East Coast Parkway Expressways (ECP), Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE), Central Expressway (CTE) and Pan Island Expressway (PIE). Meyer Melodia can also be easily accessed via Mountbatten MRT station, Stadium MRT station, Dakota MRT station and the upcoming Katong Park MRT station, allowing residents to commute to various parts of the island without any trouble. With such a well-integrated transport network linking Meyer Melodia to the rest of the country, residents will get to travel to anywhere in Singapore with much ease. Meyer Melodia is a symbolic and iconica masterpiece that will show you the correct way of living and provide you with a luxurious and comfortable lifestyle that is truly unforgettable. Developer Info: Cang Properties Pte Ltd Land Size: 6,068.7 sqft Nearest MRT: Mountbatten MRT Total Units: 16 Residential Units 2 Bedroom 13 550 – 721 sqft 3 Bedroom 2 1,205 sqft 5 Bedroom Penthouse 1 2,196 sqft Where is Meyer Melodia located? Meyer Melodia Gallery	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7158
__label__cc	0.685329	0.314671	America’s 50 States Get a Helping Hand from Google About Marketing Small Businesses Online On September 13th Google’s blog congratulated themselves for finally getting small businesses online, in all 50 states. Google’s “America Get Your Business Online” program aims to help those organizations without a website learn all about marketing small businesses online. “I know the great benefit businesses get from just having a simple website,” says David Jenyns of Melbourne Video Production, a web video and internet marketing company, “and it’s great to see someone like Google helping those internet-wary businesses take the first step into marketing themselves online.” Get Your Business Online with Google I whole-heartedly believe using Google’s program ... is imperative to any small business that’s not online. There’s everything to gain, and nothing to lose Melbourne, Victoria (PRWEB) September 19, 2012 It wasn’t so long ago when the web was used for a bit of past-time fun, or as an impressive, super-high-tech way to communicate. But with rapid advances in technology over the past decade, the internet has become the main source of information for practically all Americans, be it searching for a product or service, or to find an opinion thereof. With that said, an amazing 58% of small businesses in America don’t have a website; meaning, in today’s constantly logged-on society, those businesses are virtually invisible to their potential customers. Google’s “America Get Your Business Online” program, launched last year, put the emphasis on how important it is for small businesses to get online in order to survive and thrive. “Small businesses are vital to any economy,” says David Jenyns of Melbourne Video Production, a company who specializes in marketing small businesses using web video and SEO techniques, “and Google’s goal seems to be the same as mine: helping businesses flourish by using the cheapest, easiest and most effective marketing tools.” American small businesses make up more than half of the US Gross Domestic Product and provide an impressive two-thirds of new jobs to the economy. But only those tapped in online are expected to grow 40% faster than their counterparts. “I’ve seen a lot of companies struggling because they simply can’t be found,” remarks David, “traditional marketing has its value, but is nowhere near as effectual as small business marketing online. Google’s program is like throwing out a lifeline.” David continues to say, “Unless you’re part of the generation who’ve never known life without the internet, there’s a lot of small businesses who still think creating a website, and maintaining it, is expensive and time consuming.” However, Google’s “America Get Your Business Online” program was designed to quash that very thought. Teaming up with Intuit, ASBDC, and Score, Google has opened the door for small businesses to get a customized domain name, hosting, and easy-to-build website – all free, for one year. Further easing the minds of cash-flow conscious proprietors, small businesses using Google’s program will only pay a mere $2 per month for their domain and a further $4.99 per month for hosting, after their free one-year is up. “I’ve been part of this industry pretty much since its inception,” David says about small business internet marketing, “and I whole-heartedly believe using Google’s program, and then investing $7 a month after the first year, is imperative to any small business that’s not online. There’s everything to gain, and nothing to lose.” By the end of last month, Google made their final stops in Alaska and Hawaii, bringing their year-long experiment to a close, according to their blog post. Even though the country-wide events have ceased, the initiative is still open for small businesses wanting to get online. To find out more, visit: http://www.gybo.com/america/index About Melbourne Video Production Melbourne Video Production is a division of MelbourneSEOServices.com, a full service search engine optimization (SEO) consultancy, based in Australia, but with a worldwide client base. Melbourne Video Production has the unique ability to combine their web video expertise with strategic SEO practices from Melbourne SEO. Director, David Jenyns, has, over several years, built a team of experts who are niche experts to support the business, and who share his ethos for ethical, professional internet marketing and web video. Visit this website to know how to take your online marketing to the next level. David Jenyns Melbourne Video Production David Jenyns, Corporate SEO Trainer MelbourneVideoProduction.com.au	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7160
__label__cc	0.608054	0.391946	New banner and icon for the blog I've decided to try my hand at graphics design, to draw the banner and the icon for this blog. The following are some earlier drafts. Hopefully, they illuminate the meaning behind the blog's name. Here are the results, the final designs for the banner and the icon. They're what appears on the blog now. 15 puzzle: a tile sliding game Time spent on video games: worthwhile or wasteful? Merry Christmas! And happy one year anniversary for this blog! Jesus asked his disciples, "what about you? Who do you say I am?" The following is a selection of the things I've said about Jesus in various posts, in the year since I started this blog. This is who I say he is. Merry Christmas! What does it mean that Christ created the world? It means that he was incarnated into the world. Otherwise, what has God (who is a spirit) to do with the world (which is physical)? To physically create the world, God - the One Father of All - breathed into the world his Secret Fire, the Imperishable Flame, the One that belongs only with God. He did so to "let these things be" - so that his plans and intentions would become physical reality through his Word. The form of that Flame is none other than Christ come into the world. Merry Christmas to you all - for on that day the universe was (ontologically, not temporally) created. - from For Christmas: the Incarnation Jesus is like a baby elephant. A large elephant can be groped at by blind men and never be comprehended because of its large size. But if that elephant had a baby - something begotten to be of the same elephant nature yet small enough to be felt by the blind - then they could get a good idea of the large elephant. - from Jesus is like these things in his incarnate nature: There are no miracles at the highest level: If we could somehow understand God completely through one last final miracle, we'd find that there are no exceptions or surprises or inconsistencies in God, for God is perfectly logical and consistent in himself. All the lower level miracles would be contained and explained in the last miracle to give a complete picture of God. The last, deepest, greatest miracle is the Incarnation. It is a miracle at the level of the nature of God himself. It reveals to us everything about God. "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". It is the miracle that explains all other miracles. - from Miracles: their definition, properties, and purpose What is love? As it is written, "Greater love has no on than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends". So at the cross, Jesus displays the unconditional love that continued to love his sinful enemies even while we crucified him. He took on all our sins and their consequences, sacrificing himself and saving us. - from The Gospel according to Disney's "Frozen" Jesus Christ is God himself incarnated as a man. In God's act of true love for us, Christ came - God came as a man - to fulfill the plan for our salvation. For what power does anyone else have to stop the course of sin? To save us? To reach us, he humbled himself down to our level, and took on the human form that he first granted us. Like us, he was conceived, born, and raised, and became a man familiar with our sorrow, who experienced our pain. Despite being fully human, he remained morally perfect, so that he could serve as the perfect example for us. Moreover, this was necessary for the next key part of the plan: his crucifixion and resurrection. I do not understand Jesus' death on the cross. There are theories of how it worked, but I doubt we have anything close to the full picture. This is only expected: the cross is nothing less than the intersection of all of existence - things on heaven and earth, visible and invisible, life and death, good and evil, sin and righteousness, God and his creation, story and Author - they all collide here. I think that a complete understanding of Christ's death and resurrection would require nothing short of the entirety of the mind of God. My telling of the story is utterly insufficient for it - nevertheless I will proceed. - from The Gospel: the central message of Christianity (part 3) The universe is actually designed by and for one person, and one person only: Jesus Christ, who is God himself. It's his game. He designed it to play it himself. Every parameter, every feature of the universe is designed solely for Christ's sake. Because Jesus made the universe to play it himself, it's an excellent, perfectly crafted game: it's made with incredible elegance, efficiency, and simplicity in its fundamental rules which are completely free of bugs or exceptions, yet the final result is rich and complex and intricate, and allows for a great deal of player expression. How, then, shall we play? [...] Play like Jesus played: to express God's love back towards God, and to your fellow players. This is what the universe was designed for. After all, it was designed by and for Jesus. - from The universe is an MMO, and God is the game designer. The Incarnation: This, at last, is the event for which all of creation was made and waiting for. God sent his son, in whom dwells the fullness of deity, to be incarnated as a human being. Thus began the final act in the grand story of the universe - the one that the whole universe had been building up to for 13.8 billion years. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: And here is the climax of the story: the singularity at the heart of existence, the purpose for which Christ came into the universe. Everything had been for this event. In the beginning, when God set the laws of the universe, he dictated that a hammer pounding a nail would be sufficient to drive it through Christ's body. When God created the Earth, he placed the iron atoms that would make up the spear that pierced Christ's side. When God created life, he designed it so that sufficient structural disruption would cause it, and therefore Christ, to die. When he created humans, he gave us sufficient brains for processing life, love, death, and resurrection. And when the serpent deceived Adam and Eve, God declared that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent. Everything - all the other events in the universe's history - had been building towards this moment. Through his death and resurrection, Christ makes us fully God's children. He completely reverses Adam's, Eve's, and all of our sins. He sets the course for all of creation - the whole universe - to be redeemed. - from The biblical timeline of the universe The Gospel according to Disney's "Tangled" The Gospel: the central message of Christianity (part 1) For Christmas: the Incarnation Basic Bayesian reasoning: a better way to think (Part 4) Have you read the last several posts? In those posts we began the tale of Alice and Bob, a pair of murder suspects who recently started dating one another. Through their sordid tale, we'll examine Bayesian reasoning, the scientific method, and the so-called fallacy of "affirming the consequent". Alice and Bob are going through a rough patch in their relationship. One day, Alice accuses Bob of infidelity, and they have this conversation: You spent the night at Carol's house last weekend! You're cheating on me with her! Bob: What?! How do you figure that? I'm innocent! If you're cheating on me with her, it makes perfect sense that you'd spend the night at her house! Ha! You're "affirming the consequent". You've started from "if [cheating], then [night at Carol's house]", then concluded that "if [night at Carol's house], then [cheating]". This is a logical fallacy, and your argument is invalid. Cheating on you is not the only possible explanation for me spending the night at Carol's. There are other, perfectly innocent explanations - like the fact that Carol threw a party that ran late, and a bunch of us just crashed at her place for the night rather than risk driving home tired and drunk. Now, let's pause the conversation here for the moment and assess the situation. So far, Bob's logic follows the example in the Wikipedia page on "affirming the consequent". And he certainly seems right - "affirming the consequent" is a fallacy in propositional logic, and Alice can't necessarily conclude that Bob cheated on her just because he spent a night at Carol's house. So, is Alice committing a logical fallacy? And therefore Bob is innocent? Let's continue and see: That party happened last weekend, when Carol knew I would be out of town! That makes perfect sense if Carol plotted to have you come without me! That's ridiculous. You're still just "affirming the consequent". You've started from "if [Carol plotting], then [party on that weekend]", then concluded that "if [party on that weekend], then [Carol plotting]". I told you before, this is a logical fallacy. There are many other explanations for why the party might have happened on that weekend. Whenever I ask Carol whether she's seeing anyone, she avoids the question! That's more flawed reasoning. Do I have to explain it to you again? There are other possible explanations why Carol avoids that topic with you. That doesn't mean I'm cheating on you with her. But she was always very forthcoming about her dating life before. What would make her so reluctant to talk about it now? I don't know. I suggest you ask her. Many innocent explanations are possible. You're still "affirming the consequent". You've started with a hypothesis - that I'm cheating on you with Carol - and then produced observations that fit with that hypothesis, then used those observations to justify the original hypothesis. That's like saying "The Bible is true because God wrote it, and it says that God exists. Therefore God exists". That kind of silly, circular reasoning is what happens when you "affirm the consequent", and you're using this logical fallacy over and over again to try to say that I've cheated on you. Well, Bob certainly seems to be right. Alice can't, and shouldn't, conclude that Bob is cheating on her just because Carol is not talking about her dating life, or because the party happened on a certain weekend. After all, "affirming the consequent" is a logically fallacy, isn't it? Someone at the party saw you go into Carol's bedroom with her. You're still "affirming the consequent", and it invalidates your conclusion. Your logic is flawed. There are perfectly innocent reasons to go into someone's bedroom. With two bottles of wine. And you closed the door afterwards. Still just "affirming the consequent". What, we're not allowed to drink wine at a party? We're not allowed to close the door when the music is loud out in the living room? This was at 10 pm, far before your normal bedtime, far before you're normally tired. It was a crazy party. It wore me out fast. Why do you continue to "affirm the consequent"? Don't you see that you're still just starting with the idea that I'm cheating on you, then using that idea to interpret the events to justify itself? That's circular reasoning. You're saying that just because these are how things would play out IF I were cheating on you, therefore then I MUST be cheating on you. It's a logical fallacy, like I said many times, and you're just using it repeatedly. And you didn't come out from the bedroom until the next day. Like I said, we got tired and decided to just sleep off the party rather than risk driving home drunk and exhausted. Okay... hmm... I mean, "affirming the consequent" is still a logical fallacy, right? It's got a Wikipedia page and everything. How could Alice be right when she's committing this fallacy over and over? I mean... if you heard that your significant other went into a bedroom with someone else, along with two bottles of wine, and stayed behind closed doors until the next day, you wouldn't jump to any conclusions, right? Because you're a logical thinker and you don't want to commit a fallacy? My source from the party also tells me that it looked like you and Carol were making out before you went into her room. You know that eyewitnesses are unreliable. The living room was dark and your "source" was probably drunk as well. Or maybe your "source" is lying to break us up for his or her own ends. There's lots of possibilities, you can't conclude that I cheated on you from this, and you're only still "affirming the consequent" by bringing this up to say that I did. I also have this shopping receipt, dated the day before the party, for things that Carol bought. She purchased scented candles, those wine bottles we mentioned, and "sexy" lingerie. What Carol does with her money and what lingerie she wears is none of my business. You're still using flawed logic, by starting from the idea that I'm cheating on you, to explain what Carol bought, then using that explanation to justify your initial assumption. She also bought condoms. I didn't know, I don't care, and it's not relevant. There are many reasons that Carol would buy condoms that have nothing to do with me cheating on you. I found condoms of the same brand in Carol's trash dumpster after the party. They were used. Are you crazy?! That's disgusting! Completely apart from your gross dumpster-diving, that doesn't prove anything. Those could have come from anywhere, thrown away by anyone. You're still trying to make everything fit into your preconceived notion that I've cheated on you. That's "affirming the consequent"! It's a logical fallacy! You're just repeating this fallacy over and over again! I had them tested at the lab. The DNA on the outside is a decently good match with samples from Carol's hair. DNA matching is imperfect. There's thousands of people in this city that would also be a "good match" with that DNA sample. Even if were an "excellent" match there's still lots of people who would fit that criteria. Any one of them could have used the condom. And even if it WAS Carol, you can't conclude that I've cheated on you with her from just that. That would be "affirming the consequent"! And the DNA on the inside is an excellent match with you. LOGICAL FALLACY! Over and over again! Your reasoning is invalid! You're trying to go from "if A then B", to "if B then A"! That's circular logic! It's "affirming the consequent"! I did not cheat on you with Carol! If you still believe Bob, then I have a bridge to sell you. The weight of evidence is overwhelming at this point. Bob did almost certainly cheat on Alice with Carol. But what about "affirming the consequent"? Isn't Bob right that it's a logical fallacy? Isn't Alice's argument based entirely on using it over and over? What does Bayesian reasoning say about all this? Now, Bayesian reasoning mirrors human common sense. It will never lead to a result that "normal" reasoning says is impossible. As I mentioned earlier, you don't actually need formal training to use it in your daily life, because its rules are just the rules of good thinking that's been refined to a mathematical precision. However, because of its precision and power over propositional logic, Bayesian reasoning can sometimes lead to surprising results for someone who's only versed in propositional logic. "Affirming the consequent" is one such result. In Bayesian logic, "Affirming the consequent" is allowed in a mathematically precise way. You CAN relate "if A then B" to "if B then A". In Bayesian terms, where we assign probability values - P(A), P(B), P(A\|B), et cetera - to all statements, "if A then B" can be expressed as P(B\|A), and "if B then A" becomes P(A\|B). And these two probabilities are directly related to one another, as it is plainly written out in Bayes' theorem: P(A\|B) = P(B\|A) * P(A)/P(B) Essentially, the two factors grow together. As P(B\|A) gets bigger, so does P(A\|B). As B becomes better explained by A, A becomes more likely given B. The more strongly the consequences of a hypothesis are affirmed, the more likely the hypothesis is to be true. As more events around Carol's party are explained by Bob cheating on Alice, it becomes more certain that Bob cheated based on these events. So each event - each instance of "affirming the consequent" - actually strengthens the hypothesis that Bob cheated on Alice with Carol. Far from dooming Alice's hypothesis because of its status as a "logical fallacy", it actually serves as evidence for Alice's accusation. That's right: "affirming the consequent" does not invalidate its conclusion, instead it actually serves as evidence FOR that conclusion. It is the very fact that Alice used "affirming the consequent" OVER AND OVER that made her case so strong. It's crucial to note that if she had made only one such argument, even if that argument was the one from DNA on the condom, her case would have been weak and she would have been wrong to come to her conclusion. But with each instance of "affirming the consequent" - each time Alice successfully showed that the events around Carol's party fit with Bob cheating on her - her case grew stronger. Therefore, "affirming the consequent" is a "logical fallacy" only insofar as it's not being used enough. So if you see someone say that Bill Gates must own Fort Knox because he's rich, you can legitimately say that this is flawed reasoning, and call him out on "affirming the consequent". In this case, you'd be using that term as a proper logical fallacy and saying that this person conclusion is invalid. But if this person repeated similar arguments over and over - if he showed that Bill Gates was part of a secret cabal that controlled the U.S. government, and that Gates had regularly been inside Fort Knox, and that there were mysterious changes to his net wealth that matched perfectly with mysterious changes in the amount of gold in Fort Knox, and that a highly ranked government official anonymously said "Bill Gates owns Fort Knox.", then we might be getting somewhere. Each of these things would by itself could be dismissed by citing "affirming the consequent", but together, each instance of "affirming the consequent" counts as evidence, and adds up to a strong case. So "affirming the consequent" can both serve as evidence and be a mistake. But, in Bayesian terms, how can you tell when it's a mistake? What is the genuine blunder in logic when that happens? As a mistake, "affirming the consequent" is the act of coming to the conclusion without enough evidence. It's coming to the conclusion without affirming enough consequents. Or more properly, it's concluding that P(hypothesis\|evidence) is high, when P(evidence\|hypothesis) is not yet large enough to compensate for P(hypothesis)/P(evidence). The solution to this issue, in part, is not to stop "affirming the consequent", but to do it more - to look for more evidence. The reason that propositional logic doesn't, and can't, follow this reasoning is because it cannot distinguish between probability values of 1% or 99%. In propositional logic, a statement can only be true, false, or undecided. But "affirming the consequent" works in Bayesian reasoning by moving the probability value: it perhaps starts at 1% (very unlikely to be true), but then slides to 20% (unlikely to be true), then to 70% (likely to be true), and to 99% (very likely to be true) as you affirm more consequents, over and over. Propositional logic sees this and says "all I recognize in all these cases are undecided statements", and since 99% is not 100%, it will not let you say that the conclusion is true. This is why "affirming the consequent" is always a logical fallacy in propositional logic. But this really says more about the limits of propositional logic rather than reflecting true rationality. How do you know when you've affirmed enough consequents? How many times to you have to "affirm the consequent" to be sure of your conclusion? Due to the difficulties associated with using Bayes' theorem in a real-world context, it may be hard or impossible to get actual numbers. But you have to at least walk through the equations to vaguely answer the question. In particular, when you work through the equation it turns out that the most effective kind of evidence is that which could be affirmed by your hypothesis, but not by a rival hypothesis. "Affirming the consequent" is better than not affirming. Circular reasoning is better than contradictory reasoning. This is the essence of the odds form of Bayes' theorem, which shows the importance of comparing the hypotheses against one another. It has many important applications: One such application is the scientific method. Bayesian reasoning is the logical framework that underlies the scientific method. Science, in part, relies on "affirming the consequent". Experimental verification of theoretical predictions serves as evidence for that theory. On the flip side, theories are falsified based on experiments as well. Both sides of that statement are together expressed in the odds form of Bayes' theorem. Between two competing theories or hypothesis, "affirming the consequent" is better than not affirming, and circular reasoning is better than contradictory reasoning. Bayesian reasoning is also at the heart of presuppositional apologetics, which starts with the idea that God of the Bible - who is the basis for all rational thought - exists. It then "affirms the consequent" by verifying that the world does indeed bear the image of its Creator. Rival non-Christian worldviews cannot make the same affirmation, and therefore must borrow from the Christian worldview even in attacking it, thereby contradicting themselves. Of course, its critics have said that this approach is invalid because it "affirms the consequent", but I hope you now know better. This reasoning is also the logical foundation for my blog here. I start with this fundamental postulate: God as revealed in Jesus Christ. I then "prove" that God exists by demonstrating that this postulate generates the universe - that is, by affirming the consequent. This Bayesian reasoning is also the logical framework for my series of posts on how science itself - its axioms and long-term traits and properties - serves as strong evidence for Christianity. Because hypothesis should be measured against its rivals, I said that science is evidence for Christianity and against atheism. Of course, its critics accused me of "affirming the consequent" over and over again. By now, you should recognize this is as the mark of a strong argument, one with a great deal of evidence behind it. After all, "affirming the consequent" is a hallmark of science itself. In all these areas, beware those who only cry "fallacy!", who will not state or test their hypothesis against yours, who only want to tear down arguments instead of building them. They pretend that their ignorance is strength, because they think that knowing nothing means they never have to affirm any consequents. They do not realize that this is actually the mark of profound weakness, and such know-nothing hypothesis can only survive by parasitically attaching itself to more established theories. But you should actively seek to find, build, critique, and refine your hypothesis. Rejecting a hypothesis is never an end in itself, but a step towards a better hypothesis. Remember that the devil comes to steal and to kill and to destroy. But it is God who creates. We can now conclude by answering the questions I raised at the end of my last post. Yes, Bayesian reasoning allows for "affirming the consequent", and this actually serves as evidence FOR your conclusion. There is still a sense where "affirming the consequent" is a fallacy, which happens when you give a hypothesis too much credit based on a single instance of "affirming the consequent". But this only means that you haven't affirmed enough consequents. To escape this fallacy, you need to affirm more consequents with your hypothesis, while comparing it with its rival hypothesis. "Affirming the consequent" is a fallacy in propositional logic, but that's more indicative of propositional logic's inflexible limits rather than a reflection of actual rationality. In fact, "affirming the consequent" forms half of Bayes' theorem in odds form, which is the logical basis for the scientific method, presuppositional apologetics, and this very blog and the theories I put forth in it. What is "evidence"? What counts as evidence for a certain position? Science as evidence for Christianity (Summary and Conclusion) "Proving" God's existence In my last post, I introduced Bayes' theorem: P(hypothesis\|observation) = P(observation\|hypothesis)/P(observation) * P(hypothesis) Now, this is a powerful equation that tells us how to use observed evidence to update our beliefs about a hypothesis. But as I mentioned, it has two difficulties with its use: first, the probability prior to the observation - P(hypothesis) - is famously difficult to compute in a clear, objective manner, and it changes based on the background information that each person has. For these reasons it's often said to be a personal, subjective probability, reflecting a particular person's degree of belief based on his or her unique set of background information. And second, things get even worse for P(observation): this is the probability of making the observation, averaged over the complete set of competing hypotheses. Because this is an average over the complete set, we have to know all P(hypothesis) values for every competing hypothesis. But as we said just in the previous paragraph, computing even one of these values is difficult. If that wasn't hard enough, in real-life situations we may not even be able to enumerate the complete set of competing hypotheses. And then, even if we somehow got through all these difficulties, we still have to calculate P(observation\|hypothesis) values for each of these hypotheses, which itself is no trivial task, then calculate their average across all the hypotheses. This step often requires more computation than the rest of Bayes' theorem put together, even for well-defined problems with fixed values for all other probabilities. For these reasons I often like to use Bayes' theorem in odds form: simply write down the equations for two different hypotheses and divide one by the other, and you get: P(hypothesis A\|observation)/P(hypothesis B\|observation) = P(hypothesis A)/P(hypothesis B) * P(observation\|hypothesis A)/P(observation\|hypothesis B) This can be summarized as "posterior odds = prior odds * likelihood ratio (of the observation being made from each hypothesis)", where: P(hypothesis A\|observation)/P(hypothesis B\|observation) = posterior odds, P(hypothesis A)/P(hypothesis B) = prior odds, P(observation\|hypothesis A)/P(observation\|hypothesis B) = likelihood ratio. Let's go through an example: say you're investigating a murder. You think that Alice is twice as likely to be guilty compared to Bob - this is your prior odds. You then observe fingerprints on the murder weapon that are 3000 times more likely to have come from Alice than from Bob - this is the likelihood ratio. You multiply these ratios to calculate your new opinion, the posterior odds: Alice is now 6000 times more likely to be guilty than Bob. Posterior odds is prior odds times likelihood ratio. This is still Bayes' theorem, just in a different algebraic form. The intuition captured by this equation is the same: an observations counts as evidence towards the hypothesis that better predicts, anticipates, explains, or agrees with that observation. But notice that in this form, P(observation) - which was difficult or impossible to calculate - has been cancelled out. Also, P(hypothesis) - another troublesome number - only appears in a ratio of two competing hypotheses, which I think is a more reasonable way to think of it: it's easier to say how much more likely one hypothesis is than another, instead of assigning absolute probabilities to both of them. In short, this form makes the math easier, and allows you to think of just two hypotheses at a time, rather than having to account for the complete set of competing hypotheses all at once. You don't have to worry about Carol and her fingerprints for the time being in the above murder investigation example. Let's go through a couple more examples: Say that your friend claims that he has a trick coin: he says it lands "heads" all the time, rather than the 50% of the time that you'd normally expect. You're somewhat skeptical, and based on his general trustworthiness and the previous similar claims he's made, you only think that there's a 1:4 odds that this is a 100% "heads" coin, versus it being a normal coin. This is your P(always heads)/P(normal), the prior odds. When you express your skepticism, your friend says, "well then, let me just show you!" and flips the coin. It lands "heads". "See!" says your friend. "I told you it'll always lands heads!" Now, obviously a single flip doesn't prove anything. But it certainly is evidence - not very strong evidence, but some evidence. Since the coin will land "heads" 100% of the time if your friend is right, but only 50% of the time if it's a normal coin, their ratio - the likelihood ratio - is 100%:50%, or 2:1. Now, according to the odds form of Bayes' theorem, posterior odds is prior odds times likelihood ratio. 1:4 * 2:1 = 1:2, so you should now believe that there's a 1:2 odds that this is a trick coin like your friend claimed, versus it being a normal coin. You're still skeptical of the claim, but you're now less skeptical. Noting your remaining skepticism, your friend then flips the coin again. "Ha, another heads!" he says as he calls out the result. Now, to calculate your new opinion, simply repeat the calculation above, with the previous answer - the old posterior odds of 1:2 - serving as the new prior odds. The likelihood ratio remains 2:1. Posterior odds is prior odds times likelihood ratio, so our new posterior odds is 1:22:1 = 1:1. You should now be completely uncertain as to whether this coin in fact is a trick coin. You say to your friend, "well, you may have something there". "Okay, fine then." says your friend. "Let's flip this thing ten more times." And behold, it comes up "heads" all ten times. Your posterior odds get multiplied by 2:1 for each of the ten flips, and it's now 1:1 (2:1)^10 = 1024:1. You should now believe that the chance of this being an "always heads" coin is 1024 times greater than it being a normal coin. If you're willing to consider "normal" and "always heads" as the complete set of competing hypotheses, this would give you over 99.9% certainty that your friend is right that this coin will always land heads. "Wow, amazing." you tell your friend, as you're now pretty much convinced. "I've never actually seen one of these before", you say, as you idly grab the coin and flip it again, fully expecting it to land "heads" once more. But this time, it lands "tails". What now? The likelihood ratio for the coin to land "tails" - P(tails\|always heads)/P(tails\|normal) - is 0%:50%, or 0:1. Our new posterior odds is 1024:1 * 0:1 = 0:1. There is now absolutely no chance that this coin is one that will land heads 100% of the time. But at the same time, it also seems unlikely that it's just a normal coin. given that it landed "heads" 12 times in a row just before this. A new possibility suggests itself: that this coin has something like a 90% chance of landing heads. This illustrates one of the major advantages of the odds form of Bayes' theorem. Before this, you hadn't even considered that the chance for this coin to land "heads" was anything other than 50% or 100%. All of the other hypotheses - such as the coin landing "heads" 90% or 80% or 20% of the time - you had ignored. And yet, even without considering the complete set of competing hypotheses, you were still able to carry out valid calculations and make statistical inferences, reaching sound conclusions. You both stare at the coin that landed "tails". You ask your friend, "What just happened?" He replies, "well, the magician I bought it from said that it would always land heads. And it seemed to be working fine up 'til now. Maybe he just meant that it'll land heads most of the time?" Being naturally suspicious, you respond, "Looks like he lied to you then. He probably just sold you a normal coin". But your friend comes back with, "C'mon, you know that's not fair. Human language doesn't work like that. It's imprecise by its very nature. When someone says 'always' in casual conversation, they don't necessarily mean '100.000000...% of the time' with an infinite number of significant figures. Even 'normal' coins don't land heads exactly 50.000000...% of the time". Struck by your friend's rare moment of lucid articulation, you become temporarily speechless. "Besides", your friend continues, "the magician might have said that the coin 'nearly always lands heads'. I don't remember exactly". With this new insight, you realize that your had set your priors to the wrong hypotheses at the beginning of the problem. Instead of the hypotheses that the coin to land "heads" exactly 100% of the time, or exactly 50% of the time, you should have set them to 'close to 100% of the time' and 'close to 50% of the time'. Giving the odds of P(close to 100%)/P(close to 50%) = 1:4 as before, and interpreting "close to" as a flat distribution within 2% of the given value, We get that the likelihood ratio for the coin landing "heads" is P(heads\|close to 100)/P(heads\|normal) = 99%:50% = 1.98:1, and for the coin landing "tails" is P(tails\|close to 100)/P(tails\|normal) = 1%:50% = 0.02:1. Then the value for the posterior odds after 12 heads and 1 tails is given by prior odds times likelihood ratio, and it is roughly: 1:4 * (1.98:1)^12 * 0.02:1 = 18.15:1 (This is an approximation, made by assuming that the probability distribution can be thought of as being entirely focused at the center of their interval. The actual value, 16.97:1, can be obtained by a straightforward integration over the probability distributions, but that calculation lies beyond the scope of this introductory post.) So you don't have to abandon the "close to 100%" hypothesis along with the "exactly 100% hypothesis. The odds are still 18:1 in favor of the coin landing "heads" more than 98% of the time, against it being a "normal" coin - enough for you to be reasonably confident in believing as your friend does. This illustrates again the advantages of using the odds form. Firstly, we again didn't have to consider other probability values for the coin landing "heads", such as 75%. We were still able to come to a reasonable conclusion without having to specify the complete set of competing hypotheses, and their probability distribution. Secondly, we were able to completely switch the class of hypotheses under consideration, without losing consistency. If we had stuck to the original form of Bayes' theorem, then we would have had to specify our prior probabilities for P(heads exactly 100% of the time) and P(heads exactly 50% of the time). To maintain our 1:4 ratio, we would assign them as 20% and 80%, taking up all 100% of our probability, because we were not thinking about other possibilities. But then, upon realizing our mistake, we would have no choice but to contradict our previous priors, and assign P(heads close to 100% of the time) and P(close to 50% of the time) some values, while going back and admitting that the chances of the coin giving exactly 50% or 100% "heads" are nearly zero. This is a problem created entirely by being unaware of the complete set of competing hypotheses. But with the odds form, we don't have to have complete awareness. All the conclusions that we came to are still perfectly consistent with the data: there is zero chance for the coin to land "heads" exactly 100% of the time, yet it is much more likely that the "heads" probability is close to 100% than it being a normal coin. Our two sets of priors do not contradict each other either: it's quite reasonable for our prior odds to be 1:4 in both cases, because we have not specified how much of the total probability they take up. In general, I feel that it's easier to say how likely two hypotheses are relative to one another, rather than specifying the absolute probability value for a hypothesis. I hope this convinces you of the virtues of the odds form of Bayes' theorem. This is how I use Bayes' theorem in everyday situations to sharpen my thinking: I didn't know if this one movie was going to be any good (prior odds), but upon its recommendation from a friend (likelihood ratio), I revise my opinion and are now more likely to see it (posterior odds). I didn't know whether Argentina or Germany is more likely to win the World Cup (prior odds), but upon watching Germany slaughter Brazil (likelihood ratio), I now consider Germany more likely than Argentina to win the World Cup (posterior odds). So on and so forth. Posterior odds is prior odds times likelihood ratio. Let's consider a couple of last examples: I don't know if Bill Gates owns Fort Knox (prior odds). But I know that he's rich, and he's more likely to be rich if the owns Fort Knox than if he does not (likelihood ratio). Therefore, given that Bill Gates is rich, he's more likely to own Fort Knox (posterior odds). Does that reasoning sound suspicious? It should. I took it straight from the Wikipedia page on "affirming the consequent", which is a logical fallacy. But the structure of the above argument is correct according to Bayes' theorem. It follows the same structure as all of my other examples. So, has Bayesian reasoning lead to a logical fallacy? Oh no! What shall we do? Hold that thought, while we consider our last example: I don't know whether Einstein's theory of general relativity, or Newton's theory of gravity is correct. (prior odds). But upon considering the experimental evidence of bending of starlight observed during the 1919 solar eclipse (likelihood ratio), I now consider general relativity much more likely to be correct than Newtonian gravity (posterior odds). You should recognize that as the event that actually "proved" general relativity to the public, and the epitome of the scientific method at work: hypotheses are judged according to their agreement with experimental observations. But this is nothing more than just straightforward Bayesian reasoning, following the same structure as all of my other examples. So, it turns out that Bayesian reasoning underlies the scientific method, by providing the logical framework for it. What are we to make of these two last examples? Does Bayesian reasoning allow for affirming the consequent? But isn't that a logical fallacy? But doesn't Bayesian reasoning also underlie the scientific method? Does that mean that science follows a logically flawed system? What are we to make of this? I will address these issues in my next post. Basic Bayesian reasoning: a better way to think (Part 4) (Next post of this series) Isn't the universe too big to have humans as its purpose? Image: portrait of Thomas Bayes, public domain In my previous post, I explained that instead of thinking of logical statements as only being "true" or "false", we should assign probability values for their chance of being true. This is the fundamental tenet of Bayesian reasoning. This allows us to employ the entire mathematical field of probability theory in our thinking and expands the rules of logic far beyond their limited forms in propositional logic. Essentially, we can now use any valid equation in probability theory as a rule of logic. We saw an useful example in the last post: P(C\|A) = P(C\|BA)P(B\|A) + P(C\|~BA)P(~B\|A). This captures the intuitive idea that if A is likely to lead to B, and B is likely to lead to C, then A is likely to lead to C. But it also does more - it tells us precisely how to calculate the probability for our conclusion, while simultaneously sharpening, guiding, and correcting our thinking. In particular, it tells us that in the second step, it's not enough that B is likely to lead to C, instead requiring that BA is likely to lead to C. (Incidentally, this is why a blind person is not likely to get traffic tickets, even though a blind person is likely to be a bad driver, and bad drivers are likely to get tickets.) In this post, I will introduce another such equation in probability theory: P(A\|B) = P(B\|A)/P(B) * P(A) This is Bayes' Theorem. Named after Reverend Thomas Bayes, this unassuming little equation, which can be derived immediately from the definition that P(A\|B) = P(AB)/P(B), is so important that its use is nearly synonymous with Bayesian logic, and its interpretation is the logical basis for the scientific method. At its heart, this equation tells you how to update your beliefs based on the evidence. To see how that works, set A = "hypothesis", and B = "observation" in the formula. The equation then becomes: Each factor can then be translated into words as: P(hypothesis): probability that the hypothesis is true, before considering the observation. P(hypothesis\|observation): probability that the hypothesis is true, after considering the observation. P(observation\|hypothesis): probability for the observation, as predicted by the hypothesis. P(observation): probability for the observation, averaged over the predictions from every hypothesis. This equation tells us how we should update our opinion on a hypothesis after we make a relevant observation. That is, it tells us how to go from P(hypothesis) to P(hypothesis\|observation). It says that a hypothesis becomes more likely to be true if it's able to predict an observation better than the "average" hypothesis: the bigger the ratio of P(observation\|hypothesis)/P(observation), the more likely the hypothesis becomes. Conversely it becomes less likely to be true if it could not beat the "average" hypothesis in its predictions. In short, it says that an observation counts as evidence for the hypothesis that better predicted it. We already intuitively knew this to be true - but Bayes' theorem states it in a mathematically rigorous fashion, and allows us to put firm numbers to some of these factors. Let's consider an example: Alice and Bob go out on a date. Bob liked Alice and wants to ask her to a second date, but he's not sure how she'll respond. So he hypothesizes two possible outcomes: Alice will say "yes" to a second date, or she will say "no". Based on all the information he has - how Alice acted before and during the date, how they communicated afterwards, etc. - he thinks that there's a 50-50 chance between Alice saying "yes" or "no". That is to say: P(Alice will say "yes") = P(Alice will say "no") = 0.5 For the sake of simplicity, we will not consider other possibilities, such as Alice saying some form of "maybe". These two "yes" and "no" will serve as our complete set of possible hypotheses. While Bob is agonizing over this second date, he runs into Carol, who is a mutual friend to both Alice and Bob. She tells Bob, "Alice absolutely loved it last night! She can't wait to go out with you again!". Carol's affirmation serves as evidence that Alice will say "yes" to a second date. We already knew this intuitively: Carol's affirmation is obviously good news for Bob. But Bayes' theorem allows us to calculate the probability explicitly from some starting probabilities. To see this, we need to evaluate two probability values: P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "yes"), and P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no"). What value should we assign to P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "yes")? That is, if Alice would say "yes" to a second date, what is the probability that Carol would have given Bob her affirmation? Not particularly high - After all, Carol could have simply forgotten to mention Alice's reaction, or Alice and Carol might not have had a chance to discuss the first date, or Alice could have had a terrible time, but she might still give Bob a second chance. All these are ways that the "yes" hypothesis might not lead to Carol's affirmation. Taking these things into account, let's say that P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "yes") = 0.2. What about P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no")? This is the probability that Carol would still communicate her affirmation to Bob, even though Alice would say "no" to a second date. Now, it could be that Alice hated her first date with Bob, but Carol deliberately lied to him. Or maybe Carol simply wanted to encourage Bob even though she didn't really know how Alice felt. Or Alice did really enjoy her time with Bob, but she'll be suddenly struck by amnesia before Bob asks her out again. But assuming that Alice and Carol are honest people, and that nothing particularly strange happens, it's very unlikely that Carol gives Bob her affirmation if Alice is going to say "no". So let's say that P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no") = 0.02 Now, what about P(Carol's affirmation)? This is the last factor we need to apply Bayes' theorem. This is the probability that Carol gives Bob her affirmation, averaged over both the "yes" and "no" hypotheses. Since there's a 50-50 chance that Alice will say "yes" or "no", this is simply the average of the two probabilities mentioned above: 0.50.2 + 0.50.02 = 0.11. This step can get complicated, but because of the 50-50 chance for our two hypotheses, it is mercifully short in this simple example. So P(Carol's affirmation)=0.11. This now gives Bob enough information to compute P(Alice will say "yes"\|Carol's affirmation). That is, given that Carol told Bob that Alice wants to go out again, what is the probability that Alice will answer "yes" to a second date? According to Bayes' theorem: P(Alice will say "yes"\|Carol's affirmation) = P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "yes")/P(Carol's affirmation) * P(Alice will say "yes") = 0.2/0.11 * 0.5 = 0.909090... = 10/11 Carol's affirmation, upon considering it as evidence, has pulled the probability from 50% to 91%. That is, if Bob thought before that there was only a 50% chance that Alice will agree to a second date, he should now think that there is a 91% chance. That is what evidence does: it pulls the probability for a hypothesis in one direction or another. A strong piece of evidence might pull it all the way from 0.1% to 99.9%, whereas a weak piece of evidence might only pull it from 50% to 60%. An opposing piece of evidence will pull the probability in the other direction, as in a tug-of-war. This is why we commonly speak of "weighing" the evidence. This exemplifies how Bayesian reasoning corresponds to the common sense we use in everyday life, except that it's mathematically precise. So there is a 10 out of 11 probability, or about a 91% chance, that Alice will say "yes" to Bob's request for a second date. Things are looking good for Bob! Of course, there is the remaining 1/11 probability that Alice will say "no". Bob will have to live with that chance of rejection. That's the nature of Bayesian reasoning - you can't ever be 100% certain, but you can be certain enough to act. Bob should definitely ask Alice out again. Note that Bayes' theorem, as with all Bayesian reasoning, compels you to accept its conclusions: you cannot simply say "I don't buy this argument" or "I don't find this convincing". If you accept its premises, you must accept it conclusion: otherwise you're violating the rules of mathematical logic. But where do the premises come from? How did I assign, for example, that P(Alice will say "yes")=0.5, or P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no")=0.02? Well, for the sake of this problem, I just made up some reasonable values. In real life, computing these values would be far more difficult than the example problem itself. For instance, to calculate P(Alice will say "yes"), Bob would have to consider all the relevant background information he has. This would include how Alice interacted with him during the first date, his knowledge of human mating behaviors (it's a good sign if she laughs at your jokes, it's bad if she calls the cops on you, etc), and any other relevant information. Based on this total information, he would calculate how often a woman like Alice would agree to a second date, and that would be his P(Alice will say "yes"). That's why this probability can be thought of as a personal, subjective degree of belief: because nobody else has the exact set of background information that Bob has. What about calculating P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no")? This is the probability that Carol will convey Alice's approval to Bob, even though Alice will say "no" to the second date. This number might be obtained through some sociological studies, by asking questions like "How often do women tell their friends that they enjoyed a date even if they didn't?" The nature of the relationship between Alice, Bob, and Carol also needs to be taken into account, along with their personalities. Are Alice and Carol very close friends? Is Carol generally reliable, or is she prone to hyperbole? The value of P(Carol's affirmation\|Alice will say "no") is all this information condensed into a single number. You may be disappointed that these probabilities are not simple to calculate. This is often the case in real-life scenarios. It turns out that humans and human relationships cannot be reduced down to a simple calculation, even with Bayes' theorem. Real life is complicated: this should not surprise anyone. Often, the relevant starting probabilities can only be guessed at from intuition. Being able to do that well is a large part of what it means to be a reasonable, logical person in the real world. So those are the strengths and weaknesses of Bayes' theorem. On the one hand, it provides a firm, computationally exact way of updating your beliefs based on the evidence. On the other hand, the probabilities needed to perform the calculations can be difficult or impossible to assign. In particular, the assignment of prior probabilities - The degree of belief in the hypothesis before considering the observation - is a famously contentious issue within Bayesian reasoning, and there is no way to assign these numbers that's been established as being correct. This was the value of P(Alice will say "yes") in our example above, and I have described it as a personal, subjective probability based on the unique set of background information that a person has. This gives us a ballpark number that we can immediately use, but its imprecise and subjective nature, combined with the human capacity for self-deception, is a cause for concern. Is Bayesian reasoning still useful in light of these weaknesses? Definitely. It is still far more applicable than propositional logic, and it still tells us, in a mathematically precise way, how to logically incorporate evidence into your beliefs. And often, when there is enough evidence, the specific values of these questionable probabilities turn out to be irrelevant. This is why we often look for overwhelming evidence, beyond any reasonable doubt, before we decide to take action based on a hypothesis. So while Bayes' theorem cannot tell us everything (nothing in this world can), it is a very useful tool for sharpening our thinking and processing evidence to update our beliefs. In my next post, I will re-cast Bayes' theorem into a different mathematical equation - the odds form - which eases some of the difficulties of Bayesian reasoning. I will use this new form to discuss more examples in Bayesian reasoning. Why are there so few Christians among scientists? (part 1) How to make a fractal: version 2.0 Image: by me. Feel free to use, just link back to this post. What is Bayesian inference? I've already mentioned it in several of my previous posts, and I'm sure to bring it up again in the future. I obviously think it's important. Why? Bayesian inference is the mathematical extension of propositional logic using probability theory. It is superior to deductive propositional logic, which is what many people think of when they hear the word "logic". In fact it includes the rules of propositional logic as special cases of its more powerful and general rules. It is the logical framework that underlies the scientific method, and it encompasses a great deal of what it means to be a rational, logical, scientific individual. As with "normal", propositional logic, you don't necessarily have to be formally trained to use it in your daily life, but knowing its basics will greatly clarify your thoughts and sharpen your rational thinking skills. The intent of this post is to provide an introduction to this important topic. Let's study an easy problem in propositional logic as a prerequisite review and a starting point for Bayesian logic. You should have learned in middle or high school that if A implies B, and B implies C, then A implies C. With some symbols, it becomes "if (A → B) and (B → C), then (A → C)". In an example with words, it might look like "If Socrates was a human, and all human are mortals, then Socrates was mortal". This is well and good. This is a fine way of thinking. Learning how to think this way is useful and worth learning. However, when we examine the world around us, this rule is severely restricted in its applicability. Consider the following: "If Socrates was a human, and all humans have ten fingers, then Socrates had ten fingers". Is this sound? Can we conclude that Socrates necessarily had ten fingers? Well, no. The second premise - "all humans have ten fingers" - is not strictly true. Certainly most humans do, but not all. So we cannot conclude that Socrates had ten fingers. For that matter, we're not completely 100% sure that Socrates was human either. "What's wrong with that?" You ask. "Hasn't logic brought us to a correct conclusion, that Socrates might not have had ten fingers?" True. But that's a very weak conclusion. Someone who was basing an argument on the possibility that Socrates didn't have ten fingers would need some additional evidence. I mean, until now I had implicitly assumed that Socrates had ten fingers, and I don't think I was being particularly irrational. Isn't there some way to conclude that "Socrates probably had ten fingers"? Maybe with a rule like "If A is likely to lead to B, and B is likely to lead to C, then A is likely to lead to C"? Doesn't that seem like a pretty logical conclusion? Of course, "If A is likely to lead to B, and B is likely to lead to C, then A is likely to lead to C" is not a valid argument in propositional logic, and you can certainly find examples where A is true while C is not. For instance, "A blind person is likely to be a poor driver. Poor drivers are likely to get traffic tickets. Therefore, a blind person is likely to get traffic tickets" seems to be a incorrect chain of reasoning. But how could we be sure that it's not just an instance of bad luck, that this is just one of the cases where that probabilistic statement, "likely", just didn't pan out? So we can't come to any firm conclusions about the "likely" rule in logic, although it seems to make sense sometimes. At any rate we can't use rigid propositional logic with such statements. But this is an enormous restriction, because there is nothing we know in the physical world with absolute certainty. Every instrument of measurement - including your own eyes and hands - are subject to errors and uncertainty. Even if you double check and verify, that only reduces the uncertainty to infinitesimal levels, without ever completely eliminating it. How can we reason in such cases - that is, in any real world scenarios where we are perpetually plagued by uncertainty? In Bayesian reasoning, these uncertainties are built into its foundations. The truth of a statement is not represented by just "true" and "false", but by a continuous numerical probability value between 0 and 1. So, for instance, the statement "It will rain tomorrow" might get a probability value of 0.1, representing a 10% chance of rain. A statement like "I will still be alive tomorrow" might get a value like 0.999999, as I will almost certainly not die today. "1" and "0" would respectively correspond to absolute certainty in the truth or falsehood of a statement, but as I said they cannot be used in statements about the physical world. Instead we use numbers like 0.5 to represent the certainty that the coin will land heads, or 0.65 to represent the certainty you feel that you're going to marry that girl. But isn't any given statement ultimately either true or false? Perhaps, but we are not God. We're ignorant of many things. But we still need to reason, even in our uncertainties. Giving a numerical, probabilistic truth value to a statement allows Bayesian reasoning to mirror the human mind much more closely than propositional logic. In essence, you can treat the numerical value you give to a statement as your personal degree of subjective certainty that the statement is true, given the information that you have. But isn't this all very probabilistic, subjective, and uncertain? In one sense, yes. And that is a strength of Bayesian reasoning, because that's an actual limitation of the human mind. In representing the truth in this way we are only accurately representing how the truth actually exists in our minds. If we actually cannot be certain, then it's appropriate that our logical system actually represents that uncertainty. But in another sense, this probabilistic thinking is completely rigorous and unyielding. By assigning a probabilistic value to the truth, you can use all of the mathematical tools of probability theory to process them, and their conclusions are mathematically certain. Bayesian reasoning makes very definitive statements about what these probability values must be, and how they must change in light of new evidence. I said earlier that Bayesian reasoning is an extension of logic using math, and that is exactly as rigorous and compelling as it sounds. To finish this post, let me give you an extended example to illustrate both the rigor and flexibility of Bayesian reasoning, and its superseding superiority over propositional logic. We will address the question about Socrates and his fingers. There will be some math ahead, but nothing you can't understand at a high school level. First, let me introduce some notations: P(X) is the probability that you assign to statement X being true. So, if statement X is "I will roll a 1 on this dice", you might assign P(X)=1/6. But if you happened to know that the dice was loaded, you might assign P(X)=1/2 instead. P(X\|Y) is the probably that X is true, given that Y is already known to be true. So, if X is "It will rain tomorrow" and Y is "It will be cloudy tomorrow", then P(X) might only be 0.1, whereas P(X\|Y) would be larger, perhaps something like 0.3. That is, there is only a 10% chance of rain tomorrow, but if we know that it will be cloudy, the chance of rain increases to 30%. Notice that the probabilities change depending on what additional relevant information is known. This P(X\|Y) notation is a little bit awkward, as it's written backwards from the more intuitive "if Y, then X" way of thinking. But unfortunately it's the standard notation. By definition, P(X\|Y) = P(XY)/P(Y), where P(XY) is the probability that both X and Y are true. ~X is the negation of X. It is the statement that "X is false". By the rules of probability, P(~X)+P(X)=1, because X must be either true or false. Likewise, P(~X\|Y)+P(X\|Y)=1, and P(~XY)+P(XY)=P(Y) You can translate a statement in propositional logic into a statement in Bayesian, probabilistic representation, simply by setting certain probabilities to 1 or 0. For instance, "X implies Y", which would be written as "X → Y" in propositional logic, would be written as "P(Y\|X)=1" in terms of probabilities. Now back to Socrates. Let the relevant statements be represented as follows: A: "This person is Socrates" B: "This person is a Human" C: "This person has ten fingers" Given these statements, we can translate the following statements as follows: "Socrates was Human": P(B\|A) "Humans have ten fingers": P(C\|B) Now, let's show that we can duplicate the results of propositional logic simply by setting the probabilities to 1. If P(B\|A) = P(C\|B) = 1, then by the definitions given earlier, P(BA)=P(A), P(CB)=P(B), therefore P(~BA)=P(~CB)=0, therefore P(C~BA)=P(~CBA)=P(~C~BA)=0. But P(C\|A) = [ P(CBA)+P(C~BA) ] / [ P(CBA)+P(C~BA)+P(~CBA)+P(~C~BA) ], which reduces to P(CBA)/P(CBA) =1 after eliminating all the zero terms. That is to say, if P(B\|A) = P(C\|B) = 1, then P(C\|A) = 1. Or, translating back into words, "If Socrates is human, and humans have ten fingers, then Socrates has ten fingers". Don't worry too much if you got lost in the notation in the above paragraph. The important point is that Bayesian reasoning can reduce down to propositional logic for the special cases where the probability values are set to 1 or 0. Bayesian reasoning thereby completely encompasses and supersedes propositional logic, like General relativity supersedes Newtonian gravity. What if the probabilities are not 100%? This is the real-life problem of dealing with uncertainties. What is the actual value of P(B\|A), the probability that Socrates was human? Might he not have been an alien, or an angel? As ridiculous as these possibilities seem, they ruin our complete certainty and makes propositional logic flounder. What about P(C\|B) - the probability that a human has ten fingers? It's certainly not 100%. And what can we conclude about P(C\|A) - the probability that Socrates had ten fingers? To tackle this question, we need to consider the following formula for P(C\|A), which can be derived from straightforward application of the rules and definitions mentioned earlier. The fact that this formula exists - that we can actually derive it and use it to perform exact calculations - is one of the compelling fruits of the Bayesian way of thinking. Here it is: P(C\|A) = P(C\|BA)P(B\|A) + P(C\|~BA)P(~B\|A) Let's say that Socrates has a P(B\|A)=0.999 999 chance of being human, and that given all this, he has a P(C\|BA)=0.998 chance of having ten fingers. This means that P(~B\|A) = 0.000 001 is the chance that Socrates was not human. The last factor we need to know, P(C\|~BA), is the probability that a non-human Socrates had ten fingers. This is nearly impossible to estimate, as we'd have to consider all the different things Socrates could have been - alien, angel, a demon in disguise, etc. But it will turn out not to matter much for our final result. Let's just assign P(C\|~BA)=0.1. Plugging in the numbers and calculating, we get that P(C\|A) = 0.997999102. That is to say, Socrates almost certainly had ten fingers. If you want extra practice, you can also try using the formula on the "blind man getting traffic tickets" scenario above, and see why a blind man is not likely to get traffic tickets. Or you can wait until next week's post to get the answer. But again, don't worry too much about the details of numerical calculation. The important point is that Bayesian reasoning provides an exact formula for calculating the probability of a conclusion, even when the premises were also only probabilities - which is always the case in the physical universe. Furthermore, the conclusions drawn this way are compelling, because they are mathematical results. If you accept the probabilities of the premises, then you must accept the conclusion. This is the same compelling force which is at work in propositional reasoning. The premises lead to inescapable conclusions. I hope that this example demonstrates to you the usefulness of the Bayesian way of reasoning. It can be actually applied to situations with uncertain premises, which is really nearly all situations. It is completely rigorous in that a correct Bayesian argument forces you to accept its conclusions if you accept its premises. Yet it's also flexible in assigning probabilities to reflect your current, subjective, personal degree of belief in the truthfulness of a statement. It duplicates propositional logic as its special cases, and in its full form it's more general and more powerful than propositional logic. There are other advantages I have not yet touched on, such as its ability to naturally explain inductive reasoning and Occam's razor, and how it serves as the framework for the scientific method. On the whole, it encompasses a great deal of what it means to be a logical, rational, and scientific thinker. In my next post, I will discuss a particularly important formula in this probabilistic way of thinking, one that is nearly synonymous with Bayesian reasoning - Bayes' theorem. Miracles: their definition, properties, and purpose The latest version of my fractal program can be found at: How to make a fractal (http://www.naclhv.com/2014/06/how-to-make-fractal.html) It features many improvements, including an overhaul of the user interface and lots of new features. An analysis of "Let It Go" in Disney's "Frozen" The dialogue between two aliens who found a book on Earth Image: Toy Story aliens from Amazon.com Alice and Bob are two aliens. In their interstellar journey, they pass by Earth and there picked up a book. Some time afterwards, they meet to discuss their new acquisition. So, have you had a chance to look at that Terran artifact that we got? I have. It has many fascinating properties. I and my colleagues have studied it quite thoroughly, and although there are obviously still more discoveries to be made, we can make some certain statements about this object. Great! I was looking at it too, and I wanted talk to you about what I found. The alien artifact is clearly a book, and it's got an... interesting... message. Well, it's made of many thin sheets of cellulose fiber, upon which appears characters that consist of a carbon black mixture. I suppose you can call this configuration of materials a "book" if you'd like. Um... yeah, sure. It's made of paper, and the letters are in ink. Of course. But really I'm interested in its meaning. "Meaning"? I don't know what you mean. You mean that you haven't found the message of the book? I thought you said you looked at the book, and studied the writing on it. No, I mean that your question is nonsense. What is "meaning"? We certainly haven't found anything like that in this "book". The object is as I have described it: thin sheets of cellulose fiber, upon which there appears characters consisting of a carbon black mixture. That is all our empirical investigations have found. "Meaning" is not an component of the object, as far as we know. And, although this is a minor point, I must correct your usage of the words "letter" and "writing". The body of professional typographers to which I belong have decided that the technically correct typographic designation for these markings is "characters". Well, okay, whatever, but you haven't actually read those "characters"? Again you're not making any sense. What do you mean by "read"? The characters are characters. Although we have now studied them in great detail and can say a great deal about them, the best way to describe them remains "characters consisting of a carbon black mixture". How could you have studied them and not know how to read them, or their meaning? Look, you see here at the beginning of the book, where the letters "I" and "n"... ...Characters. Whatever. Where the characters "I" and "n" appear together, making the word "In"? That combination of characters has a meaning, of being contained by something, or near the center of something, or surrounded by something. And the next word is "the", which is... Wait a minute. "Word"? "meaning"? what do those words mean? This sounds like more nonsense. All you've shown me are just characters. Yes, but the characters form words, which form phrases, which form sentences, which form paragraphs, then... Wait, wait, slow down. That is a lot of entities you've brought up just now that I'm not sure can be empirically verified. So you say that characters form "words"? Yes! Like the words right here, "In", "the", and so forth. You've merely pointed to a set of five characters. Of course you can have sets of characters. You can group the characters however you'd like. But they're still just characters. Where is the "word"? We typographers have not found anything like that in our study of this object. A group of characters IS a word. And each word has a meaning that can be determined in conjunction with its place in the sentence, which... Okay, let me see if what you're saying makes any sense. So, if I show you a character, you can tell me what "word" it belongs to? And what "meaning" it has? What about this character over here, this "I" character? That? That is the word "I", which means the self, the first person, the one who is also the speaker or the writer of that sentence. But clearly that is the character "I". Where is the "word"? The character IS the word. How could this be a "word" when it is clearly a character? I thought you said that "words" were groups of characters. This happens to be a one-character word. Well, isn't that convenient for you. I see no empirical evidence for any of this. And you say that this "word" is a character but also a "word", that it has "meaning"? Yes, of course. "I" is a particularly important word, with a very important meaning. It can refer to the author of the book, or it can be used in a rhetorical device to address a hypothetical person, or used by a character in a fictional story. You have to look at the context to figure it out. In an abstract sense, a lot of the literature in this book is about the relationship between the "I" and the... Enough. This is all nonsense. "I" is a character, but it is also suppose to be a "word", which has a "meaning", which can also be one of many different "persons"? I, as an empirical typographer, cannot accept such untypographical statements. But can't you clearly see that the characters form words? "Words"? I have no need for such a hypothesis. Everything you've mentioned, everything you've brought up, are only characters. You have no evidence that there is anything else. Look, if you'd just learn to read, you'll see that this is a book of profound truth and meaning. You have to recognize the meaning of each word and learn to use them in the context of a sentence, and build up your ability to interpret the writing all the way up to its full literary context, taking the author's intentions into account. It all makes sense once... You simply see many characters in this object, and in your wishful thinking you have concluded that there must be some "meaning" to them all. You therefore construct these convoluted system of "words", "sentences", "paragraphs", and on top of that, "rhetoric" and "literature", which is all suppose to express some "meaning" that reflects on some "truth" expressed by some "author"! And yet you can provide no empirical evidence for any of it. The reality is that we have investigated the characters in this object and they are now very well understood. There are no "words" to be found in them. Any such ideas are the products of a gullible mind, the yearnings of the untypographic individuals given to delusion. Such thinking is the opium of the masses. You have to begin by learning to understand the meaning in the words. That's how you learn to read. Once you start, you'll see that it all makes sense. So you have to buy into this "meaning" business to see that there is "meaning"? That's circular reasoning. Your argument is invalid. Look, let me read you some passages from the book. You'll see that there is in fact meaning to be found in the object. Watch. I'll read this passage, and you'll see that the characters here become words and sentences and have meaning. Listen: "... these are written so that you may..." Your cultic "reading" rituals are not evidence. All you were doing was to scan your eyes over the characters and making corresponding sounds with your mouth. In fact, upon studying your "reading" rituals, it becomes totally obvious that you're failing to understand the typography of the characters, which is the only underlying entity that actually exists. There is no "meaning". I mean that your so-called "reading" is merely you responding to the typography of the characters. For instance, through our intensive empirical study of this object conducted at the millimeter scales, we have found that each character takes on two forms: an upper case form and a lower case form. For instance, the "t" character is lower case, and its upper case form is "T". Furthermore, we have found that after a "." character, the next character is always in the upper case form. There are other such laws of typography we've discovered - for example, a "q" character is always followed by a "u" character. All of this is verifiable through empirical observations. All you're doing when you're "reading" is employing these laws to look at the characters and making the corresponding sound with your mouth. At the bottom, it's only typography, and because you fail to understand typography you imagine that you're "reading". Look, of course things like clean writing, punctuation, and spelling are important, but you're missing the point here. To read the book means to get its meaning out of it. Then why is it that when I see you "read", I only see you employing typography when I break it down to what's really going on? Or let me put it this way: could you still "read" if the laws of typography were different? For example, if "T" characters looked like ";" characters, and the characters all ran together without any space between them? Of course not. I'm not being anti - typography. I obviously employ it in reading the book. I'm saying that there's meaning behind it all. Yes, you are being anti-typography. You're clinging to your "meaning" instead of recognizing that all of your "meaning" comes from the characters arranged according to typographical laws. So you're completely rejecting the idea of any meaning in the book? I am only holding to beliefs which have been empirically verified. Of course, there is still a possibility that your "meaning" exists, although there is no evidence for it. But if it does exist, even that meaning will be found by typographically examining the characters. For instance, one of the issues at the frontier of typographical research is the similarity between the "1" character and the "I" character. Some typographers suspect that there is even a difference between the "I" character and the "l" character, which would open up the possibilities for discovering new typographical laws. We cannot be certain yet, of course. This will require exciting new studies at the sub-millimeter scales. It may be that your "meaning" will be discovered at these sub-millimeter scales or in these new typographical laws, although I see no reason to expect that to happen. But that's not what's meant by "meaning" at all. The meaning of any object is found outside the object itself. Meaning is what's meant by the author of the book, what's intended for the readers of the book to understand. There you go again with your circular definitions. "Not what's meant by meaning"? What does that even mean? The fact that you're not excited by the prospect of progress at the typographical frontier gives me reason to believe that your "meaning" is antithetical to typography, only brought about by your ignorance of typographical matters. The truth is that there is no outside "meaning". The object is exactly what you'd expect it to look like if it was blindly created only from the laws of typography. Okay, so what are all these characters in the book for then? Why do they exist? What's their reason for being? There is no ultimate, outside "meaning", but there is perhaps meaning to be found in the beauty of the laws of typography, in exploring its depth and appreciating that they are all meaningless. We've found this meaningless "book", and it is up to each of us to choose to give it meaning. I think that's actually far more beautiful and profound than trying to discover some "meaning" that's thrust upon us. It may be depressing to think that there is no ultimate purpose or "meaning" in this object, but we can't let that depression beat us. We find our meaning in fighting against that depression and finding our own meaning - in standing against the meaninglessness of it all. I make my own meaning. How to determine the specific purpose of the universe The trends in science as evidence for Christianity against atheism (part 1) Last week, I cited the fine tuning argument to conclude that the universe does have a purpose, for it is nearly impossible for its features to be the result of purposeless randomness. Just as a rational but ignorant alien who comes across a human book will conclude that it has a purpose, we too are compelled by the same reasoning to conclude that the universe has a purpose. The fine-tuning argument will get its own series of articles in the future. But for now, here's the basics: the universe has certain fundamental parameters which must fall within exceedingly narrow values for life to have evolved in it. These values are so narrowly determined, and the probability of a random process generating these values so low, that it would be simply called "impossible" in any ordinary situations. That is to say, a purposeless process would almost certainly not have created our universe. This allows us to firmly conclude that the universe did not come about randomly, that it really does have a purpose. But what is that purpose? The fine-tuning argument only mentions life, so how do we go from that to the biblical claim of the universe being made by and for Christ? How do we know that the universe was not made for cats, or bacteria? In light of the many different life forms in existence, is it not merely human hubris to say that humanity, and especially one particular human, is the reason for the existence of the universe? As before, we will approach this question using Bayesian inference, and start by tackling an easier, analogous question: that of an alien considering a book. How could our alien conclude that the purpose of this book was to convey information? After all, couldn't the book also serve as a paperweight, or kindling for a fire? How does the alien go from "this object has a purpose" to "that purpose is to convey information"? Once again, Bayesian inference gives our alien the answer: look for features that could be anticipated, predicted, or explained by each of these purposes. These features then serve as evidence for the purpose which best predicts them. So, the thin paper pages of the book serves as evidence for both the "kindling" and the "information" hypothesis: both can explain why the book has thin paper pages. However, only the "information" hypothesis can explain why the pages contain symbolic markings, and this then decides the question in favor of the "information" hypothesis. Note that the alien's conclusion would be greatly strengthened by a knowledge of the language in the book. If he did not know the language, he may only tentatively infer that the markings in the book had meaning. But knowing the language brings with it a much greater certainty that the content of these markings are highly unlikely to have come about by chance. If you are ignorant of English, the word "meaning" looks like a random sequence of letters, and you may decide that it was just randomly put together. But as someone who understands English, you know that this sequence of letters is not likely to be the result of chance. When applied to the text in our book, this low probability then serves as strong evidence that the book's purpose really is to convey information. Once again, it all comes down to probability. The true purpose of the book is that which best explains the least probable feature of the book. Since the least probable feature of the book is its text, its true purpose is that which explains that text: the book exists to transmit information. Reaching this conclusion is greatly aided by the knowledge of the language. This is extendable to all objects: the true purpose of a given object is that which best explains the least probable features of that object, whose recognition is greatly assisted by some prior knowledge. Now that we've considered this hypothetical book, let's apply the same reasoning to the purpose of the universe: the universe is designed for life, as per the fine-tuning argument, but this does not distinguish between humans, cats, or bacteria being that purpose. If we consider only fine-tuning, we cannot tell whether cats exist to make us laugh or we exist to serve cats. Or perhaps we both exist to serve bacteria. However, this equivalence is broken upon considering other features of the universe, such as human civilization. Only the primacy of humans can explain why humans have achieved civilization while cats and bacteria have not: the other hypotheses cannot explain why this highly unlikely feature should exist for humanity. Note that this conclusion is likely to be reached by someone with some prior knowledge of human civilization, who understands that civilization is not something that could have come about by chance. A random pile of matter - even a random pile of matter put together by humans - is unlikely to result in civilization. So only by being ignorant of human civilization - only by failing to recognize its low probability starting from randomness - can one claim that the purpose of the universe is to generate cats or bacteria. Those who recognize civilization therefore rightly conclude that its low probability is firm evidence for placing humans at the apex of the purpose of the universe. It again comes down to probabilities. Humans are the most complex life-forms, and we're the only ones to have achieved an advanced civilization. Both complexity and civilization are low-probability events: therefore among the life-forms we are the least likely to have randomly evolved. And among the humans, Jesus was the least likely person to have ever lived: one does not just randomly fulfill messianic prophecies, then randomly say the things that Jesus said about himself, then randomly lead a morally perfect life, then randomly rise from the dead. But if Jesus really is the incarnate God for whom the universe was created, then everything is explained. That is how you go from merely stating that universe has a purpose, to specifying that purpose. That is how you narrow down from the purpose existing, to it being life, to humanity, and finally to Jesus. The purpose of the universe is that which explains the least probable features of the universe: and as the least likely member of the least likely species in our improbable universe, Jesus Christ was that purpose. And to all who acknowledged him, he gives them the ability to become the children of God. The biblical timeline of the universe Merry Christmas! And happy one year anniversary fo... Basic Bayesian reasoning: a better way to think (P... The dialogue between two aliens who found a book o... How to determine the specific purpose of the unive...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7166
__label__wiki	0.926008	0.926008	Rocco Longo, former Billerica, Shirley town manager, passes away Longo, at Billerica Town Hall, in 2008. (File photograph / Lowell Sun) SHIRLEY — Rocco Longo, a well-known municipal manager who worked in Billerica and later Shirley, died Sunday after a brief illness. At the time of his death, Longo was serving as interim town administrator in East Bridgewater. Appointed in April, he was set to continue through October. He held the same position in Shirley during a period of municipal uncertainty last year. Longo, who lived in Duxbury, accepted the assignment here in early 2018, after the previous administrator left. He was tapped for the job by then Board of Selectmen Chairman Enrico Cappucci, who was police chief in Duxbury for over 20 years and worked with Longo when he was the town manager there. Previously, Longo was town administrator in the neighboring town of Marshfield. Recalling him as a non-nonsense, all-business administrator, Cappucci reached out to his old friend to help the town get through a rough patch. The town administrator's position had been vacated in January, 2018. An interim administrator hired in February left a few weeks later. With a new board seated after a recall election, budget matters pending and confusion among the staff, which in addition to dealing with administrative turnover, had seen substantial outflow in recent months, Cappucci asked Longo to take the reins while a search was conducted for a new, permanent town administrator. Longo obliged. It was a role he was supremely suited for. Reflecting on his relatively short but remarkable tenure when Longo left last year, Selectman Debra Flagg said: "We were really lucky to have him after all the turmoil." Working with him was a pleasure, she said at the time, calling him a "diffuser" when trouble came up. As a veteran teacher, Flagg acknowledged she had no experience in town government and appreciated Longo's "calming influence," she said. "Right or wrong, he makes you feel good about yourself." According to an online obituary, East Bridgewater Selectman Carole Julius called Longo "...calm and very wise," noting that he worked with the Finance Committee to finish the town budget. He did the same in Shirley. Selectman Bryan Sawyer, elected in May, 2018, chaired the Finance Committee when Longo came on board and helped build the 2019 budget in time for for Annual Town Meeting. "He came during our key budget season," Sawyer said. "It was critical." In May, 2018, Longo received the Joseph Moakley Public Service Award from Bridgewater State University, his alma mater, at an event hosted by the Master of Public Administration Program, a division of the university's Political Science Department. Longo was town manager in Billerica for three years before he resigned in 2008 to accept the Marshfield position. Longo's retirement as Marshfield's town manager capped a career in municipal government that spanned four decades. But he never stopped working. Besides a series of interim positions in his field, he was an instructor in a local government leadership and management certification program at Suffolk University, under the banner of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Program founder Bernie Lynch, the former Chelmsford town manager and Lowell city manager, remembered Longo as "everyone's friend," adding "you don't see that quite as much as we'd like." Announcing his passing at the Shirley Selectmen's meeting Monday night, Flagg credited Longo as "one of those who turned this place around," noting the knowledge and experience he brought to the job. "He was a great guy," she said. Rocco Longo was 67 years old.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7167
__label__wiki	0.602556	0.602556	Citizen’s Income and its relevance I’ve just finished reading Money for Everyone by Malcolm Torry. It’s an exhaustive, and quite exhausting, account of the case for a Citizen’s Income – a basic unconditional payment to be made to every citizen – man, woman and child. A simpler version of the case is available from www.citizensincome.org.uk. The CI would bring together our current tax and benefits systems – if they can be described as such. Torry goes into gruesome detail on the complexities of the benefits system. He shows how strong the incentives are for people to cheat. The complexity and perversities of the ‘system’ are such that anyone with an unstable earnings record is likely to have really strong reasons not to declare earnings. The costs of byzantine conditionality are enormous. In straight financial terms it costs £181 to administer an Income Support claim, £92 for a Jobseekers Allowance and £351 for a means-tested Pension Credit. These are just the administration costs. On top of this come the financial costs to the individuals; and the psychological costs of confusion, uncertainty and unfairness. A basic unconditional payment would cut these at a stroke. From the PP point of view, the key issue is the provision of a steady income platform on which an individual can build as circumstances require. The incentive to earn is much clearer, and people keep a far higher proportion of any additional earnings. For those who do not conform to the standard model of continuous full-time employment, the benefits are enormous. And of course most of these are women. Because a CI would mark a giant step towards dethroning the full-time continuous job as the standard, it would give a huge boost to careers which do not fit this pattern. And this means a much better outlook for women’s competences. It would mean, obviously, that paid work would be more likely to fit with other responsibilities. It would mean, gradually, that employers would recognise that people who are working non-standard patterns can be just as committed, and just as interested in a ‘career’, as anyone else. And it would mean that unpaid work would be treated more on all fours with paid work – and the competences which accompany unpaid work would achieve better recognition. All of these would do much to get a better fit between women’s competences and careers; and at the same time it would greatly expand the range of realistic choices open to men as well as women. The CI has been around for a long time. It has generally been dismissed as either cranky or ok in theory but unworkable. But when it was first being discussed 20 or so years ago, the labour market was very different. Employment patterns are now so diverse that the CI looks a much less strange idea. By coincidence, this is exactly the conclusion Larry Elliott comes to in today’s Guardian. As a political sell, it’s a tough one. Many will have an instinctive reaction against the unconditional something-for-nothing proposal. You can imagine what the Daily Mail would make of it. But as Iain Duncan Smith’s Universal Credit – intended to address some of the very same problems – flounders hopelessly, the CI may just be able to claim a realistic place on the agenda. Paula at work, Politics Citizen's Income, Larry Elliott, Malcolm Torry Wikipedia and (self-)promotion Learners’ achievements	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7168
__label__cc	0.608944	0.391056	PROPOSED STANDARD Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) A. Morton Request for Comments: 6673 AT&T Labs Category: Standards Track August 2012 Round-Trip Packet Loss Metrics Many user applications (and the transport protocols that make them possible) require two-way communications. To assess this capability, and to achieve test system simplicity, round-trip loss measurements are frequently conducted in practice. The Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol specified in RFC 5357 establishes a round-trip loss measurement capability for the Internet. However, there is currently no round-trip packet loss metric specified according to the RFC 2330 This memo adds round-trip loss to the set of IP Performance Metrics (IPPM). This is an Internet Standards Track document. This document is a product of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It represents the consensus of the IETF community. It has received public review and has been approved for publication by the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG). Further information on Internet Standards is available in Section 2 of RFC 5741. Morton Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 6673 Round-Trip Loss August 2012 1.1. Motivation .................................................4 1.2. Requirements Language ......................................5 2. Scope ...........................................................5 3. Common Specifications for Round-Trip Metrics ....................5 3.1. Name: Type-P-* .............................................5 3.2. Metric Parameters ..........................................5 3.3. Metric Definition ..........................................6 3.4. Metric Units ...............................................6 4. A Singleton Round-Trip Loss Metric ..............................7 4.1. Name: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss ...............................7 4.3. Definition and Metric Units ................................7 4.4. Discussion and Other Details ...............................8 5. A Sample Round-Trip Loss Metric .................................9 5.1. Name: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Stream ...............9 5.4. Discussion and Other Details ..............................10 6. Round-Trip Loss Statistic ......................................10 6.1. Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Ratio .....................10 7. Round-Trip Testing and One-Way Reporting .......................11 8. Measurement Considerations and Calibration .....................11 9.1. Denial-of-Service Attacks .................................12 9.2. User Data Confidentiality .................................12 9.3. Interference with the Metrics .............................12 10. IANA Considerations ...........................................13 11. Acknowledgements ..............................................13 12. References ....................................................13 12.1. Normative References .....................................13 12.2. Informative References ...................................14 This memo defines a metric to quantify an IP network's ability to transfer packets in both directions from one host to another host. Two-way communication is almost always needed; thus, failure to transfer a packet in either direction constitutes a round-trip packet loss. This memo defines a metric for round-trip packet loss on Internet paths. It builds on the notions and conventions introduced in the IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) framework [RFC2330]. Also, the specifications of the one-way packet loss metric for IPPM [RFC2680] and the round-trip delay metric for IPPM [RFC2681] are frequently referenced and modified to match the round-trip circumstances addressed here. However, this memo assumes that the reader is familiar with the references; thus, it does not repeat material as was done in [RFC2681]. This memo uses the terms "two-way" and "round-trip" synonymously. 1.1. Motivation Many user applications and the transport protocols that make them possible require two-way communications. For example, the TCP SYN->, <-SYN-ACK, ACK-> three-way handshake attempted billions of times each day cannot be completed without two-way connectivity in a near- simultaneous time interval. Thus, measurements of Internet round- trip packet loss performance provide a basis to infer application performance more easily. Measurement system designers have also recognized advantages of system simplicity when one host simply echoes or reflects test packets to the sender. Round-trip packet loss measurements are frequently conducted and reported in practice. The ubiquitous "ping" tools allow the measurement of round-trip packet loss and delay but usually require ICMP Echo-Request/Reply support, and ICMP packets may encounter exceptional treatment on the measurement path (see Section 2.6 of [RFC2681]). The Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) specified in [RFC5357] establishes a round-trip packet loss no round-trip packet loss metric specified according to the [RFC2330] [RFC2681] indicates that round-trip measurements may sometimes encounter "asymmetric" paths. When loss is observed using a round- trip measurement, there is often a desire to ascertain which of the two directional paths "lost" the packet. Under some circumstances, it is possible to make this inference. The round-trip measurement method raises a few complications when interpreting the embedded one- way results, and the user should be aware of them. [RFC2681] also points out that loss measurement conducted sequentially in both directions of a path and reported as a round- trip result may be exactly the desired metric. On the other hand, it may be difficult to derive the state of round-trip packet loss from one-way measurements conducted in each direction unless a method to match the appropriate one-way measurements has been pre-arranged. Finally, many measurement systems report statistics on a conditional delay distribution, where the condition is packet arrival at the destination. This condition is encouraged in [RFC3393], [RFC5481], and [RFC6703]. As a result, lost packets need to be reported separately, according to a standardized metric. This memo defines such a metric. See Section 1.1 of [RFC2680] for additional motivation of the packet loss metric. 1.2. Requirements Language 2. Scope This memo defines a round-trip packet loss metric using the conventions of the IPPM framework [RFC2330]. The memo defines a singleton metric, a sample metric, and a statistic, as per [RFC2330]. The [RFC2330] framework is for active measurement methods. Although this metric MAY be applicable in passive measurement as well, discussion of additional considerations for the passive scenario are beyond the normative scope of this memo. The memo also investigates the topic of one-way loss inference from a two-way measurement and lists some key considerations. 3. Common Specifications for Round-Trip Metrics To reduce the redundant information presented in the detailed metrics sections that follow, this section presents the specifications that are common to two or more metrics. The section is organized using the same subsections as the individual metrics, to simplify comparisons. 3.1. Name: Type-P-* All metrics use the Type-P convention as described in [RFC2330]. The rest of the name is unique to each metric. 3.2. Metric Parameters o Src, the IP address of a host o Dst, the IP address of a host o T, a time (start of test interval) o Tf, a time (end of test interval) o lambda, a rate in reciprocal seconds (for Poisson Streams) o incT, the nominal duration of inter-packet interval, first bit to first bit (for Periodic Streams) o T0, a time that MUST be selected at random from the interval [T, T+dT] to start generating packets and taking measurements (for Periodic Streams) o TstampSrc, the wire time of the packet as measured at MP(Src) as it leaves for Dst. o TstampDst, the wire time of the packet as measured at MP(Dst), assigned to packets that arrive within a "reasonable" time (less than Tmax). o Tmax, a maximum waiting time for packets to arrive at Src, set sufficiently long to disambiguate packets with long delays from packets that are discarded (lost). o M, the total number of packets sent between T0 and Tf o N, the total number of packets received at Dst (sent between T0 and Tf) o Type-P, as defined in [RFC2330], which includes any field that may affect a packet's treatment as it traverses the network 3.3. Metric Definition This section is specific to each metric. 3.4. Metric Units The metric units are logical (1 or 0) when describing a single packet's loss performance, where a 0 indicates successful packet transmission and a 1 indicates packet loss. Units of time are as specified in [RFC2330]. Other units used are defined in the associated section where needed (e.g., Section 6.1 in the case of Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Ratio). 4. A Singleton Round-Trip Loss Metric 4.1. Name: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss See Section 3.2. 4.3. Definition and Metric Units Type-P-Round-trip-Loss SHALL be represented by the binary logical values (or their equivalents) when the following conditions are met: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss = 0: o Src sent the first bit of a Type-P packet to Dst at wire-time TstampSrc, o that Dst received that packet, o the Dst sent a Type-P packet back to the Src as quickly as possible (certainly less than Tmax, and fast enough for the intended purpose), and o that Src received the last bit of the reflected packet prior to wire-time TstampSrc + Tmax. o that Src did not receive the last bit of the reflected packet before the waiting time lapsed at TstampSrc + Tmax. Possible causes for the Loss = 1 outcome are as follows: o the Dst did not receive that packet, o the Dst did not send a Type-P packet back to the Src, or o the Src did not receive a reflected Type-P packet sent from the Dst. Following the precedent of Section 2.4 of [RFC2681], we make the simplifying assertion that round-trip loss measured between two hosts is equal regardless of the host that originates the test: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss(Src->Dst->Src) = Type-P-Round-trip-Loss(Dst->Src->Dst) (and agree with the rationale presented there -- that the ambiguity introduced is a small price to pay for measurement efficiency). Therefore, each singleton can be represented by pairs of elements as o TstampSrc, the wire time of the packet at the Src (beginning the round-trip journey). o L, either zero or one (or some logical equivalent), where L=1 indicates loss and L=0 indicates successful round-trip arrival prior to TstampSrc + Tmax. 4.4. Discussion and Other Details See [RFC2680] and [RFC2681] for extensive discussion, methods of measurement, errors and uncertainties, and other fundamental considerations that need not be repeated here. We add the following guidance regarding the responder process to "send a Type-P packet back to the Src as quickly as possible". A response that was not generated within Tmax is inadequate for any realistic test, and the Src will discard such responses. A responder that serves typical round-trip packet loss testing (which is relevant to higher-layer application performance) SHOULD produce a response in 1 second or less. A responder that is unable to satisfy this requirement SHOULD log the fact so that an operator can adjust the load and priorities as necessary. Analysis of responder timestamps [RFC5357] that finds responses are not generated in a timely fashion SHOULD result in operator notification, and the operator SHOULD suspend tests to the responder, since it may be overloaded. Additional measurement considerations are described in Section 8 5. A Sample Round-Trip Loss Metric Given the singleton metric Type-P-Round-trip-Loss, we now define one particular sample of such singletons. The idea of the sample is to select a particular binding of the parameters Src, Dst, and Type-P, then define a sample of values of parameter TstampSrc. This can be done in several ways, including the following: 1. Poisson: a pseudo-random Poisson process of rate lambda, whose values fall between T and Tf. The time interval between successive values of TstampSrc will then average 1/lambda, as per Section 11.1.1 of [RFC2330]. 2. Periodic: a periodic stream process with pseudo-random start time T0 between T and dT, and nominal inter-packet interval incT, as per [RFC3432]. In the metric name, the variable <Sample> SHALL be replaced with the process used to define the sample, using one of the above processes (or another sample process meeting the criteria in Section 11.1 of [RFC2330], the details of which MUST be reported with the results if used). 5.1. Name: Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Stream Given one of the methods for defining the test interval -- the sample of times (TstampSrc) and other metric parameters -- we obtain a sequence of Type-P-Round-trip-Loss singletons as defined in Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Stream SHALL be a sequence of pairs with elements as follows: o TstampSrc, as above prior to TstampSrc + Tmax and where <Sample> SHALL be replaced with "Poisson", "Periodic", or an appropriate term to designate another sample method as described in Section 5 above. considerations that need not be repeated here. However, when these references were approved, the packet reordering metrics in [RFC4737] had not yet been defined, nor had reordering been addressed in IPPM methodologies. [RFC4737] defines packets that arrive "late" with respect to their sending order as reordered -- for example, when packets arrive with sequence numbers 4, 7, 5, 6, then packets 5 and 6 are reordered, and they are obviously not lost because they have arrived within some reasonable waiting time threshold. The presence of reordering on a round-trip path has several likely effects on the measurement. 1. Methods of measurement should continue to wait the specified time for packets and avoid prematurely declaring round-trip packet loss when a sequence gap or error is observed. 2. The time distribution of the singletons in the sample has been significantly changed. 3. Either the original packet stream or the reflected packet stream experienced path instability, and the original conditions may no longer be present. Measurement implementations MUST address the possibility of packet reordering and avoid related errors in their processes. 6. Round-Trip Loss Statistic This section gives the primary and overall statistic for loss performance. Additional statistics and metrics originally prepared for one-way loss MAY also be applicable. 6.1. Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Ratio Given a Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Stream, the average of all the logical values, L, in the stream is the Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Ratio. This ratio is in units of lost packets per round-trip transmissions actually attempted. In addition, the Type-P-Round-trip-Loss-<Sample>-Ratio is undefined if the sample is empty. Morton Standards Track [Page 10] 7. Round-Trip Testing and One-Way Reporting This section raises considerations for results collected using a round-trip measurement architecture, such as in TWAMP [RFC5357]. The sampling process for the reverse path (Dst->Src) is a conditional process that depends on successful packet arrival at the Dst and correct operation at the Dst to generate the reflected packet. Therefore, the sampling process for the reverse path will be significantly affected when appreciable loss occurs on the Src->Dst path, making an attempt to assess the reverse path performance invalid (for loss or possibly any metric). Further, the sampling times for the reverse path (Dst->Src) are a random process that depends on the original sample times (TstampSrc), the one-way delay for successful packet arrival at the Dst, and time taken at the Dst to generate the reflected packet. Therefore, the sampling process for the reverse path will be significantly affected when appreciable delay variation occurs on the Src->Dst path, making an attempt to assess the reverse path performance invalid (for loss or possibly any metric). As discussed above in Section 5.4, packet reordering is always a possibility. In addition to the severe delay variation that usually accompanies it, reordering on the Src->Dst path will cause a misalignment of sequence numbers applied at the Dst when compared to the sender numbers. Measurement implementations MUST address this possible outcome. 8. Measurement Considerations and Calibration Prior to conducting this measurement, the participating hosts MUST be configured to send and receive test packets of the chosen Type-P. Standard measurement protocols are capable of this task [RFC5357], but any reliable method is sufficient (e.g., if the issues with ICMP discussed in Section 2.6 of [RFC2681] can be alleviated, and the requirements of Sections 4.3 and 4.4 above are met, then ICMP could be used). Two key features of the host that receives test packets and returns them to the originating host are described in Section 4.2 of [RFC5357]. Every received test packet MUST result in a responding packet, and the response MUST be generated as quickly as possible. This implies that interface buffers will be serviced promptly and that buffer discards will be extremely rare. These features of the measurement equipment MUST be calibrated according to Section 3.7.3 of [RFC2679] when operating under a representative measurement load (as defined by the user). Both unexpected test packet discards, and the systematic and random errors and uncertainties, MUST be recorded. We note that Section 4.2.1 of [RFC5357] specifies a method to collect all four significant timestamps needed to describe a packet's round- trip delay [RFC2681] and remove the processing time incurred at the responding host. This information supports the measurement of the corresponding one-way delays encountered on the round-trip path, which can identify path asymmetry or unexpected processing time at the responding host. 9.1. Denial-of-Service Attacks This metric requires a stream of packets sent from one host (source) to another host (destination) through intervening networks, and back. This method could be abused for denial-of-service attacks directed at the destination and/or the intervening network(s). Administrators of source, destination, and intervening network(s) should establish bilateral or multilateral agreements regarding the timing, size, and frequency of collection of sample metrics. Use of this method in excess of the terms agreed upon by the participants may be cause for immediate rejection or discard of packets, or other escalation procedures as defined between the affected parties. 9.2. User Data Confidentiality Active use of this method generates packets for a sample, rather than taking samples based on user data, and does not threaten user data confidentiality. Passive measurement must restrict attention to the headers of interest. Since user payloads may be temporarily stored for length analysis, suitable precautions MUST be taken to keep this information safe and confidential. In most cases, a hashing function will produce a value suitable for payload comparisons. 9.3. Interference with the Metrics It may be possible to identify that a certain packet or stream of packets is part of a sample. With that knowledge at the destination and/or the intervening networks, it is possible to change the processing of the packets (e.g., increasing or decreasing delay) in a way that may distort the measured performance. It may also be possible to generate additional packets that appear to be part of the sample metric. These additional packets are likely to perturb the results of the sample measurement. Authentication or encryption techniques, such as digital signatures, MAY be used where appropriate to guard against injected traffic attacks. [RFC5357] includes both authentication and encryption 10. IANA Considerations Metrics previously defined in the IETF were registered in the IANA IPPM Metrics Registry; however, this process was discontinued when the registry structure was found to be inadequate, and the registry was declared obsolete [RFC6248]. Although the metrics in this document may be considered for some form of registration in the future, no IANA action is requested at this 11. Acknowledgements The author thanks Tiziano Ionta for his careful review of this memo, primarily resulting in the development of measurement considerations using TWAMP [RFC5357] as an example method. The reviews of Adrian Farrel and Benoit Claise also contributed to the clarity of the memo. 12. References 12.1. Normative References [RFC2330] Paxson, V., Almes, G., Mahdavi, J., and M. Mathis, "Framework for IP Performance Metrics", RFC 2330, May 1998. [RFC2679] Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A One-way Delay Metric for IPPM", RFC 2679, September 1999. Packet Loss Metric for IPPM", RFC 2680, September 1999. [RFC2681] Almes, G., Kalidindi, S., and M. Zekauskas, "A Round-trip [RFC3393] Demichelis, C. and P. Chimento, "IP Packet Delay Variation Metric for IP Performance Metrics (IPPM)", RFC 3393, [RFC3432] Raisanen, V., Grotefeld, G., and A. Morton, "Network performance measurement with periodic streams", RFC 3432, [RFC4737] Morton, A., Ciavattone, L., Ramachandran, G., Shalunov, S., and J. Perser, "Packet Reordering Metrics", RFC 4737, [RFC5357] Hedayat, K., Krzanowski, R., Morton, A., Yum, K., and J. Babiarz, "A Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP)", RFC 5357, October 2008. 12.2. Informative References [RFC5481] Morton, A. and B. Claise, "Packet Delay Variation Applicability Statement", RFC 5481, March 2009. [RFC6248] Morton, A., "RFC 4148 and the IP Performance Metrics (IPPM) Registry of Metrics Are Obsolete", RFC 6248, [RFC6703] Morton, A., Ramachandran, G., and G. Maguluri, "Reporting IP Network Performance Metrics: Different Points of View", RFC 6703, August 2012. Al Morton AT&T Labs 200 Laurel Avenue South Middletown, NJ 07748 Fax: +1 732 368 1192 EMail: acmorton@att.com URI: http://home.comcast.net/~acmacm/	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7175
__label__wiki	0.770715	0.770715	Location Stoke-on-Trent/Stafford, England Percent International Students 3.8% Famous For Computers, Psychology, MBA International Fees £10,900 Staffordshire University is located across two campuses in the towns of Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford and was established in 1992, with around 12,000 students currently enrolled. The University offers a wide variety of two-year ‘fast track’ degrees in subjects such as Business, Law and Computer Science. The University focus on employability and have partnerships with prestigious global companies, such as Microsoft and CISCO, and industry links with global leaders including Amazon and Google. Stoke-on-Trent is one of the most culturally significant cities in the UK, rich in industrial heritage and creative artistic flair. Just an hour’s drive away from Liverpool and Manchester, we are home to a wealth of global businesses, headquartered close-by including Vodafone & JCB. Staffordshire are a truly trailblazing institution. In 2017 they launched the UK’s first ever Esports degree which has attracted 100s of applications from all over the world. Supported by The NUEL, Fast Web Media and Codemasters, this unique degree focuses on the business side of Esports and builds on our reputation as a leading institution for Computer Games. Our digitally inspired courses will open doors to a range of new and yet to be discovered job opportunities. The International Student Centre is part of Staffordshire University's Student Office and provides a range of support for international students, including English language teaching, academic and cultural support as well as specialist immigration advice. The centre is staffed with a team of experienced English language teachers and two international student advisers. At the beginning of the year there is an International Welcome Programme run for students to get to know each other, Staffordshire and the University. 57th in the Times University Guide 2019 37th in the Guardian University Guide 2020 Following the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, Psychology performed extremely well with 100% of the research impact classed as ‘internationally significant’. Accommodation is divided across both campuses. Stoke has just over 1,000 rooms available either in student houses or more traditional halls of residence, while Stafford has 605 rooms. Postgraduate students have a dedicated hall of residence on the Stoke campus, while the University also run a search engine for landlords to help students who wish to live in the private sector. Staffordshire University has two main campuses in Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, along with four smaller areas of study. The city of Stoke-on-Trent is in north Staffordshire, 45 minutes from Manchester by train; while the town of Stafford is in south Staffordshire, about one hour from Birmingham. Stoke and Stafford are 27km apart in the centre of the UK and Stoke-on-Trent, which now has a population of over 250,000 people, is a vibrant modern city renowned for its industrial heritage. The local area is often referred to as 'The Potteries' because of its long history of ceramic design and manufacture. Ian McMillan (Poet) Chris Urbanowicz, Edward Lay, Tom Smith and Russell Leetch (Editors) Paul Harvey (Artist) Jessie Tait (Ceramic artist) Nominations for 2017 Times Higher Education awards announced Recognised as the Oscars of higher education in the UK, the nominations for the 2017 Times Higher Education Awards have been announced. Read more	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7186
__label__cc	0.668532	0.331468	Welcome to the Cloaca Maximus and the Gowanus Canal. I’m writing this, five days (it ended this evening on the eighth day) into the loss of my internet service. I don’t know how long it will take to get it restored. Down here where I am, such things are a mystery. I don’t think there’s any foul play involved. Two companies are merging and it could be that new technology is being installed or it could be another example of the strange modus operandi of this charming culture where ass backwards is known as full speed ahead. It’s been occurring to me that I don’t really care when it goes back on and that’s a very good thing. It’s stress free and it accommodates the circumstances which are always unpredictable. It also puts me into the situation of imagining what is happening out there. I don’t watch TV so, without the internet, the only news I have is the on site weather report which involves my going outside and taking a look around. I’ve been harvesting my olive trees and it looks like I’m going to have what amounts to about two fifty gallon oil drums. That’s a lot of oil and as much as it has been raining lately, I could invite a few of Bruce Willis’s stripper friends and a couple of Eddie Murphy’s transvestites and have a real whoop de do of a hot oil and mud wrestling match. It would put a real dent in my pesto production but it would also heighten my credentials as a wild and crazy guy. It’s a tough call. Wild and crazy doesn’t have the appeal that it used to because the world has cornered the market on wild and crazy and the world doesn’t possess the collective élan to do it with the necessary je ne sais quoi. The world’s idea of wild and crazy is much less fun than mine. It’s more Hellraiser oriented with Pinhead as the master of ceremony. Why is that do you think? Are we essentially sadists and masochists down deep? Do we prefer swimming in sewers without scuba gear? If life is the sum total of all of us then it can be said that what we get is the sum total of all of us. If you’re rich and powerful than you probably don’t notice what’s going on from behind the walls of your private world. Regardless of what’s happening to the economy your scene isn’t altered that much and you can always depend on topping up the tank again when the need is upon you. As someone once said, “You’ll never go broke underestimating the taste of the general public. “ Those aren’t the exact words but the meaning is the same. I guess my problem is that I always want to fix things. It seems to me that things could be a lot better than they are. In fact, I’m sure of it. I wonder why it has to be the way it is and that always causes me to look more closely at the people involved. I’ve found you can get a pretty clear idea of how the world comes to be the way it is by watching the people you run into. I’ve noticed that people lie and steal in all kinds of ways and that a lot of the time they aren’t even aware of it. When I hire a vendor, whether it is here or on Maui where I used to live or anywhere that I’ve been, I notice that they don’t show up when they say they will more than half the time. I notice that they try to get more than was agreed on... often. I notice that they don’t do what they say they were going to do either. I listen to people when they are talking to me. I watch them. This is a dying art. It’s such a dying art that people take it for granted that you aren’t listening to them or watching them. That can be very revealing. I once heard that listening is not just waiting for your turn to speak. Well... people didn’t get the way they are all by themselves. They had help. I’ve turned this thing over in my mind for some time, looking at it from all of the angles and it seems like the world in which we live has been designed for the purpose of corrupting the inhabitants. People want the power to exercise their will and that invariably leads to pursuing power over others. And, as we have heard, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is a basic life drive. You see it in the animal kingdom but they sort it out a little better than we do. It’s become an obvious truth to me that it’s not the people running the sewers that are responsible for all of the shit. That shit is the sum effluvia of all of us. As long as we think shit and talk shit and do shit we are going to have a whole lot of shit. Some of it is pretty shit and some of it is ugly shit but it’s all shit. Right now, somebody is thinking, “Man, that’s a grim view of the situation.” No shit. Okay... so some of you want to put wrapping paper and ribbons on the shit and some of you prefer shit tartare. Some of you like to gold plate it and for some of you it’s marine varnish cause you like the natural look. Some of you want to romance it and some of you just want to screw it but it’s the same thing colored and coiffed according to taste and according to the capacity and direction of your imagination. There are people who object to the use of the word ‘shit’ but I think it’s a fantastic word. These people are the ones who get out of the shower to take a piss. ‘Piss’ is another word some people object to. It’s funny because these are the same people who think nothing of making money off of the deaths of people in distant lands or poisoning their fellows with whatever new form of shit they come up with for the marketplace. These are the cultured folk who don’t like rough talk and using the wrong fork. I can understand the motive force behind the alchemists who wanted to turn shit into gold. It was Paracelsus who displayed ‘the first matter’ for the right fork people of his time. He lifted the top off of a silver chafing dish and there was the real McCoy in all its resplendent glory. I’ve wondered on occasion if it was his own but I don’t suppose I will ever know. Turning shit into gold is an interesting concept and something worthy of investigation but it would probably be a good idea to get a fix on what is real gold and what is not. See, I think what everyone calls gold is the real Fool’s Gold and a commodity that will definitely land you in the shit sooner or later. I’ve never understood the attraction for gold, or diamonds for that matter. I don’t own either and wouldn’t consider any lasting engagement with a woman who did. Yes... as we approach this holiday season it is the best of times to see what kind of shit we are in. Why we are in shit and not in clover can be understood in the simplest of terms and that term(s) is self interest. It’s ironic that this is the season of giving. It’s more than passing strange too that there is a season of giving. What are the other seasons? Are they seasons of not giving... ...seasons of taking? ...seasons of maybe giving and maybe not giving? It’s true that there’s a hardcore contingent of materialistic psychopaths that manipulate you and shape the world in which you live... with your help ...but they can’t make you buy their shit and they can’t make you believe in the glamour and attraction of their world where you are not presently a member. You do that. You like the shine on the shitmobile and you are the one who wants the shit bling and shit chateau of emptiness that sits in the center of your crucified heart and gets all lit up from the blood that you shed for shit. Not everyone is panicked or unhappy or afraid. People have found solace and peace of mind. Those for whom wisdom is the preeminent goal will find some measure of tranquility in the midst. It’s another one of those mysterious laws of nature, just like the one that makes your paddles disappear when you’re up shit creek. There’s no real injustice. We did it to ourselves, one way or another. Visible sings: ♫ Right Thru My Heart ♫ 'Right Thru My Heart' is track no. 5 of 12 on Visible's 2007 album 'Almost A Capella' I didn't believe the Headlines in the National Enquirer but I guess it is true--Gerry Seinfeld and George Carlin did have a love child-- No Shit!! Friday, December 19, 2008 7:53:00 PM Hello Les: Good to see you again !! You know Les, i am a person who respects other people's personal choices. And i respect whatever people want to do and think about with their own personal lives. However i like to critisize society and its problems. For example, i critisize how USA society puts so much emphasis on food, on extracting a hedonic pleasure out of eating. I mean i think that it is time for USA as a whole to find other hobbies, to motivate people to do other pleasurable hobbies other than eating. I was at the supermarket today and i am outraged by the excess of cakes, pies, fattening junk christmas foods literally all over the supermarkets, forcefed on our eyes. And no wonder why America is fat. And i really think that this slavery to food kills the will of people to participative in other more healthy addictions other than eating. Here is an article which talks about the excess of eating and gluttony around christmas time THE GHOSTS OF CAPITALIST CHRISTMAS, AND THE BINGE-EATING OF APPLE PIES, PECAN PIES, EGG-NOG, HAM, BREADS, TURKEY, AND DESSERTS, IN CHRISTMAS By Charles Sullivan 11/28/07 "ICH" - --- Everything about America is done to the max—super sized—including ourselves. Americans are fond of excess, fond of glitz and glitter, the bright beads and trinkets of capitalism; the symbols of conspicuous consumption. Millions of us live in McMansions, drive fast cars and hulking tanks and work at high stress glamorous jobs that provide enormous financial reward but leave us spiritually empty. We tell ourselves that these events signal that we have arrived and achieved greatness worthy of respect and envy. They are a declaration that we have played the game and won; that we have acquired economic power that results in elevated socio-economic status and disproportional influence over the lives of the less successful; and those who have utterly failed or refused to participate. We love to consume and waste with an appalling sense of entitlement. Our lives are enacted amid heaping mounds of swelling garbage and filth, while some of our fellow human beings pass lives of quiet desperation in cardboard boxes beneath our nation’s highway bridges, like beetles that move beneath the bark of trees: out of sight, out of mind, inconsequential—or so we think. It’s a jungle out there where only the fittest survive. Those who cannot compete must not survive to reproduce; they must be expelled from the gene pool. Modern capitalism is economic Darwinism carried to the extreme. America is a land of extraordinary contradictions. She has produced not only George Bush and Dick Cheney but also George Carlin, Upton Sinclair, Eugene Debs and Howard Zinn. This is a land of extremes; enigmatic even to itself. It is a place of posh surroundings with all of the amenities money can buy; but it is also a land of unknowable hardship and destitution that often exists in close proximity to stupendous wealth. Just as the continent holds lush temperate rain forests, so it also harbors deserts where only the strong and well adapted survive the harsh conditions of heat and drought and oscillating cold. Surely the national pastime must be shopping, which has acquired the stature of a genuine addiction; a disease on a par with alcoholism and played with the passion of a competitive sport. Witness the insanity of black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year where people are annually trampled at the doors of Wal-Mart in the quest for the latest incarnation of the X-Box. He with the most toys wins and the losers are trampled underfoot, ground into dust. Possessions matter more than people. And we are a restless, fiercely competitive people—constantly on the move; a people that cannot countenance open spaces or unmanaged nature. Hundreds of thousands of shopping centers and strip malls bear ample testimony to our excess, as do the mountains of debt that rise out of our spending habits like a newly spawned volcano swelling above a rising column of molten magma. Eventually they will become our gravestones—monuments to our lack of empathy and testaments to our unbridled greed and contempt for the earth. The developers cannot relax until every inch of the earth is urbanized and paved and there is a McDonald’s and Wal-Mart on every street corner; a development in place of every orchard and farm. We cannot relax until everything wild and natural has been eradicated or imprisoned in zoos and admission is charged. Imagine a continent sized gated community for the well-heeled and the wealthy. The poor and destitute need not apply. More than democracy, more than liberty, more than life—give us our shopping malls so that we can purchase happiness and fill our empty lives with possessions. Our senses are incessantly assaulted by merciless commercialism—we are programmed to consume and to be consumed by our programmers in the advertising industry whose job it is to plant the seeds of want in our all too receptive minds. Conspicuous consumption is the cornerstone of mature capitalism and no people in history have been more prominent consumers than we Americans—as measured by the girth of our waistlines and the girth of our mounting debt. But as much as we are the products of Madison Avenue advertisers, we are also products of arrested psychological and spiritual development. We exhibit extreme pathologies because our lives are not rooted in nature and community; nor are they rooted in reality. Like spoiled adolescents, we have locked ourselves away with our box of toys and we call the world our own. We are a danger not only to ourselves but to the entire world. Quarantine should be drawn around us lest we infect the rest of the world with our madness. Oblivious to the consequences of our own excess, our sphere of caring rarely extends beyond the self and our immediate families to the communities in which we are embedded that in turn spill into the great world beyond. We have erected psychological and physical barriers that isolate us from the rest of the world which have given rise to pathological visions of grandeur and exceptionalism. And, like a run-away virus, we are replicating our madness to the rest of the world which is, thanks to the disciples of Milton Friedman, seeking to emulate our example. Better the world turn away and run for their lives as if we were infected with a new strain of pox or rabies. Better they should save themselves and let us perish, as will surely occur when we are consumed by the festering sewers of our swelling vanity. We call ourselves a free people but we are prisoners of our own petty desires; prisoners of greed and excess and manufactured want; the products of capitalism taken to the extreme—replicating with the ease of cancer cells unrestrained by reason or empathy for others and for the earth. The world cannot tolerate another America . She cannot much longer sustain the one she already has. We have a carbon footprint vastly disproportional to our numbers and we are not only blotting out the sun; we are stamping out countless species of plants and animals and casting them into the abyss of eternal extinction. The ecological cost of our excess is incalculable. We go on as if there are no consequences to what we do, ignoring the wolves baying at our door and the grim reaper peering at us through the curtain. We tell ourselves they are only apparitions of conspiracy theorists and alarmists, the ghosts of misplaced conscience. Millions of Americans are experts at self-denial and delusional to the extreme, while others are realists and components of active resistance. But, cause and effect rarely enters our vocabulary. History, science and ethics are not our strengths—we prefer to go shopping or watching television, giving no thought to the kind of world we are leaving our children and their off spring, much less the offspring of other species. We hold that the universe turns on its axis and we are its center; but it is not so. As a result of our excesses, terms such as ‘peak oil’ and ‘peak water’ have come into existence. Gluttony occurs on one end of the supply chain at the expense of the other; just as food webs are affected by events occurring at all parts of an ecological web the size of the world. One cannot pluck a flower without also troubling a star. All things are interconnected. How easily we forget that commercial exuberance rests on the broken bodies of the exploited worker; it rests on the scrolls of flora and fauna that have been pushed out of existence because there isn’t enough room for them and us with all of our precious, energy consuming toys. Thus we live in a world that is not enriched by our example but is diminished by us. Injustice is a byproduct of commercial exuberance as manifested by declarations of superiority through class warfare and other avenues of inequality. And it is felt in the dimly lit sweatshop somewhere in the belching slums of industrialized China , engulfed by the droning hum of sowing machines that never cease behind bolted doors; and guided by gnarled hands attaching Nike labels to athletic apparel destined for upscale Target and Macy’s stores in the US . True, capitalism has made cheap products available to the voracious American consumer; but it has also given the world preemptive war and famine, global corporatism, pestilence and wage slavery; it has stoked the fires of mass extinction, global warming and ecological collapse—all of which have acquired an unstoppable momentum of their own with unimaginable consequences that extend indefinitely into an already uncertain future. There are consequences to everything we do, just as there are consequences to inaction. Yet it is increasingly obvious that too few of us care enough to take action, as long as we are free to buy and to consume. We keep the consequences of gluttony out of sight and out of mind and pretend they aren’t there. But they are present and they matter. And this brings me to the main point of my essay: it cannot go on. The age of exuberance—like the age of cheap oil—is mercifully drawing to a close. So I will say what was never meant to spoken aloud in the land of excess; and I will say it loud and clear so that it cannot be mistaken: Americans must dramatically simplify their lives to want less and learn more. We constitute less than five percent of the of the world’s population while usurping more than a quarter of her bounty. This is not acceptable—nor is it ethical. No one has a moral right to take more than their fair share when that taking jeopardizes the chances of others of living a decent life, or makes nil their chances for survival—including other species. Contrary to what one might think, we do not have to live like third world nations or like the hunters and gatherers of the past. But we must dramatically reduce our consumption and shrink our carbon footprint. Not only must we live within our own means but within the means of the planet to support us. The majority of our food should be locally grown and mass transit must supplant the gluttonous and polluting automobile that proliferates on our nation’s highways. Moratoriums on development and urban sprawl must be enacted in order to protect critical habitat and rainwater recharge areas. Cities and towns must be redesigned and revitalized with sustainable industry. Goods and services, including work and jobs must again, as they were in the past, be rooted in vibrant, small scale local economies; and free trade agreements revoked. Technological advances—no matter how boldly they are touted as saviors of humankind cannot increase the world’s carrying capacity and they cannot invoke justice. The latter is entirely up to us as sentient beings endowed with conscience. And this brings me to a second point: we must reduce the human population through adoption and cease to procreate for at least one generation—so that the earth can recover her carrying capacity. What better way to save the world, literally. Simultaneously simplifying our lives by wanting less and reducing the human population will allow room for other people and other beings to share the bounty of the earth. And it will almost certainly have a beneficent rather than pathological social and psychological consequence: it will end our isolation and reconnect us to the rest of the world. We could finally realize our enormous potential to become world citizens and good neighbors worthy of respect and love. Rather than an economy based upon savage greed and exploitation, let us create an economy based upon justice and equality, need rather than excess; a society that does not leave people behind but invites the full participation of everyone and recognizes that, “An injury to one is an injury to all.” Let it be all inclusive and worthy of respect: where every woman, man, and child, every being of this earth is the same under the law and equally respected and valued—a great global community seeking harmony rather than competitive advantage. In the end, equality is beholden to the system we choose. Did we ask that the world be run on the profits of greed, or the prophets of wisdom? Where was that democratic choice? The profits of greed have given us voracious greed, consuming everything in sight; but they didn’t give us a choice; they took away our freedom and made us into lesser beings. But, if we are to muster ourselves to call ourselves Human one last time, where the prophets of wisdom really did have something to say, where people and the planet are put before profits in the Golden Rule, and where we have one large collective foot standing on the profit of greed then maybe, maybe YES we will turn this thing around: http://www.planetization.org/. Charles Sullivan is a nature photographer, free-lance writer, and community activist residing in the Ridge and Valley Province of geopolitical West Virginia . He welcomes your comments at http://us.f362.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=csullivan@phreego.com. jbpeebles said... H.L. Mencken (link said something to the effect that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. Lord Acton said absolute power corrupts absolutely. Sounds like Les needs a change of scenery. Go somewhere it's cold. They say people in more temperate zones were forced to have to lay supplies in for the winter and thus became more efficient, specialized, etc. over the generation--a sort of prepare or perish thing. If you are craving some Yankeee-style efficiency, I suggest going to where Yankees live. Now of course, the people tend to be much more uptight up here, and you'll undoubtedly freeze your ass, as well as deal with the usual collection of thugs, criminals, evangelicals, and dirty poltiicians, but hey, you probably get that where you are You're not making any sense and- there aren't any of those here which why I am here and not there. I have been reading Les for nigh on a year (about a year for the rest of you) and thought you could understand that the wholefuckingworld is in deep shit for lack of knowledge found in this site http://moneyaswealth.blogspot.com/ A friend of mine wrote it and it is my wish that you pass it on. The bankers have had it their way for far too long. مرحبًا Merhaba, les visible! Glad to hear you had a good haul on the olives. Also, glad to see you're up and running again. Glad the respite was a good one. When you take a break (intended or otherwise) the shit will always be there, waiting for you to return to it. Marxilist - I agree with "YOUR" words, entirely. The people are such gluttons, they won't see the hammer when it drops, because they'll be too busy shoving a f*&%ing cookie in their collective mouth. Give my best to the consort, for picking up your slack... ;-) Funny thing on monday I too lost my internet connection and just got it back an hour ago. Friday, December 19, 2008 10:24:00 PM Severed Cables in Mediterranean Disrupt Communication (Update3) Email \| Print \| A A A By Malcolm Fried and Lars Klemming Dec. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Internet and telephone communications between the Middle East and Europe were disrupted after three submarine cables between Italy and Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea were damaged. The failures cut the flow of ``data of various kinds'' between Europe and the Middle East, and there's no timeframe for when communications will be restored, said Sanjeev Gaur, director of assurance at Reliance Globalcom Ltd. in India. France Telecom SA, which plans to send a maintenance boat to fix the problem, said the situation should be back to normal by Dec. 31. Three cable systems carrying more than 75 percent of traffic between the Middle East, Europe and America have been damaged, according to the U.K.'s Interoute Plc, which operates a fiber- optic data network connecting 92 cities. The cables run from Alexandria in northern Egypt to Sicily in southern Italy. In January, an anchor severed the cables outside Alexandria after bad weather conditions forced ships to moor off the coast. ``The information we have is a bit sketchy, but chances are that it will have been an anchor again,'' Jonathan Wright, Interoute's director of wholesale products, said in a telephone interview. ``Close to 90 percent of all the data traffic between Europe and the Middle East is carried on these three cable systems.'' Interoute said the January incident brought down 70 percent of the Internet network in India and the Middle East Your gifts are remarkable and ever changing. You're a kaleidoscope. I wish I had the relationship that you have with the muse. There are never more than a handful of people on the Earth at any one time who have this and you are one of them. I imagine that you have had a difficult life. You do know where you are headed though because you would not be going in that direction otherwise. As you said once, "Bon Voyage". Ciao Les, I have found my solace, in the face of relative poverty. Yes, I have no more need for shit. A good woman, good wine and food and friends that are not full of shit. I am one of the lucky enlightened ones. And as bad as the future looks, the shit has only begun to hit the fan. I'm ready... and enjoying the show. Paolo thanks.. just what i needed. glad ta see ya bak.. missed ya. Like they say, don't sweat the stuff you can not control. What is, is, what will be, will come. The trip is in trying to figure out what those in the shadows are up to, and seeing through the smoke and fogged up mirrors they use to hide it. The internet helps if you can filter the crap from the nuggets of truth, but sometimes a break is needed if what you find bothers you too much. What helps me is I am pretty sure if we had global democracy there would be chaos. Lets face it, there are many dumb selfish beasts among us, majority rule always leads to anarchy and then tryranny, thats why our founding fathes gave us a republic, rule of law regardless of what the majority want or not. The republic is no more after a short period of democracy which led to our current benevolent or not dictatorship via the deified Presidency. Could it be any other way? I doubt it, tis mans nature that the powerful and capable among us in the end assume power. Those who are driven to assume the most power, tend to be those with little empathy for the less capable folks, and some of them are psychopaths (the smart ones do not get locked up). So todays world is certainly not what I imagined it would be 40 years ago when I was a bit naive and more optimistic about mans nature, but it could be worse, and maybe it will be, but since all you really have is today, and tommorow is what it will be, if it is at all, just enjoy it. Of course, I do not know if those citizens living in Iraq or Zimbabwe, or those who lost close friends/relatives in 9/11, and those who have had their homes foreclosed on can enjoy today as much as others. So I guess it depends on how well you have escaped the shit flying, and how much or little empathy you have for those who have been hit by it. Kind of dampens the enjoyment for those who have the empathy for those hit by the shit and know what is lurking for the rest of us. So enjoying today is easier said than done for some, but shutting down when it gets too hard helps to restore the balance needed to avoid whatever shit might be flying around you. Of course, then I read the neo-malthusian propaganda of the psychopathic elite in a comment above. This is being used by them as justification to depopulate the world and reduce the standard of living for the rest of us while the elite like Fat Albert indulge in gluttony in homes using more electricity than in some some small cities. Peak oil, peak water, Global Warming (doomsday scenarios attributed to man) dupe the folks like marxist-socialist into following the new age religion of Gaia worship, a religion pretending to be science, but a religion all the same, requiring man to acknowledge himself as a sinner against Gaia and face punishment for not changing his sinful ways, while the high priests of the religion, politicians and their pseudo scientist lackeys tell us what is sinful (sin tax = carbon tax = carbon credits that banskers get rich on). I sometimes wonder if man is undergoing de-evolution and is losing the ability to think or reason. If we are stupid enough to believe this shit as a race, then maybe the psychopaths should rule. Shutting it down, suns up. Saturday, December 20, 2008 12:01:00 AM 'GIVE UP WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE" Susana's latest post at her site--take the time to read it. http://easyidler.blogspot.com/ Saturday, December 20, 2008 1:30:00 AM I keep coming back to the Oscar Wilde quote that Rivero had at the top of WRH the other day: "If you are going to tell people the truth, you had better make them laugh or they will kill you" You definitely made me laugh with this one. I particularly liked your line "ass backwards is full speed ahead". I've never been to S Italy, but I've traveled and lived many places like that; so far, Venezuela tops them all. You have to experience it to believe it, but one starts to wonder how anything works or gets done. I just laugh and bless their hearts. No, they are not doing the best they can. They aren't even trying to. I'd like to stand up for gold and diamonds while I'm here. This is why I like them: Diamond is so much harder than anything else that nothing comes close. The Mohs scale is used to rate hardness of minerals; things that your fingernail can scratch are like 2 or 3 on the Mohs scale; ruby and sapphire are 9, and they are very hard stones. Diamond is 10. Except that diamond is around 50 times harder than rubies and sapphires or anything else. If the numbers were to scale, ruby would be 9 and diamond would be 450. It's hard. (how hard is it, M_?) It is so hard that it cuts any other stone with ease. One can do any amount of chiseling and futzing around with abrasives, but when you really want to slice up some stone, having a diamond saw is the difference between a wooden knife and Damascus steel. Diamond also refracts light very strongly. When it's faceted right, any light that enters the stone gets concentrated and beamed back with high intensity. That's what makes the sparkle. And finally, diamond is pure crystallized Carbon. Carbon is the building block of all life forms; there are life forms that can exist without all kinds of other elements, even Oxygen, but nothing lives without Carbon. One can make of that what they will. As for gold, gold is the incorruptible metal. You can throw gold into the foulest sewer or even that canal in Brooklyn and leave it there for a thousand years; it will still come out uncorroded and uncorrupted. All metals have the property of malleability, they can be bent and stretched, unlike rock minerals or ceramics. Some are more malleable than others, but gold stands as far above the other metals for malleability as diamond is above other crystals for hardness. Y'know when you bend a wire coat hanger in the same place over and over how it gets hard and breaks? Gold doesn't do that; it just keeps on bending. Gold can be pounded or rolled into gold leaf that is so thin a 4" x 4" sheet can barely be weighed; one has to handle such gold leaf with a squirrel hair brush charged with static electricity from one's own hair as it will smear into nothingness if one tries to pick it up with their fingers. A single ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire over five miles long. It is a sweet and cooperative metal to work, yet strong for all its softness and has a very high melting temperature. In olden times the page-edges of bibles and fine books had gold leaf applied to them, as that protected them from attack by corrosive elements in the air. Diamond is the hardest and most brilliant of crystals, gold is the most malleable and incorruptible of elements. Despite whatever shit values a shit society has piled on them, they are still intrinsically wonderful. So that's what happened to you ... welcome back to the intertubes! We've missed you. It's good to know I'm not the only one who questions the necessity of getting out of the shower to pee. Though I've learned not to share that information with those I share a shower with, as most of the people I know, regardless of whether they know which fork is which, are pretty convinced their own shit doesn't stink (which doesn't stop them from demanding I use febreeze.) Take a deep whif, I say. That's the pungent reek of life. "We are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world!" Try to pretend life is something it isn't, and you're living an illusion, and no illusion can be sustained without cruelty of some kind: to oneself if you really believe the bullshit, to others if the bullshit's just a mask. Of course, if you call people on their bullshit you get covered in shit.... OK, I'll stop now. Man, it's fantastic what a rich vein of material that one word is. Greencrow said... re: "shit bling" Funny, I was just wondering about the origin of the new word 'bling' the other day. It's often used as a substitute for the word 'jewellery'. Now, who do you suppose made it up? Duke said... Peace be with the reader. Make sure to also read "Spiritual War" on The Truth Seeker website. Love a thoughtful rant. My own sense is that the world would be a splendid place if we simply screened and then exiled to some appropriate place those who were born without or those who somewhere along the way forgot to maintain and therefore lost their consciences. Egotists, egoists are one thing, psychopaths something else entirely. Far too dangerous to allow intermingling with average, caring folks. G.B.Shaw said there are some two-legged animals just as dangerous as four-legged ones, and they should be shot. Humanely, . . . . maybe he had a point. Maybe exile isn't the safest for the rest of us..... Fletch said... Welcome Back Les, Missed your mind. Great posts people. I thought that matter could not be created or destroyed. I'm not a scientist, but won't our spirits and everything else just continue on? This is what I try over and over: to move with love every heartbeat henceforth. We are, mostly, what we do. We do, mostly, what is in our minds. What is in our minds depends, mostly, on what we see and hear. Mostly we watch TV No shit? Apologies for the pronoun, I know it doesn't fit people at this site, mostly. Substitute TV with mass media of your choice where appropriate. And finally - I knew that if you hadn't been here for some time, then you must have had pressing business elsewhere. In my paean to diamonds and gold above, I exaggerated the relative hardness of diamond to ruby/sapphire. Diamond is really only about 4 times as hard as ruby. On the scale of absolute hardness, the mineral talc is 1, ruby (corundum) is 400, diamond is 1500. Gee... M Astera, thanks for clearing that up (grin). Of course you know what I actually meant but I'm glad you went ahead and said what you did in that lyrical way that you have because I found it fascinating. Thank you for that. There is a new Visible Origami up- Christmas and Karma, Surrender and Love. Saturday, December 20, 2008 12:35:00 PM Dave Hastings said... Hi Les, A thoughtful post, as expected from you. keep trying, you are making things better, small increments at a time. I foresee a quick demise to American obsessive consumption, forced upon us. No loss. But, as another has already posted, I think you might want to rethink the " I've never understood the attraction for gold..." statement. First, I would prefer taking gold (or silver), whether flake, bar or coin, in exchange for my labor, my production, my services, than a piece of paper created by debt. My opinion. Secondly, down through the ages, some of the most beautiful, magnificent artwork was fashioned from gold. The ease of forming mentioned before, the non-corrosive attribute, is hardly something "modern man as feverish consumer" thought up, Les. It has beauty. Tell me, you don't really have a problem appreciating these, do you? http://www.amwest-travel.com/awt_kingtut.html http://www.unc.edu/celtic/catalogue/torc/Broighter_Torc.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Agamemnon http://www.precolumbiangold.com/sipan.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priam%27s_Treasure And one of my favorites, the ORIGIN of the "Father of the Jews" story, from Ur (the city where his father fashioned statues, according to the bible , "Abraham" being in fact a priest of Brahma, or "A Braman" his city being on the ancient road from India, btw). Even his wife, and Brahma's goddess consort, had same name. Perhaps you know the myth I speak of? http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_exhibitions/ig/RoyalTombsofUr/Ram-in-the-Thicket.htm Quite magnificent, isn't it? Especially when you consider it is over 4000 years old.... Me? I'll happily take gold in payment. Saturday, December 20, 2008 2:08:00 PM Once again people are having problems getting their comments posted here. This isn't an accident, by this time it's sure that someone at the source is messing with the machine. I could list a dozen things that are blocked now and can't be fixed and there's no way to reach the people in charge. So... once again, email me your comments and I will put them up just as I did Dave's. gold.. haven't i read somewhere that gold possesses an extra atom? headscratch.. sorry, i'm a goldbug and a diamond diva...but wouldn't kill anyone to get them... i guess part of their attraction besides their beauty is the aspect of security they represent to me...someone will always want them in trade for other things of necessity. at least that's how it's worked thru history thus far.... :) THERE ARE NO ISLAMIC TERRORISTS. THE TERRORISTS OF THIS WORLD ARE AMERICANS AND ISRAELITES !! "Divide et impera - divide and rule." (Roman strategy) Islam and Terrorism? http://www.cam.net.uk/home/nimmann/peace/islam.htm Despite the media propaganda, Islam has nothing to do with the current world crisis or international terrorism. Fethullah Gülen, one of Turkey's most well-known and respected scholars writes: "Islam does not approve of terrorism in any form.... Islam respects all individual rights and states clearly that none of them can be violated, even if doing so would be in the community’s interest. The Qur’an declares that one who takes a life unjustly has, in effect, taken the lives of humanity as a whole.... For this reason, no one—and certainly no Muslims—can approve of any terrorist activity." The Roman strategy: "Divide et impera - divide and rule." is applied again today. "Islam never approves of any kind of terrorism.. " - by Fethullah Gülen Fethullah Gülen is one of Turkey's most well-known and respected scholars. The article below was on his web site in 2001. I would like to stress that any terrorist activity, no matter who does it and for what purpose, is the greatest blow to peace, democracy, humanity, and all religious values. For this reason, no one—and certainly no Muslims - can approve of any terrorist activity. Terror has no place in one’s quest to achieve independence or salvation. It costs the lives of innocent people. Even though at first sight such acts seem to harm the target, all terrorist activities eventually do more harm to the terrorists and their supporters. This latest terrorist activity, which is a most bloody and condemnable one, is far more than an attack on the United States of America - it is an assault against world peace as well as universal democratic, humanistic, and religious values. Those who perpetrated this atrocity can only be considered the most brutal people in the world. The world should be assured that, although there may always be some who exploit any religion for their interests, Islam does not approve of terrorism in any form. Terrorism cannot be used to achieve any Islamic goal. No terrorist can be a Muslim, and no true Muslim can be a terrorist. Islam orders peace, and the Qur’an demands from each true Muslim that he or she be a symbol of peace and support the maintenance of basic human rights. If a ship is carrying nine criminals and one innocent person, Islam does not allow the ship to be sunk to punish the nine criminals, for doing so would violate the innocent person’s rights. Islam respects all individual rights and states clearly that none of them can be violated, even if doing so would be in the community’s interest. The Qur’an declares that one who takes a life unjustly has, in effect, taken the lives of humanity as a whole, and that one who saves a life has, in effect, saved the lives of humanity as a whole. Also, our Prophet Muhammad says that a Muslim is one who does no harm with either his or her hand or tongue. I strongly condemn this latest terrorist attack on the United States. It only deserves condemnation and contempt, and it must be condemned by every person in the world. I believe that before America’s leaders and people respond to this heinous assault, I would like to express that they surely understand why such a terrible event occurred and how similar tragedies can be avoided in the future. I feel the pain of the American people from my heart, and assure everybody that I pray to God Almighty for the victims and that He may equip their sorrowful beloved ones and all other American people with patience. I take this opportunity to present my due regards to everybody. See latest article on his web site: http://www.mfgulen.com/books/article.php?id=1077 Divide and rule - an old political tactic The Romans' policy was very much following the motto: "Divide et impera - divide and rule." Today, some political forces follow the same lines: Brandmark Islam - and get the Christian world to face the so called 'enemy'. The result shows immediately: racist attacs and prejudices harden. People are busy blaming each other: The Islamic world is split into condemning terrorism and understanding and sympathising with their motivation of fighting against injustice and an arrogant superpower. The result is, that the Islamic world feels guilty and is paralysed. This comes handy for others. The real agenda behind this war against international terrorism is safe from being uncovered, is hidden behind a curtain of falling bombs and downpours of media propaganda. As long as the people fight eachother, they are busy and not likely to calm down, sit back, think and investigate. Ralph Nimmann, December 2001 Hello all: Here is a good article about the latest crisis from a worker's point of view: The crisis of world capitalism is gathering speed By In Defence of Marxism Editorial Board http://www.socialist.net/crisis-world-capitalism-gathering-speed.htm The crisis is unfolding relentlessly and with gathering speed. In November the USA shed jobs at the fastest pace in 34 years. World GDP has registered a sharp fall. The recession was preceded by a financial crisis (the so-called credit crunch). However, this was merely a prelude to the real crisis. As always, the bourgeois economists draw the conclusion that the cause of the crisis is a lack of credit. In reality, the lack of credit is caused by the crisis. During the boom, everyone is prepared to borrow and lend, confident of obtaining handsome profits. As always there was a large element of speculation in all this. The dizzying rise of stock market prices bore no relation to the real situation. It must be borne in mind that, in the last analysis, the profits of the capitalists can only be derived from the unpaid labour of the working class. As long as surplus value is extracted, the capitalists, landlords, bankers and stock exchange speculators, can all make a profit. The illusion is created that this merry carnival can go on forever. But this process sooner or later comes up against the inherent contradictions of the capitalist system. The second phase has now begun - the crisis of the real economy. Millions of workers face short-time working, cancellation of overtime or sackings and closures. The bosses are demanding wage cuts, under threat of closure. This means a general reduction in living standards, which in turn means a new fall in demand, with more closures, unemployment and new cuts. Falling activity means a fall in tax returns, which in turn must mean new cuts in social spending. Payroll employment in the USA fell by 533,000 in November - the biggest monthly drop since December 1974. Unemployment has risen to 6.7 percent. However, this understates the seriousness of the situation. A broader definition that includes people who have given up looking for work, would mean a figure of 12.5 percent. There is now a spate of closures. The Bank of America is to sack 35,000 workers after it took over Merill Lynch. Dow Chemicals is closing 20 plants with the loss of 5,000 jobs in the USA and Europe. A further 2,300 jobs will go in 3M. Anheuser-Busch InBev is axing 6 percent of its US workforce (three quarters in St. Louis). Nobody now repeats the nonsense that the crisis would be confined to the USA. This is an international phenomenon. The big Japanese company Sony is to shed a further 16,000 workers, cut back on investments and outsource some of its production. It has halved its annual profits forecast as a result of a slump in demand for its LCD televisions. The Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto is cutting capital expenditure and selling assets to pay back $10 billion of debts. It will cut 14,000 jobs by the end of 2009. Woolworth, a major department store in Britain, is closing after a hundred years, with the loss of 30,000 jobs. The list is never-ending and growing all the time. The growing alarm of the ruling class is reflected in the succession of panic measures adopted by governments and central banks, which are no longer aimed at preventing recession but only of blunting its effects. But despite all these measures, the crisis is deepening and spreading all the time. The world economy has entered a downward spiral, and nobody knows where the bottom lies or when it will be reached. In the past the bourgeois economists denied the possibility of a recession. Now the only question before them is whether it will be a deep recession or a depression. For the millions affected by factory closures, bankruptcies, sackings and evictions, however, the difference is merely semantic. The bourgeois and their pet economists imagine that all crises are caused by the lack of "confidence" and that therefore a few encouraging speeches (accompanied by large donations of public cash) will solve the problem. They do not understand that confidence does not drop from the skies but reflects actual conditions. Contrary to this superficial and idealist explanation (which explains nothing), we reply: it is not the lack of confidence that causes the crisis, but the crisis that gives rise to a lack of confidence. It is necessary to bear in mind that unless the capitalists sell their commodities, no surplus value can be realised. The ability to find markets is limited by the limited consumption of society. Sooner or later a point is reached where markets are saturated and no buyers can be found. In the crises of 1990-91 and 2001 demand did not fall much. In the first case the rapid development of Asia (China) provided a cushion that prevented the recession from developing into a slump. After this, the huge increase in credit and the speculative housing bubble kept the whole thing going. But the basis was completely unsound. This situation could not be maintained. In effect, the capitalists avoided a deep slump for two decades but only at the cost of creating the conditions for an even more serious recession in the future. This explains the alarm with which the bourgeois view the present crisis. During the boom, when big profits are being made, people will buy and sell, loan and borrow, cheerfully acquire debts in excess of their earnings. If anybody notices that this is all based on speculation and swindling, nobody minds. Are we not rich? Are we not all making money? Live for today and to the Devil with tomorrow! But when the boom reaches its limits - which it must do - this "irrational exuberance" turns into its opposite. Confidence evaporates together with the mirage of never-ending enrichment. Instead of the old cheerful optimism, we have panic and despair. Not greed, but an equally primordial emotion, fear, becomes the predominant mood of the market. Contradicting all their previous analyses, the bourgeois economists now say that this recession will be longer and deeper than anything since the Second World War. The capitalists are paying the price for the "irrational exuberance" they displayed in the previous period. Terrified of the social and political consequences, they are resorting to desperate policies, which will only serve to exacerbate the problems in the long run. At every juncture the spokesmen of the bourgeois announce that the "worst is now over." Such declarations, which were also made at regular intervals after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, are always followed by further falls on the stock markets and further cutbacks in production. The bourgeoisie has dug itself into a deep ditch, from which it will not be easy to extricate itself. The banks are sinking under the weight of bad debts. Nobody knows how much these are and therefore nobody knows which (if any) of the banks is viable. This is why the economists say that this recession is not "normal". Some economists now look back nostalgically to the "good old days" of the gold standard, but a return to the gold standard is impossible now. It would lead to a complete collapse and an even deeper slump than the Great Depression of the 1930s. Before the Second World War the world economy was based on the gold standard, which made sense as a means of regulating money markets. Governments had to hold a certain quantity of gold bullion as a backup to their national currencies. Ultimately, creditors could demand repayment for debts in gold, which, like every other commodity, has an objective value. The abolition of the gold standard was only possible because after the Second World War, the USA held two thirds of the world's gold in Fort Knox and its industry was intact. It could dictate its conditions to the rest of the world. Everybody wanted dollars because at that time the dollar was as good as gold. The dollar became the international currency (with the pound sterling as a second-class partner). This was a factor in the upswing of world trade after 1945 - the real basis of the economic upswing in world capitalism at that time. Now, however, all that has changed. The USA has been transformed from the world's biggest creditor to the world's biggest debtor. The dollar remains the world currency, but nobody can be sure how much it is really worth. Unimaginable amounts of fictitious capital have been pumped into the world economy over the last two or three decades. The world market in derivatives alone is more than 500 trillion dollars, most of it of a speculative and fictitious character. The derivatives market amounts to 36 times the value of total US GDP [US GDP stood at $13.8 trillion in 2007] or roughly 10 times the value of entire world output. The unprecedented expansion of credit in the last period served to maintain high levels of demand in the USA and other countries. But now this has reached its limits. The whole process is thrown into reverse. Now nobody wants to lend money and few wish to borrow. Society is seized with a parsimonious and miserly mood. The masses have no money to spend - only debts to repay. Those who previously lent money cheerfully are now calling in their debts. Many of those who took out mortgages to buy homes are unable to pay and find themselves evicted. Since the price of their homes has fallen, they are saddled with huge debts, which unlike house prices, do not fall. The bankers, who yesterday were anxious to lend money to anyone, are now anxious to hoard money and not to part with a cent. This miserly and distrustful attitude applies not only to private house owners and small businesses, but also to other banks and big firms. They are not prepared to lend money to other banks because they are not sure the money will ever be returned. Nor are they prepared to advance money to firms to buy raw materials and equipment. They are quite prepared to pull the plug and force businesses to close as if they were matchboxes, throwing thousands out of work without blinking an eyelid. Since credit is the life-blood of the capitalist system, the interruption of the supply of credit means that not only "bad" businesses will be made bankrupt but "good" ones also. The drying up of credit threatens the whole productive process of society with slow strangulation. The effects can be seen in a sudden spate of bankruptcies and closures, affecting not only small businesses but also major companies, like Ford, General Motors, Sony, Nissan and many others. The main reason for this is the collapse of demand, aggravated by the drying up of credit. Suddenly there is too much steel, too much cement, too many cars, too many empty offices, too much oil... In other words, what we are seeing is a classical crisis of overproduction. The big US car companies attempted to boost their share of the market by ferocious discounting. This worked temporarily but only at the cost of cutting into profit margins. Ultimately, the result was bankruptcy. Now they are compelled to go, cap in hand, to the US government, which initially agreed to give them a large slice of taxpayers' money to keep them afloat. Coming after the bailout of the banks, this was an unprecedented action, especially if we bear in mind that the Republicans were supposed to be the Party of Free Market Economics par excellence. It was a measure of desperation. This proposal of a generous donation to the big car companies was dictated by fear of the social and political consequences of firms like Chrysler and GM going bankrupt, which would mean the loss of millions of jobs. It was also a protectionist measure, directed against foreign car manufacturers. If it is passed, it will undoubtedly lead to similar measures in Europe and Japan. However, the government insisted on wage cuts in return for the package, which the unions rejected. The Republicans therefore voted against the proposal, which was defeated in the Senate. This is a repeat of the earlier conflict between the White House and Congress over the bank bailout. It exposes deep contradictions at all levels of US society. We are entering into a period of growing protectionism and tensions between the main capitalist nations. The tendency towards protectionism will be even more pronounced under Obama, who will be under pressure to "save American jobs". Let us remember that the Democrats were always inclined towards protectionism. This will provoke retaliation from America's rivals. Already Volkswagen is demanding state aid. Others will follow. The crisis is revealing deep fissures in the EU. The British and French are putting pressure on Germany to reflate its economy (that is, to increase its deficit in order to create more demand for British and French goods). But Germany is resisting. They see no reason why Germany should pay the price for other people's problems. But the participation of Germany is absolutely necessary if the plans for recovery in Europe are to be successful. They must all reflate simultaneously, or else Germany would benefit "unfairly" from the efforts of the others. But these proposals have not been well received in Berlin. The German Finance Minister, Peer Steinbrueck derided the general yearning for what he called "the great rescue plan" as futile, saying such a plan "doesn't exist" and dealing with the unprecedented crisis is a puzzle that will be solved by trial and error. The European authorities who believe the answer is lavish spending programs are saying, in effect, "let's get the Germans to pay because they can," he added. In reality, what Herr Steinbrueck said was correct. He pointed out that while policies can ameliorate the situation, the recession is unavoidable, whatever any government does. The policies of Brown and Bush amount to an attempt to reflate the bubble that caused the present mess in the first place. They have thrown billions at the banks in the hope that they will begin to lend again. But they have failed. The bankers are not prepared to lend under the present circumstances and no amount of interest cuts or state subsidies will make any difference. In any case, the scope for such cuts is minimal. In the case of the USA it is practically zero. One by one, the bourgeois in the richest countries in the world are using up all their resources in a vain attempt to halt a recession that is unstoppable. In effect the bourgeois are trapped. Whatever they do now will be wrong. If they do not intervene to pump money into the banks and failing businesses there will be a deep slump with massive unemployment as in the 1930s. But if they resort to Keynesian methods of deficit financing, they will create huge debts that will undermine any future recovery and act as a tremendous drag on productive investment, creating the conditions for a long period of cuts and austerity. The unsoundness of the policies pursued in the previous period is now revealed by a colossal hangover of debts. This has meant that the recession will be deeper and longer than it would otherwise have been. The bourgeois has now to pay the price for the "successes" of the last twenty years. Whole countries now face insolvency. Iceland is already bankrupt. Bank liabilities now represent 700 percent of the GDP of Switzerland, hitherto regarded as a safe haven for capital. The figure for Britain is 430 percent. That of the USA is just under 100 percent - after the huge bailout of the banking sector. The intensification of the recession will mean a sharpening of tensions between Europe and the USA, between the USA, China and Japan and between Russia and the USA. In the past such tensions would have led to a world war. It was the Second World War that solved the economic crisis of the 1930s through massive arms spending and the wholesale destruction of the means of production during the war. However, the situation now is entirely different. The collapse of the USSR and the colossal power of US imperialism mean that a world war is ruled out. With an annual arms expenditure of about $600 billion, no power on earth can stand against the USA. But there will be constant "small" wars, like the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Congo and so on. The conflict between Russia and the USA can lead to wars like the war in Georgia. The diplomatic clashes and tensions will add a further ingredient to the general instability. The uncontrollable spread of terrorism is a symptom of the underlying crisis. All these phenomena, which sentimental pacifists bemoan, are merely an expression of the underlying cause, which is the contradiction between the colossal potential of the productive forces and the narrow limitations of private property and the nation state. The bigger powers (especially the USA) will try to use their muscle to intimidate their rivals and grab markets and sources of raw materials, but the capitalists cannot find a way out of the crisis by taking the road of war as they did in 1914 and 1939. Therefore, all the contradictions will be expressed internally, through a growth of the intensification of the class struggle. The eyes of the bourgeois are now fixed on China, from whence they hope that salvation may come. But China is now firmly embedded in the capitalist world market and must suffer the consequences of the downturn along with all the rest. In order to keep unemployment at its present levels a growth rate of at least eight percent is required. If growth falls below this level, the prospect arises of serious social conflict. The latest IMF estimate for China's growth in 2009 is now only 5 percent. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the IMF, said: "We started with China at 11% growth, then 8%, then 7%, then China will probably grow at 5% or 6%." This is still high when compared to the growth rates in the USA and Europe. But it is a sharp fall in comparison to the kind of growth rate of around 10 percent enjoyed by China in the last period. And it is not clear that even this level will be reached. China has a large internal market, probably about 300 million. But this is insufficient to absorb the huge productive capacity that Chinese industry has built up over the last two or three decades. The falling demand in the US market is hitting China's exports. The contraction in Chinese industrial production deepened in November with steel production down 12.4% from a year earlier, steel mill product deliveries down 11.3%, generation of electricity off by 9.6% and petrochemicals output down as well. In November year-on-year exports fell sharply by 2.2 percent, whereas analysts had expected them to rise by 15 percent. To understand the change, it must be remembered that between 2000 and 2006 China's exports grew at an annual rate of 26 percent. In the same month imports fell by 18 percent. This was the first time since 2001 that imports have fallen. There are emerging signs of overproduction and overinvestment in China, whose internal market, though considerable, is not big enough to absorb the colossal productive potential built up over the last two or three decades, and which is now reaching its limits. The first warning of a crisis was the sharp fall on the stock exchange, which has lost about 60 percent of its value. But the crisis is not confined to the stock markets. House prices are falling, construction is slowing and industry is slowing faster than GDP. Car sales in November in China fell by over 10% year on year. Power generation, generally regarded as a reliable index of economic growth, fell by 7 percent. These figures have altered the views of western economists on China. The previous optimism is fast turning to pessimism. The Economist (13th December 2008) stated: "Optimists even hoped that these huge emerging markets (India and China) might provide the engines that could pull the world out of recession. Now some fear the reverse: that the global downturn is going to drag China and India down with it, bringing massive unemployment to two countries that are, for all their successes, home to some two-fifths of the world's malnourished children." It is true that China has huge reserves, which it can use to foment public works schemes to develop the infrastructure. In November the government announced a four trillion yuan (nearly $600 billion) fiscal stimulus package. But according to some estimates, this would add up to an increase of GDP by just over one percent. This is insufficient to get the kind of results that China needs. Beijing only has one other option: to try to solve the crisis by exporting more. This brings it into a direct collision with Europe and the USA, which is pressurising China to reflate in order to import more. Paulson visits Beijing to ask China to revalue the yuan, but Beijing is more likely to support a devaluation, which will deepen the contradictions between China and the USA. The leaders are afraid that the worsening economic situation will produce what one of them referred to as "a reactive situation of mass-scale social turmoil". The Economist (13th December 2008) reports: "Each week brings fresh reports of factory closures, particularly in the industrial belt around the Pearl River Delta in Southern China. Unpaid workers have been staging violent protests." The same journal adds: "Indeed, demonstrations and protests, always common in China, are proliferating, as laid-off factory workers join dispossessed farmers, environmental campaigners and victims of police harassment in taking to the streets." The slowdown in China is hitting Japan, for whom the Chinese market has become increasingly important. In the three months to September the Japanese economy shrank at an annualised rate of 1.8 percent. Other emerging economies are even less able to provide the necessary stimulus to the world economy than China. All will be dragged down in the next period. This signifies social and political convulsions on a huge scale. The chaos in Thailand is a further indication of this. After a five-year period in which India grew at 8.8 percent, exports fell in October by 12 percent compared to the same period last year. Hundreds of small textile firms have gone out of business. But big firms are also in crisis. The car industry has suspended production. Sales of the Ambassador, India's most popular car, have slumped. Pakistan already stands on the verge of bankruptcy. The central bank has revised its projected figures for growth to 7.5 percent and this is too optimistic. The real growth may fall to 5.5 percent - the lowest since 2002. With a budget deficit of about 8 percent of GDP, India, unlike China, has very little room to manoeuvre. If China needs a growth rate of 8 percent in order to absorb the seven million people entering the labour market each year, how can India absorb a workforce that is expanding at a rate of about 14 million annually? Its main growth has been in sectors like information technology, which does not employ large numbers of workers. A rapid growth in youth unemployment in India will produce explosive conditions in society. "And as in China unrest and even insurgency are widespread." (The Economist) The fall in world demand is being expressed in a general fall in commodity prices. Oil has fallen from a peak of $147 to about $40 in a few months. This will affect all the oil producing economies in the Middle East, Iran, Indonesia, Nigeria, Mexico, Russia and Venezuela. Russia has the third highest surplus in the world but this has fallen by $144 billions since August. There is a flight from the rouble, underlining the fears of the bourgeois for the future. The ruling clique is trying to distract the attention of the masses from the crisis through foreign adventures (such as Georgia). But the developing crisis must sooner or later express itself in a crisis of the regime and the growth of opposition, strikes and protests. The Ukrainian economy is in crisis and the country has to borrow $16 billion from the IMF. The economic crisis is deepening the political crisis, which has an endemic character. The impasse of the regime expresses the complete failure of capitalism to solve the problems of the Ukraine or any other of the former Soviet Republics. The pro-US government has avoided elections but in reality it is hanging by a thread. Most of the other former Soviet Republics are in an even worse position. The sharp fall in the price of oil will intensify the pre-revolutionary ferment in Iran, where the regime of Ahmadinejad is hanging by a thread. There is already widespread discontent and anger among the youth, but also among the workers and middle class. There has been a wave of strikes. The fact that the Americans have decided to withdraw from Iraq means that they will be forced to open negotiations with Iran and Syria to cover their rear. This deprives Ahmadinejad of his main card - anti-American chauvinism and war-mongering rhetoric. Deprived of the external enemy, the contradictions within Iran will come to the fore with revolutionary implications. In the poorest countries of Africa elements of barbarism have begun to appear and in some cases threaten to engulf society and push it back to savagery. In the Congo five million people have perished in a murderous civil war. In Zimbabwe people are faced with the horrors of starvation and cholera. In Sierra Leone over 70 percent of the population live on 70 cents a day and two-thirds of the women are illiterate. To the nightmare of hunger and poverty are added the scourge of malaria and AIDS. Everywhere the productive forces stagnate or decline, creating more unemployment, poverty and despair. It is not difficult to portray the whole world as a nightmare or a lunatic asylum. These are the symptoms one associates with the senile decay of a system that has outlived its historical usefulness, like the Roman Empire in the period of its decline. But there is another side to the picture. There is ferment in society and the beginnings of revolt. This naturally begins with the youth, which on the one side are the first victims of the crisis, in the second place are highly sensitive barometer for the moods of discontent that are maturing silently in the bowels of society. It is true that the suddenness of the crisis has shocked not only the bourgeois but also the workers. There will be a certain tendency to cling to jobs and even accept cuts in the short term, especially as the union leaders offer no alternative. But there will also be a general mood of anger and bitterness, which will sooner or later find its way to the surface. It is inevitable that the first layers to move into action will be the youth. It was always the case. The youth, beginning with the students, are always a sensitive barometer of the moods developing in society. They can anticipate big movements of the workers, as in 1901-3 in Russia and 1968 in France. In Italy and Germany there have been big protest movements of the youth. In Spain the students strikes this autumn were organised and led by the Marxist-led Students' Union. There have also been upheavals of the youth in Hungary and earlier in France. But in Greece this movement has acquired an explosive and semi-insurrectionary character and was combined with a general strike of the workers. This is a serious warning to the bourgeois of what can happen in other countries. It shows the falsity of the argument that the onset of economic crisis will inevitably lead to a paralysis of the working class. The bourgeoisie would like to resort to repression. This is shown by the recent declarations of Cossiga in Italy, which have a clearly Bonapartist character. But Greece shows the limitations of this policy. It was the murder of a young school student by the police that brought the masses onto the streets. The right-wing government considered a state of emergency but Karamanlis could not use force to impose order on the streets because that would have taken Greece to the brink of a civil war. He had to back down. The government was paralysed. What the Greek events show is the weakness of reaction and the enormous strength of the working class at the present time. If the leaders of the Greek labour movement had had a revolutionary policy, they could have taken power. But without adequate leadership the movement will be reduced to pointless rioting, which the government will eventually bring under control. Nevertheless, the movement was a serious warning to the Greek capitalists of the mood of rage and frustration that exists in society. The ND government is finished. A new stage in the class struggle is opening in Greece. And tomorrow the same process will emerge in one country after another. In Latin America the revolution has already begun. This is not an accident, and we explained it a decade ago, when we decided to orient the IMT towards Latin America. In this continent capitalism has broken at its weakest link. The Venezuelan Revolution has reached a critical point, where its future direction must be resolved one way or another. The crisis of capitalism hits Latin America hard, although it is unfolding unevenly, affecting some countries more than others. Brazil, the economic giant of the region, expects to grow by 4 percent (which is probably optimistic) whereas Mexico, closely linked to the US economy, is expected to grow by only 0.4 percent. However, at different rates and at different times, all will be affected. In October, the IMF forecast a growth rate of 3.5 percent for Latin America in 2009. Two months later, the World Bank cut its estimate to 2.1 percent and Morgan Stanley is predicting a fall of 0.7 percent for the seven biggest economies of the region. In the last two months there have been stock market and monetary crises and shortages of credit. This has followed a fall in exports and sharp falls of commodity prices. The slowdown in China affects demand for Venezuelan oil, Peruvian minerals, Argentine soya and Brazilian iron ore and orange juice. The crisis in the USA affects the continent in a more direct way. Whole towns, villages and even regions of countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador depend on the remittances of their nationals working in the USA or Europe. Since the immigrant workers are the first to be sacked, these are now forced to return home. So these countries are at the same time deprived of foreign currency and obliged to absorb an influx of labour when unemployment is already rising. The reformists have argued that the "Venezuelan model" would guarantee immunity from the problems associated with the "neo-liberal model". But this is a reformist illusion. Because the revolution has not been carried through to the end, Venezuela is still subject to the vicissitudes of the capitalist world market. The falling price of oil means that the reforms of the past period are under threat. Morgan Stanley predicts an economic contraction in both Venezuela and Argentina in 2009, of 1 percent and 2 percent respectively. This will mean that the reforms and misiones will be in difficulty. In addition to the general crisis of capitalism, the Venezuelan economy is suffering from sabotage and a strike of capital aimed at destabilising the Bolivarian government and causing mass discontent. Despite all the appeals to the capitalists, private investment is practically non-existent and there is a flight of capital. Only the state sector maintains the economy. Sooner or later the Revolution will have to decide whether to advance and carry out the socialist transformation of society, or else be driven back, one step after another, to ignominious defeat. The demand for drastic measures against the counterrevolution and expropriation under workers' control is growing, and matters must be settled. In the past US imperialism would have intervened militarily to abort the process, but now this is very difficult. The US is bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan and cannot open another front in Latin America, which would have revolutionary consequences inside the USA itself. It is now a question of either-or for the Venezuelan Revolution. The forces of the counterrevolutionary bourgeoisie have taken heart from their partial advance in the November election, which has given them important points of support from which to launch a new offensive. The economic crisis will give them further impetus. Chavez has called for more expropriations and proposes to stand again for President. Chavez could use his majority in the National Assembly to approve this even without a referendum. This would provoke clashes on the streets, which would pose the question of power point blank. The battle lines are drawn that will settle the fate of the Revolution one way or another. This will be a period of enormous turbulence and instability - a period of revolution and counterrevolution that can last for years, with ebbs and flows. In the past, a pre-revolutionary or revolutionary situation would not last long. It would either end in the victory of the revolution or of the counterrevolution in the form of fascism or Bonapartism. But under present day conditions that is not the case. In the past, the bourgeoisie in Europe and elsewhere had important reserves of support in the population, particularly the class of small peasant proprietors. This is no longer the case. The middle layers of small proprietors has been whittled away by the development of capitalism, while the working class has grown and become the majority of society in many countries. In the past the students were drawn from rich families and were inclined to fascism. Now in most cases, the students are on the left. The ruling class is not strong enough to move towards reaction, but the working class is being held back by its leadership. This means that the present situation of unstable equilibrium between the classes can last for some time. The revolution never moves in a straight line. There will inevitably be ups and downs in the movement, as there were in the Russian and Spanish Revolutions in the past. Between February and October 1917 there were periods of enormous upswing, but also other periods of tiredness, despair and even reaction (July-August). The same was true in Spain between 1931 and 1937, where we had the Two Black Years (El Bienio Negro) in 1934-5. But in a situation where the pendulum is swinging to the left, such "lulls" are only the prelude to a new and even stormier revolutionary upsurge. The objective situation that we have now entered will be far more similar to the interwar period, or the 1970s, than to the last twenty years. Similar conditions will tend to produce similar results. The masses will be far more open to our ideas than they were in the past. The degeneration of the mass organizations has reached unheard-of depths in the last period. The Social Democrats have abandoned all pretence to standing for socialism and the former "Communists" have abandoned all pretence to standing for communism. It is an irony of history that precisely at this moment they have renounced all claims to stand for a revolutionary change of society. Now history is taking revenge on them. The striking successes of the Marxists in Rifondazione Comunista in Italy and in the French Communist Party are an indication of the profound change that is taking place. In the past such a turn in events would have been unthinkable. It shows the existence of deep discontent in the rank and file. The same discontent exists in all the mass organizations. It will grow as the crisis unfolds and the policies of the leadership are exposed in practice. It is true that consciousness tends to lag behind events, but sooner or later it catches up with a bang. That is precisely the meaning of a revolution. We are approaching that critical point now. There is a general development of an anti-capitalist mood in society, not just in the working class but also in the middle class. People who never questioned capitalism before are now increasingly discontented. This is a very dangerous situation for the ruling class. And the crisis has only just begun. The occupation of the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago (which has now been settled) shows the revolutionary potential that is being prepared in the USA itself. These were mainly poor paid Latino workers. The factory was forced to close because the banks were refusing credit, and the bosses were not going to give the workers redundancy pay. This is what sparked off the occupation. The workers said: "we have no money to pay our mortgages; we will lose not only our jobs but our homes!" So they occupied. But then the question of property was raised. The idea took root among the workers: these assets belong to us! This is how consciousness is rapidly transformed in the course of struggle. In Belgium the big banking concern Fortis collapsed, and the company was plundered by French and Dutch capitalists. Fortis was regarded as the "People's Bank". 700,000 people had shares in it. But the shares collapsed and lost 90 percent of their value. This provoked a wave of anger directed against the banks. Everywhere we see the same indignation against the bankers and capitalists, who are obliged to lean on the leaders of the working class to hold onto power. In the crisis of capitalism, the workers' parliamentary leaders cling to the ruling class and the trade union leaders cling to the parliamentary leaders. In such periods the ruling class prefers the reformist workers' leaders in government. Their policy is to use and discredit. They will use these leaders to do the dirty work and then cast them aside like a dirty dishrag. Then they will say to the masses: "Now you see what socialism means!" Thus, a contradiction opens up between the tops of the movement, which are moving to the right, in the direction of class collaboration, and the rank and file, which is moving to the left, looking for radical solution and militant action. Sooner or later this internal contradiction must be resolved. The coming period will see all sorts of crises and splits in the traditional organizations of the working class. Big possibilities are opening up for the Marxists, and the social crisis is still at the early stage. As the crisis develops, the radicalization of the working class will reach levels not seen for decades. Ideas that were listened to by tiny handfuls will find a mass audience. The basis will be laid for the creation of mass Marxist tendencies everywhere. This is ultimately the only guarantee of the future socialist transformation of society. You were not the only one - the Net here in Egypt went down yesterday morning, and until someone told me why I had a moment of sheer panic, along the lines of AAAHHHHGGGGG! So I guess we are each and every one in hock to a little bit of materialism; in my case, my omputer! Couldn't live without the Net. (Well, I could, but it would be one long AAAHHHHGGGGG! moment. Also appreciated the comments on gold and diamonds as things intrinsically useful as well as beautiful, but like kikz, I wouldn't kill or harm anyone to get even the teeniest tiniest milligram. Love your posts as always, les, and I'm really glad you're back. Thought the bad guys ahd got hold of you for a few seconds. I just watched a video documentary about Chavez on Free Speech TV called "Hugo Chavez: On The Path to socialism" and Chavez put it straight, he claimed that all nations that have capitalist systems concentrate wealth in a minority and suffering in the many, like the current corporate bailouts Let's remember what a De Beers "whistle blowing" insider said a handful of years ago: the real market value of a near perfect 1 carat diamond should be no more than $75 USD, based on what the cartel actually mines. Which is why I almost laughed out loud at movies like "Blood Diamond" and "Flawless". Similar things could be said for gold. As well, I am fairly certain that there is tech that can produce both substances, main through modern advances in what used to be termed "alchemy". Let's also recall the literal descriptions of some of the gold in South America hundreds of years ago: a life size "corn field" entirely out of pure gold; entire buildings of solid gold??!! And the current Jew gold traders would have us believe that is more than currently exists in the entire World... Sure. Just another example of the entire System being completely gamed. We truly live in illusion, and the only "real" things of value probably being love, compassion, and understanding as manifested in feelings, actions, and words. As sappy as this sounds, I now believe it to be true. In terms of the physical, I believe a source of fresh water without all the toxins, heavy metals, chlorine, floride, arsenic, hormones, drug residues, etc. will be far more valuable than any diamond or gold mine, and the relatively recent action of the criminal elite prove that they know this as well. Dr.F Hey Les, its good to have you back. However, your temporary absence gave me the opportunity to write with one of the posters who frequents this blog. You are right, the art of conversation spoken or otherwise is rare nowadays, and when it does occur some people can’t help but hear you speak but they aren’t necessarily listening. Your European Internet service must be contagious because communication cables connecting Europe with the Middle East have been accidently (?) cut, and gmail in the States has been crashing, which BTW also ended the great sidebar email correspondence I had with another poster. In 1992 my family and I had experienced a massive isolated storm cell in our remote South Carolina mountain valley, which left us without the services of phone, power, and water. It was a great learning experience of survival and un-preparedness, and having only verbal communication as a means of entertainment. You learn a lot about your family when you are trapped in a house buried up to your ass in trees, with all roadways blocked, and enduring single-digit temperatures huddled by a fireplace. In retrospect, it was probably one of the best and warmest memories we have ever had together as a family and, an experience that we all shall never forget. Visible stated: “See, I think what everyone calls gold is the real Fool’s Gold and a commodity that will definitely land you in the shit sooner or later. I’ve never understood the attraction for gold, or diamonds for that matter. I don’t own either and wouldn’t consider any lasting engagement with a woman who did.” I totally agree with your statement. If you look back on the historical lessons regarding the ownership of gold and silver, it was outlawed in the USA before, with the Presidential coup in 1934: Roosevelt’s Gold Reserve Act that outlawed private ownership of gold. And since all precious metals purchased recently are registered, then the Establishment knows where to kick-in doors to retrieve it when history once again repeats itself… and history always repeats itself eventually. What good is gold or silver? People say that it’s used for dental work; but plastics are less expensive and work better than metals on teeth. Others say that industry uses it for electronics circuitry and components; but there are many composites (superconductors) that are cheaper and better than gold or silver. People say that it can be used for money in hard times when paper money is rendered worthless, which is an ignorant assumption because if I have food, I will trade (barter) my food for anything I may need such as batteries or Band-Aids; not metal coins. Neither gold nor silver will have the value of a can of beans, or a can of gravy, or even a manual can opener when you are starving. I will tell any bearer of gold and silver to eat their coins if they are hungry because the only thing you can do with those coins is melt them down to make bullets and arrow tips. Perhaps these hoarders of precious metals should have invested in blocks of lead instead… it will go farther for a less invested cost. I also have a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit when we are blowing the fucking shit out of unarmed women and children in the Middle East and in other parts of the World we are spreading "democracy". The Neocons have taken the Christ out of Xmas and, furthermore, the fact that the “Greatest Story Ever Told”, is also one of the biggest fictional myths ever fabricated. I will admit that I have hung strings of jingle bells on my front and back doors because if I hear these bells jingling in the middle of the night, I know it won’t be St. Nick at the door… and I won’t be giving that uninvited person Christmas cookies and milk. As of the 8:10 pm comment from in retrospect, 31 comments so far. Total words: 13,877 Total spam from marxist: 9,527 words (counting only the paste jobs). Percent of total comment section devoted to spam from marxist: 68.65% Down here in the 21st Century Socialist Bolivarian Democratic Republic Workers Paradise of Venezuela we have something a little like this called the "cadena". The cadena is when Saint Hugo the Infallible commandeers all radio and television broadcasts in the country to wax eloquent about whatever he feels like talking about. So far this year, as of the middle of last week, Venezuelan residents have been gifted with 170 hours of cadena, just a bit over four 40 hour workweeks worth. Castro is pretty famous for these monologues too; it appears to be SOP for marxists. Hope everyone else is learning a lot. I think maybe I have better things to do. Michael; I understand your frustration, especially since it hits close to home with your perception of it but... there's no requirement to read any of it and you know that. The key here is to let everyone express themselves within the wide parameters that this place provides for. You've got a lot of contained brilliance and a great deal of savvy. Even taking the time to take the time to say what you said when you could have done another of your gold and diamonds monologues (which I enjoyed a great deal) cheats us all of the spectacle. M.S. is just doing it from where he's at at the moment. Eventually we all put everything aside... willingly or... more commonly... unwillingly but willingly finally at that fine moment within and ahead. I'm not telling you anything you don't know but I can hardly censor something like this. This place rubs off on people and no matter what anyone is in to it eventually will change and not because of me you may be sure. I did know what you meant about the gold and diamonds, Les. Not good values to base one's life upon. I've read that the Aztecs called gold the excrement of the gods, the original holy shit. On topic? I do like gems and jewelry for their beauty, though I don't wear it and I'm not a diamond fan; rubies are much prettier to my eye, and much more rare. In retrospect's comment about the diamond market is true; it's all artificial because it's a monopoly. As for gold, no. There are pretty good tallies of the world's gold supply; best estimates put total above ground gold at 4 billion ounces, or 2/3 of an ounce per person alive today. I've bought and sold silver and gold since the late 1980s; not to make money, but as a store of value. Greenbacks spend too easy, gold and silver tend to stick around until you really need the cash. Perhaps there are records kept of internet gold sales, but I've always dealt with friends and local coin shops, cash transactions, no paper trail, and that's how everyone else I know does it too. One can't eat it, but it's a good medium of exchange. It's hard to make change for a whole cow when all one wants is a pound of hamburger. (did that make sense?) Most are willing to take pretty coins made of precious metals, knowing they can trade them to someone else for something they want. In many traditional societies, women can't inherit property, but their jewelry remains their own no matter what. India is a good example. Sunday, December 21, 2008 12:05:00 AM Les I absolutely love what you do here. And I thank you wholeheartedly for allowing me to participate. I really like the people who come here and have the get up and go to comment. The opportunity you afford us is most generous. Thank you Tony. Imagine my gratitude for what you've done for me. Michael... yes, it does make sense. I'm just not into jewelry. I shave my head for the same reason that I don't wear jewelry and there are some great tales I could tell on how I personally learned the virtue of this. On the occult side I have a great appreciation for gems although diamonds are not one of them. I like emeralds, rubies and something can Tanzanite (I think) it is like sapphire. That might be my favorite. I like gems for their healing properties which are much magnified by certain states of mind but I must admit that was all long ago. Now the only jewel I care for shines in my heart and it dwarfs all others. I don't want to put the world down; after all, we have to live here and I myself and still captive due to things I discussed at Origami today. One should never bullshit themselves. There are many marvels here but the greatest marvel is the appreciation of their true use. That's over for me too but it was fun for awhile... right up to the point where I got saved from myself. As for coin of the realm in times of chaos. I have what I need for that and it's inner. m_ 12:05 AM, thanks for the gold lesson mate. My family have owned/worked/managed Gold/Copper and Diamond mines in Aus. for generations. I thought I was up on all of the current info but thanks to you I have now caught up. The natives must be so thankful for you being in their land instructing them on how to go about their daily business. Much appreciated. Sunday, December 21, 2008 1:17:00 AM I already wrote and posted the followup on gold and diamonds above before I read your note. I have no problem at all with those who have an opinion or an axe to grind. I have a problem with cut and paste spam that takes up most of the space. If the person commenting doesn't understand their subject enough to tell it like it is in their own words, they don't know their subject. I would think a link and a brief synopsis would be sufficient for those who are interested, and I can't say I've noticed anyone else pasting 9500 words of off-topic spam. I've seen little evidence that Marxist socialist even reads his own spam, viz the Henry Makow piece posted the other day. There is even less evidence that there is anything going on other than waiting for his turn to speak. Apparently you didn't go to my agriculture blog the other day when I linked to the three shit fuck piss cocksucker "comments" that Marxist/Socialist spewed there to show his method of discourse when someone disagreed with him on YOUR blog. He didn't post his sewage here or he would have been banned, I'd venture to say. He searched out my blog and took a big shit in the middle of it. Guess I should have followed my first impulse and just pasted them back to Smoking Mirrors instead of deleting them after a day. There's a new piece here 9/11 Dreaming in a World of Flesh. Actually, those in control and who create these crisis have evolved from the Marxist Global Communists of the past. They have subverted Democracy while pretending to fight for it, and calling any developing nation resembling a Democracy as socialist, so they could justify the attack as part of the Cold War(regime change, invasion, war). They have corrupted democratic capitalism with Fascism, and called it neo-liberalism. The fascism of the Nazis and Mussolini was a creation of the elite who financed them so thye could fight the war against communism. The elite backed Commuinsism in the war which was the real winner of WW II, and created fascism in the US with FDR;s New Deal policies. FDR used to call Stalin Uncle Joe and was a great communist. It seems a great contradiction. The elite are the creators and leaders of the terrorist organizations to justify a war against terrorism over there, before bringing the fight home, and to take away democratic freedoms to keep democracy safe. To them, anyone who does not go along with their plan for One World Government (Marxist style) is a terrorist. The Muslim Brotherhood for example has it's headquarters in London. At the top of the pyramid, these leaders are not even practicing Muslim. At the bottom are zombies fueled by hatred created by injustice and hardship who are prepared to blow themselves up, fully duped by the elite of their kind that their actions can facilitate change. This pyramid structure of power is in every level of government, terrorist organizations, corporations, religous and educational institutions, secret and not so secret societies, think tanks, military. Only those at the top of the pyramid see the whole picture and know the real plan. Those at lower levels of the pyramid are on a need to know basis and know less the further they are from the top of the pyramids power structure. Those at the bottom are just as clueless as anyone else outside these organizations or institutions, but all are given reasons that make sense to them to do evil, if indeed they even recognize it as such, being told it is for a greater good, the end justifying the means. So anyone seeing events of today as an opportunity for Marxism is partially correct, but should know that those behind the chaos and evil are themselves Marxists. Many of the elite in the US today are devout followers of Leo Strauss who was simply a Trotskyite, a slight deviant of Marxism. McCarthy was right in the 50's about the threat from Communism within, he was simply wrong about who was behind it. The elite created the communism of the Soviet Union and made sure China went communist to give us the Cold War. This spread communism through 1/2 the globe and ended religion in these regions. The illusion of it's defeat is pervasive by flawed. Global Communism pre-requisite is that industrialization must already be created by capitalism in order to work. So the barriers to Chinas and the Soviet Unions industrialization had to be brought down by the illusion that they were no longer Communists or that trade would force China to become more democratic and capitalist. The essential point though is that fascism or corporatism is the essential stepping stone to Global Communism. So today we see fascism and corporatism and not liking it too much even though it's been essential in the industrialization of the East, because it has come at the expense of the deindustrialization of the West which is lowering Americans and now Europeans standard of living in order that we may be comfortably merged with the rest of the world. We are not far away from the end of history, or a History of the sort in Orwells 1984. They been at this for 160 years and the mission is almost accomplished. Maybe things will be better after, but do not count on it, as mans nature is what it is, and those with absolute power tend to abuse it. To m_astera who wrote: What you said m_astera makes perfect sense in a controlled civilized environment… but very few who are posting here today (including me) has ever witnessed total anarchy, and neither gold nor silver will fulfill the essential staples of life for survival. Furthermore, a cow would be transacted through the exchange of several families at a time… there won’t be food stores like Wal-Mart, Food Lion, or 7-11 convenience stores. In all of these posts I have not read a single clue that explains the unsubstantiated value of gold or silver (I didn’t mention diamonds because most people could not tell a real diamond from an artificial Zirconia). Other than the acceptance of precious metals as a medium of exchange, gold has always been an excepted tender for exchange of goods or services… but why? Like a broken record, I have constantly pointed-out that the truth behind the factors which brought our economies to where they are today, and where we shall be in the not too distant future, has occurred in the historical past and is evidenced in the uncovered archeological ruins from over 5000 years ago (before the Egyptian Pharaohs). Gold has been used since the dawn of man because Homo sapiens were created to mine it. Therefore, gold does have “historical” value because we would still be spear chucking hunter-gatherers living in caves - if gold had no value. We were created to be slaves for the mining of gold, and some of us are still slaves to the superficial allure of its manipulated intrinsic value. History always repeats itself, and the more things change, the more they stay the same… even after 250,000 years. (see link: http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/2006/01jan/annunaki.html Perhaps we are playing post tag. I've said what I wanted to say. It is of course your blog, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't respect what you do and have done. This is the place to argue the shallow values of maya. I honor those who play their roles with impeccable gusto and convincing passion. The coin of the realm that I have in these times of chaos? This realm of flesh requires coin at the food store for me these days, but less for me than for most. Give the body the food it needs to go another day forward with the memo, but carrying the message is the task, not the food or the lures that I can thankfully appreciate just by observing. I need not own Fujisan to view it from my garden. Take this sword and conquer yourself is what I heard once. Or twice. Who was that who fought the Hydra of endless heads, which grew two more each time one was cut off? And did he need a friend to hold the blazing torch, to cast the brilliant light and to cauterize the bleeding stumps? And so we come to this new place, where the Hydra has lost its strength, where there are no new vicious heads arising, and those that do arise are feeble, easily dismissed. How now, friend? As we survey the now quiet battlefield that once seemed so impossible to even survive, much less prevail. But prevail we have, and it is time to remember the objective, whatever that was. It has not lost its importance. In the great plains of the country now called America, where this body was born into this world, there are great spiral maelstroms of air that come out of boiling green skies with the sound of a thousand oncoming freight trains. They explode the proud strong dwellings of man into powder and kindling, they rip great trees from the earth, they suck up the water and life from lakes and rivers and leave them momentarily dry. Powerful forces, powerful storms, and none may defy them. Yet, sometimes in the midst, from out of the path of chaos and destruction, a tiny baby is lifted gently in its cradle, and set down unharmed miles away, its cradle perhaps now swaying gently in a high treetop. The sweet baby will live; the storm had other objectives, as does the baby. This is where I put my trust, as I know the impermanence of walls however stout. This is the coin of my realm. How's this for a compromise? Any C&P that gets excessive in length (like say beyond what it takes to illustrate the point of the writer or is okay within some mysterious way that only I understand (grin). Sorry, heh heh, you know what I mean... is no longer permitted. Links are okay and if someone wants people to read something then they should put it in a link. I'll enforce this. It's just that it's really difficult for me when I have to play policeman here and every time I please one person I piss off someone else. But it does make sense for this place not to be subjected to missing children posters and 'old' furniture for sale. People get angry at me for various things but the one thing that is most difficult is when they get angry at me for not being omniscient and instantly, telepathically picking up on what they want and acting on it. It's always a good idea to ask me about anything because I often don't do anything unless I am asked. Thanks Les. Methinks it will only make us better writers and communicators. I'm certainly not angry with you, nor have I been. It's that passion thing, y'know. :) Ricky Nelson knew what he was talking about when he sang "You can't please everyone, you got to please yourself." If yourself is not happy, what matters it if you make everyone else happy? (which you won't anyway.) pot- I've been following your analyses of the world's manipulators and their agenda and want to compliment you on the clarity and succinctness of your presentation. If the readers don't know about Adam Weishaupt, haven't read the Protocols, and don't know about the Tavistock Institute or the Fabian Society then they are being duped and are too ignorant to realize it. Just lately I've been considering whether or not there are possibly some players at the top level who have the survival of humanity and the planet as their prime directive, yet are forced to work with the crude tools available. I think most of us would agree that a functional and benevolent system of administration for the necessarily interconnecting parts of our world would be a good thing. Note I didn't say government, and I don't think cultural homogeneity would be a good thing at all. The family and the tribe are basic effective units and they will only become more important in a truly abundant and peaceful world. Any form of life higher than a slime mold is composed of different types of cells. As below, so above. My overall outlook for humanity and planet Earth is very hopeful and positive. in retrospect- I've been what's called a survivalist for most of my life. In the USA I carved a homestead out of the wilderness that approached self-sufficiency, but I always still needed a convenient medium of exchange. When I left the USA and moved alone to a new country where I knew no one and didn't speak the language, I brought some FRNs but also a little gold and quite a bit of silver. The paper money was soon gone but the gold and silver have lasted. I have sold some, given some as gifts, used them for security deposits, and even pawned them for quick cash then redeemed them. Very handy. If nothing else, there are always some around who appreciate their beauty. I'm familiar with the Annunaki scenario from many sources. As I have no personal evidence to prove it right or wrong, I have to accept the information I get from those whose opinions and expertise I trust. Sitchin would be at the bottom of that list, BTW. I think there is good evidence that mankind was not only genetically manipulated, but that it happened a number of times, and also that the planet has been colonized on more than one occasion by humans from other planets. Very recently I read a synopsis of some info supposedly from the NSA that talked about the purpose of the gold that was mined on Earth; that it was used to create a protective layer in the atmosphere of the planet Niburu to stabilize its climate over its eccentric orbit. Thunderbolts.info has some interesting theorizing about the past history of the Earth, that possibly it used to exist in the atmosphere or corona of a small brown dwarf star or perhaps very large gas-giant planet with different gravitational fields than we now experience; that could explain how the huge dinosaurs could live here, something they couldn't do under the present gravity. The newest and most interesting data I've read about the Annunaki and the creation of humans is the Project Camelot interview with James of the Wingmakers web site. That is only a very small part of what he talks about in the interview; the rest of it pertains to the spiritual evolution of mankind and this planet; I would rate it five stars plus. Already it is pushing a lot of buttons due to the threat the concepts pose to the spiritual hierarchy of the galaxy. Those interested in such heresy may find it here: http://www.projectcamelot.org/james_wingmakers_sovereign_integral.html I found this post almost too clear--no rings around the rosy or meanderings through the twilight. A "Cut to the Chase"--if you will. You won't find diamonds or gold in the Jj household--we know folks who are wealthy and their diamonds just stay in the safe or hidden in the underwear drawer because when it comes down to it, where do you wear them--not too many high society parties out here in the sticks-- Like so much, they twinkle in your eye--a brief orgasm of "This is It"--and then hidden away for fear that they may be stolen or lost.--like a great book that sits on the shelf collecting dust--and your hoping someone will see it--hoping that it makes you look like more than you are--more illusion. Like that outfit you bought that was going to change your world--get you your dream job--dream girl--or guy. Well, it went out of style--whatever that means-- and now it just sits--$800.00 on a hanger waiting for someone to say its cool to wear again. It's the flavor of the day--book of the month--that never gets tasted or read--we live in a cut and paste world--why think for your self when you can just point to the book on the shelf that you've never read, or if you did, didn't understand-- so as to make people think you're somehow more enlightened--a ponzi scheme of the mind until you're asked a question by someone who did read, and understand. It's the bullshit world of the bullshitter--never saying much because that might lead to an actual discussion where you would have to back up what you say--afraid you will be found out as a fraud--but the unspoken among most folks is that you don't ask those questions or everybody might start to and then people would be seen for the liars they are--24-7.... We live in a cocktail party world--15 second commercials or political candidate messages creating an illusion of stoic granduer--something you just gotta have because it's new and improved--really--trust us The world has a 15 second attention span--and thats being generous-- We don't want more than the abreviated text message life--the "high, how are you"--"Good, real good" dance--Let me get you a drink---- Do not lay up treaure here on earth (unless you're the catholic church or a mega-church pastor) "The streets in heaven are paved with gold and the buildings are encrusted with diamonds........... Well, now you know they are an illusion-----or bullshit--either will do. Share with me a song, a poem, a work of art, a thought or a realization, a memory that i can take with me wherever i go--that doesn't rely on anything but the moment i saw it or heard it--therein lies true value and worth m astera, I do not rule out that we have been colonized by aliens, perhaps 6000 years ago, maybe longer, and these fallen angels were in fact aliens. Man of today was then genetically engineered from the life that existed on this planet at the time they came, from a species that was dumb and primarily satisfied as hunter gatherers, to a war like, intelligent race that dispersed on a mission to globalize the planet. The sons of god were said to find the daughters of man pleasing. Much of our mythology suggests as much, representing the aliens or their descendents with great powers and beings, half animal and half human, that presumably were failed bioengineering experiments. The Bible possibly was code and a blue print of the plan, and Ancient Mysteries were locked in the pyramids built by very large and powerful beings to protect them until we were advanced enough to obtain and understand them. This information is likely transmitted among the elite via the secret societies from generation to generation. The end purpose may be for good or bad. Who knows, but the methodolgy being used suggests there is a time table and it is not looking good. Perhaps they have a taste for humans and are preparing to turn us into an intergalactic stop-over for fine dining or perhaps fast food and human burgers and french fingers. Perhaps we will be enslaved to serve the aliens once they arrive in bunches after the elite have prepared the world for them. Or maybe this world will be a paradise and simply needed to take a path that has a lot of rough spots in order to get there. Being optimistic or pessimistic is largely a matter of faith. The odds favour the latter IMO. But I think many of the players below the elite level think they are doing good. And those at the top may have no say in the matter. Perhaps they have been told to have a stable world government by 2012 or else when they return they will consider this to be a failed project and end life as we know it so as to begin again. Or maybe we are just being ruled by pychopaths that have been homegrown. I do find the push for DNA testing food for thought. Perhaps they want to find out who has alien blood, and how much, as this might dictate their place in society, or as a food source. LOL. Monday, December 22, 2008 2:14:00 AM The closest to perfect galactic alignment at the winter solstice occurred in 1998. Ten years ago. The 2012 thing applies to the Mayans (or Olmecs) who created the calendar back then because the triple rebirth of the sun happens close to sunrise in the southern Yucatan where they lived on Dec 21, 2012. Simple astronomical data, and the solar system is several million years away from a closer alignment. I gave you the interview link because it has something to say about Nibiru, as in Nibiru isn't coming back this time. IMO, Joseph Davidovits put to rest the mystery of how the great pyramids were constructed back in the 1980s. They are poured concrete, made from the aggregate broken up from the Giza plateau and cement. The Romans built with the same material or close to it. I'm not talking about other-species alien blood colonizing planet Earth; I mean humans as in blonde white skin. They showed up around the end of the last ice age and everything changed. The astronomical data is easily checked, the pyramids have been tested by independent labs and deemed artificial stone. The rest, of course, is simply speculation. To m_astera who said: Many have the same opinion about Sitchen as you, and yes, there are many who now have more profound knowledge about the Annunaki and Niburu than Sitchin. However, in my recollection, Sitchen was one of the first to transcribe and write a book about the ancient Sumerian writings. So in my opinion Sitchen’s work on the Annunaki, is similar to what Henry Ford was to the automobile… one of the first to break new frontiers of historical knowledge. I did start to read the link you supplied to the Project Camelot Interview, and it is very good. I read a book recently which parallels the answers of “James” in the Project Camelot interview. I heard the interview of Lawrence R. Spencer at Rense.com (free mp3 file), and then read Lawrence’s e-book which can be downloaded here: Thank you for the Project Camelot link. Monday, December 22, 2008 12:34:00 PM m_astera Like I said, I have an open mind to the possibilities. I have not studied other theories and do not much about Niburu, having not yet read/heard the link. My reference to 2012 had nothing to do with the Mayan calendar, but is my guess as to when Global Government will be officially imposed on us given it ends Obamas 1st term and is when the UN Secretary General comes up for election, and thus that could be the deadline. But that is an interesting coincidence. As for the pyramids, the issue is not what they were made of. That seems a red herring issue. The issue is it seemed well beyond what man was capable of at the time, and the geometry, dimensions, precision and orientation suggest a knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and engineering somewhat advanced for the time. I am not sure we could duplicate it today using the tools, materials and resources they had at the time, and an incredible amount of horse (man)power was needed, and mythology and the old testament suggest large men of great strength (Goliath) existed in the past. Myths and superstition sometimes have an element of truth. We build tunnels today where ceilings collapse and leak using modern materials and technology. But it is hard enough to know what is the truth in the present, let alone thousand of years ago, especially if there are elements of this truth that are being kept secret by the elite. So one can only speculate based on the information and literature such as the Book of Enoch, etc., available. Thanks for the link to the Spencer book. I'll check it out right away. Sitchin does deserve credit for popularizing the Annunaki concept, but I have a couple of reasons to doubt his veracity. The first is some friends who went to hear him speak on his books; they told me he was very evasive and refused to answer any difficult or straightforward questions. Their impression was that he was hiding something. The second was an article I found on line written by a scholar of the languages Sitchin claimed to be translating; this scholar wrote that Sitchin's translations were completely off base, and that he believed Sitchin had either poor or no knowledge whatever of those languages. This scholar was not averse to the idea of UFOs, alien intervention, genetic manipulation etc; he was willing to look at it all with an open mind; his point was that Sitchin's translation and interpretation was junk. He also said that he had contacted Sitchin and Sitichin's webmaster about this a number of times and gotten no response. Sorry I don't have the link, but I came across it with a google search so it's out there. Just checked out the Spencer book. Looks excellent and I will get the download. I think Ellis posted a link to it here a month or so ago and I didn't follow up then. What fun! RE the pyramids: Davidovits is a French geochemist; he specializes in geopolymers and holds many international patents on them; well over a hundred last I checked. When he started creating artificial stone using natural processes (back in the 1970s I think) he began wondering about some ancient stone structures, the great pyramids in particular. His book The Pyramids, an Enigma Solved came out in the late 1980s; I ran into it at Powell's technical books in Portland OR and bought it. According to his conservative calculations, the great pyramid could have been built by about 1100 men over a period of 20 years, using limestone rubble broken up from the shallow underlying bedrock at Giza with bronze or wooden tools. He suggests that part of the Nile was diverted to the area to soften the limestone bedrock. The cement mix used to bind it was a mixture of burnt lime (mason's lime), natron (sodium bicarbonate) from alkaline lakes in the area, and copper ore from the Sinai. His book has photos of pyramid blocks that still show the marks of the form boards, still show cold pours (where the mold was filled in two stages) and show the random jumble of the fossil-containing limestone rubble. Natural fossil shell limestone does not show random jumbles, but rather sedimentary parallel layers. All of this could have been done with relatively primitive technology, the only advanced part being the knowledge of geopolymer chemistry. Davidovits credits Akhenaton as the probable chemist/alchemist who discovered the process. All of these giant hard-stone constructions were done during the Old Kingdom. Davidovits thinks the building of the Great Pyramid depleted the copper mines in the Sinai, and only small hard-stone sculptures etc. were made using the technique after that. Why carve granite or diorite when you have the knowledge to pour it? Almost all of the New Kingdom work was carved out of soft stone like sandstone and soft limestone. I've done personal research on it to the extent of examining eqyptian stone "carvings" from the Berlin museum. Many of them were crudely done and showed chisel marks, but there was one highly detailed bas-relief in hard red granite that was perfect and looked like it was cast in a mold to me. The Romans had some of this knowledge and used it to pour the Coliseum and the Pantheon; after the fall of Rome the knowledge was lost until the invention of Portland cement in the 1800s, though Portland cement is nowhere close to the quality that the Egyptians and Romans employed. We could easily build the Great Pyramid today if we poured it in blocks using the technology that Davidovits re-discovered. The same technique could possibly explain some of the South American work such as Sacsahuaman, but Baalbek in Lebanon remains a mystery. m-astera, So the knowledge of geopolymers was then lost for thousands of years until the 20th century. Kind of supports my alien theory. LOL. Thanks for the information, one more book I got to read. The dimensions, location, precision of the corners and orientation are also of interest and suggestive of an intelligence or knowledge beyond what might be expected, but I may not be up to snuff here, a bit outdated. I better read up some more about it before discussing further. Tuesday, December 23, 2008 9:55:00 AM The Rise of the Anti-Christ in the Nation from Hel... It's a Holiday Celebration for The Synagogue of Sa... How do they do It? I Really want to Know. Thank you, Bernie Madoff for your Kind Christmas G... Welcome to the Cloaca Maximus and the Gowanus Cana... Waiting for Dawn in the Graveyards of Night Out the Door and Innuendo Hmmm... Should I Stay or Should I Go? They Live, they Control and they Feed. Whistling Past the Graveyard in the Night of the L...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7188
__label__wiki	0.586236	0.586236	Ambitious poverty reduction plan faces daunting barriers Richard Shilamba Southern Africa Human Rights NGO-Network (SAHRiNGON) - Tanzania Chapter The Tanzanian government’s National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty is an ambitious and laudable initiative that would contribute greatly to social development. Unfortunately, the funding required for its implementation appears to far outstrip the country’s current fiscal means, largely because of the barriers to financial flows created by the wealthy developed countries. The National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) was adopted by the Tanzanian government in June 2005. As the successor to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper of 2000, it is the second national framework for placing the goal of poverty reduction at the top of the country’s development agenda. The NSGRP is based on the objectives of Tanzania’s Development Vision 2025, which are high and shared growth, high quality livelihood, peace, stability and unity, good governance, high quality education and international competitiveness. The strategy also reflects Tanzania’s commitment to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as internationally agreed standards for reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women by 2015.[1] While the NSGRP text maintains that Tanzania experienced improved economic performance at the macro level over the six years prior to the adoption of the strategy, that same period was marked by a certain degree of instability. The GDP growth rate had risen consistently until reaching 6.2% in 2002, but subsequently dropped to 5.6% in 2003, then rose once more to 6.7% in 2004. At the same time, although inflation was kept relatively under control, it was nonetheless subject to some fluctuation: the annual inflation rate decreased from 6% in 2000 to 4.4% in 2003, but inflation increased from 4% in July 2003 to 4.6% at the end of March 2004.[2] According to a study by Tanzania’s Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), the effective implementation of the NSGRP will require massive funding beyond the current fiscal means of the Government.[3] Moreover, the country is currently facing a severe food shortage as the result of a prolonged drought. According to the Food Security Information Team coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, this emerging crisis is affecting nearly 85% of Tanzania’s 129 districts. As of February, some 3.7 million people, or nearly 11% of the mainland population, had been identified as facing a food shortage, and it was estimated that more than 565,000 Tanzanians were in need of emergency food supplies, as they did not have the resources to purchase even heavily subsidized staple foods.[4] This unsatisfactory economic performance and the extreme poverty in the country is largely linked with deliberate international barriers preventing more money from flowing into Tanzania. A question that remains unanswered is how the government can obtain the necessary funding to fulfil its commitments while these barriers on financial flows into the country for social development remain in place. Barriers to financial flows for social development Unfair trade rules imposed by developed countries International trade represents one potential source of financing for social development. It has been estimated that if Africa’s share of international trade were increased by just 1%, it would earn an additional GBP 49 billion annually.[5] If that 1% increase in the share of world trade extended to all the countries of Africa, Latin America and East and South Asia, it could help 128 million people escape poverty.[6] If the poorest countries as a whole could increase their share of world exports by 5%, it would generate GBP 248 billion or USD 350 billion in revenue, which could be used to lift many millions more out of poverty.[7] However, while the developed countries have pressured Tanzania to open up its domestic markets through trade liberalization, they have kept their own markets closed to agricultural and textile exports from Tanzania through the application of unnecessary and highly restrictive trade rules.[8] Among the trade restrictions that act as a barrier to financial flows into the country is the developed countries’ complex rule of product origin applied to imports from Tanzania. The rule stipulates how much of a product must be made from local inputs to qualify for export and entry into their domestic markets on the basis of preferential tariffs. In reality, however, only a third of imports from developing countries eligible for preferential access are able to meet these strict rule-of-origin criteria.[9] Moreover, even if Tanzanian exporters were able to comply with this rule of origin, there are further restrictive regulations related to health and safety. For example, one regulation requires that milk must be taken from cows by machines and not by hand.[10] This represents a major obstacle for the majority of the country’s dairy farmers in both urban and rural areas, because such machinery is either unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Although sanitary conditions could be ensured by wearing gloves to milk cows, this would not be enough to satisfy the regulations in question. Anti-dumping regulations, applied when an exporter sells goods below production cost, act as another barrier to potential exports and revenue.[11] Obviously, a product made in Tanzania will have an extremely low production cost when compared with the same product produced in the wealthy developed countries of Europe, which poses yet another obstacle for Tanzanian-made products to be exported and sold in Europe. These restrictive practices have discouraged investment in agriculture in Tanzania, as reflected in Table 1. Table 1. Total number of investors in the agriculture sector Change in % Source: Tanzania Investment Centre, reproduced in the Government of Tanzania Economic Status Report of June 2006, p. 133. The shortage of investment in the agriculture sector – which is the main employer in rural areas and the primary source of livelihood and income for the majority of the population – has led to limited growth and in some cases even a decline in the production of the country’s most important cash crops. Table 2. Production of various cash crops (tonnes) Cash Crop Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives, reproduced in the Government of Tanzania Economic Status Report of June 2006, p. 133. It is therefore recommended that the developed countries should remove unfair trade restriction rules for products made in Tanzania and open more markets to Tanzanian agricultural products, so as to attract greater investment and promote higher productivity in the agriculture sector. Moreover, limited agricultural sector growth does not solely affect cash crops, which are a crucial means of earning revenue for the country. There has also been a marked decline in the production of various staple food crops, which obviously has a direct impact on the lives and health of the Tanzanian population. Table 3. Production of various food crops (000 tonnes) Food Crop The continued burden of external debt Owing to its status as a poor country heavily burdened by external debt, Tanzania has benefited from a number of debt relief initiatives. In December 2005, for instance, Tanzania was provided with 100% debt relief on all of its outstanding debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This amounted to some USD 336 million, or USD 297 million excluding the debts scheduled for cancellation under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. According to the IMF, these additional resources were made available by the international community to help Tanzania make progress toward fulfilling the MDGs.[12] Despite initiatives like these, however, Tanzania’s external debt load continues to grow, representing a serious drain on the country’s limited resources. Tanzania’s external debt was USD 9.73 billion in December 2004, but had risen to USD 9.96 billion in December 2005. As a result, the country was compelled to increase its external debt payments from USD 77.8 million in 2004 to USD 91.1 million in 2005.[13] If it were not for this debt burden, the Tanzanian government could channel the funds currently allocated for debt servicing towards social development efforts – including the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty. [1] United Republic of Tanzania. Vice President’s Office (2005). National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty. p. 1. Available from: . [2] NSGRP. June 2005, p. 1. [3] Financial Times, 31 May 2006. [4] Food Security Information Team (2005). Rapid Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) of Food Insecure Districts in Tanzania Mainland for the 2005-06 Market Year. Cited in: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2006). Tanzania: Drought – Information Bulletin No. 1/2006. Available from: . [5] Yergin, D. (2002). “Globalisation - It Pays Off”. The Sunday Times, London, 24 April. [6] Edinburgh Evening News (2002). “Poor nations ‘cheated out of £69bn’”. 11 April. http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=389892002 [7] Bain, S. (2002).”Bringing down the barriers”. The Herald, Glasgow, 11 April, p. 21. [8] Pollard, S., Mingardi, A., Gabb, S. and Philippe, C. (2003). EU Trade Barriers Kill. Brussels: Centre for the New Europe. [9] Brenton, P. and Manchin, M. (2002). Making EU Trade Preferences Work: The Role of Rule of Origin. Working Document No. 183. Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies. Available from: . [10] Pollard, S., et al (2003), op cit, p. 8. [11] Ibid, p. 9. [12] International Monetary Fund (2005). IMF to Extend 100 Percent Debt Relief to Tanzania Under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. Press Release No. 05/286 of 21 December 2005. Washington: IMF. [13] United Republic of Tanzania (2006). Tanzania Development Status, June 2006. p. 74. Reports from Tanzania 2014 - Poverty reduction initiatives continue questionable 2012 - Stuck in poverty 2010 - MDGs: an under-funded crusade 2009 - Poverty reduction is endangered 2008 - New hope for stalled economic, social and cultural rights? 2008 - Structural violence in the southern provinces 2007 - International obligations remain unfulfilled 2006 - Ambitious poverty reduction plan faces daunting barriers 2005 - Some steps forward, some steps back 2004 - The scourge of corruption, violence and robbery 2003 - Benefit of an elite at the expense of the poor majority 2002 - The damage of liberalisation and the dead-end of debt 2001 - Debt relief, increased debt 2000 - Plans, obstacles and affirmative action A B C D F G H	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7189
__label__cc	0.697179	0.302821	Log in (Register \| Forgotten password) Home Get Advice Register About Support Forums Today's Posts TeenHelp Mind and Body Friends and Family Triggering (ED): Should I feel guilty? Get Advice Connect with TeenHelp Resources Hotlines Safety Zone Alternatives You are not registered or have not logged in Hello guest! (Not a guest? Log in above!) As a guest on TeenHelp you are only able to use some of our site's features. By registering an account you will be able to enjoy unlimited access to our site, and will be able to: Connect with thousands of teenagers worldwide by actively taking part in our Support Forums and Chat Room. Find others with similar interests in our Social Groups. Express yourself through our Blogs, Picture Albums and User Profiles. Signing up is free, anonymous and will only take a few moments, so click here to register now! Friends and Family Everyone has disagreements, even best friends and family. If you need advice about a relationship, ask us here. DeletedAccount27 Should I feel guilty? - June 16th 2017, 03:34 AM This thread has been labeled as triggering, particularly on the subject of eating disorders, by the original poster or by a Moderator. The contents of this thread might therefore not be suitable for certain sensitive users. Please take this into consideration before continuing to read. I'm in high school right now, it's my last year actually. And this is about a friend of mine, something I feel so very guilty about but I don't know if it's unnecessary guilt or if it's justified. Mostly, I just need to get this off my chest. I've known him since we were fourteen and back then, he used to try and talk with me but I felt genuinely scared because I had social anxiety and bad experiences with bullying, he was really extroverted and...just scary to me I suppose. I didn't know how to react to the kindness he was showing me because I'd never been treated that way before. So, I never talked to him. He used to be very talkative and bubbly, he was really sweet and actually seemed to have a lot of fun participating in class and with schoolwork. He was quite popular too. We didn't become closer until the following year, when we were fifteen. By that time, he'd gotten a little quiet and seemed more self-conscious. Even though he was underweight, he was be obsessed with exercise and how much fat he had. He talked about "giving up on life" here and there in a sort of semi-joking way and to be honest, I think I felt annoyed. I mean, I wasn't at first but after a few months, I started to distance myself. I feel like I didn't spend as much time with him as I should've because I didn't think he was serious... I didn't step in when I should've. When we were both sixteen and after I'd distanced myself a bit, I started sitting with him at lunch again. And he and someone who once upon a time was his best friend were getting into a massive argument, I don't even remember what it was about because they argued so much back then. I know the other guy said something that really hurt his feelings though because when my friend responded, he was close to crying and his voice was breaking. The whole lunch table was dead silent. No one said a word, no one stopped the other guy from saying what he was going to say, no one comforted my friend. Including me. I was scared. I already mentioned my social anxiety, I didn't know what to say or who to talk to or if it was even my place to say anything. But I should've. I should've tried but I just let it go because it was easier than trying to fight. It was at the start of this year, about three months or so after that incident, when we started talking again. He was in one of my classes. He sat alone and I felt bad so I sat next to him. And it took about five weeks before we started feeling comfortable with each other again, we've started sitting at the same lunch table too. I know he likes me and I like him too, he's still a really nice person. But it's not okay. Far from it. He's lost about half his friends. He's still very self-conscious and doesn't smile as much. I seriously worry about his health, if he lifts his shirt you can see his ribs and yet he still insists he has fat. He doesn't participate in class anymore and actually talks back to the teachers, misbehaves on occasion. I've noticed a lot of scars on his arms, cuts and burns presumably and he's very pessimistic. He doesn't talk about suicide as much but I get the feeling he thinks about it a lot more. And the guy who used to be his best friend, who'd been his friend since the 8th Grade, I saw him (my friend) smack this guy in the head. To be fair, it was in self-defense because he'd been hit first but this is just not the same person. And it makes me so sad that someone so innocent and with such a beautiful personality would have to suffer like this. It's like I'm watching him die right before my eyes. He's on medication and has a fairly strong support group but that doesn't mean it's all good. I try to be there if he ever needs me but the thing is, I wasn't there. I saw what was happening all those years ago and I ignored it, I let it become what it is today. I feel like it's always going to be my fault, not wholly but I'll always have to take a small part of the responsibility. And yeah, I was only fourteen, fifteen, sixteen but I should have known better. I did know better. I'm here now but I can't erase what I've done. And I feel like that pain is always going to be there. Even now, when I try to be there and help out, I still accidentally mess up and it's like I'm only making it worse and worse. Sometimes, I just feel like giving up again because I've already screwed up so much and I feel like I can't make it better. And if (God forbid) he commits suicide, I'm always going to be partially responsible for that. I mean, aren't I? I can't even begin to describe the guilt I feel and I've cried quite a few times. Am I right to feel guilty? And if not, how am I supposed to snap out of it? I feel like such a terrible person. eeba Offline HelpLINK Mentor Junior TeenHelper Name: Esmé Join Date: September 26th 2016 Re: Should I feel guilty? - June 16th 2017, 11:30 AM Hi there, thank you for sharing this. We've all done things that we regret, the important thing is more how we handle the situation moving forward. I understand where your feelings of guilt are coming from, but you said that by the time you became close with him he already seemed more withdrawn and like something was going on. Therefore, it was never your fault. And while you could have been there for him more in the past, there's nothing you can do to change the past, so all you can do is do your best to be there for him now (which it sounds like you are already doing), in whatever capacity he needs you. As far as dealing with the distress that this seems to be causing you, maybe you can talk to him. Say something about how you feel bad that you were not as supportive as you could have been in the past and that moving forward if he needs anything you will be here for him? (You don't have to phrase it that way, but something to that effect). Saying sorry doesn't change what has happened, but it goes a long way anyway. That way he will know that you care and maybe it can help to clear your own conscience. Just the fact that you are writing this and feeling this way shows how much you care. And try not to worry about messing up. All you can do is to do the best you can and that's all anyone can ask of you, okay? Sending lots of happy thoughts to you and your friend as well, feel free to pm me if you ever want to talk! "All will be well when the day is done" -Peter, Paul and Mary <3 cynefin Offline Verbal venom. TeenHelp Addict Location: 1261' Blog Entries: 1496 Join Date: August 25th 2012 Re: Should I feel guilty? - June 16th 2017, 01:19 PM It is easy to look back and think that we should have done things differently but as it has been said, the past cannot be erased. You can only change things moving forward. This is not your fault. You cannot control the people who pick on your friend, you can only control yourself. That also means that you can't control whether or not your friend harms himself. The idea of talking to him about this is a good idea. Perhaps you can explain how guilty you feel and you can let him know that you'd like to do what you can to support him through this. You said sometimes you feel like you still mess up when you're trying to support him. When in doubt, ask if there is anything in particular you can do to make his day a little easier. Your friend may know of specific things you could do to help him. Articles & Resources Officer\|Lead Moderator\|Senior Newsletter Editor Nature does not rush, yet everything is accomplished -Lao Tzu Memories made in the mountains stay in our hearts forever Move the body, quiet the mind Lionheart Offline Regular TeenHelper Name: Oliver Gender: Agender Blog Entries: 206 Join Date: December 17th 2013 you were already given some great advice and I'm not going to repeat everythign thats been said, but I wanted to add, to keep in mind, your only human too. We all are. And sometimes we mess up, because we didn't know better, because we just didn't think in that one moment or because things like anxiety held us back. It's only human. That one instance wasn't on you. Sure you could have said something, but everyone else on the table could also have said something. That guy could have refraind from hurting your friend. Even your friend could have probably behaved differently. But noone did. Because your all just human and thats why things like this happen. Its noones fault. It's simply life. Remember that. Everytime the guilt creeps up again tell yourself that you're only human. And it's ok to mess up and ok to feel guilty, but its not necessary. If it helps maybe you could apologize. It's ok to give in to an urge or make a mistake. You are only human and we all have our flaws. We all have our weak moments and we all make mistakes. Thats what makes us human. Thats what makes us unique and beautiful Courage isn't always a loud roar. Sometimes it is a quiet whisper at the end of a day saying: Tomorrow I will try it again! feel, guilty All material copyright ©1998-2018, TeenHelp. Terms \| Legal \| Privacy \| Conduct \| Complaints Search engine optimization by vBSEO. 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__label__wiki	0.837662	0.837662	TheForce.Net Navigation TF.N Main TF.N Forums Latest News Holonet (Miscellaneous) Episode 7 Episode 3 Episode 2 Episode 1 Collecting Books Comics Video Games CCG TCG RPG Fan Celebrations FanForce Latest News FanForce Events FanForce Email FanForce Regions FanForce USA Midwest FanForce USA Northeast FanForce USA Pacific/Northwest FanForce USA Midsouth FanForce USA Southeast FanForce USA Southwest FanForce Canada FanForce Latin America FanForce Australia & New Zealand FanForce United Kingdom FanForce Europe FanForce Asia & Africa Episode 3 News Episode 3 Database FanFilms Humor Fan Art Multimedia Fan Fiction Fan Comics Conventions & Events Costumes Editorials Interviews EU Roundtable Star Wars Trivia Casting Call Star Wars Celebrity Addresses Star Wars Poster Database Rebel Rouser Midichlorian Study Fan Speak Virtual Sequels Foreign Book Covers TheForce.Net Poll 1 TheForce.Net Poll 2 SW Technical Commentaries Unofficial Encyclopedia Time Tales Ultimate Timeline SW Special Editions Songbook Virtual Edition Rebel Friends Skystation Unofficial NJO Homepage About TF.N Contact Us FAQ Send News Social Media TF.N RSS TF.N on your Desktop TF.N Mobile Banners Who Doesn't Hate Jar Jar anymore? Fans who grew up with the OT-Do any of you actually prefer the PT? Should darth maul have died? What plotline, character or scene in the entire Saga irritates you the most? The misconceptions you had about Star Wars, when you were a kid Celebration I Soundbites: McCaig & Biggar Posted By TFN on April 30, 2009 From Starwars.com: "For the third part of our Celebration I audio coverage from Hall A of Denver's Wings Over The Rockies Air and Space Museum, Episode I concept artist Iain McCaig shares the stage with costume designer Trisha Biggar. Together, they discuss the designs and construction of the various costumes seen throughout The Phantom Menace." Click here to visit the site and listen to the audio clip. And check out the Related Stories below for more coverage of Star Wars Celebration I. May 29, 2011 SW Concept Artist Headed To Respawn Ent. May 16, 2009 Top 10 Memories Of Anticipating TPM May 1, 2009 Remembering Celebration I April 30, 2009 Celebration I Soundbites: McCaig & Biggar II April 29, 2009 Star Wars Celebration I: Jar Jar Jam April 28, 2009 Celebration I Soundbites: Nick Dudman 2 April 28, 2009 A Look Back At SW Celebration I April 28, 2009 Celebration I Soundbites: Episode I April 27, 2009 Celebration I: Party Like It's 1999 Select Date 2014, November 2013, May 2013, April 2013, March 2013, February 2013, January 2012, December 2012, November 2012, October 2012, September 2012, August 2012, July 2012, June 2012, May 2012, April 2012, March 2012, February 2012, January 2011, December 2011, November 2011, October 2011, September 2011, August 2011, July 2011, June 2011, May 2011, April 2011, March 2011, February 2011, January 2010, December 2010, November 2010, October 2010, September 2010, August 2010, July 2010, June 2010, May 2010, April 2010, March 2010, February 2010, January 2009, December 2009, November 2009, October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, June 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2008, December 2008, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2007, December 2007, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, August 2007, July 2007, June 2007, May 2007, April 2007, March 2007, February 2007, January 2006, December 2006, November 2006, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, May 2006, April 2006, March 2006, February 2006, January 2005, December 2005, November 2005, October 2005, September 2005, August 2005, July 2005, June 2005, May 2005, April 2005, March 2005, February 2005, January 2004, December 2004, November 2004, October 2004, September 2004, August 2004, July 2004, June 2004, May 2004, April 2004, March 2004, February 2004, January 2003, December 2003, November 2003, October 2003, September 2003, August 2003, July 2003, June 2003, May 2003, April 2003, March 2003, February 2003, January 2002, December 2002, November 2002, October 2002, September 2002, August 2002, July 2002, June 2002, May 2002, April 2002, March 2002, February 2002, January 2001, December 2001, November 2001, October 2001, September 2001, August 2001, July 2001, June 2001, May 2001, April 2001, March 2001, February 2001, January 2000, December 2000, November 2000, October 2000, September 2000, August 2000, July 2000, June 2000, May 2000, April 2000, March 2000, February 2000, January 1999, December 1999, November 1999, October 1999, September 1999, August 1999, July 1999, June 1999, May 1999, April 1999, March 1999, February 1999, January 1998, December 1998, November 1998, October 1998, September 1998, August 1998, July 1998, June 1998, May 1998, April 1998, March 1998, February	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7193
__label__wiki	0.835305	0.835305	Killer Shane O’Brien £50,000 reward Police increase £50,000 reward for arrest of Shane O’Brien for murder Two years after the murder of Josh Hanson in Hillingdon, detectives have increased the reward for finding his suspected killer Shane O’Brien to £50,000. O’Brien fled abroad after Josh’s murder in Hillingdon in October 2015 and is now known to have changed his appearance. He heads the National Crime Agency’s Most Wanted list and his image has been circulated worldwide. Josh, 21, from Kingsbury, died after an incident at the RE Bar in Eastcote, Hillingdon. Police and the London Ambulance Service attended the bar and Josh was found suffering a serious wound to the neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene and a postmortem examination gave cause of death as haemorrhage, inhalation of blood and an incised wound to the neck. In February this year 29- year-old O’Brien was arrested in Prague for criminal damage and assault. He used the Italian alias of Enzo Mellonceli, supported by false documentation, and was bailed pending further enquiries. An image taken then shows he has grown his hair and has a full beard and a distinctive new tattoo of an owl holding a skull, which covers up his previous “Shannon 15-04-06” tattoo. Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “£50,000 is a huge amount of money which demonstrates the Met’s determination and commitment in finding O’Brien and bringing him before the courts. “Today marks the second anniversary of Josh’s brutal and senseless murder and my team, supported by the National Crime Agency, have been working tirelessly to track O’Brien’s movements. “It is clear he is being helped by others to evade police and has the ability to move around without using his own identity. “That is why we decided to offer such a large reward – £50,000 is a substantial amount of money and I hope it will encourage someone who moves in O’Brien’s circles to come forward. If you have been debating whether to make that call, just listen to the pain in the voices of Josh’s mum Tracey and his sister Brooke. Your silence is denying justice to Josh’s family. “When arrested in Prague, O’Brien had boxing gloves with him. He uses gyms and will continue to do so I’m sure. Hs new tattoo is so distinctive it should stick in the mind of fellow boxers, or possibly a new partner. I would like to hear from the tattoo artist who covered up his original ‘Shannon 15-04-06’ tattoo, it would have taken several sittings.” In an emotional appeal Josh’s mum Tracey said: “Take a minute and look at your child and imagine your world without him or her…no – neither could have I done before my son was brutally murdered in a totally unprovoked knife attack on 11 October 2015. These past 24 months have been a living nightmare, a nightmare that I would not wish on anyone. “While we grieve Shane O’Brien, the man the police would like to speak to in connection with my son’s murder, has yet to be caught and we still wait for justice. Justice for the most heinous crime that my son had to endure and justice to ensure that innocent people are safe. “Please can you help us, Josh leaves behind a sister and a family who miss and love him very much. Take a moment to look around you and if you think you may have seen O’Brien please call the police. Someone has seen him and all it takes is that one phone call to help us get justice so we can grieve in peace.” After Josh’s murder, O’Brien was flown out of the UK in a privately chartered plane from Biggin Hill Airport. In March 2015 he was added to the Most Wanted list by the National Crime Agency and Crimestoppers. At that time it was believed he could be hiding in the Netherlands. Information later indicated he had travelled to Dubai. He was last seen when arrested in Prague. He had been using the Italian aliases of Enzo Mellonceli and Enzo Machado. O’Brien, originally from Ladbroke Grove, is described as white and 6ft with grey eyes and dark brown hair. He should not be approached by members of the public, any sightings of him should be reported to police immediately on 999. Anyone with information about O’Brien or his whereabouts can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org or the police incident room on 020 8785 8099. Schizophrenia linked with change in brain’s wiring	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7195
__label__wiki	0.829705	0.829705	5 Movies You Should See at the Brooklyn Film Festival by Henry Stewart \| 05/08/2014 4:06 PM \| A local festival like BAMcinemaFest culls from indie showcases like Sundance and South by Southwest, finding (like the New York Film Festival does with Toronto and Cannes) the most essential titles for New York audiences. By comparison, the Brooklyn Film Festival (whose 17th annual iteration will run May 30-June 8 at Williamsburg’s IndieScreen and its next-door neighbor Windmill Studios) is smaller, focusing on films a bit more off-the-radar, and thus it’s harder to predict what’ll be worth your time and money. And yet, thanks to familiar names and compelling descriptions, we can tell you these five movies look like pretty safe bets. Don’t believe us? Make a bet of your own: many great films—like Gabi on the Roof in July, My Brooklyn and Brooklyn Castle—played at this festival before we ever heard of them. [jump] Intimate Semaphores The world premiere of the festival’s co-opening night film grabs our eyes for a few reasons, most of them the leading actors. The omnibus’ three shorts, all directed by TJ Misny, feature noted indie actors like Kate Lyn Sheil (about whom just this week we joked “might literally be in every movie ever made by an indie director since 2009”), Brooklyn funny people like the stars of Broad City and recent SNL addition Sasheer Zamata, and more. For their milieu, that’s a bunch of high-profile people! The other opening night film, getting its New York premiere, features a supporting performance from Amy Seimetz. After being impressed by her acting in movies like Upstream Color and A Horrible Way to Die, as well as her directorial debut Sun Don’t Shine, we’re willing to bet on anything she’s attached to. Who Took Johnny? Directors Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky (here teamed up with David Beilinson) are local celebrities for their last film, Battle for Brooklyn, which chronicled the fight against the Atlantic Yards project and played at a previous iteration of this festival, at outdoor rallies, on television, and elsewhere. Their latest documentary tells the story of an Iowa paperboy who disappeared and became the first child to appear on a milk carton. Movement and Location Brooklyn-based director Alexis Boling directed this feature about a woman who travels 400 years back in time to “live out an easier life in [our present-day] Brooklyn,” carving out a life with a roommate, job and love interest that’s thrown into disarray when she meets a teenager also from the future. A local setting + a compelling sci-fi backstory is enough for us. Also, it’s the first film that used the crowdfunding website Seed and Spark to premiere at a festival. Born to Fly This is the New York premiere of Catherine Gund’s documentary, which will have a theatrical release at Film Forum in September, about choreographer Elizabeth Streb, a one-time MacArthur Fellow who went on to found her Extreme Action Company as well as Williamsburg’s Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, or SLAM, a performance and rehearsal space (that once claimed as an instructor Phillippe Petit, the Man on Wire subject who once famously walked a tightrope between the Twin Towers!). Follow Henry Stewart on Twitter @henrycstewart The Rundown: Weekend Edition (May 9-May 12) Lambs to the Slaughter: Evie Wyld’s All the Birds, Singing River Raid May 22, 2014 at 12:08 am BFF 2014 trailer – http://vimeo.com/m/95802501	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7201
__label__cc	0.637103	0.362897	Tag: Tim Roth TV Episode Review – Lie To Me: React To Contact by Mokibobolink on Jun.30, 2010, under Crime, Drama, Television Here’s a little snippet from my latest ‘Lie To Me’ review, up at Daemon’s TV ….Words cannot express how excited I was when I saw that Enver Gjokaj was going to be in this week’s episode of Lie To Me, titled ‘React To Contact’. I was extremely impressed with his work on Dollhouse and when that show was sadly cancelled, I really hoped this talented actor would keep on working. I was also excited to see Alona Tal, whom I’ve been a fan of since her work on another of my favorite shows, Supernatural. In this episode of Lie To Me, these two guest stars play a married couple dealing with the trauma of a husband who is apparently suffering from PTSD after returning home from war. Everyone seems convinced that it’s a cut and dry case, but…….read more at Deamon’s TV More Lie To Me Reviews… Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 1 “The Core Of It” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 2 “Truth Or Consequences” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 3 “Control Factor” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 4 “Honey” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 5 “Grievous Bodily Harm” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 6 “Lack of Candor” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 7 “Black Friday” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 8 “Secret Santa” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 10 “Tractor Man” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 11 “Beat The Devil” Lie To Me, Season 2, episode 12 “Sweet Sixteen” Lie To Me, season 2, episode 13 “The Whole Truth” Leave a Comment :Alona Tal, Brendan Hines, Enver Gjokaj, Fox, Kelli Williams, Lie To Me, Monica Raymund, Tim Roth more... TV Episode Review – Lie To Me: The Whole Truth Great news folks, in addition to writing reviews here on my blog, I’ve also been hired by one of my favorite sites , Daemon’s TV, to write reviews for them too. To see my latest Lie To Me review, for the episode “The Whole Truth” check it out on Daemon’s TV. Lie To Me – “The Whole Truth” – review by Mokibobolink Don’t worry, I’ll still be writing plenty of reviews here on the blog, but I’ll also be adding links to the ones on Daemon’s TV too, so y’all don’t miss them. Leave a Comment :Brendan Hines, Fox, Jennifer Beals, Kelli Williams, Lie To Me, Monica Raymund, Tim Roth more... TV Episode Review – Lie To Me: Sweet Sixteen Even though I missed about ten minutes from the middle of this episode (DVR issues, sigh), I still saw plenty enough to know that it was amazing. From the very beginning – starting with the explosion which made me jump about six inches, to Eli’s slow walk into the building, bloody and in shock – I knew we were in for something great. It turns out that the bomb killed a man that was Cal’s boss back when he was working with the Pentagon. Back then he and Foster were doctor and patient. Cal had been sent to her after suffering from the mental trauma of accidentally causing the death of an innocent woman and child. He did a read on a man who he thought was going to cause trouble and someone in the Pentagon decided to go after the guy, only they got the man’s wife and daughter instead. Doyle (played by Angus Macfayden), the man who Cal is sure is behind it all, comes to him to say that he didn’t plant the bomb and Cal helps him to find out who did. In getting to the truth, he tracks it down to the Assistant Deputy Director of the Dept of National Intelligence. From there, he’s able to find the man who actually pulled the trigger that day and allows Doyle to finally get what he’s always wanted. Only the former terrorist doesn’t want to kill the man, he just wants to help get him arrested for what he’s done to his family. The ending was a bit of a double shock to me. First off, we find out that Lightman admitted that he knew when he read Doyle as a threat that they’d kill him. Then we also find out that all those years ago Foster had been told that if she didn’t keep Cal under control, that they would have killed his family. So all this time she’s been lying to him and he never knew it. Wow. As always, I enjoyed the foray into the backstory between characters that this episode brought us, going so far as to show us the day that Lightman and Foster first met. Leave a Comment :Angus Macfayden, Brendan Hines, Fox, Kelli Williams, Lie To Me, Monica Raymund, Tim Roth more... Positively Positive Review – Lie To Me: Beat The Devil Well after what felt like the longest hiatus ever, a brand new Lie To Me finally came on the air last night and boy was I happy to see it return. In this episode, Cal once again goes up against a raging lunatic. The problem this time is that no one believes him. He finds the man not during a case given to him by the FBI, but while simply doing a lecture for an old friend. A student in the class appears to get the upper hand on Cal but really all he’s done is expose himself for what he is, a murderer. From then on, Cal never lets up until finally he finds himself at the business end of the other man’s psychosis and uses nothing but his mind to get out of it. Right before posting this review, I looked up the actor who played the psychopath (Martin) and discovered it was Jason Dohring from Moonlight. I never saw that show but after watching his performance in this episode, I think I may have to rent it. The funniest part though was realizing that I used to teach his younger siblings horseback riding back when I worked as a riding instructor. Small world. LOL. My favorite bits… Knowing as soon as I saw the headlights on the car that it would turn out to be a guy bringing a woman to the woods to bury her and wondering what that says about me. Maybe I watch a little too much tv. Also knowing the moment the guy in the class contradicted Lightman that he was the guy driving the car. I never doubted it for a second. Getting a shiver when Lightman pointed out that the guy couldn’t like whatever was in the picture and it turned out to be the cute girl as described. Then the guy liking the picture of the man tied to a chair. Creeeepy!! As always, really digging the intro done to ‘Brand New Day’ by Ryan Star. It just never gets old. Lightman telling the Principal that he was doing to do “sod all” (British phrase that basically means “nothing”). Man I love it when he talks all British like that. “One should not shag one’s students. Especially the psycho ones.” – LOL, great line. The appearance of Howard Hesseman as a teacher who’s sure he saw a UFO. I have always loved this guy and not just because he totally reminds me of my uncle. The way Cal was so sure about Martin and the two of them playing cat and mouse – Call following Martin and Martin showing up at Cal’s office, etc. Helen warning Gillian that Cal isn’t one for the “long haul”. Aw, that was pretty sad. Eli spotting that the kid knew something about the UFO’s and getting the truth out of him about what he saw. Not being able to hold back a laugh when I saw who was playing Martin’s mother. Lee Garlington played a mother of a psycho son on NCIS too, a mother who was also a psycho herself. The way the mother apologized to her son making me think that she knew about what he did and was scared of him. Freaking out when Martin found Ria in the coffee shop and she fell for his act. Eek! Seeing how shook up Ria was after realizing who Martin was. I almost thought she was going to defend him because he didn’t hurt her, but apparently she read him and knew he was lying. Whew. Finding out just how sick Martin was – waterboarding girls and then bringing them back to do it again and agin. Oh man that is…unreal. Cal finally getting through to Martin and making him break when he brought up his relationship with Helen. Nice. Jumping when Martin lost control in Helen’s office and then seeing Cal come out of the other room and knowing it was all a set up. Oh man, so scary. Completely, totally and utterly losing it when Martin got hold of Cal and put him through the torture he did to the girls. I never, ever thought that would happen. I was prepared for Martin to go after Ria or Helen, or even Gillian, but Cal himself? That blew me away. Even after being kidnapped, tortured and quite literally killed (multiple times), Cal still manages to stay in control and gets the story out of Martin. Why he let his sister and even spotting where the bodies were buried. Damn, that man is good. Cal asking Gillian to catch a bite and watching the wheels turn in her head as she remembered what Helen said about him. I thought the two of them were only friends but if she turned him down, I wonder if that means she’s starting to think of him as more than that. Overall a nail bitingly exciting episode. Leave a Comment :Brendan Hines, Fox, Jason Dohring, Kelli Williams, Lie To Me, Mekhi Phifer, Tim Roth more... Positively Positive Review – Lie To Me: Tractor Man by Mokibobolink on Dec.15, 2009, under Crime, Drama, Television Lie To Me, season 2, epsiode 10 “Tractor Man”. Image from www.daemonstv.com There were so many great things in this episode; I hardly know where to begin. I guess I’ll start with the cast. In addition to the already wonderful regulars, we also got Miguel Ferrer as FBI Agent Steele (aka Agent Reynolds’ boss) and Felicia Day as a schoolteacher. I’ve been a fan of Miguel’s for years and was so happy when I saw he was in this episode. I love seeing great actors on screen together and I was absolutely giddy over Miguel acting alongside Tim. Miguel’s character was not a bad guy, but in his fight to ensure that no one was hurt by a crazed bomber, he and Lightman go head to head on a few issues. As for Felicia, I of course loved her in Dr. Horrible and when I saw her come on screen, I quite literally squealed out loud. Yes I’m that easy to please. She played the part of a scared schoolteacher looking out for her students very well. Getting to hear her sing again was a special treat. I had no idea that Brendan Hines could sing or play guitar and that little song they did together was so cute and catchy, I found that I couldn’t resist singing along either. You can catch a clip of the song “White Lie” here. Overall a riveting yet fun episode, with some great guest stars and some musical moments, the latter of which I’d never thought to see on this series. More Lie To Me… Leave a Comment :Brendan Hines, Felicia Day, Fox, Kelli Williams, Lie To Me, Mekhi Phifer, Miguel Ferrer, Monica Raymund, Tim Roth more...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7203
__label__wiki	0.608473	0.608473	This Victorian Life First Wheel in Town Love Will Find A Wheel A Rapping At the Door Delivery Delayed A Trip And A Tumble Sarah's Writing Den Victorian quotes & art Interviews / Articles May in 19th century history May 1, 1851: The Great Exhibition opens in London. The building housing this first World's Fair would come to be known as the Crystal Palace, and the fair itself would be the model for many others throughout the world. Read about it here: http://www.bl.uk/victorian-britain/articles/the-great-exhibition Image courtesy: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O8820/the-opening-of-the-great-oil-painting-selous-henry-courtney/ May 1, 1873: An International Exhibition (another world's fair) opens in Vienna. A digital archive of World's Fair Art & Architecture from the University of Maryland: <https://digital.lib.umd.edu/worldsfairs/about> Image source:http://www.museumoflondonprints.com/image/65686/souvenir-portrait-of-queen-victoria-as-empress-of-india May 1, 1876: Britain's Queen Victoria declared Empress of India. (She began officially using the title on January 1, 1877.)<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/victorianbritain_timeline_noflash.shtml> May 1, 1893: World Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago. Take a virtual tour: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/title.html More about the fair: https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/worldsChicago.html Image source: http://www.austinweeklynews.com/News/Articles/5-7-2013/On-this-day-in-Black-History/ May 3, 1845: 1st African American lawyer (Macon B Allen) admitted to the bar in the U.S. Image source: http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/about/ May 4, 1852: Alice Liddell born. Liddell would be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. May 6, 1889: Exposition Universelle opens in Paris May 8, 1886: Coca Cola invented. Historical Soda articles:The American Drink (1897) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/the-american-drink.html Evils of Encouraging the Ice Cream Soda Trade (1897) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/evils-of-encouraging-the-ice-cream-soda-trade.html How to Draw A Glass of Ice Cream Soda (1893) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/how-to-draw-a-glass-of-ice-cream-soda.html Origin of Ice-Cream Soda Water (1892) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/origin-of-ice-cream-soda-water.html Serving Ice Cream Soda (1901) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/serving-ice-cream-soda.html Soda Water (1896) : http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/soda-water.html Read about the history of Coca Cola advertising and the iconic hobble-skirt glass bottle: http://www.amexessentials.com/message-in-a-bottle/ A history of the Coca Cola Company: http://assets.coca-colacompany.com/7b/46/e5be4e7d43488c2ef43ca1120a15/T Image source: https://www.recreation.gov/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=13936 May 10, 1869: Railroads plant the Golden Spike, celebrating the completion of the first Transcontinental railroad. May 10, 1876: The Centennial Exposition opens in Philadelphia <https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/83790-then-now-the-1876-centennial-exposition> May 11, 1858: Minnesota becomes a state May 12: Happy birthday, Florence Nightingale! Read about how Nightingale completely changed the public's view of nursing: Florence Nightingale, Shifting Attitudes Towards Nurses, and The Origins of Nurse McCoy: <http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/blog/florence-nightingale-shifting-attitudes-towards-nurses-and-the-origins-of-nurse-mccoy> Image scanned from our private archive. To see more like this, go to http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/food.html May 15, 1850: The American Vegetarian Society established at a meeting in New York. This meeting was introduced by William Alcott, whose cousin Bronson was Louisa May Alcott's father. Source: <https://ivu.org/history/societies/americanvs.html> The Introduction by William Alcott: <https://ivu.org/congress/1850/history.html> A full account of the meeting: <https://ivu.org/congress/1850/index.html> May 19, 1884: One thousand bicycle riders convene at Ford's Opera House in Washington D.C. for the League of American Wheelman's fifth annual meeting. The National Republican newspaper reported on its front page the next day, "The opera house was decorated with flags and filled with good-looking young men, with an unusual development of the lower part of the leg. This distinguishing characteristic was made more apparent by the knee breeches and long stockings which they wore." <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053573/1884-05-20/ed-1/seq-1/> May 20, 1884: The League of American Wheelmen, still in Washington, D.C. for their meet, hold championship races (watched by ladies who took a keen interest in the calves of the shapely riders), then had a grand feast at Willard's Hotel. The following account of their merriments was printed in the National Republican the next day: THE WHEELMEN EAT, AND THEN MAKE PLEASANT SPEECHES BEFORE THEY PART FOR A YEAR The lobby of Willard's was adorned last night by stacks of bicycles, and flitting among them were their owners. In the long dining room on the first floor was heard the clatter of dishes and cutlery, while occasionally the head of a… waiter peeped out of the door at the crowd. The wheelmen began to assemble at 8:30, and by 9 o'clock the long parlor was filled with them. Mr. Pelouza, of the Washington Cycle club, stood up at 9:30 and told the members that all was ready. The doors were thrown open and the assemblage, which numbered about 250, filed into the room and took seats. There were three long tables, two running the length of the room, while the third (a smaller one) was in the center. Candelabra and flowers adorned the snowy white tables, and a souvenir menu card was placed in front of each guest's plate. President Beckwith felt his mustache, and then informed the guests that they were welcome, and invited them to begin operations. A flourish and clatter of cutlery followed this announcement, and neatly attired waiters were soon busy serving the guests. This is what they ate and drank: Chicken with rice. Consomme a la royal. Boiled striped bass, lobster sauce. Sliced cucumbers. Potatoes Saratoga. Lettuce. Removes. Roast spring lamb, mint sauce. Roast ducks, English dressing. Roast ribs of beef, dish gravy. Entrees. Fricandeau of veal, tomato sauce. Chicken croquettes on petit pois. Soft shell crabs fried in crumbs. Roman punch. Vegetables. Mashed potatoes. Stewed tomatoes. Green peas. Bermuda potatoes. Mayonnaise. Chicken. Lobster. Dessert. Champagne jelly. Assorted cake. Vanilla ice cream. Macaroons. Strawberries, with cream. Fruits. Nuts. Raisins. After the cloth had been removed, Mr. Beckwith introduced Mr. Charles E. Pratt, the toast master. He said that Mr. Pratt was one of the founders of the league, and was at present a city councilman of Boston. Mr. Pratt made an eloquent speech, telling what the bicyclers had done and what they expected to do. At the conclusion of his address an enthusiastic wheelman sang in a cracked voice, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," in which he was assisted by the whole assemblage. "The City of Washington" was happily responded to by the Rev. L.H. Schneider, chief consul of the district. He described the streets and the many advantages Washington offered to bicyclists, and hoped that the league would again meet here. During his speech he referred to Judge Snell, who was present, as the first judge who had ever rendered a decision in favor of the bicycle. There was loud cheering at the mention of Judge Snell's name, and the magistrate was greeted with a burst of enthusiasm when he arose to speak. His speech was a short but a witty one, and he was cheered as he sat down. Hon. De B. R. Keim said in response to the toast, "The Press," that the press had always upheld the bicyclists, and invited them to come again. President Beckwith anticipated a brilliant future for the "League," and was loudly applauded when he responded to that toast. "Our hosts," by Mr. Wein, of the Washington cycle club, was a clever speech, and our "Sister Leagues" was happily responded to by H.S. Livingston, of Ohio. W.B. Everett, of Boston, and H.E. Ducker, of Springfield, treated the "Cycle Clubs," in a pleasant manner. Mr. Abbott Barrett responded to the toast, "The Cycling Press." The other speakers were B.B. Ayres, of Chicago; J.O. Monroe, of Buffalo; Joseph Pennell, of Philadelphia; Rev. Mr. Evans, of Columbia, Pa,; Rev. S. Stall, of Lancaster, Pa., and others. Between 3:30 and 4 o'clock this afternoon, Mr. D.J. Canary, the champion one wheel bicycler, who attended the races and convention of the league in this city, will attempt a daring feat. He will ride down the steep steps leading to the house of representatives, east capitol front, on a single wheel. A large crowd will doubtless be attracted by the remarkable feat. Source: <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053573/1884-05-21/ed-1/seq-2.pdf> May 21, 1885: Workers at the stone quarry near Victoria, B.C. go on strike for higher wages. Instead of negotiating with the workers, to break the strike the quarry owners bring in Chinese laborers (the victims of human trafficking) who are used by the quarry owners as virtual slaves. The actions of the quarry owners heighten racial tensions in the city, and an Anti-Chinese rally of over one thousand men nearly mobs Victoria's Chinatown. Source: The Daily British Colonist, May 22, 1885. <http://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist18850522uvic/18850522#page/n0/mode/1up> May 22, 1882: The United States and Korea sign the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation. Among other things, this treaty allowed Koreans to immigrate to the U.S. <http://seoul.usembassy.gov/ack_sp_052212.html> May 24: Happy birthday, Queen Victoria! Born May 24, 1819. May 24, 1844: First telegraphic message sent. [Source: Suggestive Programs for Special Day Exercises p.96.) To learn more about the telegraph and its massive significance in Victorian history, be sure to read Tom Standage's book The Victorian Internet, an excellent overview of the revolutionary nature of the telegraph and the parallels between communication in the nineteenth-century and today. 19th-century images of technology and tools, scanned from our private archive: www.thisvictorianlife.com/technology-and-tools-images.html Image source: https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/may-24-1883-brooklyn-bridge-opens/ Brooklyn Bridge illustration from "Scientific American", August 11, 1877. May 24, 1883: Brooklyn Bridge opens. Read about the woman who helped make it possible here: <http://roeblingmuseum.org/about-us/emily-warren-roebling/> More about the bridge: <https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/may-24-1883-brooklyn-bridge-opens/> Image courtesy https://www.thewheelmen.com/sections/americanjourneys/shiningsea/nellis.php May 24th, 1887: Cycling journalist George W. Nellis Jr. departs Herkimer, New York, for a cross-continental ride via bicycle to San Francisco on a 52" Columbia Expert high wheel. Source: Hayes, Kevin J. An American Cycling Odyssey, 1887. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. pp. 23-25. Image source: http://www.lancastercandy.com/home Image source: http://www.mhskids.org/news-feed/catherine-hershey-shortened-life-remembered-1872-1915/ May 28th: Happy anniversary, Milton Hershey and Catherine Sweeney Hershey! Married May 28, 1898. The Hersheys, who couldn't have children of their own, established a school for orphans that has continued to help underprivileged children ever since. To this day, the Milton Hershey School remains the controlling stockholder and main beneficiary of the Hershey Chocolate company. Read about the school's history: http://www.mhskids.org/about/school-history/ Before he made his fortune in chocolate, Milton got his start manufacturing caramels. The Hershey company recently reinstated his original caramels as a regular product: Lancaster caramels (named for the city where Milton started his business.) If anyone out there hasn't tried Lancaster caramels yet, I highly recommend them! They're delicious—and remember, more than half the profits go to help underprivileged kids! The Lancaster Caramel website: http://www.lancastercandy.com/home More info: https://hersheystory.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Milton-Hershey-The-Man-Behind-The-Chocolate.pdf Hershey Community archives: http://blog.hersheyarchives.org May 29, 1848: Wisconsin becomes a state May, 29, 1879: Karl Kron's first ride on an Ordinary bicycle. He would go on to become one of the most famous Wheelmen of the 19th-century. His book about his experiences, "Ten Thousand Miles On A Bicycle" can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/h2pljur Karl Kron preferred riding alone to cycling in groups, and he had a quirky sense of humor: he dedicated his book to his bulldog Curl, "The best bulldog ever". May 30th, 1880: The League of American Wheelman (LAW) founded. Image source https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/why-walt-whitman-called-the-america-the-greatest-poem/510932/ May 31st: Happy birthday, Walt Whitman! Born May 31, 1819. Special days in May: May 1st: Happy May Day! "May-day is one of the many holidays still celebrated, that originated among the pagans ages ago, and it is said that the practice of choosing a May-queen and crowning her with flowers is a remnant of the ceremonies in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers, which were held in Rome the last four days of April and the first of May. There was, at one time, a very pretty custom observed in Merrie England of fastening bunches of flowering shrubs and branches of sycamore and hawthorn upon the doors of those neighbors whose good lives and kindly habits were thus recognized by their friends. The maids and matrons of England formerly had a way of their own of observing the day. On the first of May they would all go trooping out with the earliest rays of the morning sun, to bathe their faces in the magic dew, which glistened upon the grass once a year only, and was supposed to render the features moistened with it beautiful for the next twelve months. When the writer was a wee little girl there lived next door to her home two old maiden ladies, who always kept a bottle of May-dew among their treasures. Although the ladies in question had long since passed that period when maidens are supposed to be lovely, superstitious persons might have found confirmation of a belief in the power of the dew, when they looked upon the sweet and kindly faces of these old maids…" —From How To Amuse Yourself and Others: The American Girls' Handy Book by Lina and Adelia Beard (1887). <https://tinyurl.com/y6uy3klz> Victorian Language and Sentiment of Flowers: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/language-and-sentiment-of-flowers-1891.html May 5: Happy Children's Day to all our Korean friends, and our Japanese friends, too! http://www.incultureparent.com/2013/04/korean-childrens-day-may-5/ http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/may/children.html A piece from 1888 about home life in Japan, seen through Western eyes: <http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-japanese-home-1888.html> May 8, 2018: Teacher Appreciation Day —please enjoy sharing the educational worksheets from our website! http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/worksheets-for-k-12-students.html May 12th: International Nurses' Day. (It's not an accident that this is on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birthday! A nurse, a simple nurse; to the unthinking Only a nurse, and nothing but a name; A patient woman in her round of duty, Living and dying all unknown to fame. Only a nurse, a messenger of mercy, An angel sent unto our suffering race, With quiet step, and tender hand of healing, Divinest pity on her gentle face. When all the world lies wrapt in quiet slumber, Save the poor sufferer moaning on his bed, Whose watchful eye with Christian love keeps vigil Through the long night with silent softened tread? Only a nurse, in duty all unshrinking; Before such scenes, man's stouter heart would quail; See there! That sweet, fair girl, in sorest trial Is at her post, nor will her courage fail. The fever we but terror-struck encounter, Or fly before with selfish, coward dread; While nurse and doctor hasten to the rescue, And stand unflinching by the stricken bed. Hark! That weird bell —an accident at midnight; The nurse and doctor, wakeful, close at hand, The minister to suffering or dying, The hospital's heroic little band! There you or I may in our need find refuge, With kindly help and loving tender care; Respect we'll give those brave, unselfish women, And night and day remember them in prayer. —E.M.C., Good Housekeeping, December 11, 1886. Nineteenth-century photographs of nurses scanned from our private ephemera collection: <www.thisvictorianlife.com/photos-of-nurses.html> May 14—18, 2018: National Bike to Work Week. This is a perfect time to read my historical fiction cycling club series! The Tales of Chetzemoka In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in Buy the book Learn more The Wheelman's Joy Victorian Cycling Poetry and Words About Wheels There is something inherently romantic about cycling, and there has been since the first riders set their wheels to the road. This collection of nineteenth-century poetry, prose quotes and bon-mots about cycling reflects both the ardent passion and the innocent affection cycling inspires. From the glory days of high-wheel cycling through the boom of the safety bicycle, riders were falling in love with their wheels, with new-found freedoms, and above all with each other. This delightful little collection tells of those days in their own words, and evokes sentiments which every cyclist will find timeless. Compiled edited and introduced by Sarah A. Chrisman, author of the charming Tales of Chetzemoka cycling club series, This Victorian Life, Victorian Secrets, and others. 19th-century cycling articles: A Burglar, A Bicycle, and A Storm (Fiction—1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-burglar-a-bicycle-and-a-storm.html A Cycle of the Seasons: A Bicycle Romance in Four Meets (Fiction—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-cycle-of-the-seasons-a-bicycle-romance-in-four-meets.html A Cycle Show in Little (1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-cycle-show-in-little.html A Song of the Wheel (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-song-of-the-wheel-poem-mdashoctober-1883.html A Header (?) (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-header--poem-1883.html A Midwinter-Night's Dream (1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-midwinter-nights-dream-1883.html A Modern Love Sung in Ancient Fashion (Poem—1884) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/a-modern-love-sung-in-ancient-fashion.html Bicycle Riding In The United States (1881) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/bicycle-riding-in-the-united-states-1881.html Bicycler's Song (1882) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/bicyclers-song-poemmdash1882.html Bicycling and Tricycling (1884) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/bicycling-and-tricycling.html Bikes on Trains (1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/bikes-on-trains-1883.html Cycling's Value As An Exercise (1879) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/cyclings-value-as-an-exercise-1879.html Cycling for Women (1888) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/cycling-for-women.html Is Bicycling Harmful? (1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/is-bicycling-harmful.html An Early Morning Ride (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/an-early-morning-ridemdashpoem-1883.html The Evolution of a Sport (1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/the-evolution-of-a-sport.html Foreign [Bicycling News] (1884) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/foreign-bicycling-news.html My Wheel (Poem —1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/my-wheel-poem-1883.html 'Neath the Magnolias (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/neath-the-magnolias-poemmdash1883.html On Wings of Love (Poem—1884) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/on-wings-of-love.html Rosalind A Wheel (Fiction—1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/rosalind-a-wheel.html Snakes in his Wheel (1895) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/snakes-in-his-wheel.html Wheelman's Song (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/wheelmans-song.html The Wheelman's Joy (Poem—1883) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/the-wheelmans-joy-poem-mdash1883.html The Work of Wheelmen for Better Roads (1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/the-work-of-wheelmen-for-better-roads.html Woman's Cycle (1896) http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/womans-cycle.html May 28, 2018: Memorial Day "Memorial Day", 1890: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/memorial-day-poem-1890.html "The Blue and the Grey", 1887: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/the-blue-and-the-grey-poemmdash1887.html "In Decoration", 1890: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/in-decoration-poem-1890.html PROVISIONS IN SEASON IN MAY From Isabella Beeton's The Book of Household Management, 1893 edition Vegetables. - Asparagus, beans, early cabbages, foreign carrots, cauliflowers, cresses, cucumbers, lettuces, peas, early potatoes, salads, sea-kale - various herbs. Fruit. - Apples, green apricots, cherries, currants for tarts, gooseberries, melons, pears, rhubarb, strawberries. More on Victorian foods and when things are in season: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/victorian-food.html Image: "Little Greedy", scanned from an 1877 Peterson's Magazine in our collection. For more images scanned from our collection, see these pages: Images of animals: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/animals.html Images of children: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/children.html Images of food: http://www.thisvictorianlife.com/food.html The Tales of Chetzemoka Learn more Quotations of Quality A Commonplace Book of Victorian Advice, Wit, and Observations on Life Words For Parting Victorian Poetry on Death and Mourning Love's Messenger A Choice Collection of Victorian Love Poetry Sylvia link Thank you so much for this amazing round up of all things May! I loved your book This Victorian Life. Hi I am such a huge fan! I am also a huge lover of history particularly the 19th century, as everything about the century fascinates me. Please keep doing what you are doing! Author: Sarah A. Chrisman (Known around Port Townsend as "The Victorian Lady"	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7207
__label__wiki	0.541844	0.541844	U.S. Senate Confirms HUD and Energy Secretary Nominees CSPAN March 2, 2017 5:29pm-6:01pm EST mr. sullivan: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i've been coming down to the floor over the past several weeks now to highlight my state and the great people who live in it. as you and everybody in this room and those watching on tv probably know, alaska is a breathtaking place. in fact, there's no place like it in the world. mountain ranges that seem to go on for eternity, salmon-filled waters and rivers, streams, massive glaciers. people save up their whole lives to come to visit my state, and we welcome them. we want this all to come. in ale conditions are often extreme, we depend on each other. communities do. sometimes even for survival. mr. president, today i would like to recognize joyce mccombs, the director of the community library in delta junction, alaska. as the alaskan of the week. on march 9, joyce will be celebrating 30 years as the library director, 30. she was also recently named by the alaska library association, the audrey p. cole public service award winner and public library round table certificate of appreciation for, quote, her significant and innovative activities to improve her library. now that award is named after audrey kobe who is a legend in the library world in alaska and joyce has that award as well as our award. delta junction, where she lives, is a beautiful community about 1,000 residents, surrounded by three sec tack already a mountain ranges. the community is i close to fairbanks in alaska's interior and gets closely in the winter. as a matter of fact, this morning, in delta junction, it was 26 below zero. it is home to fort greely, was the cornerstone of our nation's entire missile defense protected by 300 brave soldiers, part of the alaska national guard there. for many in delta junction, the library recognized by the library journal as one of the best in the state, is the place where people converge and find warmth and community. it is open six days a week and it only closes when it gets below 40 below zero. tough people. tough people in gale delta junction. joyce sponsored so many in delta junction, including fort greely, has made sure that this library stays one of the best in the state and in the country. in her words, delta's library is, quote, the community living room. in a small town like delta junction, such spaces are rare and, indeed, precious. joyce brings all sorts of services and learning to the library, including bands, authors, cooking classes, what the community wants and needs, she said. sometimes those needs entail sitting someplace warm and reading a book. sometimes it means skypeing a spouse who might be serving overseas in afghanistan or iraq or applying for a job or getting the right form to file your tax returns with. joyce said, quote, we're open six days a week, serving everybody from nursery schools to nursing homes. one delaware at that reserve can't -- one delta resident told joyce on facebook, quote, your assistance to the literary education of now two generations of children in alaska has been an invaluable contribution to our community that will be paying dividends for years to come. this statewide honor is only a larger recognition of what we already know here in delta, that you, joyce, are a great librarian. unquote. after 30 years as the director of the library, joyce still loves her job, saying she learns something every day from her patrons. thankfully for all of us, she has no plans to leave. congratulations on your award, joyce. happy birthday to your grandson trek, and thank you and to the many librarians across our state and across our nation for your efforts to provide a warm learning space for all alaskans. mr. president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call being dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate mca period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 79 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 79, designating march 2, 2017, as read across america day. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. res. 80, submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 80, designating march 3, 2017, as world wildlife day. the presiding officer: is there, to proceeding? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i further ask the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2:00 p.m. monday, march 6. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day. and morning business be closed. further, that following leader remarks, the senate resume consideration of h.j. res. 37. further, that the time until 6:00 p.m. be equally divided in the usual form. finally, that all debate time on h.j. res. 37 expire at 6:00 p.m. monday. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senator klobuchar. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. klobuchar: mr. president? mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. ms. klobuchar: mr. president, i rise today to express my deep concern about this administration's ties to the country of russia. we are just three months into the 115th congress, and i have come to the senate floor multiple times to discuss inappropriate contact between trump administration officials and the russian government. this is truly unprecedented. our constitution was set up to guarantee that our democracy would be free of influence from foreign powers. vermont's u.s. intelligence -- for months, u.s. intelligence agencies have said that russia used covert attacks, espionage, and propaganda to try to undermine our democracy. reports show it, and the facts prove it. and as i learned from my trip at the end of the year with senator mccain and senator graham to the baltics in georgia and ukraine, this is not unique to our country and our elections and our democracy. this is something that has gone on for years, where russia shut down the internet in the little country of estonia simply because they had the audacity to move a bronze statue to a public square, or in lithuania where they invited members of the ukrainian parliament that were in exile from crimea in kiev and invited them to lithuania to celebrate their 25th anniversary of independence from russia and then they attempt to hack into the computers of the members of the parliament in lithuania. this is not just, as senator marco rubio noted, this the not just about one party or one candidate. well, it's not even about one country. this is an assault on democracies across the world. last month we learned that the very day president obama imposed sanctions on russia for its unprecedented attacks on our democracy, general flynn, a member of the trump transition team, spoke to a senior russian official regarding those sanctions. the national security advisory, the person charged with the most sensitive matters of u.s. national security, misled the vice president of the united states and in turn the american people. he resigned, as did the former chairman of the trump campaign. he resigned. and now we have learned that attorney general sessions met with the russian ambassador. fine. members meet with ambassadors. we know that that happens. but in fact, he met with the russian ambassador only three days after our then-president, president obama, was at the g-20 summit. he was at the g-20 summit, and he met with vladimir putin himself, and he told him to stop the cyber attacks. but he also told him that america was not going to back down from the sanctions. in fact, president obama told the whole world that day in a press conference that we were not going to roll over and back down on the sanctions against russia imposed because of their illegal invasion of ukraine. what happened three days later? then-senator sessions, now our attorney general, in fact met with the russian ambassador. senator sessions was then asked about contacts with the russians from trump officials during his hearing, and i was there. i serve on the judiciary committee. and as senator franken himself, who posed some of those questions, in addition to senator leahy, has noted at best the answer was misleading. and that is why i feel so strongly that a press conference today is not enough, that senator sessions must come before under oath the judiciary committee and answer the questions that we now have. what are those questions? what was actually said at the meeting? were sanctions discussed? remember, three days -- this meeting occurs three days after president obama has said he won't roll back the sanctions. were the sanctions discussed? why did the russian ambassador, by the way, not meet with many other members that day? we may not have a full accounting, but it appears that many of the armed service committee members did not meet with the russian ambassador that day. number two, what were the discussions with the trump administration then campaign officials back in september before that meeting occurred between senator sessions and the russian ambassador? what were the discussions leading into it? what were the discussions after the meeting? those are things that we truly need to know. for weeks senator sessions could have corrected the record. for weeks during the time in which this russian issue and the contacts with the trump administration were discussed thoroughly. for weeks i have been calling on senator sessions, now attorney general sessions, to recuse himself from any investigations into russia. there are clear department of justice guidelines about conflicts of interest. and as i have said for weeks, when you read those rules, there is a clear conflict of interest. today attorney general sessions agreed to a partial recusal. he recused himself on the part of the investigation that relates to the presidential campaign. well, guess what? the american people deserve a full recusal. think about it. the meeting between general flynn and the russian ambassador took place after the campaign ended. the meeting that we've just learned about today between the president's son-in-law and russian officials happened after the campaign ended. we need a full recusal and an independent counsel to manage the investigation of contacts between the russian government, the trump campaign and the trump administration. i believe, as i've noted earlier, that attorney general sessions must come before the senate judiciary committee under oath and answer these questions. were sanctions discussed? what were discussions leading into that meeting with the russian ambassador? what were his discussions afterwards? and i'm sure my other colleagues on the judiciary committee have many, many questions. i know when i asked about russia at senator sessions' nomination hearing, i asked him very specifically if he had any reason to doubt the evidence put forward by our 17 intelligence agencies that there had in fact been an attempt by a foreign government, the country of russia, to influence our election. he said he had no reason to doubt those findings. he had no reason to doubt those findings. so he clearly understood when you read that report how important this is. both the $200 million funded propaganda by russian tv as well as the hacking as well as the attempts to influence the election. so we have these facts. we know that that meeting took place just three days after the president, our then-president, president obama, met with vladimir putin at the g-20 summit. we know that is a time when putin was told by the president of the united states to stop undermining the u.s. election system with cyber attacks. remember, this is back in september before the election even occurs. we saw paul man forifort resign. we saw general flynn step down over his contacts with the russian ambassador. then we have that meeting. to me, it seems like a pattern. i want to not only see the facts through the investigations that are ongoing, but also hear from the attorney general himself. that is why i'm calling for the department of justice inspector general to investigate the actions of the attorney general and whether the ongoing investigation into the trump campaign and administration contract with the government, the russian government, has been compromised in any way. we know that russia attempted to interfere with our election. russia tried to undermine our democracy. this is not fake news. this is as real as it gets. aides and surrogates of this administration during the campaign and the transition were in contact with officials from a foreign government that was actively working to bring our democracy down. they were actively working to influence our election. and as senator rubio has noted, one time it was one candidate and one political party. the next time it will be another candidate and the other political party unless we all come together in a bipartisan fashion to get to the bottom of the facts. so, how do we do that beyond the recusal and the independent counsel and having senator sessions come back before the judiciary committee to thoroughly answer my questions and the questions of my colleagues? well, the other way we do it is by having an independent commission, and that is why i introduced, along with senators cardin, leahy, feinstein and carper, the bill that was announced by senator cardin and myself with adam schiff and elijah cummings, the bill that would create an independent, nonpartisan commission to uncover all the facts and make sure future elections and political campaigns are safeguarded from foreign interference. now remember, this commission can go alongside the intelligence committee investigations. not to replace it, but to be in addition to it, because this committee and experts appointed by this congress from both sides of the aisle, just like the 9/11 commission so successfully did, could actually not just uncover some facts publicly that aren't known publicly, but most importantly they can make recommendations to make sure that this doesn't happen again. and, by the way, there are upcoming elections in germany and in france, and getting the information out there not just helps our democracy, it also helps democracies in other parts of the world. we also need -- and i touched on this earlier -- we need an independent counsel special prosecutor to look into all the contacts between the trump administration and the campaign and have a full recusal. but what else can congress do besides the independent commission? well, we have to make sure that the intelligence committee proceeds with its investigation. i am pleased that senator burr and senator warner have come together and announced that they're going to do a full and thorough investigation and that they will also be looking into the contacts with the campaign. incredibly important. now we have the issue of the sanctions. as i mentioned, the day that the obama administration was imposing additional sanctions on russia and the trump campaign through general flynn was actually meeting during this transition day with the ambassador to russia to perhaps undermine those sanctions, i was with senator mccain and graham in eastern europe. as i noted when we were in the baltics, we heard and met with leaders, prime minister, presidents of these countries in lithuania, estonia and latvia who have seen this movie before. we went to ukraine, we went to georgia. we heard from ukraine, 6,500 attempts to hack into their country's systems, computer systems alone. shutting down access in estonia. trolls in a building in moscow, nearly 1,000 people that are right now working and have been working to undermine democracies all around the world. so this isn't just about defending our own democracy. it's about defending the world's democracies. it's about saying to our country that thinks they can get us to roll over and say, hey, you can influence our election; no, that's not right. that's why we worked for expanded sanctions. that's why we have introduced on a bipartisan basis with senator mccain and senator graham -- and i was one of the original sponsors with senator cardin and others -- the countering russian hostilities act. it's legislation that would impose stronger sanctions against russia. the sanctions would address russia's cyber attacks, its human rights violation and its illegal annexation of land in ukraine and georgia. just this weekend on sunday afternoon, i met with my ukrainian community, hundreds of people showed up on a sunday afternoon in minnesota because they are so concerned about their friends and relatives, and they so believe in our democracy. right down the road from the ukrainian center where we held our meeting and where i listened and answered questions from my constituents is a deli owned by a ukrainian immigrant family. and the parents came over to our country and fled oppression, and they came over to our country, and they bought this deli, and they put this beautiful mural. it goes across an entire wall. it's a beautiful photo, picture of our statue of liberty, that beacon of democracy. and because of that, the kemerchecks, they believe in our country, they believe in america, they believe in a country that's going to stand up for the freedom of the press, that's going to stand up for freedom of religion, that's going to stand up for them and their rights as immigrants to be citizens in this country. they believe in it because they've seen the worst of it. they've seen dick tairptships -- dick -- oppression. they expect our country as they serve ukrainian food to people from all over minnesota in front of that big mural of the statue of liberty, they believe that our country is going to stand up for democracies. and that was the message that senator mccain and senator graham and i brought to the people of ukraine. we not only, of course, met with the president and their official leaders, but we also went right to the front line. on new year's eve, we were in eastern ukraine on the sea, cold, snow coming down, hundreds and hundreds of ukrainian troops, hearing the stories of a mother so young who had just lost her son a week before to russian separatists snipers. heard the stories, 10,000 people killed just since this conflict began, standing up for democracy, just like we have stood up for our democracy. so when all of these discussions go on about recusals and about who should resign and what should happen, let's remember what this is all about. this is about saving our democracy and making our democracy strong so we can continue to be the beacon that those ukrainians put on their wall in their deli because they believe in this country so much that this isn't about partisan divides. this is simply about being a democracy. getting to the bottom, when something goes wrongened a a foreign country is trying to influence things, you have to be able to say i want to know what po happened here. if i'm a democrat or republican, i want to know what happened so it doesn't happen again. i want to be able to protect our citizens and our election system and our democracy. that's what this is about. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. and i note the absence of a -- and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until 2:00 p.m. on monday floor. ms. murkowski: thank you, mr. president. mr. president -- the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: thank you. the matter pending before the senate this morning is the nomination of rick perry to be secretary of energy, and i have come to the floor this morning come to the floor this morning <div class="tv-ttl">U.S. Senate Confirms HUD and Energy Secretary Nominees<div>CSPAN March 2, 2017 5:29pm-6:01pm EST</div></div> [LIVE] The Senate confirmed former Texas Governor Rick Perry as Energy secretary. and Dr. Ben Carson's as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Sponsor: U.S. Senate Mr. Mcconnell 9, Joyce 8, Alaska 8, Ukraine 6, Lithuania 4, Mccain 4, Graham 4, Flynn 4, Georgia 3, Estonia 3, Cardin 3, Mr. Sullivan 3, Ms. Murkowski 2, Ms. Klobuchar 2, Minnesota 2, Greely 2, Obama 2, Dick Tairptships 1, Adam Schiff 1, Feinstein 1 Uploaded by TV Archive on March 2, 2017	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7210
__label__wiki	0.645688	0.645688	tv BBC World News America PBS April 15, 2016 3:59pm-4:29pm PDT >> this is "bbc world news america." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, national geographic channel, and aruba tourism authority. >> planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think. you can find it here in aruba. families, couples, and friends can all find their escape on the island with warm, sunny days, cooling tradewinds, and the crystal blue caribbean sea. nonstop flights are available from most major airports. more information for your vacation planning is available at aruba.com. >> and now, "bbc world news america." laura: this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington, i am laura trevelyan. the second powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hits southern japan 24 hours after another tremor toppled buildings and left at least nine people dead. five people arrested in britain suspected of terrorism. it is part of an investigation into the paris and brussels attacks. and a visit to bhutan. the duke and duchess of cambridge in one of bhutan's holiest sites. welcome to our viewers on public television in america and also around the globe. for the second time in roughly 24 hours, a powerful earthquake has struck southern japan. this time it was a 7.3 magnitude quake. the first tremor on thursday night toppled buildings and cut power supplies. nine people are known to have died, and more than 1000 are injured. both quakes have hit near kumamoto. reporter: this is the moment when japan's national broadcaster broke into announced that another big earthquake had hit close to the southern japanese city of kumamoto. >> a magnitude 7.1 earthquake has struck on the coast of kumamoto prefecture. reporter: in the darkness, this camera overlooking the city began to sway violently as the earth shook. damage has again been severe. in a town near the coast, a whole neighborhood is ablaze and burning out of control. at least one person is reported to have died here. the bottom floor of his apartment building in kumamoto has completely gone. there are numerous reports of people trapped inside buildings, including 60 elderly people trapped in an old people's home. it is now clear this second earthquake was much bigger than the one that hit on thursday. >> it was around 30 times larger in terms of energy release, and that meant that many more people were exposed to very strong over half abe million people probably have been exposed to very strong shaking. so that means there is a significant chance of casualties. many of those people have again fled onto the streets and into parks, where thousands are huddled under blankets looking dazed and afraid. making things worse, every few minutes after shocks have been hitting through the night. these are the biggest quakes to have hit kumamoto in nearly 100 years. it is clear that people here are very traumatized. earthquakes there in japan. five people have been arrested in the english city of birmingham and gatwick airport, suspected of terrorism in connection with the attacks in paris and brussels. officials have described the arrest as significant. three men and woman were detained in birmingham thursday night, and a fifth person was arrested at gatwick earlier this morning. reporter: at this house in the small area of birmingham, a bomb disposal ban was briefly deployed today when a suspicious substance was found. it was part of an operation that began late last night went west midland's counterterrorism detectives arrested four people in the city, three men age 26, 40, 59, and a woman aged 29. neighbors thought it unlikely that the man living there was involved in terrorism. >> no way at all that i can believe he is an organizer of any terrorist group or any extremist group. a few hours after the birmingham arrests, in the early hours of this morning at gatwick another fifth arrest of 26-year-old man as he stepped off a flight from north africa. police say the arrests and described by security sources as significant, follow a joint investigation with french and belgian security services following the recent attacks in europe. is 3.5 weeks since the bonds --brussels at the airport bombs in brussels at the airport and metro in which 32 people died. and five months since the attacks in paris, which killed 130. both attacks have been linked to a belgian man called mohamed abrini, who is known to have visited birmingham. mohamed abrini is thought to be the man in the hat seen here at brussels airport just before the attack. he was arrested after four weeks on the run. he is also thought to have been caught by a cctv camera the french petrol station with the leader of the paris attacks just two days before they were carried out, potentially connecting him to both brussels and paris. the bbc has been told that abrini visited birmingham last summer before both sets of attacks. pictures of a football stadium were later found on his own. >> people have been implicated in 2 major incidents in paris and brussels and come and go as they please. reporter: all five people arrested last night are still being questioned in the west midland area. they are being held on suspicion of terrorism, but nobody has been charged. laura: daniel safford reporting there. each day we seem to get a reminder of the threats of violent extremism poses, whether it is the attacks in brussels or the two-year anniversary of the girls being abducted, this has become a global scourge and international fight. for more on what can be done, i spoke a brief time ago with the deputy secretary-general of the united nations. thank you for being with us. we are going to discuss this weighty topic of how you tackle extremism across the world. if you look at those recent attacks in brussels and paris, what can be done to blunt the appeal of violent extremism in europe? all, you have to act on these horrible acts of violence and make sure that you find the perpetrators and set an example that this cannot be paid off, so to speak. but then we also have to ask ourselves what are the root causes, what causes young people to join movements like this, where they kill young children women? and you ask yourself how can people fall in the trap of this cult of violence? laura: is it about tackling poverty, tackling alienation? >> well, i think you have to go over the whole field. if you feel you are completely alienated in society, if you feel you don't have a chance, you feel you are looking for meaning of life, because people may be tempted to how can that cap. laura: this week is the second anniversary of the kidnapping of the girls by boko haram. is it different what is fueling extremism in northern nigeria to what is fueling the jihadi movement in europe? >> from the point of view of development, that factor is stronger in nigeria. there is no peace without development, there is no development without peace, and none of it without respecter human rights. -- respect for human rights. if there is a great efficiency of respect for peace or to vomit or human rights, that is used for those who want to lure young people into these movements and use them cynically themselves for acts of violence. u.n. has been talking for years about an arc of instability across the world. do you feel that governments are not listening to you in trying to tackle this? >> well, we can do something from the website. we can set a direction internationally. but in the end this has to be done inside societies by governments, by civil society, by community leaders comply religious leaders. this must be not only a top-down activity, but also a bottom-up and in societies. but then i would say the biggest danger for me now as i see is that we in many countries, including western europe in the u.s., sometimes risk falling into a trap of this provocation, because terrorists want us to be scared. we must not fall in that cap -- laura: we are in danger of maximizing their appeal. >> i think by that we make them more attractive and they get more news, so to speak. sometimes succeed in dividing us, because they want to have democratic societies in particular polarized and divided . we see in europe, we see it in the united states and we see it all over the world now, where absolutely horrific acts are meant to provoke and meant to divide, and that is why i think we have to be very, very careful. but what are the consequent -- what if the consequences of extremism aren't tackle? more flows of migrants and people trying to flee societies like syria and iraq? >> the more i work on these issues, it is like walking on a minefield, the more i realize we have to go to the root causes. nd this horrible war in syria and we also have to make sure we can help the countries in their neighborhood -- jordan, lebanon, turkey. why should they not be dealt a decent life when they are there? they go off on the road because josh on their own because we cannot give them the life a desert -- they go off on their own because we cannot give them the life they deserve at that time. we have to go at the root sources and we have to mobilize the good forces. laura: thank you for joining us. >> thank you. laura: new york city is known for its tough talking residents, and the presidential candidates are certainly taking that to heart could ahead of next tuesday's primary, democratic contenders hillary clinton and bernie sanders debated head-to-head in prime time. but today it was senator sanders' trip to the vatican which grabbed headlines, as he attended a conference focused on the economy and social justice. for more on the battle brewing in new york, i spoke a brief time ago with a reporter who follows the campaign for "time" magazine. it was quite the brawl last night in brooklyn. was there a clear winner? >> i think it is hard to say. senator bernie sanders was looking for was a clear knockout punch before the primary on april 19, and it is unclear he actually got this. one thing we saw last night was more than in any other debate before or any interaction between the candidates, were two people who are just visibly exasperated, tired of one another, and generally ready for the race to either be wrapped up or won. hillary clinton believes she is the clear frontrunner and she is tired of being knocked by sanders on points that she thinks she is over -- the issue about wall street of nations and her speech is she gave the goldman sachs and other financial institutions. has a kindsanders of artist contempt for her. last night what we saw in brooklyn was this meeting of semi-quasi-new yorkers for abiding brawl that we have not seen in quite some time. laura: bernie sanders went from that debate to the vatican, where i understand there are not many votes in the new york primary. >> i think this is earnestly something bernie sanders wanted to do. a lot of people in the beginning of the race question his motives for running, and he often explained himself as wanting to bring his favorite issues to a national stage. one might view his trip to the vatican as an attempt to bring his views to a global stage. if you saw his remarks earlier on today that is sort of what he attempted to do. he spoke about income inequality at a global level, he quoted the pope, and he spoke about his message of addressing poverty on a kind of international scale rather than just within the united states as he has done for the past year or so. the polls do suggest that hillary clinton will win new york. could she lose? >> i think it is highly likely that she wins the new york primary. one of the things to keep in mind is that there is a technicality where in new york it is called a closed primary. in other words, you have to register as a democrat to vote in the democratic primary something like three or four weeks before april 19, which is the date that bernie sanders and hillary clinton will be on the ballot. heavilys that are open favor bernie sanders because he tends to pull in a lot of independents who can on the same day register as democrat, and young people, with not registered to vote before. there is a structural advantage in addition to the fact that she has been senator from new york for the last eight years and new yorkers have a pretty long memory when it comes to their elected officials. laura: well, we will see. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. laura: as the campaign goes towards the general election, social issues are bound to play a part. right now the battle is playing out in the state of north carolina over what is known as the bathroom bill, a new law that requires people to use the public bathrooms that match the sex on the birth certificate. as a result, major companies have stopped doing business there, and rock stars like springsteen have canceled their shows. he has 17 could be placed in his school band, lets his dog, and has the support of family. , buts also born female never identified as a girl and is now going through the medical process of gender transition. the state has passed a law that says he and others who are transgender must use public bathrooms for the sex they were born with, not that they identify as. >> just like this, i don't want to go to the girls bathroom because i'm the shunned by peeers -- what are you doing? if i go to the guys bathroom and somebody knows i'm transgender and doesn't like me, they could out me easily and i to get suspension from school temporarily for having to choose the bathroom. reporter: there have administrations mr. she was against the new measures and not just on the streets. bruce springsteen and ringo starr or among those who have canceled performances in north carolina in protest. paypal and deutsche bank have said they are pulling investment out of the state unless the law is overturned. while a lot of the focus has been on the issue of what bathroom can be used by members of the transgender community, actually, this is about much more than that. for people across north carolina, this law takes away protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation that had been provided by other local laws. that affects the many employees ase, from lgbt communities, we heard very frankly from one of the politicians who pushed through the -- the new law. >> i think an employer has the right to choose who the employer once to work, unless it is a matter of race, color, national origin, biological sex, or religion. reporter: you think it is ok for an employer to say i don't want to hire a gay employee? >> yes. reporter: there is no national law in america that explicitly as officials but say discrimination is exquisitely ok, members of the gay community told us it felt like a huge step back. >> being gay has nothing to do with your job. >> things have been progressing for decades now in the right direction. this just goes and shows us how much more work has to be done. >> the supreme court said we can get married. it seems like this is all retaliation for that. reporter: pressure is building to repeal the law. but the politicians here remain defiant, insisting it is here to stay. bbc news, raleigh, north carolina. laura: you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, the north dakota planes fuel america's shelburne, but with sinking crude prices, that dream is going bust for many. millions of monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles from canada to mexico, the longest journey made by an insect. but how do they manage to find their way to the same spot every single year? scientists in the u.s. think they have found the answer, as victoria gill now reports. victoria: it is the lungs to migration of any insect, two-month journey of 3000 miles. scientists want to understand how a butterfly achieves this impressive feat of navigation. little bit chilly, but at this time of year, we start to notice a lot more insect activity. but none of those pollinating journeys even begin to compare with the odyssey of the monarch butterfly, and that is why these researchers want to study the insect so closely. the university of washington scientists and their colleagues studied individual tethered butterflies recording from their antennae and eyes as they flew. anrevealed the animals have internal compass keeping them on course using link to position of the sun. the team has built a model circuit that works in just the same way as the solar compass in every butterflies brain, and navigating system that uses the system to work out the direction of travel and make adjustments to stay on a southerly track to mexico. you're a scientists say -- scientists say the navigating brain circuitry is far more advanced than any gps system or robot we've been able to design. >> by stimulating the way that the butterfly brain can integrate information and the position of the sun, we should be able to build robots that will be able to navigate, to find their way even in places on the planet where there is no gps signal. victoria: one possible mission for a robotic insect would be to track the monarch butterflies as helping scientists work out why this unique species is in decline. victoria gill, bbc news. laura: from the middle east to venezuela, the drop in crude oil prices is having a profound impact. here in the united states it has caused the fracking boom to go bust. areas which depended on revenue from the shale oil industry are struggling to cope. as michelle fleury discovered on a trip to north dakota. michelle: flying low above north jacks dotlains, pump the landscape, evidence of the boom that has helped to power america's energy renaissance. but with falling oil prices, north dakota's economy is now in trouble. on the ground, signs of the downturn. used wellheads sit unsold outside this oil field services company. the owner says he has had to cut salaries and workers. >> two years ago there would be 35 people in their working and now i'm not sure what you can see exactly behind me but there is the or four people working. michelle: he says there is now less business to go around. >> it is largely a game of musical chairs, where there is so many vendors that are chasing a small amount of work right now and the environment is considerably out there. michelle: barracks style housing , known as man camps, were built during the boom years. much of it is deserted. two years ago the rec room at this worker cap would have been packed. >> dining room, everything was full. hard to find a parking spot every day. big difference. the hallway i am in, basically vacant. me and two or three other people. pretty quiet. michelle: now occupancy rates have plummeted. many workers cannot afford to stay and wait for things to pick up. we have come less than 11 the so-called man camp where we have come across this, clearly an abandoned rv park. you can see all the debris that has been left behind. many laid-off workers have been unable to find new jobs. as you can see, in some cases they have given up and left town. dakotans haven't been spared by the slump either. this land has been in the family since the 1920's. today, continental oil leases some of it good but the monthly checks are not what they used to be. >> i have been around oil long enough to know that even if you have an oil well, it could be plugged in a month. those royalties may end, you know. michelle: the energy companies and the workers who remain in north dakota are betting this slump will end. the question is when. michelle fleury, bbc news, north dakota. laura: in a tiny himalayan hutan, the b tigers nest monastery is considered the holiest site, and today got royal visitors. the duke and duchess of cambridge cap three hours to make the trip. hand, theyand in look like a couple sitting out for a quiet stroll, except that this was hardly that could ahead of them, getting on for 3000 feet, three quarters of the height of britain's tallest mountain. their destination, the tigers nest, a 17th century buddhist monastery built on an almost sheer cliff face. it is a steep climb, quite a scramble in some cases. here they are at approximately the halfway point, still strolling and barely breaking sweat. how are you finding the client? -- climb? >> beautiful. >> easy. reporter: easy? he is probably just saying that to embarrass the press corps. at the halfway point, there were prayer wheels to examine and a -- a photo call with the duke and catherine posing with the tigers nest behind him. all picturesque, except they are in bhutan briefly at the request of the foreign office supposedly on business. there is a tricky balance on a day such as this. isshouldn't forget that this an official visit paid for by the taxpayer. it is also an opportunity for some pretty spectacular sightseeing, and the couple's wish, perhaps understandably, is to do that as privately as possible. they strolled on arm in arm, a further steep climb ahead which brought them to a position overlooking the tigers last. another photo call, and then a private visit to the monastery itself. nearly 20 years ago, williams father, prince charles, came to bhutan. tigers, came to the this, reportedly with 10 pack horses. today his elder son and his wife left with only their memories and a sense of satisfaction. >> it is an amazing experience. lucky to see such beautiful scenery. >> didn't make it to the top. reporter: a visit to the tigers last come a more pleasure than business, certainly, one to sell the family about -- tell the family down. stunning view brings today's broadcast to a close, but you can find much more on all the days news at our website , and to reach me and most of the bbc team, go to twitter. from all of us here at "world news america," thanks for watching and have a great weekend. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs, national geographic channel, and aruba tourism authority. morgan: i have always been fascinated by god. why do people all around the world worship their god so differently? i am setting off on a journey and i am going to take you with me. we all ask ourselves this one fundamental question -- who is god? >> "the story of god -- with morgan freeman" on the national geographic channel. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles. i'm ketch. and i'm critter. and we love making music! ♪ how does the jaybird say how do you do? ♪ ♪ how does the blinking firefly say that i love you? ♪ i think that every person has something special to say and a unique way of saying it. when i was a kid, i was just fascinated by music. but what do you love? i really wanted to play the blues. so i got a guitar. the first instrument that i learned to play was the mouth harp. it goes like this: boing, boing, boing, boing, boing, boing. ♪ ...with that working wheel and you know, what i did was a lot of performing. you got an audience expecting you to do something great. so you might accidentally do something great. so just play. have fun. ♪ i wonder, wonder, wonder where...♪ critter: anything that you do that you love, go for it. i love music, so i became a musician. <div class="tv-ttl"><a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/329/index.jsp">BBC World News America</a><div>PBS April 15, 2016 3:59pm-4:29pm PDT</div></div> News from around the world is presented. Paris 7, Birmingham 6, New York 6, Bernie Sanders 6, North Dakota 4, North Carolina 4, Bhutan 4, Newman 4, Clinton 4, Kumamoto 4, Bbc News 3, Brussels 2, Britain 2, Victoria Gill 2, Michelle Fleury 2, Mohamed Abrini 2, Brooklyn 2, Cambridge 2, Laura 2, Washington 2 Uploaded by TV Archive on April 15, 2016	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7211
__label__cc	0.681903	0.318097	Geriatric patients in the ICU By Ivana Ecimovic In Volume 13 Supplement 3 The proportion of patients older than 80 years admitted to the ICU is constantly increasing. Despite well-known admission criteria, older patients are frequently not referred and are admitted to the ICU. The emergency ward and ICU management of acute medical conditions should not depend on age only, but should be tailored to the individual patient in line with standards of care. After the successful treatment of acute illness, elderly people should receive complex and prolonged physical, social and psychological rehabilitation. Nevertheless, we must be able to recognize the point of futile treatment and provide proper palliative care. Less traumatised procedures that are better tolerated are preferred in the management of specific medical conditions in geriatric patients. General preventive programs promoting healthy lifestyles have been developed, but these must be implemented by a majority of older people. Medical science should promote adequate education of all professionals who are involved in the treatment of geriatric patients; societies should provide equal access to health-care in developed countries and countries in transition. Key words: intensive care unit, outcome, survival, elderly, treatment intensity Humanizing critical care Sleep is important for human neurocognitive, emotional and physical health. Increasing evidence shows that the intensive care unit environment is disruptive to sleep patterns. Such disruption is unpleasant to patients, but mounting evidence suggests that it may also worsen outcome. However, improvements in the patient experience are readily obtained through simple measures such as the use of eyepads and earplugs. Early data suggest that such interventions are not only kind, but may impact on patient outcomes such as delirium rates. Key words: sleep, light, noise, sound, eyepad, earplug Septic cardiomyopathy : pathophysiology and prognosis Septic cardiomyopathy is a separate clinical entity clearly distinct from myocarditis on histological grounds. Physiologically it characteristically presents, unlike other types of heart failure, with normal or increased cardiac output with normal or low preload pressures & a reduced systemic vascular resistance. Speckle tracking echocardiography is now the diagnostic tool of choice for detecting subtle changes in myocardial dysfunction Ventricular contractility is invariably reduced to some degree in septic shock but, if severe ventricular dysfunction with low blood pressure and a falling cardiac output develops, mortality is twice that of septic shock without cardiac organ failure. However if the patient survives the episode of sepsis, septic cardiomyopathy is largely reversible since the changes are predominantly functional rather than structural although it is as yet uncertain if this applies when contraction band necrosis has developed as a result of the use of high doses of vasopressors. Key words: sepsis, septic shock, septic cardiomyopathy, sepsis induced cardiomyopathy, ventricular contractility, speckle tracking echocardiography, ventricular re-synchronisation Percutaneous mechanical support in acute coronary syndromes Despite advances in interventional cardiology, persistently disappointing outcomes in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction, together with the lack of evidence the that intra-aortic balloon pump improves outcomes in this patient population have led to a re-evaluation of other types of mechanical circulatory support. The increase in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) prompted by the H1N1 pandemic led to an increase in experience in using this technique in critically ill adult patients, and its use is now expanding in both respiratory and cardiac failure. Despite enthusiasm for the technique, high-quality evidence is lacking for its benefit. Nonetheless, ECMO and other types of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support do provide critical care clinicians with new supportive therapies that may prove to benefit patients, both from the high level of support that can be offered, and also minimising the use of potentially toxic inotropic agents. Key words: cardiogenic shock, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, ECMO, myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndromes Dual antiplatelet therapy: short or long after acute coronary syndrome? What the guidelines say According to the latest ESC guidelines for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (1) treatment recommendations are as follows: Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is recommended for all ACS patients without contraindications. The initial oral loading dose (LD) is 150–300 mg in aspirin-naive patients, the maintenance dose (MD) is 75–100 mg/day. Aspirin is usually combined with a P2Y12-inhibitor, whereby prasugrel (60 mg LD or ticagrelor are preferred over clopidogrel unless these stronger antiplatelet agents are not available or contraindications exist. The recommended duration for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after ACS is 12 months, independent of the initial treatment strategy, which is either conservative medical treatment only, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or bypass surgery, respectively. (1, 2) Key Words: clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor, dual antiplatelet therapy Update on the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) by Christoph Kaufmann, Kurt Huber by Susanna Price Antiplatelet Therapy before Major Surgery by Špela Mušič	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7212
__label__wiki	0.556102	0.556102	U.S. presidency is limited to two terms CBS begins network color presentations Skyrocket airplane climbs to 13.7 miles There was a defending Champion for the first time at the University of Illinois, in July 1951, but he lasted only four rounds. Billy Ford, of Charleston, S.C., upset Mason Rudolph by one hole. K. Tommy Jacobs, of Montebello, California, another 16-year-old, defeated Floyd Addington, 17, of Dallas, 4 and 2, in the final. Jacobs had lost in the third round the previous year. Entries this year rose to a new high of 596, and, as in the first year, 41 sectional qualifying rounds were held to accommodate them; Jimmy Powell's 69 at San Antonio, Texas, was the low score. The caliber of junior play was improving steadily. Twelve of the Junior qualifiers subsequently gained places in the Amateur, and Jacobs went to the semifinal round of that Championship. The new Junior Championship Committee also began to take shape and eleven members were present at the University of Illinois to assist in the conduct of play and to discuss policies at three evening meetings.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7214
__label__wiki	0.567466	0.567466	Michael Jackson Thriller album biggest ever Baboon's heart is implanted in baby Reagan and Bush win by 59% in 49 states Doug Martin, 17, of Findlay, Ohio, was never behind in six matches and became the fourth player to win both the qualifying medal and the Championship. He defeated Brad Agee, of Conroe, Texas, 4 and 2, at the Wayzata Country Club, in Wayzata, Minnesota. The 1983 Ohio Junior Champion, Martin took control early against Agee, winning the first five holes and seven of the first eight. Agee, who played the 18th hole just twice in winning his first five matches, won the ninth hole with a par, the 12th with a birdie, and the 13th with a par. Martin was dormie after 14, and after Agee won the 15th, Martin ended the match with a birdie on the 16th.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7215
__label__wiki	0.928317	0.928317	John Grant Shares Doggy “Love Is Magic” Video and Announces First U.S. Tour Dates in Three Years Love Is Magic Due Out October 12 via Partisan and Bella Union Aug 07, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Find It At: AMAZON John Grant is releasing a new album, Love Is Magic, on October 12 via Partisan in the U.S. (and Bella Union in the U.K.). Previously he shared its six-and-a-half-minute long title track, "Love Is Magic," via a lyric video (it was one of our Songs of the Week). Now "Love Is Magic" has a full-on video. He has also announced his first North American tour dates in three years. Fanny Hoetzeneder directed the video, which features various owners training their dogs for a dog show in England. It's a slightly shorter version of the song, a radio edit it seems. Watch the video below, followed by the tour dates. Grant had this to say about the video in a press release: "Fanny's video is a beautiful snapshot of unconditional love. But obviously there is still a lot of work involved. At least on the dog's part." Love Is Magic is the follow-up to 2015's Grey Tickles, Black Pressure. Grant produced the album with analogue synth expert/collector Benge and Paul Alexander of Texas band Midlake. It was mainly recorded at Benge's MemeTune Studios in Cornwall, England. A previous press release said the album "is a turbulent, riveting, often brutal collection that overlaps pitch black humor, fear, anxiety, and anger" and that "the instrumentation consists almost entirely of synthesizers and programming." Grant had this to say about the album in the previous press release: "The lyrics aren't just the doom and gloom of the past. They're a snapshot of everyday life - the ridiculousness, the pain, the deep longing.... Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I am. The more I do this, the more I trust myself, and the closer I get to making what I imagine in my head." Grant also had this to say about the album's title: "Love's a shitshow that requires work. It's not all lollipops and rainbows and '67 Dodge Dart Hemis and STD's and macaroni and cheese and John Carpenter. But nothing can distract from the fact that, in spite of it all, love is still magic." Also be sure to read our in-depth 2013 article on Grant, one of the most honest and personal interviews we've ever done. Also read our 2015 interview with John Grant on Grey Tickles, Black Pressure. John Grant Tour Dates: 08/16 - Birmingham, UK - Symphony Hall 08/18 - Wales, UK - Green Man Festival 08/19 - Belfast, UK - Open House Festival 08/20 - Edinburgh, UK - Edinburgh International Festival 10/26 - Reykjavik, IS - Silfurberg 10/29 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Dome 10/30 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton 10/31 - Bath, UK - The Forum 11/02 - Sheffield, UK - Octagon Centre 11/03 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall, Manchester SOLD OUT 11/07 - Copenhagen, DK - Vega 11/08 - Oslo, NO - Sentrum Scene 11/10 - Wangels, DE - Rolling Stone Weekender 11/12 - Koln, DE - Kulturkirche 11/13 - Hamburg, DE - Kampnagel 11/14 - Berlin, DE - Astra Kulturhaus 11/16 - Rust, DE - Rolling Stone Park 11/30 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw 12/02 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall 12/03 - Montreal, QC - Fairmont Theatre 12/05 - Detroit, MI - El Club 12/06 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon 12/08 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line 12/09 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall 12/11 - Denver, CO - Bluebird 12/12 - Salt Lake City, UT - State Room 12/14 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room 12/15 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst - Atrium 12/16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall 12/18 - Seattle, WA - Columbia City Theatre 12/19 - Portland, OR - Star Theater 12/20 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Vancouver A parent’s emergency can be more dangerous to your business than a tyke’s emergency since it’s generally longer enduring and far off. Here are five things you can do right presently to shield a parent emergency from murdering your business.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7221
__label__wiki	0.883944	0.883944	Patrick Stickles Gives The Stories Behind Six Titus Andronicus Songs On July 2nd 2019 » By Josh Terry Welcome to “Personal Playlist,” a recurring interview series at Vinyl Me, Please, where one artist picks one song from each of their albums to talk about (or one song from every band that they’ve been in). Here are the six songs Titus Andronicus frontman Patrick Stickles chose, from “Albert Camus” to “Tumult Around The World.” Patrick Stickles has always been an open book. As frontman of Titus Andronicus, he’s made dense, literary, and urgent punk songs over the past 14 years. From the ever-changing New Jersey-bred punk outfit’s 2008 raucous and youthful debut The Airing of Grievances, Stickles’ ambitions grew as rapidly as the band’s audience. Its followup, 2010’s The Monitor, was an astounding achievement, a concept record that fused Civil War history and themes with Stickles’ inner turmoil. 2012’s Local Business scaled back the dense narrative themes in favorite of full-throated rock ’n’ roll but still features an intense and vulnerable 12-minute odyssey in “My Eating Disorder.” The Most Lamentable Tragedy, a 93-minute rock opera on mental health and neurodiversity, a term which Stickles prefers over triggering words like illness and disorder, was another triumph. With the rollicking, ’70s-tinged A Productive Cough from 2018 and the band’s fiery latest, the just-released Bob Mould-produced An Obelisk, Stickles and Titus Andronicus have created a rewarding and self-referential world of ambitious and meaningful punk. Though Stickles is quick to be humble and self-effacing — joking over the phone that it feels wrong to have six Titus Andronicus full-lengths when bands like the Velvet Underground only put out four — he’s reflective and honest when he dives into his sprawling discography. In a candid interview that spanned over 80 minutes, Stickles looked back on his career and gave unflinching accounts of one song from each of his band’s studio efforts. “I don’t know that any one particular song can encapsulate my personal ambitions but each of them is hopefully an invitation for a curious and potentially a sympathetic person to take a deeper dive into this world that I’ve been trying to construct these past 14 years,” he says over the phone. He continues, “The kind of fan that I am of other artists, I do like finding out, the process behind the creation of these things and whatever kind of other contexts in the artist’s life led to that moment of creation. I like to make that option available from my own listeners.” Read on for the stories behind six of his band’s most iconic songs. “Albert Camus,” off The Airing of Grievances (2008) It’s been over a decade since this album was released and you were obviously at a very different stage in your life. How do you look back on those early years and these songs? I look back on that album with a lot of affection and tenderness, and it really stands alone in the Titus Andronicus catalog because it was created with virtually no expectation of reward or recognition or anything like that. When we made it, we were just young green college kids and there was certainly no promise that the record was ever gonna find any kind of an audience. So it really was born out of the love of self expression and, the good time playing rock and roll with your buddies. It was uncorrupted by any kind of like a business or career aspirations. As far as I knew, it was going to be the one album that we were ever going to get a chance to make. As soon as it was done, my plan was that I would be right off to graduate school. That makes it unique in that every record that came after that, from my second one all the way up to today, they can’t help but be corrupted by business and career stuff. There are these little dangerous ideas like, “Oh my God. What if a lot of people heard this and loved the album? What if I could get rich off this one?” I haven’t spent much time fantasizing about getting rich, but for the second album onward we did know that there would be like some kind of an audience and that there would be some kind of money element to it, which is a necessary thing in our modern capitalist society. But it’s not always a useful ingredient in the artistic process. Whatever you think about the artistic merit of an album, like The Airing of Grievances, it’s special to me because we really did make it for what you might call the right reasons. Out of all the songs on the LP, why did you pick “Albert Camus?” Well that song was basically the first real song that I ever wrote. I wrote that when I was 18 and I played that song with my high school band. This is a couple of years before Titus Andronicus got started and basically the song is just about me and my high school friends. And I hate it when bands sing about high school. That’s kind of one of the most annoying things to me. But I give myself a little pass for this one because I actually was in high school when I wrote it. You hear like some middle-aged guy with a guitar singing about what it was like in high school and that’s pretty gross to me. But anyway, back in high school, me and my buddies, we used to love to get in trouble, petty vandalism, getting drunk, and running around. Just stuff kids like to do. Around the time of writing this song, I was starting to get a little bit of an inkling that the reason that high school kids like us, enjoyed to get into trouble or do this kind of like a goofy little rebellion thing like in the suburbs of New Jersey has a lot to do with young people like starting to realize they don’t really exist in the real world. You know what I mean? They kind of live more in like a facsimile of the world that our parents created for us. I guess you get to a certain age and in your adolescence, you start to notice a nagging void at the center of that a false world. You start to recognize that and you reject — well, I did anyway — these categorical imperatives and these ideas of a higher morality that are handed down from previous generations. This world is designed for you to just sorta sleep walk through without questioning it or thinking critically about it. As it happened, we also got assigned the famous Albert Camus book in school, The Stranger. The main character of that book has a basic existence and he’s recognizing the emptiness at the center of his world and his life. So he chooses to lash out against the absurdity of that through committing a murder. Me and my buddies never murdered anybody, obviously. And it is kind of like quite the dorky cliché, I guess, for like some teenager to read these existential novels and be like, “Oh my God, like, I’ve been totally wrong about a world that’s at this point.” But, some version of that did happen to me. “To Old Friends And New,” off The Monitor (2010) Life definitely changed for you between these albums. I keep thinking about how you said earlier in our chat that you were supposed to be going to graduate school after The Airing of Grievances. How did you feel about this transitional state before The Monitor came out? Well, graduate school went right out the window, obviously. As soon as I had the faintest idea that I could get out of going to graduate school, I went ahead and made sure that I could make that happen. We went out on tour behind the first album and did like 200 shows or so. We went on this wild worldwide adventure and it was all terribly romantic and exciting for young kids like that. We originally thought we would vanish right into obscurity and maybe just have our first album be like a little souvenir for our high school buddies. Now we’ve got like 10 times that budget and people actually know who we are and this is going to come out on a big time record label. We really wanted to go for it and swing for the fences. So in that sense, it was in more innocent time than now, but there were a different set of a different set of expectations going into the making of that one. But the world still felt fairly wide open. You can definitely hear that openness on the LP. It’s such a collaborative album. This song in particular is a duet with Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner. Jenn Wasner is about as tremendous an artist as you’re likely to find these days. We used to run into Wye Oak a lot back in those days. We pretty much got started at around the same time back when we were really young and scrappy. One particular night we were playing a show in Greenville, North Carolina, and Wye Oak was on the bill. We struck up a friendship and developed that friendship. We started out at the same time and we were in similar spots in terms of our careers. She’s one example of one of the masterful artists who helped me out on this record. One of my favorite ways to make a record is to look around at the wide network of artists who I know and am lucky to have worked with. I want to let myself be the beneficiary of their talent. For this song, I sent her the demo version of it and then she learned the words for her part, but I didn’t really have to, I didn’t really coach her, give her much direction at all. I wanted her to do the Jenn Wasner thing. She sang her verse beautifully and I was just happy as a clam up about that. And then, there’s a little bridge part, where she came up with a gorgeous harmony that elevated the whole thing to a, even a deeper level. I didn’t tell her to do that of course. She’s just one of those artists. She opened her mouth and it’s like she had some kind of direct line to God, you know what I mean? It was just a blessing. I’m so grateful for all the people on that record. What do you remember about writing this song? This one is actually the oldest song on the album. I actually wrote that song before we made our first album. There’s a version of it on CD-R that we put out in 2005. It didn’t fit on our first record but I’m glad that that happened because I think it fits more comfortably with the themes of the second record. On the whole, The Monitor, is pretty accusatory in tone throughout. This narrator, or me, is often like pointing my finger at another, and these external forces. But that’s all well and good and we love punk songs with that punch line but in the wider context of the record you have to have a corrective for that. I wanted something that was a little bit more compassionate and empathetic. Even though a lot of the lyrics are complaining, there’s some self-reflection in admitting my own flaws. It’s easy to get mad at someone else but if you spent your whole life getting up tight, it’s a pretty lonely life. That’s why the lyric is: “It’s all right the way that you live.” I took that from an old Velvet Underground song title. The song illustrates to me what I think is something about the heart of Lou Reed. While he’s known for being a bit of a jerk or an asshole, there were definitely moments in his art where he was the most compassionate guy and tried to offer empathy and understanding to a variety of marginalized groups. I’m not looking to compare myself to Lou Reed but he set the bar for me in a lot of ways. “My Eating Disorder,” off Local Business (2012) Your music has always talked about mental health and neurodiversity. How was writing about your relationship with food? Wow, thank you for saying “neurodiversity” instead of mental illness. I’m really trying to get people on board with this. Well, writing, it wasn’t all that difficult. What was a lot more difficult than writing it was carrying the ideas and the song around within me for my whole life as this almost shameful secret. It is scary to reveal intimate parts of yourself that you can’t be sure other people are going to understand. But, this song exemplifies for me one of the important things about my career, which is my audience. I don’t mean in the sense of greater fame or adoration or anything. This is probably the case for like a lot of artists, where my art is a big part of the way that I process my feelings about what it’s like to be alive in my body. I’m trying to tell the audience something and I’m also trying to tell myself certain things. My real essential purpose as an artist I think is to be a validator in kind of much the same way as Lou Reed was trying to do. To externalize my feelings in a way that I can hopefully attract people into my art that feel similarly about life or have had similar experiences so that we might both feel a little bit less lonely and alienated. If I see them being validated, I too am validated in return. Did the response to this song surprise you? Did you find your fans shared similar experiences? Yeah! You can never be sure but I feel like this is the song where I connected with my favorite corner of the Titus Andronicus audience. I think this song is part of the genesis of that little community, whether it’s people with food issues or people who experience body dysmorphia or control issues. These people are typically not the drunken macho frat boys who could ignore the lyrics well enough to punch their friend in the face at a Titus Andronicus show. Sometimes the literary agenda of the songs can be missed to inspired mixed martial arts on the dance floor. These are meeker people who I can relate to in a much deeper way. This song showed me a part of my audience I didn’t know I had. I like the song “My Eating Disorder” because I don’t think that just any old party band would have had a song like that as far as the lyrical content. There’s no ambiguity about what the song is about. When you hear a title like that, the song can only be about one thing. The word “my” in the title is important too. It’s me trying to take ownership and declare agency over my particular food issue. It’s mine. It doesn’t belong to anybody else and nobody else is really entitled to an opinion because they’re not the one living through it. “Dimed Out,” off The Most Lamentable Tragedy (2015) I remember when this album came out you meticulously annotated every song’s lyrics on Genius. Where many songwriters don’t want the mystery behind the music revealed, it seems that you love having people in on your process. It was a very meticulous decision-making process to create the rock opera. There were just like so many millions of decisions and all the decisions that were made, there were reasons that they were made. I knew what they were because I made the decisions for the most part. It’s born out of me sharing those things. But the Genius thing was also a way to try and like shield myself from a possible assumption that Titus Andronicus’ music is not really about anything. I’m starting to sound like a jerk but I have this fear that people will just say whatever about this and not assume intentionality on the part of the song. For a lot of people, I might as well be saying gibberish. I guess that’s fine, but there is more to it than that. I never want to be accused of just saying the first thing that pops into my head or indulge in incoherent emotion. For this song, it makes more sense in the context of the album. In the narrative of the LP it makes sense in context but as a standalone it seems like a straightforward party song about living with your amps turned to 10. Since this was the lead single, were you worried people would misconstrue what you were trying to say? After all the things that I just said, you’d think I’d be a little more worried. I don’t know about that. Now, I look like quite the fool because I didn’t really think about that. You’re absolutely correct that it has a different meaning in context. This is the sort of thing that I’m more and more interested in as the years go by. This was the first album where I utilize a narrator which is not myself. This is also what I’m doing on the new album that’s coming out. I like doing that because ideally it helps me make it more clear that not every song that I write is my personal guide on how to live effectively and happily. My narrators are very flawed and unreliable people. I like that because in context and over the course of a record, particularly a 93-minute rock opera, that creates the opportunity for the narrator to actually learn something and grow a little bit. “Dimed Out” was my attempt to write a song about the really fun parts of having a manic episode, which are, staying up all night every night, doing a bunch of drugs, rocking out super hard all the time, and spending money that you don’t have. Did I say drugs already? There are moments like that where you think this is all there is to life, let’s just milk this until it’s totally dry but it will never be dry. It’s a fun and exhilarating experience and rich material for a triumphant rock record. I have learned that is not an effective or prudent way to live. In this album, the narrator has to learn that the hard way. This is also a corrective like what we talked about earlier about with The Monitor: If I write a song about how fun it is to do drugs then I also have to have songs about the price you have to pay when you pursue that kind of lifestyle. You can’t have the high without the comedown even though there have been many times in my life where I’ve deluded myself into thinking otherwise. “Above The Bodega (Local Business),” off A Productive Cough (2018) This song really gets at the heart of the tension between how people act in private and how they do when they are in public and observed. It’s something I think about all the time. I like how you used the phrase observed. The “observed self” comes from Jean-Paul Sartre. Was that what you were thinking about when you wrote this? Absolutely. That was where I learned about the observed self versus the unobserved self and how grotesque the observed self can be when we look at ourselves through the eyes of another person. Yuck. Talk to me about the recording process around this record and how you were feeling a year or two ago. Man, how was I feeling back then? You were saying there are whole elements of shame, frustration, anxiety, and an inability to hide certain things matter more to keep hidden away. But sometimes our particular daily temporal needs will prohibit that kind of anonymity. In New York City, where I live, I live in this building and the first floor of the building is occupied by a retail space and that’s the titular bodega. Consequently, I have had, and I now have a very intimate relationship with the people that work there. I see them literally every day and you can’t eliminate some of the distance that would sometimes make the consumption of certain things more comfortable for the person doing the consuming. About this time and kind of on the rock opera too but particularly for this song, I had gotten to be interested in wanting to write what you might call an essential song. A song that definitively owns its subject matter and a song that will become the ultimate song for a certain feeling. Songs like this would include “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy, which is maybe the greatest example. There’s never going to be a better song about the excitement [and] what it feels like when friends you haven’t seen for a long time return. That will belong to Thin Lizzy forever. My roommate Ryley [Walker] went out do some shows for a few days and my favorite joke to do is I play that song when he comes back and walks through the door. Right from the opening chord, you know exactly what’s going on. Another example would be “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen or if you want to get more esoteric about, the theme from Ghostbusters. I wanted to have some songs like that on my resume and I chose to do that with this particular I had with my bodega friends. “Tumult Around The World,” off An Obelisk The concerns on An Obelisk feel particularly outward compared to the inward concerns of your catalog. I don’t want to say it’s your political album because that’s so cliché but you’re grappling with more external issues here. I would say that’s correct. I’m really giving it to the establishment on this one. That’s intentional but it is another one of those things where like, I have to recognize that if I’m going to be so hard on external forces, I have to be equally unsparing about the internal forces that dictate my life. If you look at the track list, it’s pretty much one for one as far as where a song that I’m giving the establishment a hard time [in] is followed by a song where the narrator has to admit his own faults. This is a unique part of your catalog because you worked with a new producer in Bob Mould. How was that? I also live down the street from Electrical Audio. How was your time in Chicago? It was incredible. I can’t really speak much about Chicago, like I’ve been there dozens of times, but on this particular occasion, I rarely left the building. I really didn’t leave. The other guys were more eager to get fresh air, so I’d have them pick up my cigarettes. That probably speaks [to] the immense beauty of Electrical Audio, which is a pretty amazing studio. I haven’t been to every studio in the world, but that’s probably the nicest one that I’ve set foot in. It’s also pretty remarkable that it’s not so nice because a whole bunch of hits were made there. There haven’t been. But it’s a shining and tangible monument to the good things you can have in life if you conduct yourself with a modicum of integrity like Albini has. Out of the entire tracklist, why this one? With what we were talking about with the last song, it’s another one of my attempts to write a song that is essential. I mean, it’s not as essential as the other one because this song is basically about being all in this together as human beings with concerns and anxieties as well as hopes and desires and stuff. There’s, obviously there’s a million songs about that so I couldn’t hardly write the definitive song on that topic. But I wanted to write like a “We Are The World”-type song. When we first debuted it live we joked onstage that it was a cover this obscure punk supergroup from the ’80s that none of the audience had heard of because we made it up. But a lot of people fell for it. It’s a long, stupid story but for that particular song was from a second wave British punk band came out with a charity single in the vein of “We Are The World” to raise awareness for worldwide suffering. It’s one of my attempts to write a classic enduring essential song. Whether or not I succeeded this is my attempt and it forces me to gaze at my own navel a little less and open up my universe a little bit more. Josh Terry Chicago-based music journalist Josh Terry has been covered music and culture for a number of publications since 2012. His writing has been featured in Noisey, Rolling Stone, Complex, Vice, Chicago Magazine, The A.V. Club and others. At Vinyl Me, Please, he interviews artists for his monthly Personal Playlist series. Read More Interview Personal Playlist Personal Playlist: Jack Tatum Gives The Stories Behind Four Wild Nothing Songs Personal Playlist: Brendan Canning Gives The Stories Behind Five Broken Social Scene Songs Personal Playlist: Damien Jurado Gives The Stories Behind Five Of His Songs	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7224
__label__cc	0.682967	0.317033	Oc-Po Pollution of Lakes and Streams Pollution is defined as "to make something impure"—in this case, the fresh water in lakes, streams, and groundwater . The pollution of water restricts its use for some human need or a natural function in the ecosystem . Types of Pollutants Physical. Physical pollutants to lakes and streams include materials such as particles of soil that are eroded from the landscape or washed from paved areas by flowing water. Once in a lake or stream, some particles settle out of the water to become bottom sediments . Chemical pollutants adsorbed (bound) to the particles are also incorporated into the sediments, where they may be permanently buried, or be carried by the water currents to other locations. Another type of physical pollutant is heat that may be discharged from an industrial source, or runoff from hot surfaces in warm weather. The overclearing of shade trees along the shoreline of a lake or stream may also permit sunlight to warm waters above the normal temperature range. Chemical. Fresh waters naturally contain chemicals dissolved from the soils and rocks over which they flow. The major inorganic elements include calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbon, chlorine, and sulfur as well as plant nutrients , such as nitrogen, silicon, and phosphorus. Organic compounds derived from decaying biological materials may also be present. In addition, nearly all fresh waters contain some human-made compounds, such as pesticides and other industrial and consumer products. Chemicals resulting from human activities that increase the concentration of specific compounds above natural levels may cause pollution problems. Too much of a plant nutrient may lead to excessive plant growth, while synthetic organic compounds may cause physiological changes in aquatic organisms, or may become lethal at high concentrations. Pollutants can be taken up by plants and animals through contact with contaminated sediments, or directly from the water. Plants and organisms that become contaminated from these sources can pass the contamination up the food chain as predators consume them. Biological. Although living organisms themselves are not generally thought of as pollutants, bacteria and plants that grow to nuisance proportions The accidental release of cyanide from a precious metals recovery facility in Romania contaminated the Tisza River in 2000, killing aquatic and terrestrial animals, such as this horse who drank the poisoned waters 3 weeks after the spill. The pollution not only traveled downstream through Romania, Hungary, and Yugoslavia, but also entered the Danube River and ultimately the Black Sea. The release of an estimated 100 metric tons of cyanide caused what the United Nations called one of the worst pollution accidents in Europe. can impair the use of fresh waters. Such problems often arise when the plants die and decay, which is when bacterial decomposition consumes oxygen needed by aerobic aquatic organisms. An overabundance of algae or other plants provides more decaying material, and hence a greater reduction in oxygen as the material decomposes. Moreover, nonnative plants and animals that are introduced as a result of human activities can change the basic ecology of a lake or stream, often to great detriment. Point Sources of Pollution Point sources of water pollution are defined as those that originate from a known point, such as a pipe from which a pollutant may enter a lake or stream. Nearly every city, town, and waterside settlement discharges some type of pollution to surface waters . Human wastes that are collected in sewers and piped to municipal sewage treatment plants ultimately are discharged to surface waters as treated wastewater. Older systems with combined sewer and stormwater systems discharge untreated sewage to rivers or lakes during heavy rainfall that overwhelms the drainage system. But in general, treatment processes remove solid material, many of the chemical pollutants, and then disinfect the treated sewage to kill disease-causing organisms before releasing the treated wastewater to the receiving waterbody. Almost every industry uses water in its manufacturing process or in the production of raw materials and energy. Water can pick up pollutants when it is used to make a product or clean a manufacturing area. The pretreatment of wastes prior to discharge to sewers or directly to surface waters can recover metals and other valuable chemicals that save companies money while reducing pollution. Large volumes of water are drawn from rivers and streams to remove excess heat from industrial processes. Cooling water is passed over heat exchange surfaces that transfer heat to the water, which increases the water temperature. The electric power industry is the largest user of cooling water in steam-electric power plants. Although the cooling water itself is not boiled to steam, its temperature may rise several degrees. If the temperature exceeds regulatory limits, the water must pass through cooling ponds or towers that lower the temperature of the water before it is discharged. Nonpoint Sources of Pollution Nonpoint sources of water pollution are those that cannot be traced to a specific point, such as an outfall pipe. Nonpoint pollution flows and seeps untreated into lakes, streams, and groundwater from urban lawns and gardens, paved surfaces, construction sites, hillsides, agricultural fields, forests, and other land areas. Urban. In urban areas that have a high percentage of land covered by roofs, streets, and parking lots, rain and melting snow rapidly run off into lakes and rivers through drainageways and storm sewers. This urban runoff may contain nonpoint-source pollutants such as trash, pet wastes, lawn fertilizers, and herbicides, as well as oils, heavy metals , de-icing salts, and other pollutants from vehicles. In addition, the large volume of stormwater that rapidly enters streams from paved surfaces can produce flooding that erodes streambanks and destroys natural habitats. Everyday activities such as doing the laundry, flushing the toilet, and using the in-sink garbage disposal add chemical and microbial pollutants to household (domestic) wastewater. If not treated and disposed properly via a septic system or a municipal sewage treatment plant, domestic wastewater can pose environmental and public health threats. Modern agriculture depends on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation to produce high-quality crops for animal and human consumption. To maximize the crop yield, nitrogen-based fertilizers are spread on the land. In addition, phosphorus and other essential minerals also may be applied where they are lacking or have been depleted in the soil. To improve production, herbicides to kill weeds and insecticides to kill insects are frequently applied to croplands. Not all of the fertilizers and pesticides stay where they are applied; consequently, some are released to the atmosphere, seep into groundwater, or are carried to lakes and streams by runoff, where they may create pollution problems. Particles of soil that erode from tilled land can be carried by flowing water into lakes and streams. There, the fine particles fill the spaces between natural sand, gravel, and stones, thereby changing the surficial sediments comprising the benthic (bottom) habitat to a finer-grained silt and mud. Not only can bottom-dwellers be smothered by the fine particles, but sediment-water interactions can be changed. Animal wastes create water pollution, such as when cattle or sheep are allowed to graze near streams. Wastes deposited by the animals can introduce nutrients and disease-causing organisms into the water, posing problems for aquatic organisms as well as human populations that use the water Confined disposal facilities, such as this one in Lake Erie, are areas where dredge spoil is disposed. Although the waste material is contained, contaminants still may seep into the receiving waterbody. for domestic purposes. Feedlots often collect wastes from thousands of animals and store the wastes in central facilities from which they may be withdrawn and applied as fertilizer or soil conditioner. While this practice recycles nutrients to the soil, improperly maintained storage facilities or improperly applied fertilizer can create water pollution problems. Airborne. Rain and snow are considered by some individuals to be relatively "pure," yet gases and particles introduced into the atmosphere by human activities and natural phenomena, such as volcanoes, can contaminate precipitation that falls back to Earth. The combustion of fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as well as nitrogen and sulfur compounds that tend to make precipitation more acidic. In areas of the world where the geology does not contain minerals that buffer the effects of the acids, the acidity of lakes and rivers may be increased as a result of "acid rain," derived, for example, from industrial areas. In addition, precipitation may also contain nutrients, heavy metals (e.g., mercury) and organic compounds that have entered the atmosphere and become entrained into precipitation. Types of Impacts Regardless of the type or source of a pollutant entering a lake or stream, the overall consequences to the environment may be the same—be it the degradation caused by soil erosion that eliminates the habitat of a stream organism, or the discharge of a chemical that interferes with a species' reproductive cycle. The use of water by humans can be compromised whether toxic chemical pollutants necessitate the treatment of drinking water, whether nutrients promote the growth of nuisance aquatic weeds that choke waterways, or whether bacteria close beaches. The solution to water pollution is the elimination of pollutants at their source. This can be accomplished by reducing the use of polluting chemicals in the home and industry, by treating point sources to remove pollutants, and by each individual being more mindful of how human activities affect the landscape and the aquatic environment. SEE ALSO Acid Rain ; Algal Blooms in Fresh Water ; Chemicals from Agriculture ; Ecology, Fresh-Water ; Erosion and Sedimentation ; Fish and Wildlife Issues ; Fresh Water, Natural Composition of ; Hydrologic Cycle ; Instream Water Issues ; Lake Health, Assessing ; Lake Management Issues ; Lakes: Biological Processes ; Lakes: Chemical Processes ; Lakes: Physical Processes ; Land Use and Water Quality ; Land-Use Planning ; Microbes in Lakes and Streams ; Nutrients in Lakes and Streams ; Pollution by Invasive Species ; Pollution of Streams by Garbage and Trash ; Pollution Sources: Point and Nonpoint ; Runoff, Factors Affecting ; Septic System Impacts ; Stream Ecology: Temperature Impacts on ; Stream Health, Assessing . Arthur S. Brooks Ball, Philip. Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water. New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2000. Dodds, Walter K. Freshwater Ecology, Concepts and Environmental Applications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2002. Gleick, Peter et al. The World's Water 2002–2003: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2002. Water. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. <http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/water.html> Water Resources of the United States. U.S. Geological Survey. <http://water.usgs.gov> Jan 14, 2009 @ 8:08 am i think it is very BAD!!!!!! and thaat we should stop doing it Pollution of Lakes and Streams forum Pollution of Groundwater: Vulnerability Pollution of Streams by Garbage and Trash	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7225
__label__wiki	0.727556	0.727556	Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry releases statement after layoffs WKOK Staff \| May 14, 2019 \| Photo courtesy: wood-mode.com KREAMER – An apology, of sorts, from a spokesman for Wood-Mode. After hundreds of employees were suddenly laid off Monday, a staffer issued a statement. In a statement, Wood-Mode spokesman David Scarr tells us the company had been seeking financing and other alternatives in the past few months, which intensified in the past few weeks. Scarr says the company learned last Tuesday a buyer, with whom the company had entered into a ‘letter of intent’ to acquire the business, decided abruptly not to proceed with the sale. Then last Friday, the company learned its prime lender was unwilling to provide normal funding to enable the company to continue its operations. Wood-Mode says it truly regrets the impact of this action to its employees, the community and its customers. Wood-Mode is shutting down after 77 years of business. See Wood-Mode’s full statement below. WOOD-MODE TO WIND DOWN OPERATIONS May 13, 2019; Kreamer, Pennsylvania: Over the past few months, and intensifying over the last few weeks, Wood-Mode, Inc. has been seeking financing and other alternatives, including new capital and a possible transaction, that would have enabled it to continue operations. Despite Wood-Mode’s best efforts, the Company learned last Tuesday afternoon that a party with which the Company had entered into a letter of intent (to acquire the business) had decided abruptly to not proceed with the transaction. On Friday, we learned that our prime lender is unwilling to provide normal funding that would have enabled the Company to continue its operations to further explore other potential buyers that had previously shown interest, including a party that submitted a letter of intent last Thursday night. As a result, Wood-Mode has been left with no choice but to make the difficult decision to “wind down” its operations. We have notified our employees, all of whom will be paid their accrued wages. After 77 years of business, the Company and ownership truly regret the impact of this action to our employees, the community, and our loyal customers and suppliers. We are extremely appreciative of everyone’s commitment and service to Wood-Mode throughout the years.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7229
__label__cc	0.706873	0.293127	Embryo of the FBI On this date in 1908: Former U.S. Secret Service operatives were assigned to serve under Chief Examiner Stanley Wellington Finch of the Justice Department. The following year, the DOJ's new investigative arm was given the name, "Bureau of Investigation." In 1935, it was rechristened, "Federal Bureau of Investigation." Stanley W. Finch Aside from a staff of accountants used to monitor financial dealings of the U.S. court system, the DOJ had no investigative staff before July 26, 1908. When it needed to engage in an investigation of a federal crime, it hired private detectives or "rented" operatives from the U.S. Secret Service. The practice had a number of flaws. It was costly and inefficient. The quality and technique of a private investigator could not be controlled. Secret Service agents were primarily loyal to their full-time bosses in the U.S. Treasury Department. The inter-department renting of operatives also could be cut off at any moment through Congressional budgeting measures. Finch reportedly argued for some time for the creation of an investigative unit within the DOJ. U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte of the Theodore Roosevelt Administration was convinced to give the idea a try. He hired a group of former Secret Service men in the summer of 1908. On July 26, Bonaparte placed the group under the command of Finch. Finch remained at the helm until 1912, when he was appointed special commissioner for the suppression of white slave traffic. His successor at the Bureau of Investigation was Alexander Bruce Bielaski, who continued as chief through the Great War and into the early stages of America's first "Red Scare." Labels: BOI, Bonaparte, FBI, Finch, July 26, Justice Department, Secret Service, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Hunt, Treasury Department	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7234
__label__cc	0.528503	0.471497	Let the pictures tell the story Gallery4Justice is an initiative of 4WardEver Campaign UK, and is a showcase of the many images donated, volunteered or sourced from the World Wide Web. “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires”. Nelson Mandela See our new Flickr Gallery here > Gallery Categories: We add new images on a regular basis .. Rallies & Demo’s See details here The United Families & Friends Campaign is a coalition of families and friends of those that have died in the custody of police, prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals. In 2006 over 200 people turned up to remember and demand justice for those who have been killed or beaten and abused in police custody, in prisons and mental health institutions. Featured Events See details here These are key historical and community events that have been reported to us, or that have been held by 4WardEver, The Mikey Powell Campaign for Justice, or in conjunction with third parties. In May 2010 Families and campaigners gathered in Leicester, UK to pay tribute to those that had died in custody. Contributions See details here This section features images from the war-torn regions of the Middle East exposing the brutality of all sides. Featuring also images donated by our visitors, and tributes to some of our heroes and sheroes that have made a difference in the struggles for justice and rights by their tireless and selfless contributions. Victims: Youth See details here The use of restraint on children and young people is on the rise in secure training centres, figures in 2009-2010 revealed. Youth Justice Board (YJB) statistics, placed in the House of Commons library, show that for the three months between April and June 2009 restraint was used 535 times in England’s four secure training centres. A similar pattern is also evident worldwide. Victims: Adult See details here Between 1969 and 1999 over one thousand people died in police custody in the UK alone, not counting deaths in prison and psychiatric institutions. No one has ever been convicted for any of these deaths. Over the last 30+ years a disproportionate number of these deaths were African-Caribbean men. A similar pattern is also evident worldwide. Capital Punishment See details here The death penalty violates the right to life. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It has no place in a modern criminal justice system. The question as to whether or not it is morally acceptable for the state to execute people, and if so under what circumstances, has been debated for centuries. 17 March 2019 No comments The Justice4Kingsley Campaign are calling for the community to support their event taking place in B... Read more 24 February 2019 No comments 17 November 2018 No comments 3 November 2018 No comments 29 October 2017 No comments Sign the petition for Byron Case Bereaved families launch petition & campaign on legal aid for inquests 4WardEverUK Volunteer Appeal We’re seeking volunteers from the UK and abroad to assist with our various online services. Volunteers need to be committed and reliable, and able to give 1 to 3 hours of their time each week	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7242
__label__wiki	0.979766	0.979766	Tay Hamilton WATCH: Keith Urban Reveals a Song off "Graffiti U" posted by @TayHamRadio - Jan 22, 2018 Keith Urban has unveiled "Parallel Lines," a song off his new album, Grafitti U. Pop star, Ed Sheeran helped write this song. Keith first performed the song at his pop-up show in Nashville earlier this week. Keith is still deciding on which songs he's written will make the album. He explained why he chose the name, Grafitti U for the new album, Rolling Stone, "'Graffiti' to me felt very uninhibited, artistic, liberated expression. 'Graffiti' to me is a blank canvas and pure artistic expression upon that. I was toying with the letter 'U.' Obviously, it's the first letter of my last name, but I liked that when you say it, it's also the word 'You.' For me, that's the listener, that's the audience." No release date has been set for the album. Let me know what you think of the new release! CLICK PLAY BELOW!	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7243
__label__wiki	0.959391	0.959391	Click to copyhttps://apnews.com/7b950e6a21514f07940cfc21f8983722 Steven Stamkos Mathieu Joseph Anthony Cirelli Lightning beat Bruins 3-2 for 5th consecutive win By MARK DIDTLERDecember 7, 2018 Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (71) beats Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (40) for a goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — It was a pair of players in their first full NHL season that sent the Tampa Bay Lightning to their latest victory. Mathieu Joseph and Anthony Cirelli scored early in the third period and the Lightning won their fifth consecutive game by beating the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night. “It’s hard to play with a team with four lines rolling like this,” Joseph said. “We’re a team that has a lot of depth and it’s huge.” After Joseph scored at 2:40, Cirelli put home a short-handed backhand 1:23 later to make it 3-1. Lightning star Steven Stamkos didn’t get an assist on Cirelli’s goal but played a key role by swatting the puck out of danger in the defensive zone with his glove after losing his stick. The puck went to Cirelli off a Boston player. “I just saw a chance and went for it,” Cirelli said. Boston pulled to 3-2 on David Krejci’s goal with 1:45 remaining. Brayden Point also scored and Louis Domingue made 33 saves for the Lightning, who have the NHL’s best record at 22-7-1. David Pastrnak had a goal for Boston, and Tuukka Rask stopped 27 shots. The Bruins have lost three in a row and four of five. Boston was coming off a dismal 5-0 loss Tuesday night at Florida. “Tonight is a little more disappointing (than frustrating), to be honest with you,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We were right there.” Point got his 21st goal, including seven over his last eight games, to tie it 1-all with 5:01 left in the first. Nikita Kucherov set up the goal with a backhand pass and has 20 assists and 25 points in his last 12 games. Pastrnak got his 20th goal in his 28th game this season on a rebound 2:04 in. Jaromir Jagr — on four occasions — is the only Czech-born player to reach the 20-goal mark in fewer games. Domingue made a pad save on a late first-period breakaway by Pastrnak, who went to his backhand. “I was pretty lucky,” Domingue said. “I probably should have known that he didn’t have the room to cut to his forehand. Sometimes you’ve got to be lucky to be good.” Pastrnak also had an assist. Boston activated defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who had been sidelined since Oct. 20 due to a concussion. The injury-depleted Bruins are still without center Patrice Bergeron (ribs), and defensemen Zdeno Chara (lower body), Kevan Miller (throat) and Urho Vaakanainen (concussion). “We weren’t quite there yet, but much better than Florida,” Cassidy said. “We had a few passengers. You can’t afford that against the No. 1 team.” NOTES: Krejci tied Bruins president Cam Neely for 10th place in team history with 590 points. Neely was at the game. ... The Bruins claimed forward Gemel Smith off waivers from Dallas, sent D Connor Clifton to Providence of the AHL and placed Miller on injured reserve. Miller, hurt on Nov. 26, will be re-evaluated in four weeks. ... Tampa Bay D Anton Stralman (upper body) missed his 14th straight game and is not practicing. His status is being reviewed on a weekly basis. Bruins: Return home to play Toronto on Saturday night. Lightning: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7248
__label__wiki	0.823592	0.823592	Andrew Maynard \| Austin Maynard Architects Andrew is a Tasmanian now living and working in Fitzroy, Australia. Andrew Maynard Architects (AMA) was established in 2002 after Andrew won the Asia Pacific Design Award's grand prize for his mobile work station, THE DESIGN POD. Andrew Maynard Architects was established to strike a balance between built projects and bold, polemical design studies. The resulting highly crafted built work and socio-political concepts have garnered global recognition. THE AGE newspaper says of Andrew: “His concepts include a man-eating robot, a bicycle made of plywood and “Poop House” - a structure made from human excrement. Images of the archetypal mad scientist spring to mind, but architect Andrew Maynard, like his designs, comes across as measured and eloquent.” Andrew’s work has been published globally and has been exhibited worldwide from New York, Budapest and Osaka; to Milan, Sao Paulo and Tokyo. Introduced by Mr Derren Lowe, Architecture lecturer and head of the Bachelor of Design (Architecture) program at UON. The School of Architecture & Built Environment Lecture Series showcases a wide range of projects, global trends and practice styles from local, national and international industry experts within the Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design and Construction Management professions. The fortnightly lecture series provides valuable exposure and insight to the professions as well as networking opportunities for students, industry and the local community.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7253
__label__cc	0.679324	0.320676	Linda Chaput Chaput Chief Executive Officer, Agile Mind Linda Chaput is the founder and chief executive officer of Agile Mind, Inc., an education company that has pioneered the application of emerging technologies to transform the teaching and learning of mathematics and science in middle and high schools. The company works closely with leading researchers and educators among them, The Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin, the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), The Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative to develop instructional and assessment programs, tools, reports, and professional services, and partners with school districts to implement them. The results: dramatically improved outcomes in student engagement and achievement, as well as teacher effectiveness and satisfaction. Almost 4 million adolescent learners and 35,000 educators have participated in Agile Mind programs since its founding. The company hosts one of the largest repositories of data on student learning of mathematics and social-emotional and noncognitive concepts in the country. These data are used by researchers for continuous improvement and to deepen the research base for those working to foster high achievement, especially in school systems serving highly diverse, low-income populations. Before founding Agile Mind, Linda founded and led Cogito, which developed supplemental digital resources for critical competency subjects in higher education. Earlier, for almost a decade, Linda led the education and reference publishing companies of Scientific American, a leading publisher of books, magazines, software, and other educational, reference, and recreational materials for college students, professionals, and other interested readers of science, mathematics, and medicine. She is a Fellow of the 16th class of the Pahara - Aspen Education Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7260
__label__wiki	0.789904	0.789904	Dimitar Bechev Tensions with the West do Turkey no good Turkey’s principal foreign policy asset used to be its close ties with the West. Membership in NATO along with its advanced level of integration with the European Union set apart Turkey from the bulk of its neighbours. The Western connection facilitated Turkish outreach to the Middle East, the post-Soviet space and the Balkans. But that is history now. In the coming weeks, we might bear witness to Turkey becoming target of sanctions from both the United States and the EU. The U.S.-Turkish rift has been debated ad nauseam for years in think tank papers, op-eds, and on social media. But matters are coming to a head now. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is adamant that Russian S-400 missiles will be delivered next month. In response, the United States is to trigger the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Senior Pentagon officials have indicated that the list of Turkish firms to be targeted goes beyond those cooperating with Lockheed Martin in the F-35 fighter jet consortium. The impact will likely be felt across Turkey’s defence industry. Short of a last-minute miracle compromise, such a move would seriously downgrade relations between NATO allies. In effect, Turkey would be put in the same basket as Russia, Iran and North Korea. While its NATO membership will not be terminated, as some hawks in Washington as well as Turkish ultranationalists wish, Turkey would remain an ally in name only. To see how that the drift will play out, it is important to pay attention to the small print: how Turkey positions itself in various NATO initiatives. The exclusion of Turkish pilots from the F-35 training programme (a bilateral issue between Turkey and the United States, rather than a NATO scheme) gives us some flavour of what is to come. One thing to watch, no doubt, is the Turkish contribution to NATO’s “tailored forward presence” in the Black Sea aimed at containing Russia. Turkey is participating in this year’s Saber Guardian, a biannual military exercise hosted by Romania and Bulgaria. But it has never been at the forefront of such activities, fearful of antagonising Russia. On the positive side, U.S. Air Forces Europe Commander General Tod D. Wolters has stated that there are no plans to relocate the powerful early-warning radar stationed at the Kurecik base near Malatya in eastern Turkey. U.S. F-35s are taking part in an exercise in Turkey this week. Last but not least, European allies such as Spain and Italy, which have surface-to-air missile batteries deployed on Turkish soil, have renewed offers to continue cooperation with Turkey. But in parallel, Turkey is facing off with the EU. Greece and Cyprus have raised alarms over Turkish offshore drilling for oil and gas in the divided island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Greeks are also concerned about possible drilling in the waters around the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo which is only some 2 km from the Turkish coast. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who is heading for early elections on July 7 is pushing together with Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades for a robust response, as the EU leaders gather for a two-day summit this week. Whether that means the insertion of strong language in the European Council’s communiqué or concrete, legally binding measures to sanction Turkey remains to be seen. But moving maritime disputes up the long list of contentious issues polarising EU-Turkish relations does not bode well. The rising tensions between Athens and Ankara also means that the positive momentum generated by Tsipras’ visit to Turkey in February has been squandered. Tsipras’ Syriza party, for all its flaws, was committed to resolving problems with Greece’s neighbours, but is now on its way out. The centre-right New Democracy is taking a hawkish stance. The new government headed by New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis is likely to be tough on Turkey. Mitsotakis will embrace and try to build upon the remarkable improvement in relations with the United States forged by Tsipras. Greece’s alliance with Israel also bolsters its position in the eastern Mediterranean. “Turkey is weak and isolated,” Tsipras opined in a recent TV interview. No doubt Mitsotakis shares this analysis, too. With the EU and the United States on their side, Greek policymakers are probably betting on Erdoğan giving in and offering concessions rather than the other way around. The doomsday scenario – Turkey out of NATO and a complete breakdown in ties with the EU – might not come to pass. Both Erdoğan and Turkey’s Western partners have powerful interests in keep tensions under control, but it is obvious that Turkish foreign policy is in a bind. Issues with both Europe and the United States limit Turkey’s room for manoeuvre and give advantage to its competitors. Erdoğan's Turkey is drifting away from West - Ekathimerini Turkey's western allies arm ''terrorists'' targeting Muslims, says President Erdoğan	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7262
__label__wiki	0.632048	0.632048	Aegean Airlines Announces Airbus A320neo Deal June 27, 2018 Akhil Dewan News A line of Aegean aircraft on the ground in Athens (Photo: AirlineGeeks \| Mateen Kontoravdis) Earlier this year, Aegean Airlines signed an MoU with Airbus for 30 brand new Airbus A320neo aircraft. Recently the Athens-based carrier has announced that is has firmed up a deal worth $5.8 billion with Airbus to purchase up to 42 new Airbus A320neo aircraft. According to a statement from Airbus, the order will allow the Greek carrier to add 20 A320neo aircraft and 10 A321neo aircraft with options for a further 12 A320neo aircraft to its fleet. Aegean expects to take delivery of the aircraft between 2020 and 2025. In a joint ceremony with Airbus, Aegean chairman Eftichios Vassilakis said, “Our agreement with Airbus augments Aegean’s capacity for development along with a trusted, long-standing partner. We invest in the bestselling A320neo Family to enhance our competitiveness and to further improve our service offering to our passengers. We believe in the ability of our people to excel in what they do and they deserve to best the hardware for the job.” Currently, Aegean operates an all-Airbus fleet of 49 aircraft, with 37 A320s, 11 A321s, and one A319. Financially, the airline has been on somewhat of a roller coaster as the carrier tries to keep up with the economic situation in Greece while competing with other low-cost carriers who have drastically increased their presence at Greece’s airports, such as Ryanair, easyJet, and WizzAir. The carrier has posted consistent losses for some time and its business model of operating as a primarily leisure-oriented Greek/European carrier has not helped due to a weak domestic market in Greece. However, in 2017, the carrier posted its first €1 billion in revenue, up over 6% from the $983 million in revenue for 2015. On top of that, the carrier has expanded its route network significantly over the past three years, adding destinations in Egypt, France, and Scandinavia. The airline has continued to grow as it works to strengthen its brand throughout Europe. In 2012, Aegean acquired the debt-stricken Olympic Air which operated as an island-hopper airline with turboprop aircraft. Today, Aegean is Greece’s largest and most prominent airline. The airline has also been voted the Best Regional Airline in Europe by Skytrax. “Aegean Airlines is a great example of a resilient and superbly managed airline. It has weathered the country’s financial crisis and come out of it much stronger than before. Moreover, Aegean’s customer focus and attention to service excellence have made the company one of the most awarded airlines in terms of customer satisfaction. We are extremely proud Aegean has selected Airbus to boost the efficiency of their future fleet.” said Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus. The carrier has also stated that it plans to invest $35 million to construct a new, 39,370 square foot state-of-the-art flight and cabin crew training center close to Athens International Airport. Akhil Dewan An “AvGeek” for most of his life, Akhil has always been drawn to aviation. If there is an opportunity to read about an airline, fly on a new airplane, or talk to anyone about aviation, he is on it. Akhil has been on over 20 different kinds of aircraft, his favorite being the MD-80. Additionally, he has visited 5 continents and plans to knock out the remaining two (Africa and Antarctica) soon. Based in Dallas, Akhil graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Management Information Systems and currently works in consulting. His dream is to become an airline executive. Latest posts by Akhil Dewan (see all) ALPA Releases Statement Warning of Single-Pilot Aircraft - July 18, 2019 Delta Debuts New A330-900neo Early on Seattle to Shanghai Route - July 11, 2019 Boeing Pledges Support to Those Affected by 737 MAX Accidents - July 4, 2019 Silver Airways Cancels Branson Service Before Start August 6, 2018 Daniel Morley Qatar to Build A350XWB Stronghold at New York-JFK August 2, 2018 Thomas Pallini Emirates Chief Executive Backs Qantas’ Australia – United Kingdom Route October 13, 2016 James Dinsdale Google: Google Please take a look at the web pages we adhere to, including this one particular, because it represents… TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Western Pacific Airlines #TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Ted Airlines A First-Hand Perspective: Onboard KLM’s Final Fokker 70 Flight from London to Amsterdam A Personal Essay: Living the Dream of an AvGeek Working at an Airport BA2276: “The Las Vegas Miracle?” A Pilot’s Perspective	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7263
__label__cc	0.740777	0.259223	Home AJWS Blog Mobilizing Latin America’s Indigenous Communities on International Day of Action for Rivers March 14, 2018 \| Blog Mobilizing Latin America’s Indigenous Communities on International Day of Action for Rivers Posted by Rebecca Reeve “What these water companies do not want to understand, is that for us, water has no price, it is not merchandise, and it is not for sale. Water is sacred and it gives us life because without water we would not exist and there would not exist all the nature that gives us joy”. –Aura Cumes Puente de Paz This year on March 14, in honor and celebration of the International Day of Action for Rivers, thousands of people around the globe are organizing for river restoration, protection from harmful projects like mega-dams, and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples who depend upon rivers for their survival. As the international community seeks new “clean” sources of renewable energy, gigantic hydroelectric dam projects are multiplying on just about every continent. Mega-dams, often touted by governments and corporations as evidence of economic growth and development, have disastrous environmental and social impacts. Not only do they increase carbon and methane emissions by drowning forests and damaging biological diversity, but they often displace indigenous peoples from the land their ancestors have inhabited for generations. These communities’ livelihoods and cultures are deeply connected to their rivers. According to International Rivers, dams have displaced some 40-80 million people worldwide. To compound the problem, these dams are often build without consent from communities or reparation for those who were displaced. Dam Resistance in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Puente de Paz A History of Destructive Dams in Latin America Communities affected by dams have been organizing at the local and national level across Latin America to claim their land and water rights, and to seek alternatives to this dominant energy model. Unsurprisingly, these public mobilizations have not been taken well by State and corporate actors who have a vested interest in the expansion of hydroelectric power in Latin America. Mega-dams have a violent and corrupt history in the region. Permits for dam construction are often issued to companies led by relatives of those in power, and most times without proper Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). Hundreds of Indigenous People opposing the Chixoy Dam in Guatemala were murdered in the 1980s by military forces. The Yacreta Dam on the Argentina-Paraguay border displaced 15,000 people, plunged surrounding communities into poverty, all while corrupt authorities pilfered hundreds of millions of dollars intended for community social and environmental programs. As hydropower initiatives expand across the continent, so too have instances of persecution, criminalization of protest, arrests and assassinations of protest leaders, intrusive government surveillance and intimidation threats of torture, disappearances and murders, and mass displacement of protesting communities. Building an Indigenous Peoples Movement Against Dams in Latin America Community Organizing Training with Dam-Affected Communities in Guatemala. Photo courtesy of Puente de Paz Despite the danger to their personal safety, people in Latin America have learned the value of public protests and awareness raising to protect themselves, their rights, and their futures. This is where AJWS and Movimiento de Afectados por Represas de America Latina (MAR), come in. MAR, whose name in English translates to the Movement of Dam-Affected People of Latin America, is at the forefront of organizing against the construction of hydropower dams in Latin America. In honor of the International Day of Action for Rivers, MAR is training people across Latin America on political organizing skills, specifically how to document evidence of rights violations by companies and the governments that are involved in hydropower projects. MAR works directly with affected communities to raise awareness of the negative impacts of hydropower dams and conducts trainings with communities about their rights to free, prior, and informed consent and consultation. MAR also helps to organize and execute public protests with dam-affected communities in front of government ministries and construction companies. Ultimately, MAR works to curate the common message around which dam-affected communities organize, and provides support for them to mobilize against corporate overreach. AJWS’s grantmaking strategy seeks to amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples’ movements across the region that are advocating for more ecologically sustainable, rights-respecting models of development. MAR’s movement-building work brings renewed strength and hope to a region all too familiar with the harmful impacts of “clean” hydropower. As the International Day of Action for Rivers arrives on March 14, AJWS is proud to support groups that are working to support marginalized communities’ land and water rights. Rebecca Reeve is the Program Associate for Land, Water and Climate Justice. More stories from the Land Water and Climate Justice collection “I want my children to have our land back”: Reflections from Guatemala Sandra Caled was born on a day believed to be special on the Mayan calendar:… Defending Land for Rural Farmers in Burma Although the majority of Burma’s people live off the land, few Burmese laws give them… “Our vision is for a more just and equitable society”: Reflections from Guatemala Nikhil Aziz, Director of Natural Resource Rights at AJWS, visited AJWS’s grantee organizations in Guatemala and has… See all of the stories in the Land Water and Climate Justice collection Indigenous and Rural Communities in Guatemala Demand Their Natural Resource Rights On March 19th, 1,500 rural and indigenous community members in Guatemala began marching for nine consecutive days to defend their natural resource rights. Tragically, state-sanctioned practices are destroying forests and mountains, contaminating rivers and water…	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7264
__label__wiki	0.995947	0.995947	'I couldn't do that': Israel Folau's bombshell new claim against Rugby Australia Israel Folau says he was “backed into a corner” by Rugby Australia, claiming he was offered money to remove the controversial Instagram post that sparked his downfall. But the governing body has emphatically denied they proposed paying Folau to delete the post. The sacked Wallabies player is hoping for an apology from Rugby Australia when he meets with officials from the body at the Fair Work Commission on Friday. "I'm hopeful for an apology from them and admission that they were wrong," Folau told Sky News on Thursday. "That would be something that I would like to get." STUNNING: Folau answers to ‘greed’ criticism RA sacked Folau after taking issue with a social media post by the committed Christian in April that was condemned as homophobic. Folau had paraphrased a Bible passage saying "drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters" would go to hell unless they repented. He has launched legal proceedings with the Fair Work Commission against the body, arguing he was unfairly dismissed on religious grounds. Folau is seeking $10 million in damages from RA and wants his multimillion-dollar contract reinstated after it was pulled by the association. Folau said RA had offered him money to remove the post that caused the issue, but he declined to do so. Israel Folau says he is seeking an apology from Rugby Australia. Pic: Getty He said sharing the Bible and its passages is part of his duty as a Christian. "I couldn't do that as a person that's convicted by my faith. I couldn't live with that," Folau said. "It certainly comes from a place of love and it's nothing personal." He added: “I felt like I was backed into a corner, into a boundary, where I was put into one side, a compromise to agree to what they were asking. But in the end I couldn't do it because my faith was most important.” Folau’s claim was rubbished by Rugby Australia soon after his appearance on Sky News. “Any suggestion that Rugby Australia offered Israel Folau money to remove a post made on April 10, 2019, is completely untrue,” he said. ‘Share in love’ Folau said he understood how people could be hurt by what he posted. "I can certainly see it from both sides," he said. "If I had a child that was a drug addict, I would certainly still love my child without anything attached to that. "It's something that I'm trying to share in love and that's the way I look at it in terms of sharing the Bible and the passages with my fellow men each day." The player and Rugby Australia representatives will meet at the Fair Work Commission on Friday for the next step in their legal stoush. The meeting comes as a campaign to raise funds to support Folau's case was "paused" after donations topped $2 million. Raelene Castle has butted heads with Israel Folau ahead of their Fair Work Commission fight. Pic: Getty The Australian Christian Lobby, which set up the fundraiser on its website, said the flow of donations since it was opened on Tuesday had been overwhelming. More than 20,000 people had donated more than $2.2 million by Thursday morning. Former employers criticise fundraising efforts An apology is unlikely to arrive, with Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle reiterating Folau had his contract terminated as an 'employment matter'. Castle said in a statement to rugby fans on Thursday that Folau was not sacked simply because he shared religious messages. "I want to make clear that Rugby Australia has acted with complete professionalism and integrity at all times through the process by which Israel was found, by an independent three-member tribunal panel, to have made multiple, serious breaches of the Professional Players Code of Conduct," the CEO said. "The panel found the breaches constituted a high level and directed Rugby Australia to terminate Israel’s contract. "This is an employment matter and does not concern his religious beliefs or his ability to express them freely. If some of you follow Israel’s social accounts, you will have noticed he has posted religious material freely and openly over the last few years.”	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7267
__label__cc	0.581759	0.418241	https://alphauniverse.media.zestyio.com/McLain-Composite-1a.be110857376e1c1dc5afaa178864837f.jpg Going Pro With David McLain: Point Of View Matters Author David McLain David McLain is one of the greatest photographers of his generation. He shoots assignments around the world for National Geographic and he creates feature-length documentaries and short films. His 2016 award-winning documentary Bounce (created with Jerome Thelia) explores why we play ball. In his storied career, McLain has developed and stuck with a core set of principles. In this 6-part series, we'll explore how those principals shaped his images and his success as a professional photographer and filmmaker and how you can apply them to your own career. How you see the world and what you have to say about it (also known as point of view) is the single most valuable asset you have as a photographer. Developing a strong point of view has as much to do with what you read, think, and have seen as it does with how much time you have spent behind the camera. There are lots of photographers who can shoot nice pictures but far fewer who have a strong point of view. Spend as much time developing your point of view as you do thinking about the technical aspects of photography. Take a look at the great photographers (I’m biased, but National Geographic has a lot of them) and think about how their images reflect a strong and particular point of view. Where you live, the way you grew up, who your peer group is, what your personal interests are, and what kind of things and subjects you are attracted to all work together to make you who you are. For me, empathy and respect for all different kinds of people coupled with an optimistic outlook on life form the bedrock of my own point of view. Photography is just a vehicle to explore these interests, not an ends to itself. Take a look at the images above and think about how they reflect my particular point of view. What’s your point of view and what do you need to do to continually nurture and develop it? How can you use your love of photography to be a reflection of this point of view? The more time you spend exploring these questions the stronger your work will become as a photographer. Follow David McLain on Instagram @mclain.david and see more of his work at www.davidmclain.com Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA David McLain David McLain built his chops the old fashioned way—shooting feature length assignments around the world for National Geographic Magazine. The stories varied but the mandate was always the same: work with every kind of person under any kind of condition and create timeless yet contemporary images for a client with the highest visual standards on earth. Over the past decade, David has become increasingly interested in cinematography through an ongoing collaboration with colorist and post-production expert Jerome Thelia. Together they co-own the boutique production company Merge and recently finished their first feature documentary BOUNCE which premiered at SXSW. David’s experience as a National Geographic photographer and documentary filmmaker informs his commercial work. He has spent his life capturing real moments and understand how to blend art direction with just the right amount of improvisation. He is naturally drawn to brands who have great stories to tell and want to create imagery that makes people feel inspired, not sold to. David continually marvel at how endless the opportunities are. Now is the time to start exploring them. What's In My Bag: How David McLain Travels The World Tia Blanco's My Journey In 4K A Matter of Perspective: Patience	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7271
__label__wiki	0.620858	0.620858	The sale was to take place on the 16th. A day's interval had been left between the visiting days and the sale, in order to give time for taking down the hangings, curtains, etc. I had just returned from abroad. It was natural that I had not heard of Marguerite's death among the pieces of news which one's friends always tell on returning after an absence. Marguerite was a pretty woman; but though the life of such women makes sensation enough, their death makes very little. They are suns which set as they rose, unobserved. Their death, when they die young, is heard of by all their lovers at the same moment, for in Paris almost all the lovers of a well-known woman are friends. A few recollections are exchanged, and everybody's life goes on as if the incident had never occurred, without so much as a tear. Nowadays, at twenty-five, tears have become so rare a thing that they are not to be squandered indiscriminately. It is the most that can be expected if the parents who pay for being wept over are wept over in return for the price they pay. As for me, though my initials did not occur on any of Marguerite's belongings, that instinctive indulgence, that natural pity that I have already confessed, set me thinking over her death, more perhaps than it was worth thinking over. I remembered having often met Marguerite in the Bois, where she went regularly every day in a little blue coupe drawn by two magnificent bays, and I had noticed in her a distinction quite apart from other women of her kind, a distinction which was enhanced by a really exceptional beauty. These unfortunate creatures whenever they go out are always accompanied by somebody or other. As no man cares to make himself conspicuous by being seen in their company, and as they are afraid of solitude, they take with them either those who are not well enough off to have a carriage, or one or another of those elegant, ancient ladies, whose elegance is a little inexplicable, and to whom one can always go for information in regard to the women whom they accompany. In Marguerite's case it was quite different. She was always alone when she drove in the Champs-Elysees, lying back in her carriage as much as possible, dressed in furs in winter, and in summer wearing very simple dresses; and though she often passed people whom she knew, her smile, when she chose to smile, was seen only by them, and a duchess might have smiled in just such a manner. She did not drive to and fro like the others, from the Rond-Point to the end of the Champs-Elysees. She drove straight to the Bois. There she left her carriage, walked for an hour, returned to her carriage, and drove rapidly home. All these circumstances which I had so often witnessed came back to my memory, and I regretted her death as one might regret the destruction of a beautiful work of art. It was impossible to see more charm in beauty than in that of Marguerite. Excessively tall and thin, she had in the fullest degree the art of repairing this oversight of Nature by the mere arrangement of the things she wore. Her cashmere reached to the ground, and showed on each side the large flounces of a silk dress, and the heavy muff which she held pressed against her bosom was surrounded by such cunningly arranged folds that the eye, however exacting, could find no fault with the contour of the lines. Her head, a marvel, was the object of the most coquettish care. It was small, and her mother, as Musset would say, seemed to have made it so in order to make it with care. Set, in an oval of indescribable grace, two black eyes, surmounted by eyebrows of so pure a curve that it seemed as if painted; veil these eyes with lovely lashes, which, when drooped, cast their shadow on the rosy hue of the cheeks; trace a delicate, straight nose, the nostrils a little open, in an ardent aspiration toward the life of the senses; design a regular mouth, with lips parted graciously over teeth as white as milk; colour the skin with the down of a peach that no hand has touched, and you will have the general aspect of that charming countenance. The hair, black as jet, waving naturally or not, was parted on the forehead in two large folds and draped back over the head, leaving in sight just the tip of the ears, in which there glittered two diamonds, worth four to five thousand francs each. How it was that her ardent life had left on Marguerite's face the virginal, almost childlike expression, which characterized it, is a problem which we can but state, without attempting to solve it. Marguerite had a marvellous portrait of herself, by Vidal, the only man whose pencil could do her justice. I had this portrait by me for a few days after her death, and the likeness was so astonishing that it has helped to refresh my memory in regard to some points which I might not otherwise have remembered. Some among the details of this chapter did not reach me until later, but I write them here so as not to be obliged to return to them when the story itself has begun. Marguerite was always present at every first night, and passed every evening either at the theatre or the ball. Whenever there was a new piece she was certain to be seen, and she invariably had three things with her on the ledge of her ground-floor box: her opera-glass, a bag of sweets, and a bouquet of camellias. For twenty-five days of the month the camellias were white, and for five they were red; no one ever knew the reason of this change of colour, which I mention though I can not explain it; it was noticed both by her friends and by the habitue's of the theatres to which she most often went. She was never seen with any flowers but camellias. At the florist's, Madame Barjon's, she had come to be called "the Lady of the Camellias," and the name stuck to her. Like all those who move in a certain set in Paris, I knew that Marguerite had lived with some of the most fashionable young men in society, that she spoke of it openly, and that they themselves boasted of it; so that all seemed equally pleased with one another. Nevertheless, for about three years, after a visit to Bagnees, she was said to be living with an old duke, a foreigner, enormously rich, who had tried to remove her as far as possible from her former life, and, as it seemed, entirely to her own satisfaction. This is what I was told on the subject. In the spring of 1847 Marguerite was so ill that the doctors ordered her to take the waters, and she went to Bagneres. Among the invalids was the daughter of this duke; she was not only suffering from the same complaint, but she was so like Marguerite in appearance that they might have been taken for sisters; the young duchess was in the last stage of consumption, and a few days after Marguerite's arrival she died. One morning, the duke, who had remained at Bagneres to be near the soil that had buried a part of his heart, caught sight of Marguerite at a turn of the road. He seemed to see the shadow of his child, and going up to her, he took her hands, embraced and wept over her, and without even asking her who she was, begged her to let him love in her the living image of his dead child. Marguerite, alone at Bagneres with her maid, and not being in any fear of compromising herself, granted the duke's request. Some people who knew her, happening to be at Bagneres, took upon themselves to explain Mademoiselle Gautier's true position to the duke. It was a blow to the old man, for the resemblance with his daughter was ended in one direction, but it was too late. She had become a necessity to his heart, his only pretext, his only excuse, for living. He made no reproaches, he had indeed no right to do so, but he asked her if she felt herself capable of changing her mode of life, offering her in return for the sacrifice every compensation that she could desire. She consented. It must be said that Marguerite was just then very ill. The past seemed to her sensitive nature as if it were one of the main causes of her illness, and a sort of superstition led her to hope that God would restore to her both health and beauty in return for her repentance and conversion. By the end of the summer, the waters, sleep, the natural fatigue of long walks, had indeed more or less restored her health. The duke accompanied her to Paris, where he continued to see her as he had done at Bagneres. This liaison, whose motive and origin were quite unknown, caused a great sensation, for the duke, already known for his immense fortune, now became known for his prodigality. All this was set down to the debauchery of a rich old man, and everything was believed except the truth. The father's sentiment for Marguerite had, in truth, so pure a cause that anything but a communion of hearts would have seemed to him a kind of incest, and he had never spoken to her a word which his daughter might not have heard. Far be it from me to make out our heroine to be anything but what she was. As long as she remained at Bagneres, the promise she had made to the duke had not been hard to keep, and she had kept it; but, once back in Paris, it seemed to her, accustomed to a life of dissipation, of balls, of orgies, as if the solitude, only interrupted by the duke's stated visits, would kill her with boredom, and the hot breath of her old life came back across her head and heart. We must add that Marguerite had returned more beautiful than she had ever been; she was but twenty, and her malady, sleeping but not subdued, continued to give her those feverish desires which are almost always the result of diseases of the chest. It was a great grief to the duke when his friends, always on the lookout for some scandal on the part of the woman with whom, it seemed to them, he was compromising himself, came to tell him, indeed to prove to him, that at times when she was sure of not seeing him she received other visits, and that these visits were often prolonged till the following day. On being questioned, Marguerite admitted everything to the duke, and advised him, without arriere-pensee, to concern himself with her no longer, for she felt incapable of carrying out what she had undertaken, and she did not wish to go on accepting benefits from a man whom she was deceiving. The duke did not return for a week; it was all he could do, and on the eighth day he came to beg Marguerite to let him still visit her, promising that he would take her as she was, so long as he might see her, and swearing that he would never utter a reproach against her, not though he were to die of it. This, then, was the state of things three months after Marguerite's return; that is to say, in November or December, 1842.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7273
__label__cc	0.747253	0.252747	Congratulations! After Moody’s, Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank (“GRCB”) receives credit ratings from S&P Global Ratings with AMTD as Sole Rating Advisor, which is the only regional bank with two international investment grade credit rating On May 3rd, 2018, AMTD, serving as the Sole Rating Advisor, assisted Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank (GRCB) in receiving its second credit rating. After obtaining BAA2 rating from Moody’s, the highest rating achieved among Chinese regional banks, GRCB continued to secure the long-term / short-term deposit ratings of BBB- / A-3 assigned by S&P Global Ratings (S&P). So far, GRCB has become the only Chinese bank that receives investment grade credit ratings from two international rating agencies. Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank is China's fourth-largest rural commercial bank (in terms of Tier 1 capital) and the largest rural commercial bank in Guangdong Province. Rooted in Guangzhou, it radiates across the country, with significant geographical advantages and strong development strength. The history of Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank can be traced back to the first rural credit cooperative in Guangzhou established in 1952. It was restructured and initiated in 2009 and has a history of over 66 years. According to the 2016 “Global Bank Top 1000” ranking published by “The Banker” of the UK, in terms of Tier 1 capital, Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank ranked 203th among global commercial banks and 30th among Chinese commercial banks. At the same time, Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank is also ranked 89th in the list of Asian Banker magazine's “2016 Top 500 Asian Banks”, ranking No. 2 among the selected banking institutions in Guangdong. S&P pointed out in its press release that GRCB, based in the wealthy first-tier city Guangzhou, has strong and stable standing in retail banking, enjoys long term support from the government and is expected to develop stably and healthily. Assigning a stable outlook to GRCB indicates that it can carry on its current business development strategy in the next 12-24 months while having enough capital reserves to cushion the potential economic risks on the macro-level and industry-level. AMTD has established a close and long-term cooperative relationship with Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank. In June 2017, AMTD was appointed as the Sole Financial Advisor, Joint Global Coordinator, Joint Bookrunner and Joint Lead Manager of Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank's H-share IPO, assisting the bank to debut successfully in the international capital market. The bank raised more than RMB 1 billion from its IPO, which became one of the largest bank IPO in Hong Kong market in 2017. In this transaction, AMTD served as the Sole Rating Advisor, prepared for rating work, coordinated the requests of rating agencies, helped the bank successfully obtaining the ratings, and achieved great success. As an Sole Rating Advisor of Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank, AMTD prepared targeted rating strategy, detailed implementation schedule, and a list of information requirements for rating agencies. AMTD also provided professional advice on the overall planning of the project and simultaneously assisted the bank to prepare detailed presentation materials and financial models, coordinated the overall rating presentations, actively encouraged the communication among parties and helped the rating agencies to achieve comprehensive understanding of the banks. In addition, AMTD team also actively coordinated interview meetings with relevant government departments to assist the rating agencies in conducting full due diligence on the banks and their related parties. AMTD has achieved remarkable services to Chinese banks. Prior to this, AMTD assisted local banks including Bank of Qingdao, Bank of Tianjin, Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank, Zhongyuan Bank, Bank of Zhengzhou, Bank of Jinzhou and other regional banks to successfully complete Hong Kong IPO and preference shares issuance, and assisted China Minsheng Bank Corp., Ltd., Hong Kong Branch, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Hong Kong Branch and other national joint-equity banks in completing the issuance of U.S. dollar bonds. AMTD has rich experience in project implementation and professional service capabilities, forming a unique "regional bank +" ecosystem.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7276
__label__wiki	0.815181	0.815181	Walmart.com starts selling used games, but doesn’t buy them After months of buying used games, Wal-Mart has finally started selling them … Michael Thompson - Oct 2, 2009 8:55 pm UTC It's been known for a while that retail giant Walmart is planning to get in on the used game market, following the examples of other companies like GameStop, Amazon, and Toys 'R' Us. While the company has been acquiring used games for several months, it's just been revealed that Walmart.com has finally started selling these titles. Back in May, it was revealed that Walmart had placed automated trade-in kiosks for customers to use in stores. Walmart.com is only selling pre-owned games, though; as opposed to some other sites, there isn't any system in place for customers to trade in their titles via the Web. Looking through the list of pre-owned games for sale, the prices appear comparable to other retailers' used game prices; the site says that these games are guaranteed to play and have the same return policy as new titles. So far, the catalog of used games isn't immense, but it seems to be of a decent size and contains items for both the current and previous generation of consoles. For more information about Walmart.com's used games or to see what's available, check out the store's official site.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7285
__label__cc	0.523104	0.476896	IMF Staff papers : Volume 38 No. 3 International Monetary Fund. Research Dept. Trade liberalization in developing countries is frequently opposed on the grounds that, because it is likely to cause a deterioration in the external balance, it may not be a viable policy option for countries facing foreign exchange constraints. Recent literature suggests, however, an ambiguous relationship between tariff changes and the current account. This paper shows that if liberalization involves reducing tariffs on imported intermediate inputs (a reform that has figured prominently in developing countries), then the current account may improve or deteriorate, depending on the level of initial trade distortions and the structure of the economy.[JEL F13, F32, F41] IMF Staff Papers, Volume 38, No. 03, 1991 Trade Liberalization in Developing Countries Capital Controls and the Gains from Trade in a Business Cycle Model of a Small Open Economy Fiscal Policy, the Real Exchange Rate, and Commodity Prices Structural Models of the Dollar Alternative Dual Exchange Market Regimes: Some Steady-State Comparisons Financial Market Volatility Stability of Velocity in the Major Industrial Countries: A Kalman Filter Approach The Optimal Mix of Inflationary Finance and Commodity Taxation with Collection Lags Shorter Papers and Comments: The Simplest Test of Target Zone Credibility The 1990 Reform of U.K. Local Authority Finance—An Alternative Analysis: Comment on Bayoumi The 1990 Reform of U.K. Local Authority Finance—An Alternative Analysis: Reply to Barnett and Smith I. Alternative Dual Exchange Market Regimes Reserves Adjustment Model Reserves Rationing Model II. Economic Policy Under Dual Exchange Market Regimes Comparison Across Regimes III. Unification of the Foreign Exchange Markets Floating Exchange Rate Model Crawling Peg Exchange Rate Model A large number of developing countries operate dual exchange market regimes.1 The typical arrangement involves an official market in which the exchange rate is determined by the authorities, and a second market in which the exchange rate is determined by market forces. The official market usually channels all the transactions of the public sector and some selected transactions of the private sector, while the second market channels the remaining transactions. The specific operation of the official market varies among countries, particularly with respect to the principles governing central bank sales of foreign exchange to the private sector. The rules for central bank purchases of foreign exchange from the private sector are similar for most countries. The authorities usually specify some type of export whose proceeds must be surrendered at the official exchange rate, and the central bank buys all the foreign exchange that is offered at that price. In contrast, the rules for central bank sales of foreign exchange to the private sector differ among countries, usually obeying one of two basic arrangements. Under one of the arrangements, the authorities specify the types of imports that have access to foreign exchange at the official exchange rate, and the central bank is committed to sell alt the foreign exchange that is demanded at that price. In this case, the official market clears through changes in international reserves. Under the alternative arrangement, the authorities protect international reserves by implementing a rationing scheme in the official market. Under this scheme, the central bank first allocates to the public sector the foreign exchange needed for its imports, and then sells to the private sector the remaining proceeds from exports surrendered in the official market. In this way, international reserves remain constant.2 This paper discusses the similarities and differences between these two arrangements with respect to the effects of various economic policies, including the unification of the exchange markets. Although both exchange arrangements have been examined in the literature, sometimes using similar models, their implications have not been explicitly compared.3 Furthermore, a transparent and comprehensive comparison based on existing results is difficult, since previous models generally used different assumptions and discussed different sets of policies. Using a uniform model for examining both arrangements allows for a direct comparison of results for a broad range of policies, a comparison that is free from effects due to differences in assumptions. The discussion focuses on the effects of various policies on the rate of inflation, on the spread between the free and the official exchange rate, on the real exchange rate, and on the balance of payments, under the two exchange regimes. It also examines the inflationary consequences of unifying the exchange markets, and the consequences for the exchange rate spread of adopting a rationing scheme in an economy that was operating a dual exchange market without rationing. In all these cases, the discussion refers to steady-state effects–that is, to effects that take place in the long run after all real variables have adjusted to their new stationary levels. Consequently, there is no discussion of the dynamics between steady states, which depend crucially on assumptions about the formation of expectations, and on the speed of adjustment in the various markets. The model in this paper is based on similar models that have been used to analyze these exchange arrangements.4 The structure of the model is kept as simple as possible, while still allowing for a discussion of the relevant issues.5 The results of the paper indicate that the qualitative effects on inflation, on the spread between the exchange rates, and on the real exchange rate are the same for both exchange regimes for most of the policies considered. They also indicate that the effect of unification on the rate of inflation depends on the spread between the exchange rates for the “reserves rationing” regime, and on the balance of payments and the spread between the exchange rates for the “reserves adjustment” regime. The elasticity of the demand for money is also relevant in both cases. The effect on the spread of switching from a reserves adjustment regime to a reserves rationing regime depends on the balance of payments prior to the switch. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section I presents the model of the economy and obtains the conditions for steady-state equilibrium for both exchange regimes. Section II derives the effects of a variety of policies and compares those effects across dual exchange market regimes. Section III examines the inflationary consequences of unifying the exchange markets. It also discusses the effects of adopting a rationing scheme in a dual exchange market economy whose official market was clearing through changes in international reserves. Finally, Section IV summarizes the main conclusions of the paper. The structure of the economy is essentially the same for both dual exchange market regimes, the only difference being the rule governing central bank sales of foreign exchange to the private sector. This section first discusses the reserves adjustment model and then the reserves rationing model. There are two foreign exchange markets: the official market, which channels public sector transactions and some private sector trade transactions; and the free market, which channels the remaining transactions. The exchange rate in the official market is denoted by eand is depreciated by the authorities at a constant rate π, while the exchange rate in the free market is denoted by b, and is determined by market forces.6 The private sector produces and consumes traded and nontraded goods. Production of nontraded goods, denoted by ynis fixed. Production of traded goods, denoted by yn is fixed and evenly distributed across a continuum of goods indexed from zero to unity. Following the official allocation of transactions between markets, goods indexed from zero to v can be exported through the free market, while the rest of traded goods must be exported through the official market.7 Private sector preferences are defined by a Cobb-Douglas utility function, with a share a of expen-diture devoted to traded goods, and a share (1 – a) devoted to nontraded goods. Private sector expenditure on traded goods is distributed evenly across a continuum of traded goods, indexed from zero to unity. All traded goods consumed by the private sector are imported. Following the official allocation of transactions between markets, goods indexed from zero to w must be imported through the free market, while the rest of traded goods can be imported through the official market. The public sector consumes fixed quantities of traded and nontraded goods. There are two non-interest-bearing assets: domestic money, denoted by M; and foreign money, denoted by f. The demand for domestic money, henceforth referred to as the demand for money, depends on the expected rate of depreciation of the free market exchange rate:8 where m = (M/P) is the real quantity of money, P is the price level, and s = (b/e) is equal to unity plus the spread between the free and the official exchange rates.” Assuming that the country is small in the world market for traded goods and that foreign inflation is nil, the foreign currency price of traded goods can be set equal to unity. As a result, the domestic currency price of traded goods is equal to the official exchange rate for goods imported through the official market, and to the free exchange rate for other traded goods. The domestic price level is thus given by where pn denotes the price of nontraded goods, and p = (pn/e) is the real exchange rate, defined as the relative price between nontraded goods and traded goods channeled through the official market.10 Private sector total real expenditure is assumed to be a constant fraction, omega, of real wealth, and so nominal expenditure is a constant fraction, omega, of nominal wealth. As a result, the condition for equilibrium in the market for nontraded goods is given by where gnis public sector consumption of nontraded goods, and the second term on the right-hand side of (3) is private sector consumption of nontraded goods.11 While output must equal demand in the case of nontraded goods, this condition need not hold for traded goods in any of the foreign exchange markets. The difference between traded goods exported and imported through the free market is equal to private sector accumulation of foreign money: The difference between traded goods exported and imported through the official market is equal to the accumulation of official reserves: where rdenotes official reserves in terms of foreign currency, and gtdenotes public sector consumption of traded goods. Assuming that changes in domestic credit are used to finance the public sector budget deficit and that tax revenues are fixed in real terms: where Ddenotes domestic credit in nominal terms, and tdenotes tax revenues in real terms. Assuming, for simplicity, that the banking system is composed only of a central bank, the change in domestic money is equal to Using equations (5), (6), and (7), the change in the real quantity of domestic money is given by In the steady state, m = f = s= 0, and all prices are increasing at the rate of crawl of the official exchange rate, π. From equations (1), (4), and (8), the conditions for the steady state are equation (3) and the following equations: Equation (3) indicates equilibrium in the nontraded goods market. Equation (9) indicates equilibrium in the money market when relative prices are constant and the rate of inflation is equal to the rate of crawl of the official exchange rate. Equation (10) shows that private sector exports and imports through the free market must be equal for private sector holdings of foreign exchange to remain constant. Equation (11) shows that the factors leading to monetary expansion must be offset by those leading to monetary contraction for private sector real holdings of domestic money to remain constant. Monetary expansion originates from exports channeled through the official market and from public sector expenditure on nontraded goods. Monetary contraction arises from private sector imports channeled through the official market, from private sector tax payments, and from the depreciation of the real stock of money due to inflation. Using (5) and (11). the steady-state balance of payments is given by Using equation (2), this equation can be rewritten as so that the steady-state balance of payments will be in surplus or deficit, depending on whether the steady-state inflation tax is higher or lower than the “official” public sector budget deficit, where g, is valued at the official exchange rate. The definition of steady-state equilibrium must be interpreted in a broad sense in the reserves adjustment model. A balance of payments deficit is not sustainable in the long run. and thus cannot be a steady-state equilibrium in the strict sense. With the central bank losing reserves continuously, policies will eventually have to be modified, or the exchange rate system will have to be abandoned. Therefore, the discussion below must be interpreted as describing the behavior of the economy as long as the international reserves constraint does not become binding and the private sector does not anticipate a change in policies. This makes it possible to present a situation in which all real variables other than international reserves remain constant, which seems the closest possible approximation to the strict steady-state equilibrium used as a base for comparison in the other exchange regimes. This qualification must be kept in mind when interpreting the results regarding the “steady-state” effects of the various policies. Under a reserves rationing regime, prices of all traded goods are likely to reflect the exchange rate in the free market.12 Since private importers are not facing a perfectly elastic supply of foreign exchange from the central bank for the importation of certain goods through the official market, there is no competition between potential importers that would constrain the domestic price of those goods to equal the official exchange rate. Therefore, those who obtain foreign exchange at the official exchange rate receive a rent that they can collect by selling the imported goods at the free exchange rate, which is the real cost for other potential competitors. The price level is thus given by The condition for equilibrium in the nontraded goods market becomes International reserves are constant, since the central bank, after setting aside foreign exchange for public sector imports, sells back to the private sector the remaining exports proceeds surrendered at the official market. Therefore, the change in the real quantity of money is given by Since international reserves are constant, the accumulation of foreign exchange by the private sector is equal to total production of traded goods minus total consumption of traded goods: In the steady state, equation (9), representing equilibrium in the money market, and equation (15), representing equilibrium in the nontraded goods market, must hold. In addition, equations (17) and (16) imply Equation (18) indicates that for private sector holdings of foreign exchange to remain constant, output of traded goods must be equal to private sector plus public sector demand for traded goods. Equation (19), which by equation (14) can be rewritten as indicates that for the real stock of domestic money to remain constant, the factors leading to monetary expansion– public sector expenditure on traded goods valued at the official exchange rate and public sector expenditure on nontraded goods– must be offset by factors leading to monetary contraction– the inflation tax and other taxes.13 In other words, in the steady state the “official” public sector deficit is entirely financed by the inflation tax. This section first derives the qualitative effects of a number of policies for both exchange market regimes and then compares those effects across regimes. Using equations (3) and (10), one obtains Using (10) and (21) in (11), and rearranging terms where the right-hand-side expression is decreasing in s.14 From (20) and (21), it follows that in the steady state15 where ɳ denotes the elasticity of the demand for money, defined as ⁳ = -(λ’Π/λ).17, 18 Using these results, together with equations (3) and(5), it is possible to derive the following effects on the steady-state balanceof payments: Using equations (15) and (18), one obtains p = Bs, Since (s/p) = (b/pn), equation (25) implies that the relative price between traded and nontraded goods is equal to B-1.Using (25) in equation (19) From equations (26) and (25). it follows that in the steady state.21, 22 The results in the previous sections can be used to examine a number of implications regarding the effects of exchange rate and other policies for both exchange market regimes. A once-and-for-all devaluation of the official exchange rate has no long-run effect on the rate of inflation, the spread, the real exchange rate, or the balance of payments in either of the two regimes. Since the level of the official exchange rate does not appear in any of the steady-state conditions, an official devaluation can have only transitory effects on those variables. The models in this paper also have relevance for countries that have, besides the free market, an official market with two different exchange rales– one for private sector transactions and another one for public sector transactions. The dynamics and the steady-state solutions are the same as those in the models examined above with only one official exchange rate, provided that ein the various equations is interpreted as the official rate for private sector transactions. 23 This implies that all the effects of policy changes derived in this paper also apply to an economy with two official exchange rates. For this equivalence to hold, the term “official exchange rate” in the discussion of models with one official rate must be interpreted as “official exchange rate for private sector transactions” when economies with two official rates are being examined. The only policy change that refers specifically to economies with two official exchange rates is a devaluation of the official rate for public sector transactions. For those economies, however, the level of the official rate for public sector transactions is irrelevant for the determination of the rate of inflation, the spread, the real exchange rate, or the balance of payments, even in the short run. As mentioned above, the level of this exchange rate does not affect the dynamics of the economy. Therefore, a devaluation of this exchange rate, unless accompanied by other policy changes, has no effect at all on the behavior of the economy. This exchange rate is only relevant for the determination of the “accounting” deficit of the public sector, in which public sector imports are valued at the official rate for public sector transactions. The size of this deficit, however, has no implications for the behavior of the economy, unless it prompts changes in other policies. 24 An increase in the rate of crawl of the official exchange rate increases the long-run rate of inflation by the same amount. For both dual regimes, the steady-state rate of inflation is equal to the official rate of crawl, so changes in the rate of crawl have a one-to-one impact on inflation. Furthermore, this is the only policy that affects the long-run rate of inflation. An increase in the rate of crawl of the official exchange rate also has an impact on the other variables under consideration, but the direction of these effects depends on the elasticity of the demand for money with respect to the rate of depreciation of the free exchange rate. If the elasticity is lower than unity, the spread between the exchange rates declines and the real exchange rate depreciates, for both dual regimes. In addition, for the reserves adjustment regime the balance of payments improves. However, if the elasticity is higher than unity, all these effects work in the opposite direction. This implies that there is a limit to the desirable results that can be obtained by increasing the rate of crawl. Beyond that limit, the spread increases, the real exchange rate appreciates, and the balance of payments worsens. An increase in taxes reduces the spread between the exchange rates and depreciates the real exchange rate under both dual regimes. In addition, the balance of payments improves under the reserves adjustment regime. In this model, the inflation tax and other taxes play a similar role. This is the reason why the direction of the effects of an increase in the rate of crawl depends on the elasticity of the demand for money. If this elasticity is lower than unity, an increase in the rate of crawl increases the revenue from the inflation tax, and thus has the same effects as an increase in other taxes. In contrast, if the elasticity is higher than unity, an increase in the rate of crawl reduces the revenue from the inflation tax, and thus is equivalent to a reduction in other taxes. In contrast to the policies examined above, an increase in public sector expenditure on traded goods has different effects on both the spread and the real exchange rate, depending on the type of dual regime. Under the reserves adjustment regime, the central bank provides the foreign exchange needed to increase public sector imports from its own reserves, without altering its transactions with the private sector. Therefore, the balance of payments worsens by an amount equal to the increase in public sector expenditure, but neither the spread nor the real exchange rate is affected. 25 In contrast, under a reserves rationing regime the central bank has to obtain from the private sector the additional foreign exchange needed for public sector imports, resulting in an ambiguous effect on the spread and on the real exchange rate. The direction of the change in the spread depends on the effect of the increase in public sector imports on the public sector deficit for a given spread. 26 An increase in public sector imports has a positive direct effect on the deficit. However, it also has an ambiguous indirect effect, caused by an increase in the relative price of traded goods. 27 This change in relative price may have a positive or a negative effect on the public sector deficit, depending on the composition of public sector expenditure. If, as is likely, the overall effect on the deficit for a given spread is positive, the spread increases. 28 In this way, the public sector deficit, with imports valued at the official exchange rate, is brought back to the level consistent with the unchanged source of financing, the inflation tax. The real exchange rate is also likely to appreciate. An increase in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods appreciates the real exchange rate, but it may either increase or reduce the spread for both dual regimes. For the reserves rationing regime, the ambiguity of the effect on the spread arises from the same factors that were relevant to an increase in public sector imports. For a given spread, there is a positive direct effect and an ambiguous indirect effect on the public sector deficit. If, as is likely, the overall effect is positive, the spread increases. For the reserves adjustment regime, the ambiguity arises because of opposing effects on the real value of monetary expansion. For a constant spread, monetary expansion increases directly, due to the increase in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods, and indirectly, due to a reduction in the real value of imports channeled through the official market, which are valued at the official exchange rate. Monetary expansion declines indirectly, due to a reduction in the real value of exports channeled through the official market, which are also valued at the official exchange rate. If, as is likely, the positive effects dominate, the spread increases. In this case, the balance of payments worsens. This section examines the long-run inflationary effects of unifying the exchange markets. (See Appendix for solutions of the model for a unified floating exchange rate and for a unified crawling peg exchange rate.) As can be expected, in the crawling peg system the long-run rate of inflation is equal to the rate of crawl. Therefore, for this unified system the long-run inflationary effects of unification depend on the rate of crawl, which in principle can be chosen arbitrarily by the authorities. However, if the condition of long-run balance of payments equilibrium is imposed on the crawling peg system, the rate of crawl must be equal to the steady-state rate of depreciation from a floating system (see Appendix). As a result, both unified systems imply the same steady-state solution. Therefore, in the discussion about unification below, both unified systems are taken to be equivalent. While under the floating system the effects on inflation must be interpreted as originating endogenously from an exchange market without central bank intervention, under the crawling peg system it must be interpreted as originating from a rule of intervention consistent with long-run balance of payments equilibrium. For the purposes of the discussion, it is convenient to rewrite equation (42) from the Appendix, and equations (20) and (13). Each of these equations provides a condition that must hold in one of the exchange market regimes. For the unified regime, equation (42) is equivalent to where pt the domestic currency price of traded goods, is equal to the uniform exchange rate. For the reserves rationing regime, equation (20) is equivalent to where p<t, is equal to the free exchange rate, b.For the reserves adjustment regime, equation (13) is equivalent to where ptis equal to the average exchange rate paid for imports by the private sector, e1-ubu. The right-hand side in each of these equations shows the “actual” public sector deficit, where public sector expenditure on traded goods is valued at the market price for imports, which is equal to the uniform exchange rate in the unified regime, the free exchange rate in the reserves rationing regime, and the average exchange rate in the reserves adjustment regime. As long as relative prices are the same in the three regimes, the actual budget deficit is also the same. As shown in the Appendix, relative prices are the same for the unified regime and the reserves rationing regime, but relative prices in the reserves adjustment regime are not necessarily equal to those in the other two regimes. However, in the discussion below they are assumed to be equal in order to facilitate comparison. The left-hand side of equations (28), (29), and (30) show the financing of the actual public sector deficit for each of the exchange regimes. In the unified regime, the actual budget deficit is entirely financed by the inflation tax. The rate of inflation is the endogenous variable that adjusts so as to make equation (28) hold.29 If the elasticity of the demand for money increases from levels below unity to levels above unity as the rate of inflation increases, there will usually be two rates of inflation that satisfy this equation. In the reserves rationing regime, the actual budget deficit is financed by the inflation tax and by an implicit exchange tax. The exchange tax arises because the foreign exchange used for public sector imports is purchased by the central bank at the official exchange rate, instead of the free exchange rate reflected in the price of imports paid by private sector consumers. The revenue from the inflation tax is exogenous, because the rate of inflation is determined by the authorities’ official depreciation rule. In this regime the endogenous variable that makes equation (29) hold is the spread between the exchange rates. The spread increases until the part of the actual deficit that is not financed by the inflation tax is financed by the implicit exchange tax. Unifying the markets of a reserves rationing regime, in which there is a positive spread, implies that the revenue from the inflation tax must increase to replace the revenue from the implicit exchange tax that is lost with the unification.30 Whether this requires an increase or a decline in the rate of inflation depends on the elasticity of the demand for money. If this elasticity is lower than unity, the rate of inflation rises, while if it is higher than unity, the rate of inflation falls. In the reserves adjustment regime, the actual budget deficit is financed by the inflation tax, by an implicit exchange tax, and by a loss of international reserves. The revenue from the inflation tax is exogenous, because the rate of inflation is determined by the authorities’ official depreciation rule. In contrast, the other two sources of financing, the implicit exchange tax and the loss of international reserves, are endogenous. The shares of the deficit not covered by the inflation tax that are financed by each of these two additional sources depend on the specific allocation of transactions between the two exchange markets.31 The effect of unification on the rate of inflation depends on the spread and the balance of payments under the dual regime. A positive spread and a balance of payments deficit imply that some source of financing is lost with unification, thus requiring a higher inflation tax revenue.32” Once again, this implies an increase in the rate of inflation if the elasticity of the demand for money is lower than unity and a fall in the rate of inflation if the elasticity is higher than unity. The sources of financing for the actual public sector deficit can also be expressed by using the concepts of central bank exchange profits and losses arising from the dual system. In a dual system, the central bank buys and sells foreign exchange to the private sector at the official exchange rate. If the amounts bought and sold differ, the central bank is a net buyer or seller of foreign exchange at a price that is tower than the “market” price. Therefore, if the central bank is a net buyer, there is a profit, while if it is a net seller, there is a loss. The profit (or loss) is equal to net purchases (or net sales) times the difference between the market exchange rate and the official exchange rate.33 In the reserves rationing regime, the market exchange rate can be represented by the free exchange rate, since this is the rate reflected in the domestic price of traded goods and, thus, in the price level. In this regime the central bank is a net buyer of foreign exchange from the private sector by an amount equal to public sector expenditure on traded goods. Therefore where CBPrepresents central bank profits in real terms. Using (31), equation (29) can be rewritten as Therefore, the second component of the financing of the actual public sector deficit can be interpreted alternatively as an implicit exchange tax, or as central bank profits from the dual system. In the reserves adjustment regime, the market exchange rate can be represented by the weighted average of the official and the free market exchange rate, as reflected in the domestic price of traded goods. In this case, central bank net purchases (or sales, if negative) of foreign exchange are equal to the sum of public sector expenditure on traded goods and reserves accumulation. Therefore Using (33), equation (30) can be rewritten as Therefore, the second component of the financing of the actual public sector deficit can again be interpreted alternatively as an implicit exchange tax, or as central bank profits from the dual system. However, the amount financed by the second component varies according to the interpretation that is chosen, unless the balance of payments is in equilibrium. The implicit exchange tax includes only central bank purchases of foreign exchange used for public sector imports. In contrast, central bank profits from the dual system include central bank net purchases from all its transactions with the private sector. These two magnitudes differ unless the balance of payments is in equilibrium. As a consequence of this distinction, the valuation for the third source of financing– changes in international reserves– also depends on the chosen interpretation for the second component. Under the interpretation of an implicit exchange tax, changes in reserves must be valued at the official exchange rate, while under the alternative interpretation, changes in reserves must be valued at the market exchange rate (see equations (30) and (34)). Another implication arising from equations (29) and (30) relates to the effect on the spread of switching from a reserves adjustment regime to a reserves rationing regime. The result depends on the balance of payments situation under the initial regime. If under the reserves adjustment regime the balance of payments is in equilibrium, switching to a reserves rationing regime produces a decline in the spread.34 This follows because under this condition both regimes require the same exchange tax. The exchange tax depends on the difference between the exchange rate reflected in the domestic price of imports paid by the private sector and the official exchange rate. In the new regime the domestic price of all imports reflects the free exchange rate, in contrast to the initial regime in which the price of some imports reflected the official exchange rate. Therefore, in order to produce the same exchange tax, the new regime requires a lower spread between the free and the official exchange rate. If there is an initial balance of payments surplus, switching regimes results in a larger decline of the spread than in the case of balance of payments equilibrium. An initial balance of payments deficit, however, has the opposite effect. Thus, for a sufficiently large initial deficit, adopting a rationing scheme produces an increase in the spread. Most of the policies analyzed in this paper have the same steady-state qualitative effects under both dual exchange market regimes. A devaluation of an official exchange rate that applies to private sector transactions, or to both private sector and public sector transactions, does not affect the steady-state equilibrium. A devaluation of an official exchange rate that applies only to public sector transactions does not affect even the short-run equilibrium. An increase in the rate of crawl of the official exchange rate reduces the spread and depreciates the real exchange rate in both dual regimes, and improves the balance of payments in a reserves adjustment regime, if the elasticity of the demand for money is lower than unity. If this elasticity is higher than unity, those effects work in the opposite direction. An increase in taxes reduces the spread and depreciates the real exchange rate in both dual regimes, and improves the balance of payments in a reserves adjustment regime. An increase in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods appreciates the real exchange rate. The spread may change in either direction, but it is likely to increase for both regimes. For the reserves adjustment regime, the balance of payments is more likely to worsen. The effects of an increase in public sector expenditure on traded goods differ across regimes. For the reserves adjustment regime, the spread and the real exchange rate remain constant, while the balance of payments worsens. For the reserves rationing regime, the effects on the spread and the real exchange rate are ambiguous, although the spread is likely to increase and the real exchange rate is likely to appreciate. The effects of unification on the rale of inflation depend on the spread under the reserves rationing regime, and on the spread and the balance of payments under the reserves adjustment regime. A positive spread and a balance of payments deficit imply the need for higher inflation tax revenue under a unified exchange market. Whether this requires an increase or a decline in the rate of inflation depends on whether the elasticity of the demand for money is lower or higher than unity. Finally, the effects on the spread of adopting a rationing scheme in the official market of a dual market economy that was functioning without rationing depend on the balance of payments prior to the adoption of rationing. If the balance of payments was in surplus, or in equilibrium, the spread declines. If the balance of payments was in deficit, the spread may increase. APPENDIX: Solutions Under a Unified Foreign Exchange Market This Appendix presents solutions for the model under a unified foreign exchange market, as discussed in Section III. Under a unified system the price of traded goods reflects the uniform exchange rate, denoted by x.The price level is thus given by Since international reserves are constant under a uniform floating exchange rate, the change in the real quantity of domestic money is given by The change in private sector holdings of foreign money is equal to In the steady state, equations (37) and (38) imply The other conditions for steady-state equilibrium are indicated by equation (9), representing money market equilibrium, and equation (36), representing non-traded goods market equilibrium. The steady-state relative price between traded and nontraded goods can be obtained from equations (36) and (40): Therefore, the relative price between traded and nontraded goods is the same as in the reserves rationing model. Using (41) in equation (40) yields Under a unified crawling peg exchange rate system, the price level is given by equation (35), and the condition for equilibrium in the nontraded goods market is given by (36), where xnow represents the crawling official exchange rate. The change in international reserves is given by where the first term on the right-hand side represents the current account, and f represents the capital account. The change in domestic credit is equal to Using (43) and (44) In the steady state. Using (46) in (43), in the steady state Thus, the steady-state balance of payments is in surplus or deficit, depending on whether the steady-state inflation tax is higher or lower than the public sector deficit. If the rate of crawl is chosen to be consistent with steady-state balance of payments equilibrium, equations (47) and (46) become equivalent, respectively, to equations (39) and (40) of the unified floating exchange rate model. Since the conditions for equilibrium in the money market and in the nontraded goods market are also the same for both unified systems, it follows that in this case both systems provide the same steady-state solution. International Monetary FundAnnual Report of Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions (Washington: International Monetary Fund1990). KharasHomi andBrianPinto“Exchange Rate Rules, Black Market Premia, and Fiscal Deficits: The Bolivian Hyperinflation,”The Review of Economic StudiesVol. 56 (July1989) pp. 435–48. KiguelMiguel A. andJ. SaulLizondo“Adoption and Abandonment of Dual Exchange Rate Svstems,”Revista de Analisis EconomicoVol. 5 (June1990) pp. 3–23. LizondoJ Saul (1987a) “Exchange Rate Differential and Balance of Payments Under Dual Exchange Markets,”Journal of Development EconomicsVol. 26 (June1987) pp. 37–53. LizondoJ Saul (1987b) “Unification of Dual Exchange Markets,”Journal of International EconomicsVol. 22 (February1987) pp. 57–77. NowakMichael“Quantitative Control and Unofficial Markets in Foreign Exchange: A Theoretical Framework,”Staff PapersInternational Monetary FundVol. 31 (June1984) pp. 404–31. PintoBrian“Fiscal Deficits Inflation and Parallel Exchange Markets in Ghana: Monetarism in the Tropics?” CPD Discussion Paper No. 1985-43 (Washington: World Bank1986). PintoBrian“Black Markets for Foreign Exchange, Real Exchange Rates and Inflation,”Journal of International EconomicsVol. 30 (February1991) pp. 121–35. J. Saul Lizondo, an Economist in the Financial Studies Division of the Research Department, received his doctorate from the University of Chicago. For a description of the exchange regime of a particular country, see International Monetary Fund (1990). Constant international reserves are also a characteristic of a unified, freely floating exchange rate system. A unified floating system, however, differs sharply from a dual regime with rationing. In particular, under the dual regime the public sector is able to buy foreign exchange for its imports at the official exchange rate, which is appreciated with respect to the average exchange rate paid by the private sector for its imports. This has important implications for the financing of the public sector deficit, as will be shown below. Most models assume that the official market clears through changes in international reserves. However, Nowak (1984) argued that in some cases it is more appropriate to assume a rationing mechanism in the official market. This assumption was later used by Pinto (1986, 1991) to examine the experience of African countries, and by Kharas and Pinto (1989) to discuss the Bolivian experience. There are many models of dual exchange markets in the literature, with differing implications regarding the effects of various economic policies. The discussion here is confined to one particular type of model. The basic model used here was developed in Lizondo (1987a, 11987b) for examining a dual exchange market economy with an official market that clears through changes in international reserves. This model was later modified and extended to examine an economy with an official market subject to rationing by Pinto (1986, 1991) and Kharas and Pinto (1989). The analysis here replicates many of the results presented in those papers, but it also expands the discussion in some directions. One of the basic differences is that the present paper includes private sector and public sector expenditure on both traded and nontraded goods. In contrast, Lizondo (1987a, 1987b) and Pinto (1986) assumed that all goods are traded, while Pinto (1991) and Kharas and Pinto (1989) assumed that the private sector consumes only nontraded goods and the public sector spends only on traded goods. The assumption in this paper, besides allowing for a discussion of the effects of changes in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods, has some implications that differ from those in the other papers, as will be noted where relevant. The exchange rate is defined as the amount of domestic currency equivalent to one unit of foreign currency. The model does not include overinvoicing and underinvoicing of transactions, so the private sector is assumed to comply with the official allocation between markets. The implications of the model would be essentially the same if the demand for money were assumed to depend also on the level of wealth, as in Lizondo (1987a), Pinto (1986, 1991), and Kharas and Pinto (1989). However, the simpler formulation used here permits a sharper comparison across regimes. Expected and actual rates of depreciation are taken to be equivalent since the discussion is centered on the steady-state results. With the real exchange rate defined this way, an increase in pindicates a real appreciation, while a decline in pindicates a real depreciation, of the official exchange rate. The discussion focuses on the behavior of the real exchange rate defined by using the nominal official exchange rate, because this is one of the variables typically examined when assessing the adequacy of official exchange rate policy. In any case, the behavior of the real exchange rate defined by using the nominal free exchange rate, (pn/b) = ps-1 is also indicated in the paper. The expression for private sector consumption of nontraded goods is obtained by dividing nominal private sector expenditure on nontraded goods, (1 – α)ω(M +bf), by the price of nontraded goods and rearranging terms. Similar reasoning applies to private sector consumption of traded goods. This is the assumption made in Pinto (1986, 1991) and Kharas and Pinto (1989). Under the reserves rationing model, public sector expenditure on traded goods contributes to monetary expansion because the central bank must buy the necessary foreign exchange from the private sector in exchange for domestic money. In contrast, under the reserves adjustment model, there is no monetary expansion because the central bank provides the necessary foreign exchange from its own reserves. This assumes yt [1 + (1 - a)/(l - u)a] gn. Other things constant, an increase in the spread produces two opposing effects on the real value of monetary expansion. On the one hand, monetary expansion declines due to both a decline in the real value of exports and an increase in the real value of private sector imports channeled through the official market. On the other hand, monetary expansion increases due to an increase in the real value of public sector expenditure on nontraded goods. It is assumed that the two factors leading to a lower monetary expansion dominate. It is assumed throughout that s>l. The condition for (ds/dgn) > 0 is v(l+ α > uα. The real exchange rate defined by using the nominal free exchange rate is equal to ps-1 = A.Therefore, among the policies examined above, the only one to affect the real exchange rate thus defined is a change in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods. An increase in this type of expenditure causes a real appreciation. The reserves adjustment model in Lizondo (1987a) assumes all goods to be traded, so there is no discussion about effects on the real exchange rate. The condition for (ds/dg), >0 is y > α (gr + pgn);the condition (dpi dgi)> 0 is yt gt + α (gt + pgn). Therefore, although both variables may move in either direction, it is not possible for the spread to decline and the real exchange rate to appreciate at the same time. The condition for (ds/dgn) >0 is (yn-gn)(ytgt)+ > gnyt)¾αgtyn. The real exchange rate defined by using the nominal free exchange rate is equal to B.Therefore, an increase in public sector expenditure on nontraded goods, or a reduction in public sector expenditure on traded goods, causes the real exchange rate thus defined to appreciate. In contrast to the results derived here, in Pinto (1991) and in Kharas and Pinto (1989), the real exchange rate defined by using the official exchange rate always moves in the same direction as the spread, while the real exchange rate defined by using the free exchange rate always moves in the opposite direction. Those results are due to some particular assumptions regarding production and smuggling technology; demand conditions play no role. In contrast, the results in this paper are due mainly to demand factors, since output is assumed to be fixed and smuggling, nonexistent. For the reserves adjustment model, the evolution of the real quantity of money is given by equation (8). If the central bank were to charge e* for foreign exchange sold to the rest of the public sector (different from e, charged to the private sector), equation (6) would be replaced by Equation (7) would also be modified to account for the fact that the domestic currency value of the change in reserves has to reflect e, instead of e, for the transactions of the public sector. These two modifications leave equation (8) unchanged. The same reasoning applies for the reserves rationing model, where the evolution of the real quantity of money is given by equation (16). If the central bank were to charge e to the rest of the public sector, the change in domestic credit would be given by (6’), In addition, although international reserves remain constant in terms of foreign exchange, they would change by gt (e - e) in terms of domestic currency, since the central bank would be buying g, of foreign exchange at e, and selling it at e. These modifications in the behavior of domestic credit and reserves offset each other, so that equation (16) remains valid. For economics with one official exchange rate, for both private and public sector transactions, the “accounting” deficit is the same as the “official” deficit included in equations (13) and (20). Clearly, in this case the accounting deficit has implications for the behavior of the economy. However, for economies with two official exchange rates. 9 one for private and another one for public sector transactions, the accounting deficit must be distinguished from the deficit included in equations (13) and (20). The latter, which is the relevant one for the behavior of the economy, must be interpreted in this case as the deficit calculated by valuing public sector expenditure on traded goods at the official exchange rate applied to private sector transactions. Since the spread and the real exchange rate are not affected, the one-to-one effect of a change in public sector expenditure on traded goods on the balance of payments can be derived directly from equation (12). This discussion is based on equation (20), which can also be written as where pi denotes the domestic currency price of traded goods, which in the rationing regime is equal to the free exchange rate, b. From equation (25), an increase in public sector imports increases B-1 which is the relative price of traded goods with respect to nontraded goods. The possibility of an overall negative effect on the deficit, and therefore, a resulting decline in the spread, does not arise in Kharas and Pinto (1989), due to their assumptions that the public sector spends only on traded goods. It is assumed that the size of the deficit is such that it can be financed by the inflation tax at some finite rate of inflation. Otherwise, there is no steady-state solution. This trade-off between the implicit exchange tax and the inflation tax was first stressed by Pinto (1986). The values of u and v. This relationship between the spread and the required inflation tax revenue does not necessarily hold in models where all current transactions are channeled through the official market. In those models, the spread is partly determined by private sector holdings of foreign money, which remain constant at the level outstanding at the time of adoption of the dual system, because private sector net capital flows are necessarily zero. See Kiguel and Lizondo (1990). If the central bank were to buy and sell foreign exchange in both markets, the calculation of profits and losses must take into account the average buying and the average selling exchange rate. Denoting those rates eb and es, respectively, and the market rate em, central bank profits are equal to X(e, – eh) + Z(es – em,), where X and Z represent, respectively, central bank purchases and sales of foreign exchange to the private sector. If the central bank intervenes only in the official market, eb = es = e, there by resulting in central bank profits equal to (X – Z)(em – e), which is the definition used above. From equations (29) and (30), and remembering the assumption that relative prices are the same for both regimes, the condition t = 0 implies that sr – where sa is the spread in the reserves adjustment regime, and sr is the resulting spread in the reserves rationing regime.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7287
__label__cc	0.623464	0.376536	Pension Regimes and Saving Alfredo Cuevas, George Mackenzie, and Philip Gerson Public pension systems around the world have been criticized in recent years for some serious flaws, including the excessive burden they impose on the public finances and their depressing impact on saving rates. This study analyzes the impact of pension systems and pension reform on saving, paying particular attention to the impact of the introduction of defined-contribution plans like that of Chile. It also surveys the literature on the impact of pension regimes on saving, discusses some recent reforms, and addresses the role of private pension plans. I Introduction and Summary II Pension Regimes and Saving—A Framework for Analysis III Public Pension Plans, Their Reform, and Saving IV Private Pension Plans and Saving Appendix I Pension Arrangements in an Overlapping-Generations Model Appendix II Notes on the Empirical Literature on Pensions and Saving Appendix III Brief Notes on the Pension Regimes of Selected Countries Basic Features of Private Pension Regimes Regulation and Its Effect on Saving The design of public pension plans has the potential to affect the saving rate, as Section III has made clear. The same could be true of private pension plans, and the question arises as to whether the regulatory framework for the private pension industry can be manipulated to increase the saving rate. A related, though distinct, question is whether the private pension industry can replace public schemes without reducing saving or jeopardizing the income security of the elderly. There may also be scope for raising voluntary (noncontractual) saving. Apart from using macro-economic policy—for example, by changing the general level of interest rates—governments can conceivably affect the rate of voluntary saving through a number of channels. These include the treatment of saving by the tax system and regulations that affect the perceived soundness of the financial system. Voluntary saving also depends on the extent to which risks to capital and income may be diversified—which in turn depends on the level of development of the financial system—and on the comparative attractiveness of contractual schemes. There is fairly strong evidence, at least for the United States, that increases in private pension plan saving are not fully offset by declines in voluntary saving (Gale, 1995; and Appendix II). Consequently, there is some reason to believe that an expansion in the patchwork quilt of private pensions could raise the private sector saving rate. Because of the tremendous variety in private pension regimes across countries, it is hard to characterize their commonalities and differences. However, the second tier of most countries’ pension systems (after the public plan) is the occupational, or employer, pension plan. In some countries, plans can be set up on an industrywide basis, as in France. Sometimes they are established with active government involvement—not only in regulation and prudential supervision of investment procedures and policies, but also in basic design issues, such as rates and benefits—as in Israel. The second tier can in some cases be only semiprivate, given the government’s role as a tacit guarantor of contributors’ rights. The coverage of the second tier varies a great deal as well; for example, it is broad in Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and comparatively narrow in Germany. Private pension plans are typically defined-benefits rather than defined-contributions plans, although the relative importance of the two types does vary across countries. Changes in the tax laws and regulatory frameworks have stimulated increases in the share of defined-contributions plans recently in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The post-retirement indexation of benefits is a rarity, although in most countries where the private regime has broad coverage, the pension takes the form of an annuity. The legal and regulatory frameworks also vary greatly. A framework normally encompasses the areas of governance, insurance, plan design, and tax status (Box 3). The quality of pension plan governance has important implications for participants’ confidence in their plan and thus for the plans’ attractiveness as an alternative to voluntary private saving. So too do insurance requirements, given that company pension plans have been notoriously vulnerable to the company’s fortunes. The regulations that apply to plan design, except possibly those governing funding, may not have the same impact on confidence, but can definitely affect the perceived attractiveness of employer pension plans. This is particularly true of the regulations governing vesting and portability. The extent to which private plans are vested or portable varies greatly across countries. Whereas public pension schemes are by definition portable—the plan follows the contributor from job to job, even from job to no job—private pension schemes are typically characterized by little or no portability. Vesting requirements vary substantially, being more strict in some countries than in others.28 Box 3.Legal and Regulatory Framework of Private Pension Plans Legal status of fund Qualifications of administrators To regulatory authority To fund participants Actuarial valuation procedures and assumptions Plan design Benefit structure Vesting requirements Portability1 Responsibility for contributions Funding requirements Tax status 1 Plan contributions are portable when they can be counted toward service under another plan. Funding requirements also vary greatly. In Japan, for example, the rules applying to the annuity plans (tax-qualified pension plans) offered by smaller firms result in less than full funding, because the employers are not required to take account of likely future wage increases in calculating their required reserve. The effective degree of funding is also influenced by the latitude permitted in the selection of actuarial assumptions. Studies of the United States have shown that the actuarial assumptions used for state and local government plans can vary with the financial condition of the employer.29 The same is likely true of private sector plans. The tax treatment of private pension regimes is of critical importance for their design, and possibly for their relative size. It is standard practice to exempt contributions from tax, at least up to some ceiling. In this respect, contractual saving is treated more favorably than most forms of purely voluntary saving, although some countries give similarly favorable treatment to contributions made to qualifying individual retirement plans—for example, the individual retirement account (IRA) in the United States, and the registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) in Canada. Some countries also offer at least a limited tax exemption to pension income (Australia), although pensions are generally taxed. In the United States, changes in the tax treatment of defined-contributions plans offered by employers following the 1974 ERISA Act are thought to have contributed to the decline in the share of defined-benefits plans—from 87 percent of all plans in 1975 to 71 percent in 1985. Clearly, if changes in the regulatory framework are, through their impact on contractual saving, to increase total saving, the increase in saving from that source must not be entirely at the expense of voluntary saving. In a world governed by the LCH, but tempered by some degree of myopia and capital market imperfections, the most obvious way to increase contractual saving is to require higher contribution rates. However, government intervention in the private pension market would then have to go well beyond regulation as such. It would entail two significant problems. (1) The lack of universal coverage of employer pension plans means that the take-home pay of plan participants would fall relative to that of nonparticipants, which could be perceived as inequitable. Moreover, if plan participants deemed that their real compensation had, on the whole, fallen, the attractiveness of employment at companies or in industries offering pension plans might be reduced. The perceived fall in real compensation would be more likely for contributors to plans with little vesting or portability. If employers were not required to offer pension plans to their employees to begin with, a legal requirement entailing higher contribution rates would simply discourage the plans’ creation. (2) It is not clear how a required contribution rate would work with defined-benefits plans. Presumably, the benefit would be redefined and the replacement ratio would be increased if the required rate exceeded the contribution rate for an existing plan. However, a change in actuarial assumptions could mean that, even with more generous benefits, the contribution rate appropriate for the plan would fall below the rate required by law. For these and other reasons, the imposition of an obligatory high contribution rate would be problematic for the private pension system. The Chilean system largely avoids these problems, because it is a defined-contributions plan that is compulsory for all but the self-employed and because portability is automatic and vesting is 100 percent.30 Compulsion not being the strategy of choice, perhaps fiscal incentives are the way to go. There is good evidence that the tax treatment of pensions and other savings vehicles does affect the allocation of saving. It is not clear, however, that it affects total saving (Bovenberg, 1989; Smith, 1990; and Feldstein, 1994). More favorable tax treatment of pension saving is thus likely to be largely—although, the evidence suggests, not fully—financed by a reduction in voluntary saving. Even if it is not, the tax incentives directly reduce public sector saving. Munnell (1992) finds that deferring tax on the accrued benefits of participants in private pension plans in the United States has probably had no impact on national saving. Some recent research on the growth of IRAs and 401(k) plans—two forms of saving favored by the U.S. tax system—has nonetheless concluded that most of it did not come at the expense of other forms of saving (Poterba, Venti, and Wise, 1993).31 Another option is measures that affect the riskiness of pension plans and the confidence their contributors have in them. Unfortunately, evidence on the links between the regulatory environment and the coverage of the private pension regime is scanty. A more fundamental point is that, even if pension plans become more attractive (less risky), it is not obvious that the total quantity of saving will grow as a result. Measures that strengthen the regulatory environment could certainly make contractual saving more attractive relative to voluntary saving, because the effective risk-adjusted return on the former savings vehicle would be increased. However, a large number of studies of the impact of changes in the rate of return to saving on the quantity of saving in the aggregate do not find that the positive impact, if there is one, is large (Savastano, 1995). Moreover, because financial markets-do not typically offer life annuities on very favorable terms, the paradoxical effect of measures to promote pension plans could conceivably be a net reduction in private saving. When a company undertakes to provide its employees with life annuities, the amount of money employees save may fall by more than their contributions to the plan if they no longer have to worry about accumulating enough capital to shield themselves from the risk that their returns to investment may be below average and their post-working life longer than normal.32 Sound regulatory practices and prudential requirements may entail large welfare gains, promote the development of the private pension industry, and improve financial intermediation. But it is not obvious that they will contribute to an increase in the saving rate. A compulsory defined-contributions system might do so if its contribution rate is high enough, although such a system would have to be properly integrated with existing public and private schemes, which it might at least partially replace. For example, U.S. pension legislation (the ERISA Act of 1974) provides that plan participants should in general become vested (i.e., have a right to a pension of some size) after 10 years of participation. In Switzerland, the law requires immediate vesting of employee contributions; employer contributions are partially vested after a few years, but not fully vested until 30 years of plan service. In Japan, there is no legal requirement to vest. In practice, all Japanese plans offer some type of vesting, although it can take 20–30 years to become fully vested. Early leavers are penalized quite heavily. Hsin and Mitchell (1994). A Chilean-style plan need not be optional for the self-employed, although the regulatory and administrative requirements of a defined-contributions plan that is compulsory for all are much more substantial than those for one confined to wage and salary earners. The increase in saving induced by tax incentives or reforms could have feedback effects on interest rates that could depress saving. People who are risk averse will seek to accumulate a stock of savings whose value will exceed the expected present value of the post-retirement consumption stream they want to finance, at least when the present value is calculated at a rate of interest close to the market rate. By the same token, shortsighted people—those who, were they not members of a company pension plan, would not save enough—will have their saving rate increased. See Auer-bach and Kotlikoff (1995) for a discussion of this issue.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7288
__label__cc	0.651457	0.348543	Tag Archives: Terri Windling Urban Faerie Exactly what is it that allows the fairy tale, a story archetype that by all rights should have disappeared with powdered wigs and petticoats, to survive, and even thrive, in the new millenium? Perhaps it’s because they concern important lessons – warnings, morals, aspects of the unknowable, ancient folk wisdom – or maybe it’s just for their pure entertainment value. Whatever the reason, fairy tales, in one form or another, are still enjoyed today. Whether it’s classics collected by the Brothers Grimm, Andrew Lang and Charles Perrault, or new tales, such as Charles de Lint’s Newford stories or Neil Gaiman’s tales of American Gods; fairy tales, stories of fantasy, myth and legend, are still creating wonder and magic for people around the world. Perhaps this is why they survive, because no matter when or where a fairy tale is first told, they embody universal images and truths that, over the centuries, have passed beyond time or place, and become one with the vast tapestry of human consciousness. But naturally, as times change, the stories people tell also change. Cities give rise to their own types of stories – the urban legends that make the rounds from time to time, stories that utilize elements of the old ways, but with a metropolitan spin on them that just didn’t exist until the modern city was created. Tags: Charles de Lint, Emma Bull, James P Blaylock, John Crowley, Mark Helprin, Neil Gaiman, Terri Windling Categories Mythic Fiction, Urban Fantasy The works of Terri Windling Terri Windling is an author and editor whom I hold in the very highest regard for her contribution to the fantasy field. Although she is a writer of some note (having won the Mythopoeic Award for her haunting novel The Wood Wife), she is also the editor of over thirty anthologies of speculative fiction and in this role she has done more than almost anyone else to keep the genre of the fantasy short story alive. In her capacity as a writer, she was one of the founders of the urban fantasy genre alongside her great friend Charles De Lint in the 1980s and, as an editor, was a major contributer to the late 20th century resurgence in interest in mythic fiction and fairy tales, often with another of her good friends Ellen Datlow. She has been justly rewarded for her work as an anthologist, winning an impressive haul of 9 World Fantasy Awards and the Bram Stoker Award. Beyond awards though, what distinguishes Windling’s anthologies, in particular the now semi-legendary Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, was the fact that they reached out beyond the boundaries of genre fantasy to a mainstream audience by virtue of the variety and sheer quality of the short stories which they included. Now sadly defunct, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, which Windling left before the end of its run (resulting, in my view, in a marked drop in the quality of stories which the anthology featured) was a showcase for urban fantasy, gothic punk, magic realism, surrealism, postmodernism, poetry and other forms of magical literature. It is a testament to the quality of this and the other anthologies in which Windling was involved that the writers featured therein went on to have massively successful careers, including Jane Yolen, Charles De Lint, Neil Gaiman, James P Blaylock, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Poppy Z Brite, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and a multitude of others. Tags: Mythic Fiction Series, Terri Windling, Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Categories Anthology, Mythic Fiction, Mythology, Short Story	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7289
__label__wiki	0.70246	0.70246	How Goma Chaudhary went from earning 30,000 rupees to 3 lakh rupees in 3 years - Blogs Posted By Krishna Thapa on 8/23/18 5:51 AM By Deepak Adhikari After she moved with her school teacher husband to Salli Bazaar, a small town in Salyan district twenty years ago, Goma Chaudhary opened a small convenience store to support the family of six. Her husband, Samuj Lal Chaudhary, taught science and math at a school which took him two hours to reach on foot, earning only 16,000 rupees a month, an amount grossly inadequate to pay for his monthly expenses. The couple had invested 50,000 rupees in the small store selling everything from cigarettes to chocolates. “But a lot of our sales were on credit. We didn’t have money to invest in a bigger grocery store,” Chaudhary recalled. At the time, Salli Bazaar had only about 40 stone and mud houses. Now the bustling highway town boasts over 100 houses most of them concrete buildings. The growth can be partly attributed to the paved road that connects Salyan with Surkhet district. The highway has attracted people from far flung areas. Samuj Lal estimated people from as many as 20 districts have settled down here. Realising that their small business wasn’t helping them earn much, the two invested in goats. They started with two goats and now have 10 of them. Ever the enterprising entrepreneurs, the Chaudharys switched to vegetable farming after it dawned on them that they were spending some 12,000 rupees every year for vegetable alone. Four years ago, Chaudhary sold off her tiny store and started to grow vegetables in a small plot of land in Salli Bazaar. She made 30,000 rupees selling vegetables in the first year. Over the years, her production has grown significantly. In the beginning, she feared that she may not be able to pay the lease of 5,000 rupees for the farmland. She has now leased five ropanis of land on a vast expanse of farmland few yards from the highway. She now earns up to 3 lakh rupees selling tomatoes, beans, cabbage and cauliflower. Recently, the couple added a second storey to their concrete home in the village of Bannarjhula in Saptari district. The Chaudharys also have bought a plot in Salli Bazaar. The 44-year-old is the chair of the 24-member all women Radha Krishna Fresh Vegetable Group. The High Value Agriculture Project group had 14 members when it was formed in 2013. The idea was to empower women so that they could join market based businesses. The HVAP did so by training the farmers on technical and management aspects and linking them to emerging markets along road corridors. The HVAP also helped the group prepare business plan to attract funds. The most impactful initiative from the project was Business Literary Class (BLC), which brings together about 25 semi-literate women (and some men) from marginalized communities and trains them on basics of accounting. Classes include lessons on operating calculator and mobile phones. A woman trainer teaches them how to use calculator for transaction. They also learn about benefit of being part of the value chain and their role in it. For women who missed out on education during their formative years, resulting on lack of knowhow that others take it for granted, the BLC has proved invaluable. It has brought about fundamental changes in their life, which they could have spent within the confines of their homes and farm fields, missing the opportunity that’s all around them. Goma Chaudhary and her fellow trainees have been able to organize themselves, maintain farmers’ diary and conduct their businesses, thanks to BLC. “Earlier, there was real possibility of being cheated by traders because we didn’t know how to add or subtract. Now we know. This has boosted our confidence,” she said. The group has benefited from the project in other ways as well. All the 14 members save 500 rupees (up from 100 rupees) a month in their collective fund, which they use for raising goats or poultry. Chaudhary and others have also taken advantage of the HVAP’s support for upgrading their vegetable farming. The project invests 75 percent for farming infrastructure such as tunnel for tomato or irrigation system. The farmers bear the reaming 25 percent of the investment. Another aspect of HVAP’s support is technical expertise. Chaudhary recalled that until a few years ago, she grew vegetables without proper knowledge. “I used to farm in a haphazard manner. I didn’t know that beans don’t grow in the month of Chait (mid-March to mid-April),” she said. But now she can count on an agriculture expert based in Salli Bazaar. Since February, 2017, Nageshwar Nayak, a horticulturist, has been posted to Salli Bazaar to help farmers tackle diseases and other problems they face. Indeed, farmers like Chaudhary need a lot of help. Farming is not only labor intensive, requiring constant work and vigil; a host of factors such as weather patterns, diseases, irrigation also impact the harvest. Despite the challenges, Chaudhary is already thinking of upgrading her farm. Lack of irrigation in the arid area, which largely depends on monsoon rains, is one of their concerns. But Radha Krishna Fresh Vegetable Group, under Chaudhary’s leadership, is already seeking solution to the lack of irrigation that is preventing them from increasing their yield. Options such as lift irrigation and drip irrigation have been discussed. With support from projects like HVAP, they are willing to contribute some funds to the project. Chaudhary has endured hard times. Twenty years ago, she was a 14-year-old student at Bageshwari Secondary School in Rakam village of Surkhet when her teacher Samuj Lal started to court her after the death of his first wife. His first wife, who died of paralysis, left behind a toddler son. At the tender age, Chaudhary had to raise the two-year-old, who is now a 22-year-old engineering student. She herself gave birth to two girls and a boy. All of them have now grown up. What makes Chaudhary happy these days is not the ripening tomato on her farm, but her daughter’s academic achievement. Her 18-year-old daughter Menuka Chaudhary is studying to become a Junior Technical Assistant, that much sought-after profession among farmers. “My wife is leading the group and she’s doing good. My daughter is studying to become a JTA. We hope to achieve prosperity from vegetable farming,” said her husband Samuj Lal Chaudhary. 29497 Views, 0 Recent Bloggers Weaving success of rural women in Sabangan, Mt. Province, Philippines Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7290
__label__wiki	0.896784	0.896784	Australian Studies Fromelles: Our Darkest Day Author(s): Patrick Lindsay One hundred years ago, on 19 July 1916, in the French village of Fromelles, Australia suffered its worst ever military defeat when a British officer ordered 15,000 of Australia's best and bravest to go 'over the top' and attack the German lines. Eight hours later more than 5500 Diggers lay dead or wounded - the equivalent of all Australian casualties from the Boer, Korean and Vietnam wars combined. Many of those who died disappeared from the official record, their fate remaining unknown for close to a century. In this evocative and enthralling retelling, Patrick Lindsay takes us back to the killing fields of northern France. Fromelles is also the story of the quest to find the missing Diggers from the WWI battle. Covering the archaeological dig at Pheasant Wood which confirmed, at last, the final resting place of up to 400 missing Diggers and Tommies buried by the Germans after the battle. This discovery was the largest mass grave found since the Second World War. The recovery of the missing Diggers remains and the names of those who have been identified from their DNA, as well as the opening of the new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetary are also included. After a long career as a print and television journalist, Patrick Lindsay has also become one of Australia's leading non-fiction authors. Among his published books are: The Spirit of Kokoda (Hardie Grant), the story of the battles which saved Australia in WWII; TheEssence of Kokoda, a concise guide to the Kokoda story; The Spirit of Gallipoli. Cosgrove ... Portrait of a Leader; Kokoda Spirit exploring the spirit of the Diggers of Kokoda in words and images; and The Coastwatchers covering the story of the remarkable band of men and women who reported on the Japanese operations, many from behind enemy lines, during WWII. Prior to writing full time, Patrick spent 20 years in network television as a reporter, presenter, producer and writer. During that time he had leading roles on the Nine Network, Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel and the Seven Network. He has also reported, written and presented documentaries and feature series in Los Angeles, New York, Hawaii, France, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, London, Romania and Papua New Guinea. He wrote and directed the acclaimed documentaries, Kokoda ... the Bloody Track and Kokoda ... The Last Parade. Patrick devised the format for the highly-successful documentary TV series, In Their Footsteps, broadcast on the Nine Network in 2011. Patrick is a founding director and Chairman of the Kokoda Track Foundation Ltd (see www.ktf.ngo), an Australian philanthropic organisation that aims to repay the selfless help given to Australia during World War II by the beloved Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels of Papua New Guinea by helping to improve the lives and futures of their descendants. In 2015, Patrick was named a Member of the Order of Australia for 'significant service to the media as a television presenter and journalist, to international relations, and to literature as an author'. Patrick and his wife Lisa Cotton live in Sydney. He has three grown-up children, Nathan, Kate and Sarah and one grandson, Lucas. Publisher : Hardie Grant Books Imprint : E2 Produced in : Australia Edition : 616 Author : Patrick Lindsay	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7292
__label__wiki	0.611795	0.611795	Coco: 10 World-leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs Author(s): Editors of Phaidon Press Cocois an exciting, unprecedented guide to the most exceptional talent in the international restaurant world. Following in the footsteps of Phaidon's successful 10x10series featuring emerging young artists in different fields, such as contemporary art (cream, Fresh Cream, Cream 3, andIce Cream), architecture (10x10 and10x10_2), photography (BLINK), and graphic design (Area, and Area 2), Coco presents 100 of the best emerging chefs from around the world selected by 10 superstar chefs: Ferran Adrià (Spain), Mario Batali (USA), Shannon Bennett (Australia), Alain Ducasse (France), Fergus Henderson (UK), Yoshihiro Murata (Japan), Gordon Ramsay (UK), René Redzepi (Denmark), Alice Waters (USA), and Jacky Yu (Hong Kong). The selected 100 chefs are creating the most innovative cuisine today. From Singapore to New York, Stockholm to Surrey, Hong Kong to Paris, these chefs are pushing their craft to new heights and are beginning to receive international attention for their cooking. Arranged alphabetically by chef, the book will present each chef over two spreads with a sample menu and signature recipes, original color photographs of the recipes and of the restaurant, the chef at work, and the chef's environment, including farmers' markets and favorite ingredients. The chef-curators present each of their selected chefs in the form of short insightful essays, and also discuss one specific dish that has had a particular significance throughout their life or career, accompanied by a recipe and photograph of the dish. Part cookbook, part guide to the world's best new restaurants, and part who's who of the international food scene, Cocoshowcases the cooking of today's best new chefs, as chosen by 10 international culinary stars. Publisher : Phaidon Press Imprint : Phaidon Press Ltd Author : Editors of Phaidon Press	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7293
__label__wiki	0.88379	0.88379	Michael Avenatti: Stormy Daniels Lawyer — for President in 2020? After Initial Denials, Lawyer Who Gained Fame Repping AVN Hall of Famer Openly Considers Bid July 05, 2018 1:40 PM Legal - By Michael French After initially denying that he had any interest in becoming a “career politician,” Michael Avenatti now says that he will become a candidate for president of the United States in 2020, challenging Donald Trump—but only if “there is no other candidate in the race that has a REAL chance at beating him,” Avenatti wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday. Avenatti, 47, suddenly sprang onto the national stage in March, as the lawyer for AVN Hall of Famers Stormy Daniels when she filed her lawsuit against Donald Trump over a $130,000 “hush money” payment to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she had with Trump in 2006. But through a seemingly nonstop series of TV and media appearances since then, as well as attaching himself to the cases of parents and children who had been separated at the Mexican border by Trump’s immigration policies, Avenatti has become one of the most recognizable faces, and voices, on the political scene in just a short four-month span. He has also emerged as one of Trump’s harshest and most persistent critics, and last week began posting advice for Democrats who may run against Trump in 2020, calling on whoever runs to be “a take no prisoners street fighter who is prepared to go 15 rounds in a VERY brutal campaign. It will be a cage match like no other in modern times. The future of the republic may depend on it.” Despite initially disavowing any intention to run for office it now appears that Avenatti sees himself as that person, even preemptively swatting down claims that he is too inexperienced in politics to run for president. “To those that claim that only a traditional politician with ‘experience’ can beat Trump, go back & look at the results from 2016,” Avenatti wrote on Twitter. “He beat all 15 of those candidates that he faced (crushed many). If we go down the same path and are not smart, don't be surprised with the result.” Of course, should he ultimately thrown his hat into the ring, Avenatti can expect to be attacked in ways far more serious that claims of his inexperience. Such claims against him are already starting to emerge, as federal prosecutors in Los Angeles file papers accusing Avenatti of dodging nearly a half-million in taxes and deceiving the government about when his former law firm, Eagan Avenatti LLP, would pay what it owed to Uncle Sam—and directly accusing Avenatti of “misconduct.” “Michael Avenatti made misrepresentations to the United States that it’s [sic] claim would be fully paid," write Assistant U.S. Attorney Najah Shariff. "The misconduct of ... Michael Avenatti should not be condoned by this Court." Avenatti immediately dismissed the accusations as “politically motivated,” and told the news site Politico that Shariff had her “facts all wrong.” The taxes in question, Avenatti said, are owed by his previous law firm. “I owe nothing personally,” he added. Photo via NBC News Screen Capture	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7294
__label__cc	0.606488	0.393512	DES Daughters, Medical, Women's Health DES Follow-up Study Date: 14th Mar 2014Author: hysthelp 0 Comments Summary of findings from www.desfollowupstudy.org courtesy of www.cancer.gov The DES Follow-Up Study investigates the long-term health consequences associated with exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES). Since 1992, the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with research centers throughout the United States has been conducting the DES Follow-Up Study of more than 21,000 mothers, daughters, and sons. Prenatal DES Exposure and Common Adult Chronic Diseases. Concern about the possible impact of estrogen-like substances found in the environment on a range of health conditions has spurred research in this area. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is an example of an endocrine-disruptor i.e., chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormone system. While prenatal exposure to DES is known to increase risks of vaginal or cervical cancer and poor reproductive outcomes in women, and abnormalities in the urinary and genital tracts in men information on non-reproductive medical conditions are lacking. We studied the associations between prenatal DES exposure and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and related conditions among 5,590 exposed and unexposed daughters and 2,657 exposed and unexposed sons in the NCI Combined DES Follow-up Study. The associations took into account the participants’ birth year, sex, weight adjusted for height, smoking status, alcohol use, educational status, number of general physical examinations in the past 5 years, and study site. Comparing participants exposed prenatally to DES with those who were not exposed, there were increases in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (27%), heart attacks (28%), hypertension (14%), and high cholesterol (12%). In addition, the risks of developing diabetes, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis and fractures were elevated, but these findings were possibly due to chance. The associations of DES and the medical conditions did not differ by dose and timing of DES exposure, nor, in the women, by presence or absence of vaginal epithelial changes (a marker of DES host susceptibility). This study raises the possibility that prenatal DES exposure is associated with several common medical conditions in adulthood, although there is the possibility that our results are explained by differences in the reporting of conditions by the exposed and unexposed participants, or by other factors related to both the conditions and DES exposure status that were not accounted for in the study, such as dietary intake and physical activity. We plan to continue to study these associations by obtaining medical records to confirm the diagnoses in the current round of the study. Click here to read the Pub Med article www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23474687 Study of Genetic Markers in DES Exposed Daughters Environmental scientists consider DES the ultimate model for studying the impact of exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors (chemicals that interfere with the body’s hormone system) during fetal development. Over three decades of studies in laboratory animals have raised multiple possible biologic effects that could be responsible for the poor health outcomes seen in DES exposed daughters, with one of the most promising indicating that prenatal exposure to DES causes persistent epigenetic changes (epigenetic changes occur in the cells during fetal development and typically turn on or off genes). In addition, some studies in laboratory animals indicate a possible effect of DES on hormone concentrations in women who were prenatally exposed. Researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Boston University and Dartmouth Medical School are attempting to study whether genetic changes and hormone concentrations differ between women who were and were not prenatally exposed to DES. Initially, a small pilot study of 60 women (30 who were exposed to DES and 30 who were not) is planned. Blood samples will be drawn from women participating in our long-term DES Follow-up Study of the health effects of DES exposure. If the study is successful (if women can be recruited and blood samples obtained), we plan to study this question in a larger group of women. The findings of this pilot study may have profound implications for the ways in which endocrine disruption in the fetus influences human health in later life. What are the cancer rates for persons who have been exposed to DES in utero? In 1971, a strong association between DES use in pregnancy and the occurrence of vaginal clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) in exposed daughters was reported. A study published in 1998 found that DES daughters showed no increase in risk of cancer overall or for specific types of cancer, except CCA. The daughters in this study were, however, on average, in their late 30s and had not reached the age at which we expect cancer to occur so we are continuing to monitor these women. Overall, men exposed to DES in utero have not been found to have an increased risk of cancer. The risk for specific types of cancer in men, such as testicular or prostate cancer, is unclear and we are continuing to study it. Does DES cause infertility? A study published in 2001, based on the National Cooperative Diethylstlbestrol Adenosis Study (DESAD) and another cohort of DES exposed and unexposed daughters, found that DES daughters were more likely to have had premature births, miscarriages, and ectopic pregnancies. In addition, the study indicated that the risk of infertility was higher in DES daughters than in unexposed women, and that the increased risk of infertility was mainly due to uterine or tubal problems. A comprehensive review of the health outcomes of DES exposed daughters published in October 2011 reports that exposed daughters were 2.37 times as likely as unexposed women to have infertility, and that exposed women who became pregnant at least once were 1.64 times as likely to have spontaneous abortion and 4.68 times as likely to have a preterm birth. These adverse events are common in the general population, and even more likely among exposed daughters. Does DES cause early menopause? Researchers have found that daughters whose mothers were given DES during pregnancy are two times more likely to have menopause prior to age 45, compared to women who were not exposed to DES. They estimate that 3% of DES-exposed women have experienced early menopause due to their exposure to DES. Should I use hormone therapy if I have been exposed to DES in utero? Is it safe? Each woman should discuss this important question with her doctor. Although studies have not shown that the use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy is unsafe for DES-exposed daughters, some doctors believe these women should avoid these medications because they contain estrogen. Does DES exposure cause autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis? We studied autoimmune disease in depth and published our findings in 2010. They are summarized in the 2010 DES newsletter. In short, we observed no differences in overall autoimmune disease rates between women who were and were not DES-exposed. There was also no difference in lupus and optic neurosis rates between the two groups. With regard to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), our study corroborated findings of an earlier study and we observed a possible increase in RA among DES-exposed women but this was confined to women under the age of 45. There was no overall increase in RA between exposed and unexposed women. There were too few cases if idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) to determine whether or not it is elevated among DES-exposed women. In addition, there was no significant difference in multiple sclerosis rates between women who and were not DES-exposed. This was based on a preliminary review of early data from the DES Follow-up Study. As a result, it was not studied as extensively as the other four aforementioned autoimmune diseases. I am having heart trouble and want to know if this may have been caused by exposure to DES? Currently, there is no evidence that DES exposure during pregnancy or in utero is associated with cardiovascular or coronary heart disease. Analyses are underway to study causes of death, including cardiovascular and coronary heart disease, in mothers who took DES. The majority of women who were exposed to DES have not yet reached the ages during which heart disease is common. In the future, however, it will be possible to address this question. Can exposure to DES before birth influence psychosexual characteristics of those individuals who were exposed? A study published in 2003 found little support for the hypothesis that in utero exposure to DES influences the psychosexual characteristics (the likelihood of ever having been married, age at first intercourse, number of sexual partners, and having had a same-sex sexual partner in adulthood) of adult men and women. Are there any problems with the grandchildren of women who were given DES while pregnant? (i.e., the third generation) Several reports have examined DES grandchildren for possible abnormalities. For the granddaughters, these studies indicate that the age of first menstruation is not affected by DES, but that DES-exposed granddaughters have a greater likelihood of menstrual irregularity. In a small clinical study that included pelvic exams, researchers found no evidence of DES-related changes in the granddaughters of women given DES during pregnancy. A study of cancer outcomes in the granddaughters and grandsons showed no overall increased risk of cancer in either gender. An excess of ovarian cancer was seen in the granddaughters of exposed women, but the number of cases was small, so the evidence is considered preliminary. Investigations in Holland and France have shown a higher risk of hypospadias (a genitourinary anomaly) in the grandsons of DES-exposed women, but DES exposure was not verified in these studies. An analysis of NCI data suggested an increased risk of hypospadias in DES-exposed grandsons, but the finding was not conclusive. A study conducted in Holland found an increased risk of tracheo-esophageal fistula in granddaughters, but this also was not seen in the NCI data. Are there any problems with the grandsons of women who were given DES during pregnancy? (i.e., the third generation) As noted above, several studies have noted possible increased risk of hypospadius in grandsons of women who took DES during their pregnancy. However most of the studies had methodological limitations and the association was inconclusive in the NCI data, where DES exposure was verified. My mother took DES with my sibling, but I am the one who is having all the problems. Do you know if there is any relationship between my mother taking DES before she was pregnant with me and all the problems that I am having? At this time, we have no reason to expect that unexposed siblings of individuals who were exposed to DES in utero would experience any adverse effects because there is no biological evidence that this is possible. What steps do I take to find out if I am a DES daughter? It has been estimated that 5 to 10 million people were exposed to DES during pregnancy. Many of these people are not aware that they were exposed. A woman who was pregnant between 1938 and 1971 and had problems or a history of problems during pregnancy may have been given DES or a similar drug. Women who think they used a hormone such as DES during pregnancy, or people who think that their mother used DES during pregnancy, can contact the attending physician or the hospital where the delivery took place to request a review of the medical records. If any pills were taken during pregnancy, obstetrical records should be checked to determine the name of the drug. Mothers and children have a right to this information. However, finding medical records after a long period of time can be difficult. If the doctor has retired or died, another doctor may have taken over the practice, as well as the records. The county medical society or health department may know where the records have been stored. Some pharmacies keep records for a long time and can be contacted regarding prescription dispensing information. Military medical records are kept for 25 years. In many cases, however, it may be impossible to determine whether DES was used. I was exposed to DES before birth. How often should I have a colposcopic examination? When we first began our DES studies, we suggested that a colposcopic examination be done each year. After several years it became obvious that only those women who had changes in the lining of the vagina or cervix (about 30%) needed to have the procedure every year. However, you should continue to have pelvic examinations and PAP smears on a yearly basis. If you have had an abnormal pap smear in the past, or have one at any time, you should follow your physician’s advice. Your gynecologist should be able to provide information on whether you have had previous vaginal epithelial changes if you are unsure of your previous history. DES Follow up studyDES university of chicagodiethylstilbestrol (DES) Previous Previous post: Irish-American technology development partnership which may save the lives of pregnant mums and newborn babies Next Next post: Gluten Free Yorkshire Pudding	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7295
__label__wiki	0.945189	0.945189	Taylor Swift Fans Unite to Support Delta Rae After Band Leaves Big Machine Delta Rae via Vevo Something positive is coming from all the controversy surrounding Big Machine Label Group, Scooter Braun and Taylor Swift. On Monday (July 1), country/folk pop sextet Delta Rae announced they left their label, Big Machine, to once again pursue music independently, and legions of Taylor Swift fans pledged their support. Delta Rae shared the brief message in a tweet accompanied by a link to a Kickstarter campaign to independently fund their next album The Light. The tweet amassed more than 1,500 retweets and 5,000 favorites in the first few hours alone, also inspiring a barrage of comments from "Swifties" promising to stand behind them. And they meant it: Delta Rae set a budget goal of $30,000 to record The Light. Within the first twelve hours of the campaign, they raised nearly $100,000. As of this writing, and just over 24 full hours of campaign launch, Delta Rae has raised nearly $150,000 from more than 1,000 people. And the campaign still has 59 days left. In the band's Kickstarter campaign, they share that they plan to release two albums titled The Light (in Spring 2020) and The Dark (in 2021) and that if they reached $60,000 they'd record both of them. For comparison, the last time Delta Rae used Kickstarter to raise money for an album, they received $28,000 from 293 backers. They eventually signed to an imprint of Warner Music, followed by signing with Big Machine Label Group in 2017. "For the past seven years we have been signed to record labels that have helped fund our albums, music videos, photography, and artwork," Delta Rae write. "But as of last month, that has changed. We are incredibly excited to announce that we are independent once again." The band also plans to tour extensively around the releases, "Crafting live experiences beyond just music, to bring these worlds to life for you." With funding likely to continue to grow over the next several weeks, Delta Rae could (and should) be one of the best turnaround stories in country music this year. Many Swifties are also sharing the band's music, asking for the best way to get acquainted with them and encouraging others to listen to them. This tweet represents a message sent by dozens of Swift fans in the comments section of Delta Rae's Kickstarter announcement tweet: Delta Rae likely knew they were departing Big Machine well before the controversy around the label's sale took place, but it's a strong statement from the band no less, and a victory for independent musicians. 10 Hottest Summer Songs of 2019: Source: Taylor Swift Fans Unite to Support Delta Rae After Band Leaves Big Machine Filed Under: delta rae, taylor swift	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7299
__label__wiki	0.679915	0.679915	Shooting at synagogue in Poway, Calif. kills 1, injures 3 POWAY, CALIF. — A community is once again in mourning, following the latest incident of gun violence at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue, some 30 miles north of San Diego. The incident took the life of... California Gov. Jerry Brown appoints two Filipina judges by Balitang America - Dec 17, 2018 California Governor Jerry Brown named a pair of Filipinas to serve in the judicial post — Judge Rohanee Zapanta in the San Diego County Superior Court, and Judge Audra Ibarra in Santa Clara County Superior Court....Read More San Diego Filipinos honor outstanding community members, while helping Pinoys in the homeland by Steve Angeles - Dec 5, 2018 SAN DIEGO — A Filipino American Cultural Organization in Oceanside honored community members, while helping the ABS-CBN Foundation raise money for children in the Philippines. In a season of giving, Filipinos in northern San Diego County are... Pres. Trump in California visiting US-Mexico border wall prototypes by Steve Angeles - Mar 13, 2018 SAN DIEGO, CA — President Donald Trump touched down in at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Tuesday morning, visiting the prototypes of the US-Mexican border. He’s expected to address members of the military this afternoon... Meet San Diego’s blind Pinoy acupuncturist by Steve Angeles - Sep 4, 2017 NATIONAL CITY, CA — Acupuncture needles help align the nerves, release toxins, and cure ailments. And for this patient, Doc Willie Villegas is exactly what the doctor ordered. “Willie is amazing he just really takes care... San Diego on the rise for new entertainment capital When you think about sunny San Diego, CA it may not strike you as a Showbiz town at first — but if you take a closer look, you see that the glamour glitz and entertainment are... Honoring America’s earliest Filipino settlers by Steve Angeles - Jul 4, 2017 SAN DIEGO — San Diego is home to one of the largest Filipino American populations, but nearly 250 years ago, Filipinos were among the founding expedition that made their way here to the Spanish landing — the... San Diego’s House of the Philippines looks to expand, share culture SAN DIEGO, CA — Welcome to Balboa Park. Among the zoo, museums, and tourist destinations is a group of bungalows known as the House of Pacific Relations’ International Cottages. “All the culture, and all the things related... SD Kalayaan celebrates past and present Filipino heroes by Steve Angeles - Jun 13, 2017 SAN DIEGO — At 4:47 pm, the Philippine flag was raised high in San Diego’s Balboa Park. 119 years ago, at 4:47,the Philippines raised its flag claiming its independence from Spain. The Filipino American community has been celebrating Philippine... San Diego Filipino American community continues to thrive by Balitang America - May 16, 2017 SAN DIEGO, CA — It’s one of the largest and most thriving Filipinos American communities in the US, and now they’re aiming for big goals. This organization is 200,000 members strong, and while many are considered second generation,...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7300
__label__wiki	0.547024	0.547024	Apple - Get News & Ratings Daily Enter your email address below to get the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple with our FREE daily email newsletter: VanEck Vectors Real Asset Allocation ETF (NYSEARCA:RAAX) Shares Down 0% Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN) Expected to Post Earnings of -$0.14 Per Share $0.86 Earnings Per Share Expected for Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) This Quarter Acute Angle Cloud Reaches 1-Day Trading Volume of $1.35 Million (AAC) $5.17 Billion in Sales Expected for Aecom (NYSE:ACM) This Quarter Mobius (MOBI) Trading Up 14.3% This Week Zacks: Analysts Expect Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE:SMP) to Post $0.80 EPS Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE:AAN) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages Brokerages Set Rent-A-Center Inc (NASDAQ:RCII) Price Target at $21.80 Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Price Target Raised to $239.00 Posted by Chris Copeland on Jul 13th, 2019 Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $233.00 to $239.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, BenzingaRatingsTable reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the iPhone maker’s stock. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on AAPL. Raymond James restated a hold rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of EXACT Sciences from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Citigroup set a $73.00 target price on shares of Esperion Therapeutics and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Wedbush set a $11.00 price target on shares of Sangamo Therapeutics and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Monday, July 8th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a €21.78 ($25.33) price target on shares of Deutsche Lufthansa and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, June 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have issued a hold rating, twenty-four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $209.27. Get Apple alerts: Shares of AAPL stock opened at $203.30 on Tuesday. Apple has a 1 year low of $142.00 and a 1 year high of $233.47. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.32. The company has a market cap of $935.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.23. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.09. Apple had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 51.29%. The company had revenue of $58.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.73 EPS. Apple’s quarterly revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Apple will post 11.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Apple declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $75.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the iPhone maker to purchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued. In other Apple news, Director Arthur D. Levinson sold 35,000 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.86, for a total value of $7,380,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,168,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $246,344,153.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Jeffrey E. Williams sold 56,411 shares of Apple stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.36, for a total value of $11,866,617.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 151,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,803,697.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders. A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its position in shares of Apple by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 32,604 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock valued at $6,453,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Northstar Group Inc. raised its stake in Apple by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northstar Group Inc. now owns 44,428 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $8,793,000 after buying an additional 6,927 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its stake in Apple by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 23,364 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $4,624,000 after buying an additional 664 shares during the period. Smith Salley & Associates raised its stake in shares of Apple by 3.6% in the second quarter. Smith Salley & Associates now owns 104,946 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $20,771,000 after purchasing an additional 3,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 3.7% in the second quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 12,959 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,565,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.54% of the company’s stock. Apple Company Profile Apple Inc designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, and personal computers. It also sells various related software, services, accessories, and third-party digital content and applications. The company offers iPhone, a line of smartphones; iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets; and Mac, a line of desktop and portable personal computers, as well as iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS operating systems. Featured Article: What are the Benefits of Index Funds? Receive News & Ratings for Apple Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Apple and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7301
__label__wiki	0.717686	0.717686	Home > Sports > Basketball > LeBron James signs four year deal with the Lakers LeBron James signs four year deal with the Lakers LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent for the second time in his career and signed a four year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. Will fans in Cleveland burn his jerseys for the second time? I hope not. The fumes from a burning polyester jersey can’t be good for the respiratory system. Who knows what carcinogens are released into the atmosphere when flame takes to an NBA jersey. Let’s hope Cleaveland fans aren’t as mad at LeBron this time as they were last time. He did come back and took the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals for the last four years, winning a championship in 2016. Burning a jersey is silly, Nike will only make more. Speaking of Nike, can you imagine how many JeBron James Los Angeles Lakers jerseys they will be selling over the next few months? Personally, I want a purple one. The Lakers official store is already selling LeBron jerseys. Once in a generation LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation. It’s not even close. He brings a lot to the Lakers. This includes: 7th scoring: 3,1038 11th in assists: 8,208 59th in rebounds: 8,415 16th in steals: 1,865 14-time All-Star 4-time MVP 3-time NBA Champ To me, the most remarkable thing about LeBron James is that he’s been to eight straight NBA Finals. The last time LeBron was not at the NBA Finals? In 2010 when the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics. No other player in NBA history has been to eight straight NBA Finals. Can he make it nine in a row? That’s what Lakers fan want to find out. I feel sorry for Los Angeles Clippers fans who live in Los Angeles. All six of them. It must suck to see the greatest player in the NBA sign with the team everyone else in Los Angeles roots for but you. I would say I feel sorry for Cleveland fans, but that wouldn’t be true. Cleveland fans are used to disappointment and despair. Then again, they did win the NBA Championship in 2016. The Cleveland Browns also won two Super Bowls, the first in 2001 and then again in 2013. They did have to move to Baltimore and change the name from the Browns to the Ravens to make that happen. A small price to pay to be a champion. Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Nike About Rick Rottman My name is Rick Rottman and I live in Maryland. This is my blog. If you'd like to know more about me, check out my About page.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7302
__label__cc	0.576883	0.423117	Opinion I stopped talking to white people about race. Here’s what I learned I stopped talking to white people about race. Here’s what I learned RENI EDDO-LODGE Walls, Bridges, Homes is a series of essays written in response to the emerging global appetite for a progressive narrative around inclusion and immigration. The series frames the thematic focus on 6 Degrees Citizen Space (Sept. 25-27), a forum presented by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. 6DegreesTO.com Reni Eddo-Lodge is a journalist and writer based in London. I recently spoke at a music and literature festival that was so painfully white, its participants began to fret. Keen to hear about arts and culture, they asked why there were very few people of colour in the crowd. This fact was so worrisome, that when a black man made his presence known, he was promptly rewarded with a round of applause. These people were very concerned about inclusion. It's an admirable goal, and one of the foundations of liberal democracy. Everyone must be included in its mechanisms for it to work effectively. Our politicians tell us that there is nothing more idealistic than living in a liberal democracy, that it is core to the idea of fair play and that all other countries should strive for this state. In the face of sinister ideological threats and fanatical far-right activism, we cling to its meaning now more than ever. The loudest alternatives look like a huge step back from the hard-won rights of social progress. But maybe now is the best time to examine what inclusion really means. At the festival, I watched the round of applause while internally cringing. Although this audience meant well, their applause was unsettling – a painfully self-conscious act of white guilt. I've never been keen on inclusion because it's an uncritical cop-out, accepting the status quo as is, while fretting why the marginalized are not fully participating. Materially, through race, class, gender, wealth or access to opportunity, we are not all the same, and never have been. Recognizing the need to include is a good thing. But for there to be difference, there has to be a normal against which difference is measured. I wish my fellow festivalgoers realized the power in their norm. To truly include, our job is to deconstruct that normal. For some time now, liberalism has been too keen to flatten and erase difference in the pursuit of political harmony, believing that if we say we're all the same, then we'll all get along. But this is a willful ignorance of existing barriers, of shapers of inequality. The values of liberal democracy have never been fully realized. If they had, we wouldn't need an inclusion agenda, because everyone would be free to fulfill their potential. But racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism – all social walls, built into the structure of the way things are – are active hindrances to any semblance of meritocracy. Those of us who are concerned with social progress not only see these existing invisible structures, but we seek to redress them by pointing out that they exist. The first step is dealing with the problem by naming it, although that can be a risk in itself. On the other side of the political spectrum, those who seek to exploit these existing divisions are more concerned with the physical kind of boundaries, such as throwing up walls to keep the "other" out, in order to maintain power. I too put up a "wall" in order to expose a wall, which is why I wrote my book, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Originating from a blog post that was written at a point of intense frustration at white willful ignorance, its publication prompted the opposite effect. In setting a clear boundary, I was able to speak more freely, and it flew in the face of the politeness of liberal culture. I was asked how I could I cut myself off like this; the answer was with difficulty. I was asked if my withdrawing from this crucial conversation was somehow an impingement on others' right to free speech. The answer was no. If anything, any infuriation at my silence revealed a peculiar entitlement. I had to put up a wall for my own sanity. I had to stop talking to white people about race because I could see theirs and they could see mine, but they couldn't see their own, or the power implicit in it, how all their assumptions about race shaped the world, and how they never questioned themselves on it. My wall was temporary, and it sparked an interest that I didn't anticipate. I spent the next few years talking to white people about race. After I had made such a declarative statement in that blog post, white people suddenly felt that the issue concerned them. Yet amongst the liberal left, in the context of global politics, walls are not good things at all. They signal a kind of tribalism – arbitrary borders, insularity and parochialism, maybe even small-mindedness. Walls invoke segregation, and segregation is out of the question. We want to be citizens of the world. Free movement, free ideas, free speech. And I agree with all of this. But for me, having boundaries was not about being closed-minded, but instead about withdrawing to recharge. In setting my boundary, I hoped that those it was aimed at would question the conditions that had let me draw that conclusion in the first place. Despite this talk of tribes, I didn't willingly choose to pick a side. I didn't defiantly and proudly assert myself as black in order to distinguish myself from the norm. Instead, I chose to unpack a category that has already been moulded for me by racism, one that has already created scripts about what kind of person I am, and what I am expected to achieve. The script is created by historical discrimination, set deep into the psyche of what it means to be human. If we don't actively resist it, we passively endorse it. Since writing, I've thought a lot about why erasing difference was the prevailing narrative on race among the liberal left for so long. I finally understand why. This misguided, compulsory assimilation was a well meaning rejection of walls. There have been real efforts to reject identity markers in recent years. So keen to reject the notion of signing up to a "tribe," we've defined ourselves as without religion or without any allegiance to left or right in an effort to come across as sensible, moderate and reasonable. There is an inference that any acknowledgment of difference, or considering oneself part of a group, leads to fanaticism. These moderate rejections of obvious "tribes" in order to keep the peace have exposed a fundamental flaw, a kind of faux objectivity, masked in a passive-aggressive reasonableness. The most spirited opposition I've had to my anti-racist work is from those who consider themselves to the arbiters of reason, who assert that my work is based on hysterics. Those who have benefited from an abject lack of inclusion deny there is any power in their position at all – and sometimes try to redefine themselves as victims. Pointing out the differences between us is not the problem. The problem is the power that lies behind those differences, and how the status quo has relied on marginalization. To be responsible citizens we must reckon with this. It's not just about the newspapers you read or the campaigns you donate to. It's about your actions. Bringing down these walls means a fundamental restructuring of the society we live in. It means disrupting comfort, including your own. There can be no poor without the rich. Bringing down this wall means that – if you recognize yourself as a beneficiary – you're in the trenches with those losing out from it. If there was ever a time in your life to pick a side, it's now. Ms. Eddo-Lodge will be appearing at 6 Degrees from Sept. 25-27. What does multiculturalism mean to Canadians today? We ask Canadians and look into policies of the past. Featuring the music of Shad. No, Tina Fey, white people must put down the sheet cake and start fighting Are Nazis as American as apple pie? Presidenting 101: Intro to denouncing racism	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7305
__label__cc	0.653912	0.346088	Business Commentary How Ottawa's Budget 2018 can reduce poverty and homelessness How Ottawa's Budget 2018 can reduce poverty and homelessness KEVIN PAGE and TINA YUAN Published August 27, 2017 Updated August 27, 2017 Kevin Page and Tina Yuan are with the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, and senior and junior fellows of Massey College at the University of Toronto, respectively. Fall is coming. The days are getting shorter. The birds are flying south. Our political leaders will soon be returning to Ottawa. With the return of Parliament, the focus will shift to Budget 2018 preparations. The government has already signalled that reducing poverty and homelessness will be a major theme, in the same way innovation and skills took centre stage in Budget 2017 or child care and infrastructure in 2016. Three strategic factors are creating a helpful tailwind for the government. One factor is a stronger-than-anticipated economy. A rising tide (higher growth) can be used to float all boats. Two: Policy homework is well under way. This is in large part attributable to work by parliamentary committees and special efforts such as At Home/Chez Soi – a four-year research project spearheaded by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Three: Good policy is good politics. The political left will appreciate the focus on the needs of vulnerable people, while the political right will confront evidence demonstrating better fiscal returns and economic and social outcomes with policy reform. The case for making the reduction of poverty and homelessness a budget priority is grounded in numbers, hearts and minds. The numbers are significant and disturbing – between three million and 4.5 million Canadians (9 per cent to 13 per cent) are living in poverty, depending on a range of reasonable definitions. Some 35,000 Canadians are homeless on any given night, while 235,000 will have this experience over a year. According to a Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. study, almost one in three Canadians lived in housing that was not acceptable for a number of reasons, affordability being the most critical among them. Let's be frank: We are leaving behind our most vulnerable. Poverty is creating traps for children, seniors, people with disabilities, visible minorities and our Indigenous peoples. Six thousand young people are going homeless with five times that number spending time in a shelter. In 2014, nearly 3,000 veterans spent time in a shelter. The economic and social benefits of addressing poverty and homelessness far outweigh the costs of inaction. The status quo is expensive. Change is required to achieve better social outcomes. Policy challenges related to inadequate income levels and lack of affordable housing are significant, but they are not new. The policy context evolves with cyclical and structural changes in the economy. The policies are shared by all three levels of government. Governments (and the country at large) will sink or swim together. The basic components of an anti-poverty and homelessness strategy are showing up in government studies (e.g., the 2017 House of Commons committee report, Breaking the Cycle: A Study on Poverty Reduction) and non-government studies (e.g., 2016 Canadian Observatory on Homelessness). A consensus is shaping up from the approach to a range of possible initiatives: A broad policy framework that connects income support, education and training, housing, mental-health and community initiatives. An overarching commitment to partnerships, with roles and responsibilities for all levels of government and support organizations. Performance targets: reductions in poverty levels, increases in supported and affordable housing units and the elimination of chronic homelessness. We need a commitment to data, evidence-based decisions, performance monitoring and management. Targeted strategies to address the needs of priority groups – youth, veterans and Indigenous peoples. A commitment to innovation, building and expanding on the success of programs such as Housing First. We need an openness to trial-test new program designs, perhaps for targeted groups to better support incomes (e.g., guaranteed incomes) and housing affordability (e.g., portable housing benefits) or to involve the private sector (e.g., social-impact bonds). We need an openness to look hard at the performance of current programs, including the relative use and benefits of large shelters that do not provide integrated programming. Sustainable funding. The anti-poverty and anti-homelessness strategy should set out a long-term funding commitment consistent with performance targets, monitoring and review, and fiscal sustainability. Using baseball as a metaphor, the federal Liberal government is now making the turn at second base. It is now two budgets away from the next federal election. By most accounts, Budget 2017 did not land well. The government's innovation and skills agenda, while an important policy priority, lacked the gravitas of a spending review on the more than 100 current programs and $20-billion plus in annual spending. Budget 2018 has the makings of success. The cart is behind the horse, where it should be. Policy decisions can be made based on evidence and consultation. Reducing poverty and homelessness is the right initiative for the right time. Som Seif of Purpose Investments discusses how emotion can lead to the worst investment mistake you can make and gives 3 strategies for avoiding it How the federal government can shape Canada’s Development Finance Institution Ottawa weighs employing ‘social procurement’ plan to support women, minorities Ottawa approves $60-million in funding for electricity in remote Ontario First Nation	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7306
__label__wiki	0.628314	0.628314	American Revolution Podcast A Chronological Journey through the Revolutionary War Episode 079: The Battle of Quebec When we left off last week, General Montgomery and Colonel Arnold had finally combined their forces just upriver from Quebec City. Their combined force of around 1100 was smaller than each individual force had been at the outset of their marches a few months earlier. Disease and illness related to exposure were big reasons for the loss of men. Many of their forces had simply gone home. Montgomery lost about half of his remaining army after he took Montreal. Arnold had lost about one-third of his force when one of his brigades had given up in the wilderness and simply turned around and went back to Boston. Even worse, most of the men who had held out this long looked forward to the end of the year, when their enlistments ended and they could go home. In less than a month, the army might dissolve away without a shot fired. They could not count on George Washington to send reinforcements, he was facing his own end of year deadline when the Continental Army around Boston turned into a group of 15,000 civilians. Montgomery and Arnold though, were not men who would sit around long, especially with the looming deadline. Assault on Quebec, 1775 (from Wikimedia) By December 6, the Continental Army was back surrounding Quebec. Montgomery again offered terms if the city surrendered, but they refused. Next the Continentals tried to communicate directly with the inhabitants by shooting arrows with notes attached into the city. After a few days, Montgomery began using his artillery on the city. But with only a few small cannons, it was not enough to do any real damage, especially after the British used their own artillery to take out the largest Continental battery. The only effective tool that intimidated the defenders was Morgan’s Rifle companies. They acted as snipers, taking out anyone who stood on the walls of the city long enough to become a target. Inside the city, Governor General Guy Carleton felt secure. His Highlander regiment and navy sailors whipped up the citizenry into an effective militia force. Carleton now had about 1800 men ready to defend the city against about 1200 attackers who would have to charge entrenched lines and artillery. He would not make the mistake the French had made during the French and Indian War, and leave the safety of the city walls. Even with a superior force, he was content to remain behind his walls and force the enemy to attack. Unable to get the city to surrender, unable to mount an artillery barrage and storm the walls, and unable to field an army long enough for a siege, Montgomery found himself left only with a longshot: wait for a stormy night when the enemy was not ready, and then storm the walls with scaling ladders and take the city. The Attack Begins Knowing they had to make an attack before the end of the month, Montgomery and Arnold waited for a stormy night, hoping it might give them enough cover to get over the walls and into the city. After a few tense days of waiting, a heavy snow began to fall on December 27. As the army prepared to attack, the snow suddenly stopped. After conferring with his officers, Montgomery called off the assault. Uppertown Gate at Quebec (from Wikimedia) That was actually a good decision. A Continental deserter had alerted the defenders to the planned attack. They were ready and waiting. After Montgomery saw reinforcements on the wall right where he had planned to attack, he changed his plan. Quebec city consisted of two parts. The upper town on the west side faced the Plains of Abraham. This was where any large army would have to attack. Therefore, the defenders had their highest walls and most of their artillery in this section. Behind the uppertown was the lower town, where most of the civilian population lived. This area had walls, not quite as high as those in upper town, but most of lower town was surrounded by the St. Lawrence and St. Charles Rivers. There was no room to put a large military force on the narrow strip of land between the walls and the rivers. Quebec 1775 (from British Battles) General Montgomery had originally planned a direct assault from the Plains of Abraham against the Upper town. After calling off the December 27 attack, Montgomery decided he would only send a small force against the upper town as a feint. While less than 200 men launched a cannon and rocket attack against main gate, Arnold would take a force to the north, move along the wall, and attack the lower town from the north side. Montgomery would move along the southern wall and attack the lower town from the south side. The forces would meet in the middle and then slowly work their way through town, past a series of barricades, until they reached the upper town. From there the combined force could either storm the upper town walls or compel a surrender. Finally, on the night of December 30, another storm rolled in. Montgomery put his plan in motion at around 5AM on the morning of December 31. As Arnold and Montgomery both moved into position, the diversion force launched an assault against the main gate on the western side of the city. They hoped to set the gates on fire, diverting attention from the main attacks on the other side of town. They also launched rockets against the main gate. The rockets were not only an attempt to divert the enemy’s attention, they were the signal for Arnold and Montgomery go begin their attacks at the same time. Montgomery’s Attack Gen. Montgomery led his men along a narrow and rocky path along the south side of the city. They reached the outer barricades and found them unmanned. They moved across the field toward the first buildings, where they found the defenders. The British had established a line of defense using sailors and militia to occupy several houses with both muskets and cannon containing grapeshot. Grapeshot essentially turns a cannon into a giant shotgun, scattering dozens of metal balls all over a field of fire. It is designed to take out an entire line of soldiers. Death of Montgomery (from Yale Art Gallery) Montgomery led the advance force directly against the enemy line. The defenders held their fire until Montgomery and his men were within 50 yards of their lines, then opened fire all at once with devastating effects. Most of the attackers fell to the ground, dead or wounded. Gen. Montgomery who had been out in front, leading the charge, was hit in at least three places and died instantly, the first Continental Army general to give his life. Montgomery would become a hero to the patriot cause, lauded for his bravery and sacrifice. He would never learn that the Continental Congress had already promoted him to major general weeks earlier. He died before the news reached him. A decade later, when Philadelphia County created a new county out of its western half, the State named it Montgomery County in the General’s honor. Montgomery Alabama and a host of other localities are named for this fallen hero. Despite his heroics, that cold morning, Montgomery's corpse lay dead on the field and his men needed a new leader. The few men in the advance force who were not hit, quickly ran back toward the outer barricade and fled the field. Among the survivors was Captain Aaron Burr, who had left Arnold to take a commission and serve as Montgomery’s aide de camp. With Montgomery dead, command of the southern attack fell to Lt. Col. Donald Campbell who was bringing up the second line of attackers. Had Campbell renewed the attack, he might have succeeded. The militia defending against the southern assault were ready to run away. Their regular officers had to keep them on the lines at gunpoint. A second charge might have been enough to chase them away. Then again, a second attack might have to suffer a second deadly volley like the one that took out Montgomery. Campbell decided not to take that gamble. He turned around his men and retreated back down the same narrow trail they had taken to get there. The southern assault was over. Arnold’s Attack At the same time Gen. Montgomery was moving along the south side of the city to begin his attack, Col. Arnold was moving his force along a similar narrow path on the north side of the city, following along the bank of the St. Charles River. Arnold led the column which initially escaped the notice of the defenders. However, after part of the force had passed by a section of the wall, the defenders noticed the attackers slipping by and opened fire. The defenders killed a few Continentals who continued to rush past, but now the element of surprise was gone. Arnold had brought with him a small field cannon to use against the enemy in his main assault. He hoped to blast at the enemy while Captain Daniel Morgan and his riflemen slipped around to the side where they could open a second line of fire. But with the column under fire while still getting into position, the cannon got stuck in the mud. Its crew left it behind and continued forward without it. Quebec Troop movements (from Wikimedia) Without a cannon, Arnold decided a frontal attack was his best option. Like Montgomery, Arnold charged an embedded line of soldiers armed with muskets and cannon. Like Montgomery, Arnold led the charge and was shot in the first volley. Unlike Montgomery, Arnold only took a shot in his leg and would survive. Still, he could not continue and turned over command to Morgan. Unlike Montgomery’s second in command, Morgan charged forward inspiring his men to attack. He led the assault, with his attackers scaling ladders up a wall in the face of enemy fire. They scattered the defenders and took about 100 prisoners. As the patriots swarmed into the streets of the lower town they saw the second barricade, unmanned and open, leading into the upper town. Morgan attempted to advance his men toward the barricade, but they would not go. Only a few dozen of them had advanced past the first barricade. The rest said they needed to wait for the larger force before simply running into the part of town that probably contained over 1000 defenders. Reinforcements were on the way, but seemed to be getting lost on the docks and in the streets of Quebec. Remember, it was still night, in the middle of a snowstorm, and in an unfamiliar town. Before Morgan could get a large enough force, the British defenders in upper town sent 30 highlanders to put some backbone into the 200 militia who were supposed to be defending the second barricade. Morgan’s attackers now found themselves stuck in street fighting with defenders picking them off from the upper floors of houses as they marched through the streets. The defenders quickly realized that the attack on the main gate had been a feint and that Montgomery’s attack from the south was over. They could focus all their attention on Morgan’s soldiers now scattered all over lower town. The defenders circled around and recaptured the first barricade that Morgan’s men had taken. Now the patriots were caught in the city between the first and second barricades, with nowhere to go. House to house fighting continued for hours as soldiers began to take refuge in houses. As morning broke, the patriots found themselves trapped, outnumbered, and running out of ammunition. Morgan tried to order a retreat, but most of his men refused to leave the safety of the houses. They would have had to run a gauntlet of fire down the street, only to face a wall of hundreds of defenders to break out of the city again. It was now daylight and the few hundred patriots trapped in the city were surrounded by much larger numbers of mostly sailors and militia. Eventually, almost all of them surrendered, except Morgan. The British trapped Morgan in a house and surrounded him in a back room. He refused to give up though, slashing with his sword at anyone who tried to come near him. Eventually, a Catholic priest came into the house, and Morgan finally, reluctantly, turned over his sword to the priest. By late morning, the fighting was over. As usual, casualty reports differ. The patriots suffered about 50 dead and another 40 wounded. Well over 400 were taken prisoner, almost all of the attack force led by Arnold and Morgan. The defenders suffered very little. Official reports claim only 5 killed and 14 wounded, but other estimates indicate that 40 or 50 died or suffered serious injuries. With nearly half of the patriot force now killed, wounded, or captured, Carlton had nearly a three to one advantage over his enemy. Even so, he would not venture of out of the city to finish off the remaining Continentals. Repulse of Continentals in Lower Town (from Wikimedia) With Gen. Montgomery’s death, Col. Arnold took command of the remaining force of about 800 men still surrounding Quebec, including several hundred Canadians and Indians who had joined the patriot side. Arnold had no intention of retreating or even withdrawing. His men, however, had different ideas. Most of their enlistments expired on January 1, 1776. Following this loss, more than 100 simply started to head home. Arnold, still in a field hospital having his wounded leg treated, sent a messenger to Gen. Wooster back in Montreal asking that he stop them and force them to return to their posts. Arnold also called for more reinforcements so that they could mount another attack on the city. Wooster did nothing, and Arnold’s force soon fell to under 600. Wooster had no extra troops. He only had about 600 men himself, what he judged barely enough to keep Montreal under control. He feared Indian attacks or a possible French uprising if the bulk of his troops left the city. Eventually, word got back to Gen. Schuyler in Albany, to Gen. Washington at Boston, and to the Congress in Philadelphia. All were stunned by the loss, as well as the death of Gen. Montgomery. None of them, however, had reinforcements to send to Arnold. Congress called on Pennsylvania and New Jersey to raise more regiments to send to Quebec, but that would take months. Washington was watching his own army around Boston dissolve as enlistments ended. Schuyler was still worried about British agents organizing the Iroquois against the patriot forces in New York. He did get Col. Seth Warner to collect a few hundred Green Mountain Boys to send to Quebec. That was nowhere near enough to launch another attack though, and the first reinforcements did not arrive for nearly a month. After six weeks, Congress voted to send a three man commission, headed by Benjamin Franklin, up to Canada to make whatever political or military decisions they deemed helpful to the cause. Rather than an army of reinforcements, Arnold would get a civilian oversight board to question everything he was doing. For most of the winter, Arnold got no real military support at all. As his leg wound healed, his men maintained their siege, even though it seemed obvious to Arnold that the British could probably march out of the city and destroy his force with relative ease. British General Carleton, though, was playing his hand conservatively. He only had to hold out until spring, when the British Navy would send an expected relief force down the St. Lawrence river to secure Quebec, retake Montreal, and probably begin an invasion of New York. Carleton was content to remain inside the city walls and let the patriot rabble sit outside the walls during an extremely cold and miserable winter. While Arnold never got the reinforcements he wanted, Congress recognized his bravery and leadership ability. In January, Congress promoted him to brigadier general. Despite his bravery in battle, Arnold still wasn’t playing nice with most of his fellow officers. Having taken over the remnants of Montgomery’s army, Major John Brown and Col. James Easton fell under his command once again. Arnold felt both men had slandered his reputation in the political wrangling after the fall of Fort Ticonderoga the prior year. Brown came to Gen. Arnold saying that Montgomery had promised him a promotion before his death. Arnold basically responded oh well, it’s a shame he is dead, because I’m sure not giving you one. Arnold accused both men of looting the baggage of captured British officers at Montreal. Brown demanded a court martial to defend his name, but Arnold refused to give him one. Arnold also criticized Col. Seth Warner, another enemy from the fight for credit over Ticonderoga. Warner had allowed his troops to inoculate themselves against smallpox, against orders. Since inoculation usually made one sick with a weak version of smallpox for several weeks, and the men had only signed up for three months of duty, most of them were on sick duty for almost the entire time they were stationed at Quebec. Arnold also complained about lack of support from his superior, Gen. Wooster, who failed to send him reinforcements or resources. Wooster, you may recall was the man Captain Arnold had threatened to shoot a few days after Lexington when Wooster refused to give his company ammunition to march to Cambridge. Gen. Arnold had secured a reputation as a brave fighter, and fearless leader in battle under harsh conditions in the field. But at the same time, he seemed to do his best to make enemies among his fellow officers, and hold grudges forever. Next Episode 80: The Knox Expedition Previous Episode 78: Advancing on Quebec American Revolution Podcast is distributed 100% free of charge. If you can chip in to help defray my costs, I'd appreciate whatever you can give. Also, see the very bottom of this page to see how you can support this podcast by making purchases you would make anyway on Amazon. Thanks, Mike Troy Visit http://www.amrevpodcast.com for a list of all episodes. Visit https://pod.amrevpodcast.com for free downloads of all podcast episodes. Why Benedict Arnold Did It, by Willard Randall, American Heritage: Sept/Oct 1990, Volume 41, Issue 6: http://www.americanheritage.com/content/why-benedict-arnold-did-it Aaron Burr: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/biographies/aaron-burr-jr Daniel Morgan: https://www.nps.gov/cowp/learn/historyculture/daniel-morgan.htm List of Places Named for Richard Montgomery: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_for_Richard_Montgomery (from archive.org unless noted) Codman, John Arnold’s Expedition To Quebec, New York, MacMillan Co., 1901. Dearborn, Henry Journal of Captain Henry Dearborn in the Quebec expedition, 1775, Cambridge: University Press, 1886. Force, Peter American Archives, Series 4, Vol 2, Washington: Peter Force, 1837. An accurate and interesting account of the hardships and sufferings of that band of heroes, who traversed the wilderness in the campaign against Quebec in 1775, by John J. Henry (1812). Hill, George Benedict Arnold: A Biography, Boston: E.O. Libby & Co. 1858. Kingsford, William The History of Canada, Vol. 5, Toronto: Roswell & Hutchinson, 1887 Meigs, Return Journal of the expedition against Quebec: under command of Col. Benedict Arnold, in the year 1775, (Charles Bushnell, ed) New York: (Private Publisher) 1864. Melvin, Andrew (ed) The journal of James Melvin, private soldier in Arnold's expedition against Quebec in the year 1775, Portland, ME: Hubbard W. Bryant, 1902. Smith, Justin Our Struggle for the Fourteenth Colony: Canada, and the American Revolution, Vol. 2, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907. Stocking, Abner An interesting journal of Abner Stocking of Chatham, Connecticut, detailing the distressing events of the expedition against Quebec, under the command of Col. Arnold in the year 1775, Catskill, NY: Eagle Office, 1810 (reprint 1921). Thayer, Simeon & Edwin Stone The invasion of Canada in 1775: including the Journal of Captain Simeon Thayer, describing the perils and sufferings of the army under Colonel Benedict Arnold, in its march through the wilderness to Quebec, Providence: Knowles Anthony & Co. 1867. Winsor, Justin (ed) Arnold's expedition against Quebec. 1775-1776: The Diary of Ebenezer Wild, Cambridge: John Wilson & Son, 1886. Withington, Lothrop (ed) Caleb Haskell's diary. May 5, 1775-May 30, 1776. A revolutionary soldier's record before Boston and with Arnold's Quebec expedition, Newburyport: W.H. Huse, 1881. Würtele, Fred C. Blockade of Quebec in 1775-1776 by the American revolutionists (les Bastonnais) Vol 1) Quebec: Daily Telegraph Job Printing House, 1905. Books Worth Buying (links to Amazon.com unless otherwise noted)* Anderson, Mark The Battle for the Fourteenth Colony: America’s War of Liberation in Canada, 1774–1776, University Press of New England, 2013. Beck, Derek The War Before Independence: 1775-1776, Naperville, Ill: Sourcebooks, 2016. Desjardin, Thomas A. Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005 Hatch, Robert Thrust for Canada, New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 1979. Lefkowitz, Arthur S. Benedict Arnold's Army: The 1775 American Invasion of Canada During the Revolutionary War, El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2008. Martin, James Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary Hero, New York: NYU Press, 1997. Phillips, Kevin 1775: A Good Year for Revolution, New York: Viking Penguin, 2012. Randall, Willard Benedict Arnold: Patriot and Traitor, William Morrow & Co. 1990. * This site is a registered Amazon Associate. Please help support this site by purchasing any of these books, or any other Amazon product, via the links on this site. If you start by clicking on a book link above and then browse to buy something completely different on Amazon, American Revolution Podcast will get credit for your purchase. Posted by Michael Troy at 5:00 AM Labels: 1775, 18th Century Wars, American ARP, American Revolution Blog, History Blog, History Podcast, Revolution in Canada, Revolution Podcast, Revolutionary War Podcast Location: Quebec City, QC, Canada Michael Troy Episode 081: Common Sense Episode 080: The Knox Expedition Episode 078: Advancing on Quebec Help Support Am Rev Podcast PayPal: Click here to donate American Revolution Podcast is 100% free and completely ad free. If you can chip in to help defray my costs, I'd appreciate whatever you can give. But do not feel obligated. If you are not in a position to help, please continue to enjoy at no cost.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7310
__label__cc	0.64188	0.35812	OFFICIAL RULES – Nationwide 88 Consumer Survey Promotion These are the Official Rules for the consumer survey promotion hosted by Nationwide 88 on SurveyGizmo.com (“Promotion”) and promoted on the Nationwide 88 channels from December 12, 2017 to December 31, 2017. The Promotion is sponsored by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company 1 Nationwide Plaza Columbus, Ohio 43215 (“Nationwide”). NO PURCHASE OR INSURANCE QUOTE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. PURCHASING OR OBTAINING A QUOTE WILL NOT INCREASE THE ODDS OF WINNING. The Promotion is open to legal residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, except where prohibited, who: (a) are 18 years of age or have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, whichever is greater, and (b) are legally able to work in the United States. No purchase is necessary. Employees and agents of Nationwide and National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc. 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The Promotion Entities reserve the right at their sole discretion to disqualify any entrant found to be (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or (b) violating the Official Rules. DISPUTES/GOVERNING LAW Except where prohibited, as a condition of participating in the Promotion, entrant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties, and all claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with Promotions or any prize awarded, or the determination of winner shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, and entrant further waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased. All issues and questions rights and obligations of entrant in connection with the Promotion shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Ohio, without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof. WINNER LIST For the name of the Prize Winners, please email spsrship@nationwide. Requests received one (1) week after the relevant Promotion Period will not be honored.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7314
__label__wiki	0.536933	0.536933	Αρχική σελίδα / Τετάρτη...βαρετά Stormy Rescue of Love The Naples Mafia, cocaine trafficking, crime, blackmail, threats, dirty money, rapes, children deprived of their childhood, hidden family secrets, corrupt cops, but also police officers committed to duty, Colombian drug dealers, Brazilian forgers, strained relationships, strong friendships and, of course, Love.The sea is always in the background, first with the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by sail and then within the waters of the Aegean Sea, sometimes calm and sometimes rough…In the epicenter is the Greek island of Hydra, with its traditions, its people and their dreams.All are interweaved in the exciting novel of Spyros Sarellas, a real page turner, creating pictures in our minds, that succeed each other in an incredible pace. Κωδικός προϊόντος: 9789602001998 Κατηγορία: Τετάρτη...βαρετά Ετικέτες: adventurous, intrigued Η τελευταία μαύρη γάτα Αίγυπτος: Τέχνη και αρχιτεκτονική Λούβρο: τέχνη και αρχιτεκτονική Εν Δελφοίς σοφία What I Talk About When I Talk About Running South of the Border, West of the Sun The Origin of Species and the Voyage of the Beagle	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7316
__label__cc	0.619895	0.380105	Company: Kaufland Stiftung & Co. KG Headquarter city: Neckarsulm Kaufland is a network of hypermarkets with a very strong focus on discount pricing, a unique combination in the German retail market. The brand’s origins lie in its association with the discount supermarket chain Lidl, which dates back to 1930; both Kaufland and Lidl are part of the Schwarz Group. The Kaufland brand emerged in 1984 with its first store opening in Nekarsulm. Expansion was gradual until the fall of the Berlin Wall, after which rapid growth took place across Germany and Europe. Kaufland now operates over 1,000 stores in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia. It has announced plans to open stores in Australia and Moldova. While discount prices are at the heart of the brand’s promise, Kaufland has, like Lidl, been investing in changes to its stores and services to improve the customer experience. It is now active online, and has been revamping and enhancing stores, and reviewing its product range to broaden the brand’s appeal to a wider range of customers. Kaufland Stiftung is owned by the Schwarz Group, a family-owned German retail company.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7317
__label__wiki	0.509296	0.509296	Exploring new ground through summer research August 04, 2017 \| Hannah Ebeling Calvin senior Jenna Van Donselaar's (right) summer research experience is taking her to remote places where almost every plant is rare. This summer, 85 students participated in Calvin College’s summer research. The program spans 10 weeks and allows students to explore one of 56 projects in eight different STEM fields. The projects investigate a wide variety of topics ranging from cancer research and the evolution of binary stars to clean water and natural habitat restoration. Cataloguing Grand Rapids flora Jenna Van Donselaar, a senior at Calvin, is spending the summer working on the Emma Cole Project with biology professor, David Warners and visiting professor, Garrett Crow. In 1901, botanist Emma Cole published a book, which catalogues the flora of the Grand Rapids area. The aim of the Emma Cole Project is to revisit these sights, or similar sights, and see how the plant life of Grand Rapids has changed over the past 100 years, explained Van Donselaar. “My role, then, is to visit sights and collect any plant life, flower or fruit, identify the samples, and assess each location for floristic quality,” she said. Warners said, “This project has helped us come to terms with a lot of the changes that have gone on in the last 100 years.” He said some of the sites have been replaced with things like parking lots. “There’s this mixture of excitement and feeling heartbroken; some of the sites are gone, but some are remarkably similar.” “Our project involves visiting many places that most people will never visit,” said Van Donselaar. “One place that we get to go to is a very beautiful bog, where almost every plant is rare. Walking out on the bog mat (floating sphagnum moss over water) is a surreal experience in itself, and eating the wild blueberries and cranberries just sweetens it.” The work from this project will contribute to a series of scientific papers and an eventual updated edition of Cole’s Grand Rapids Flora. Restoring natural habitats “Summer research is a very different environment than a classroom,” said Greg Manni, a junior. “It’s very concentrated. You are focused on just one thing and can really own the work you are doing.” Manni is also working with Warners on a project that will inform best strategies for successful urban restoration projects. Part of the project involves installing curb-cut rain gardens in urban neighborhoods. By replacing the lawn between the sidewalk and the street with a garden, the amount of water ending up in the creek is minimized and flooding is potentially reduced. In addition, students collect and process data from the curb-cut rain gardens that were installed last year. Manni said the students are also in charge of collecting seeds that will be used for next year’s gardens. “Seed collecting is something I’ve really enjoyed,” he said. “It’s cool to think that in a few months they will be seedlings and then, a part of the rain gardens next year.” Manni said a highlight of the summer was getting to design one of the rain gardens they installed. “It will be so cool to come back to the garden years from now and see how it’s grown,” he said. Building confidence in research Warners has worked with students on summer research since he began teaching at Calvin. “One of the reasons I came to teach here is because they emphasize research,” he said. “Undergrads don’t always have the opportunity to participate in research like this.” Several students said they see summer research as a way to explore fields they are interested in at a much deeper level. “Before this summer, my interest in botany was only just developing,” said Van Donselaar. “As the summer winds down, I find that I see the world differently. Every plant is exciting; each plant has something that makes it special.” Manni appreciates that the program allows students to explore and flourish in their own way. “There’s not this idea that everyone needs the same experience,” he said. At the end of the summer, each student presents their work at a poster session. There are also opportunities for students to co-author papers and present their work along with faculty. Warners said he loves getting to know students at a different level during the summer and seeing their growth by the end of the project. “It’s almost like watching a kid learn to ride a two-wheeled bike,” he said about the students. “At first, they think, I could never do this, but later it becomes natural.” Calvin University coming July 10 From Praying to Publishing: Student Authors Three Books Tim Tebow coming to Grand Rapids Pair of Calvin students strike gold with research award Calvin graduates the Class of 2019 From first-year class to Fulbright	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7325
__label__wiki	0.918906	0.918906	The Queen & The Cullinan diamond: How the world's largest diamond was cut for the crown jewels Queen Elizabeth II, surrounded by the bishop of Durham Lord Michael Ramsay (L) and the bishop of Bath and Wells Lord Harold Bradfield, receives homage and allegiance from her subjects during her coronation ceremony on June 02, 1953 in Westminster Abbey, LondonImage: AFP/Getty Images Documents explaining how the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, the largest ever found, was cut for the crown jewels are being auctioned later this month In 1905 the Cullinan diamond, named after the chairman of the mine where it was found, was discovered in Pretoria, South Africa. The huge diamond was then sold to the South African Transvaal Colony for $194,000 before the stone was gifted to King Edward VII for his birthday in 1907. Read more: Royal nicknames we bet you don't know Portrait taken on June 2, 1953 shows Britain Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation, which was the first to be televised. AFP PHOTO / AFP PHOTO / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images) On expert advice, Edward VII commissioned Asscher Company in Amsterdam to cut the stone. This job fell to Joseph Asscher who attempted a 6.5mm incision which broke the blade of his tools. Asscher then had to create stronger tools to do the job and the following week successfully split it into two parts, weighing 1,977 carats and 1,040 carats. From this, the diamond was eventually polished and cut to create nine main stones, 96 smaller diamonds, and a quantity of polished of cuts or what is known as ends. Of the main stones, Cullinan I, is still the largest polished white diamond in the world, weighing 530.20 carats and is positioned on top of the Sovereign’s Sceptre, while Cullinan II, which weighs 317.40 carats, is set at the front of the Imperial State Crown. The Imperial State Crown, due to be worn by Brtain's Queen Elizabeth II during her traditional speech for the State Opening of Parliament, is pictured during the annual State Opening of Parliament in London, on November 18, 2009 (Getty Images) And now, historic documents outlining the deal between the royals and London diamond brokers who managed the deal are being auctioned by Bonhams. Dated January 29, 1908 the “Agreement for the Inspection of the Cullinan Diamond” is for sale, and accompanied by paste replica of the Cullinan in its original rough crystal form and two replica sets of the nine principal diamonds. The lot is estimated to fetch between $2,500-$3,800 in the sale on April 30.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7328
__label__wiki	0.956521	0.956521	Top NFL draft prospect for each Big Ten West team By Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, 2 years ago The NFL draft will take place from April 27-29 in Philadelphia. Who is the top prospect for each Big Ten school? I take a look, beginning with the Big Ten West. I will look at the East on Wednesday. OLB Carroll Phillips. A terrific athlete, Phillips was an end in Champaign, so he must transition to playing mostly on two feet at the next level. He has great burst and speed off the edge and could be a good outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Phillips was All-Big Ten first team (media), the first Illinois first-team selection since 2011. He had 56 tackles, 20.0 TFLs, 9.0 sacks, 3 QB hurries in 2016. He tied Simeon Rice (1994) and Moe Gardner (1989) for the fifth-most TFLs in an Illinois season (20.0). The 6-3, 242-pound Phillips—the No. 12 overall OLB by CBSSports.com–figures to go in the fourth or fifth round, when Illini DE Dawuane Smoot also may go. DT Jaleel Johnson. The NFL is always starved for playmaking tackles. And Johnson could be a good one. He has good quickness and size (6-3, 316), showing a knack for making plays. And Johnson also can push the pocket. Given the starting role as a junior in Iowa City, Johnson garnered honorable mention All-Big Ten honors (45 tackles, 5.5 for loss, four sacks). He progressed in 2016, being named first-team all-conference after leading the club with 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Impressive for an interior player. Johnson projects as a third-round pick, according to CBSSports.com, which has Johnson as the No. 10 DT in the draft. CB Jalen Myrick. The 5-10, 200-pound Myrick has the attention of scouts because of his blazing speed. At the NFL Combine, the speedster from Georgia posted an official 4.28 in the 40-yard dash, which was the second-fastest time at the combine behind Washington’s John Ross who set a combine record with a time of 4.22. Myrick’s burst was the fastest time ever posted by a Big Ten player. And he also is a good return man. Myrick could go in the second or third round and develop into a top cover man who can get physical, too. TE Cethan Carter. He may not have been fully utilized in Lincoln. But the pro scouts like the athletic ability of Carter, who could flex out and play in space as a “move tight end.” The 6-3, 241-pound Carter will be picked late, maybe the seventh round. He provided an athletic and rangy target in the passing game for NU. Carter battled injuries in his final season with the Huskers, but was once again one of the Big Ten’s top tight ends in 2016. Carter finished his Nebraska career with 59 receptions to rank fifth all-time among Nebraska tight ends. Carter also made great strides in his blocking and became a powerful perimeter blocker in his final two seasons. LB Anthony Walker Jr. He declared early for the NFL draft after a standout career in Evanston. No doubt, he was the Wildcats’ best linebacker since Pat Fitzgerald in the mid-1990s. But unlike his coach at NU, Walker will have a pro career. The 6-1, 238-pound Walker emerged in 2015 with 122 tackles and 20.5 for loss, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten. Walker tallied 105 tackles this past season as the Wildcats went 7-6 and won the Pinstripe Bowl. Walker projects as a third- or fourth-round pick by CBSSports.com and is the No. 9 inside linebacker prospect by FOX Sports. G Jordan Roos. The 6-4, 302-pound Roos was a three-year starter for the Boilermakers, providing a consistent punch up front. The problem: Purdue needed more players like him, as the program struggled mightily during the tenure of the big, tough Texan. Roos lacks quickness but he is very strong and powerful at the point of attack. Scouts love how he finishes blocks. Still, he’s a longshot to be picked, but he surely will be in a camp as a free agent, at the least. OT Ryan Ramczyk. He declared early and is projected by most pundits to be a first-round pick following an All-American 2016 season. FOX Sports has him going No. 10 overall. And CBSSports.com has Ramczyk as the No. 1 tackle in the draft. He transferred to Wisconsin in 2015 after two seasons at Division III UW-Stevens Point. He initially enrolled at Division II Winona State in 2012 but did not compete. Ramczyk took classes at Mid-State Technical College after leaving Winona State and before enrolling at UW-Stevens Point. Amazing to see where he came from. He anchored an offensive line that helped the Badgers rush for 203.1 yards per game in 2016. The 6-6, 314-pound Ramczyk ranked as last season’s top run blocker among FBS tackles by Pro Football Focus and allowed just one sack and eight total pressures in 14 games, per Pro Football Focus. Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer About Tom Dienhart: BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, and send him questions to his weekly mailbag. Watch hundreds of live non-televised Big Ten events via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7330
__label__wiki	0.755494	0.755494	Can you make a movie in Canada without government funding? Will Perkins Wide Screen April 11, 2013 Late last month, Telefilm Canada – a federal crown corporation dedicated to financing and promoting the Canadian film and television industry – formally announced that it would be funding eight English and French-language projects to the tune of $6.2 million. Among the English-language projects being financed by Telefilm are the upcoming comedy “Trailer Park Boys: Don't Legalize It” (which nabbed about $3.5 million of the total funding) and filmmaker Bruce McDonald’s new film “Baby How’d We Ever Get This Way” (which received $350,000 from the organization). The rest of the funding was awarded to several Quebecois films and international co-productions. See also: How Roger Ebert helped put the Toronto International Film Festival on the map Typically, government funding represents only a fraction of the total budget for Canadian productions, with the rest usually coming from private producers, movie studios, or other grants. In the case of the third “Trailer Park Boys” movie, the $3.5 million from Telefilm Canada is only about a third of the rumoured $10 million budget. If you’re put off by the idea of your tax dollars being used to fund the next ridiculous caper of Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles, just remember that “Trailer Park Boys” movies aren’t the only projects getting a piece of the pie. Telefilm helped produce dozens of feature films last year, including the Oscar-nominated film “Midnight’s Children” and Xavier Dolan’s well-regarded “Laurence Anyways,” as well as David Cronenberg’s latest (“Cosmopolis”) and the feature film debut of his son Brandon (“Antiviral”). Sure, Telefilm is still funding goofy homegrown fair like “Goon” and “Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day” (without a doubt their biggest box office earners), but they’re also helping Canadian filmmakers earn acclaim, recognition, and awards around the world. Yes, even the Trailer Park Boys, who are surprisingly popular outside of Canada. In the face of recent budget cuts by the federal government (Telefilm had its overall funding reduced by 10 per cent over three years), the organization has put a renewed focus on “stimulating demand for Canadian screen-based content.” The organization has changed over the years from a crown corporation that merely subsidizes Canadian content to one that tries to invest intelligently solid bets. The idea being that a hit movie or two (a hit being a film that earns some awards outside of Canada and hopefully performs reasonably well) might win some of that federal funding back. See also: David Cronenberg turns 70: A look at his filmmaking career The 2012 federal budget was approximately $276 billion, but when you consider the tiny percentage of that budget that arts and culture organizations like Telefilm Canada, The National Film Board of Canada, and the CBC comprise (it’s less than 1 per cent), the cultural capital these films are earning abroad is well worth the comparatively small investment. If Telefilm were able to invest more, perhaps that cultural capital would increase. Given the Great White North's comparatively small film market and industry geared towards American productions, public or semi-private funding will likely always need to be part of the movie making equation for Canadian content. But as Telefilm (and the Trailer Park Boys) have aptly demonstrated over the years, that kind of investment is absolutely worthwhile in the long run.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7333
__label__wiki	0.642277	0.642277	New, stronger regulator for Canada energy projects: panel advice CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canada should reverse the approval process for major energy projects, putting them through federal review before a final decision by new regulatory bodies, an official panel recommended on Monday. A depot used to store pipes for Transcanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen in Gascoyne, North Dakota, January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester Currently, major energy projects in Canada must be approved by the National Energy Board (NEB) regulator before the federal government makes a final decision. Critics say the process is too politicized. The Liberal government is looking to reform the way major projects such as pipelines are assessed and approved on the grounds that Canadians have lost faith in the current system. Environmental and aboriginal groups are mounting high-profile protests against proposed pipelines by TransCanada Corp and Kinder Morgan Inc. The Liberal government appointed the panel that is looking into overhauling the relevant regulatory processes and the NEB. Its recommendations are not binding. The panel said the NEB should be replaced by a new body, the Canadian Energy Transmission Commission, with full authority to approve or deny major projects. The commission’s board would have to be based near Ottawa, Canada’s capital, instead of the NEB’s current base of Calgary, the heart of Canada’s energy sector, according to the report. The government should also create another body, the Canadian Energy Information Agency, responsible for data and analysis, according to the panel. It and the commission would conduct a two-year review of a major energy project if the initial federal assessment, a one-year process, deemed it to be in the national interest, the panel wrote. The NEB’s current time limit for decisions is 15 months. In response to the report, the regulator said it welcomes any changes that would improve it and will work hard to implement them. When asked whether all of the panel’s 26 recommendations will be implemented, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told reporters the government will have tough decisions to make. The government will decide in the fall, he said. The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association said it recognizes there will be significant changes to come for how its members are regulated. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said the current regulatory regime is sufficient, and that the longer timeline proposed is concerning. Last October, sources said Canada’s government might curb the NEB’s power, including stripping it of sole oversight of new projects. Last month, a separate panel appointed to look into environmental assessments said Canada needs a single federal authority to determine the impact of major projects such oil pipelines and mines. Reporting by Ethan Lou in Calgary, Alberta, and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Leslie Adler	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7334
__label__cc	0.666603	0.333397	National Day of Prayer Calls for Interfaith Summit By Cristian Vargas, For CEO CA, On 10 May 2017, Read Original TAMPA, Fla., May 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 4th, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and United for Human Rights held their first Interfaith Summit at the Franciscan Center in Tampa. The 150 guests and religious leaders from eight different faiths came together in prayer for the community, the country and the world. Religious organizations represented included: Order of Saint Francis, Grace Lutheran Church, Church of Scientology, Islamic Community of South-West Florida, Congregation Beth Am, Buddhism and Society of Divine Word. Faith representatives at the Tampa Bay National Day of Prayer May 4th (l-r: Rabbi Jason Rosenberg; Cristian Vargas, UHR; Pastor John Hillmer, Grace Lutheran Church Tampa; Aida Mackic, CAIR; Rabbi Betsy Torop, Congregation Beth Am; Imaam Azhar Subedar, Islamic Community of SW Florida; Father Stephan Brown, S.V.D.; Rev. Patricia Harney, Church of Scientology; Sister Annie Dougherty O.S.F., ED of the Franciscan Center and Pastor Andy Oliver) A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c949fe05-6136-45d9-8f1e-134a881ed419 A blast of the shofar and a Quran recitation set the mood for the rest of the evening. Aida Mackic, Youth and Interfaith Program Coordinator for CAIR Florida, and Cristian Vargas, Executive Director for United for Human Rights Florida, co-emceed the event. Ms. Mackic, articulated the purpose of the event by saying in part, “It is the recognition of our commonalities that form the basis for civil society. While we are not going to agree on everything, we still must maintain an open and friendly dialogue so that we can collectively find solutions to the problems facing our cities, this nation and the world at large. There are many areas where our common humanity forms the base to advance our society. Whether it is the idea that we should feed the poor, take care of the sick, love our neighbors, or do unto others as you would have done to ourselves, these common themes will better all our lives and is the reason we hold events like this today.” Mr. Vargas went on to say, “With everything that’s been happening in the community and in today’s world, the most important thing that we can do is come together and figure out how to solve our problems as a community”. Each religious representative gave their own talk on the subject of unity and how all religions have similar purposes for peace. As each one spoke, they did a prayer unique to their faith. Reverend Pat Harney from the Church of Scientology read the Scientology Prayer for Total Freedom, which included, ‘At this time, we think of those whose liberty is threatened; of those who have suffered imprisonment for their beliefs; of those who are enslaved or martyred, and for all those who are brutalized, trapped or attacked. We pray that human rights will be preserved so that all people may believe and worship freely, so that freedom will once again be seen in our land.’” Many of the guests stayed at the Franciscan Center afterwards for refreshments and to talk with each other. For more information or to get involved with future interfaith events, please contact Cristian or Aida at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7335
__label__cc	0.675431	0.324569	Limits and continuity 1 Limits of functions: small scale trends 2 Limits under algebraic operations 3 Discontinuity: what to avoid 4 Continuity of transformations 5 Continuity under algebraic operations 6 The transcendental functions 7 Limits and continuity under compositions 8 Continuity of the inverse 9 More on limits and continuity 10 Global properties of continuous functions 11 Large-scale behavior and asymptotes 12 Limits and infinity 13 Continuity and accuracy 14 The $\varepsilon$-$\delta$ definition of limit 15 Flowchart for limit computation Limits of functions: small scale trends We now study small scale behavior of functions; we zoom in on a single point of the graph. One of the most crucial properties of a function is the integrity of its graph: is there a break or a cut? For example, in order to study motion, we typically assume that to get from point $A$ to point $B$, we have to visit every location between $A$ and $B$. If there is a jump in the graph of the function, it can't represent motion! Thus, we want to understand what is happening to $y=f(x)$ when $x$ is in the vicinity of a chosen point $x=a$. The tool with which we choose to study the behavior of a function around a point is a sequence converging to the point ($x_n\to a$). We “lift” these points from the $x$-axis to the graph of the function: We then look for a possible long-term pattern of behavior of this new sequence. Do these points accumulate to another point on the graph? Since we already know that the $x$-coordinates of these points do accumulate (to $x=a$), the question becomes: what is happening to the $y$-coordinates? Example. Suppose we would like to study these three functions around the point $a=0$: $$f(x)=\cos x,\quad g(x)=\frac{1}{x},\quad h(x)=\sin (1/x).$$ The reciprocal sequence is an appropriate choice: $$x_n=\frac{1}{n}\to 0.$$ Recall that the composition of any function and a sequence gives us a new sequence. We have then three, one for each function: $$a_n=\cos (1/n),\quad b_n=\frac{1}{1/n},\quad c_n=\sin\left( \frac{1}{1/n} \right).$$ This is how these sequences have been obtained, from the $x$-axis to the graph to the $y$-axis: And this is what we discover about these new sequences when we explore them numerically: Here we can see the following result for $n\to \infty$: $$a_n=\cos (1/n)\to 1,\quad b_n=n\to\infty,\quad c_n=\sin(n) \text{ diverges}.$$ Compare the results to the graphs of the functions: The behaviors match! Our sequence was able to reveal the behavior of each function around $0$. $\square$ Thus, the initial idea of how to find what is happening to $y=f(x)$ as $x$ is approaching $a$ is to pick a sequence that approaches $a$, i.e., $x_n\to a$. Then we evaluate this limit of a new sequence that comes from substitution: $$\lim_{n\to\infty}f(x_n)=?$$ If we think of the sequence $x_n$ as a function, then we should interpret this substitution, $$y_n=f(x_n),$$ as the composition, as discussed in Chapter 5. A single sequence might not be enough though! Example. Just observe the following failure of a single sequence to tell us what is going on with the function $\operatorname{sign}$ around $0$. We try $x_n=-1/n$ and $x_n=1/n$: $$\lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign}(-1/n)=-1,\ \text{ but } \lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign}(1/n)=1,$$ as we approach $0$ from one direction at a time. The limits don't match! In fact, the result suggests that the limit of $\operatorname{sign}(x)$ simply doesn't exist at this point. $\square$ Example. Another failure is of the sequence $x_n=\frac{1}{\pi n}$ where $\frac{1}{n}$ succeeded: $$\lim_{n\to \infty} \sin\left( \frac{1}{1/n} \right) \text{ doesn't exist, but }\lim_{n\to \infty} \sin\frac{1}{x_n}=\lim_{n\to \infty} \sin(\pi n)=\lim_{n\to \infty}0=0.$$ The answer is to try to substitute all sequences that converge to $a$ and ensure they all induce the same behavior from $f$. Definition. The limit of a function $f$ at a point $x=a$ is defined to be the limit $$\lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n)$$ considered for all sequences $x_n$ within the domain of $f$ excluding $a$ that converge to $a$, $$a\ne x_n\to a\ \text{ as } n\to \infty,$$ when all these limits exist and are equal to each other. In that case, we use the notation: $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x).$$ Otherwise, the limit does not exist. Example. Take $f(x)=x^2$ at $a=0$. We test three sequences: $$x_n=\frac{1}{n},\quad y_n=-\frac{1}{n},\quad z_n=\frac{(-1)^n}{n} .$$ It doesn't matter: $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x_n)=\lim_{x\to a} f(y_n)=\lim_{x\to a} f(z_n)=\lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1}{n^2}=0.$$ $\square$ Example. As we have seen, this limit does not exist: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \sin \left( \frac{1}{x} \right)\ \text{ DNE.}$$ In fact, the values of this function start to fill the whole interval $[-1,1]$ as we approach $0$: However, if we multiply this expression by $x$, the swings will start to diminish on the way to $0$: We have a limit: $$\lim_{x\to 0} x\sin \left( \frac{1}{x} \right)=0.$$ $\square$ Example. Let's use the alternating reciprocal sequence for $y=\operatorname{sign}(x)$: $$x_n=(-1)^n\frac{1}{n}.$$ Then, $$\operatorname{sign}(x_n)=\begin{cases} 1&\text{ if } x \text{ is even},\\ -1&\text{ if } x \text{ is odd}. \end{cases}$$ This sequence is divergent. Therefore, the definition fails, and $\lim_{x\to 0} \operatorname{sign}(x)$ doesn't exist. Another way to come to this conclusion is to concentrate on one side at a time: $$\begin{array}{ll} \lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign}\left( -\frac{1}{n} \right)&=\lim_{n\to \infty}-1&=-1 ,\\ \lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign} \left( \frac{1}{n} \right)&=\lim_{n\to \infty} 1&=1. \end{array}$$ The two limits are different, the definition fails, and that's why $\lim_{x\to 0} \operatorname{sign}(x)$ doesn't exist. $\square$ However, the last result also reveals that the behavior of $y=\operatorname{sign}(x)$ on the left and on the right, when considered separately, is very regular. Indeed, we can choose any sequences and, as long as they stay on one side of $0$, we have the same conclusion: if $x_n\to 0$ and $x_n<0$ for all $n$, then $\lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign}(x_n)=-1$, and if $x_n\to 0$ and $x_n>0$ for all $n$, then $\lim_{n\to \infty} \operatorname{sign}(x_n)=1$. To take advantage of this insight, we can imagine that either the part of the graph to the left of $x=a$ disappears or the part to the right: Definition. The limit from the left of a function $f$ at a point $x=a$ is defined to be the same limit, $\lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n)$ but only considered for sequences $x_n$ with $$x_n\to a\ \text{ as } n\to \infty,\ \ \text{ and } x_n<a\ \text{ for all } n,$$ when all these limits exist and are equal to each other. The limit from the right of a function $f$ at a point $x=a$ is defined to be the same limit, $\lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n)$ but only considered for sequences $x_n$ with $$x_n\to a\ \text{ as } n\to \infty,\ \ \text{ and } x_n>a\ \text{ for all } n,$$ when all these limits exist and are equal to each other. In that case, we use the notation: $$\text{left: }\ \lim_{x\to a^-} f(x)\quad \text{ or } \quad \lim_{x\nearrow a} f(x),$$ and $$\text{right: }\ \lim_{x\to a^+} f(x)\quad \text{ or }\quad \lim_{x\searrow a} f(x),$$ respectively. Otherwise, we say that the limit does not exist. Collectively, the two are called one-sided limits. In other words, one-sided limits are the limits of the function restricted to an interval to the left or to the right of the point. For the “two-sided” limit, the question becomes, do the two -- left and right -- limits match? Theorem. The limit of a function $f$ at a point $x=a$ exists if and only if the limits from the left and from the right of $f$ at $x=a$ exist and are equal to each other. Then $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x)=\lim_{x\to a^+} f(x)=\lim_{x\to a^-} f(x).$$ Proof. The existence of this limit means that $\lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n)$ exists for any sequence $x_n\to a$ and is the same. In particular, this is true for the sequences limited to the ones all larger than $a$ and all smaller than $a$. The proof of the converse is omitted. $\blacksquare$ Example. Let's plot the graph of this function: $$ f(x) = \begin{cases} 2 - x & \text{ if } x < -1, \\ x & \text{ if } -1 < x < 1, \\ (x - 1)^{2} & \text{ if } x >1. \end{cases} $$ This is the initial data and three points to plot: $$ \begin{aligned} (1-1)^{2} & = 0, \\ (2-1)^{2} & = 1, \\ (3-1)^{2} & = 4. \end{aligned} $$ Also, $\lim\limits_{x \to a} f(x)$ exists for all $a$ except $a = -1,1$. Our computations also reveal: $$ \begin{array}{ll} \lim_{x \to -1^{-}} f(x) & = 3, &\lim_{x \to -1^{+}} f(x) & = -1 ;\\ \lim_{x \to 1^{-}} f(x) & = 1, &\lim_{x \to 1^{+}} f(x) & = 0. \end{array} $$ Then this is the graph made of three branches, one for each different formula: This example was about interpreting the graph in terms of limits. Now, the other way around: from limits to graphs. Example. Given this information about $f$, plot its graph: $$\begin{alignat}{3} \lim_{x \to 0^{-}} f(x) & = 1, & \quad \lim_{x \to 0^{+}} f(x) &= -1, & \quad f(0) & \text{ undefined}, \\ \lim_{x \to 2^{-}} f(x) &= 0, &\quad \lim_{x \to 2^{+}} f(x) & = 1, &\quad f(2) &= 1. \end{alignat} $$ We re-write the one-sided limits: as $x \to 0^{-}$, we have: $y \to 1$; as $x \to 0^{+}$, we have: $y \to -1$; as $x\to 2^{-}$, we have: $y \to 0$; as $x\to 2^{+}$, we have: $y \to 1$. Then we plot the results below concentrating on the behavior of $f$ close to these points: Example. Is it possible that $\lim\limits_{x \to a} (f(x)+g(x))$ exists, even though $\lim\limits_{x \to a} f(x)$ and $\lim\limits_{x \to a} g(x)$ do not? In other words, can the addition $f + g$ cancel their irregular behavior? Of course; just pick $g = -f$. Then $f + g = 0$, so $\lim\limits_{x \to a} (f + g) = 0$. For a specific example, we can take $f(x) = \dfrac{1}{x}$ and $a = 0$. The $\lim\limits_{x \to 0} \dfrac{1}{x}$ does not exist. Neither does, $\lim\limits_{x \to 0} \left(-\dfrac{1}{x}\right)$. But $$ \lim_{x \to 0} \left[ \dfrac{1}{x} + \left(-\dfrac{1}{x} \right) \right] = \lim_{x \to 0} 0 = 0. $$ $\square$ Theorem. If $\lim\limits_{x \to a} f(x)$ exists but $\lim_{x \to a} g(x)$ does not, then $\lim\limits_{x \to a} (f(x) +g(x))$ does not exist. As we know, the limit of a sequence is fully determined by its tail. Therefore, the limit of a function at $a$ is fully determined by the tail of the sequence $f(x_n)$ when $x_n\to a$. It follows then that only the behavior of $f$ in the vicinity, no matter how small, of $a$ affects the value (and the existence) of the limit $\lim_{x\to a} f(x)$. Theorem (Localization). Suppose two functions $f$ and $g$ coincide in the vicinity of point $a$: $$f(x)=g(x) \quad \text{ for all } a-\varepsilon <x <a+\varepsilon,\ x\ne a,$$ for some $\varepsilon >0$. Then, their limits at $a$ coincide too: $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x) =\lim_{x\to a} g(x).$$ Exercise. Restate the theorem in terms of restrictions of functions. Exercise. State an analog of the theorem for one-sided limits. Limits under algebraic operations We will use the algebraic properties of the limits of sequences to prove virtually identical facts about limits of functions. Let's re-write the main algebraic properties using the alternative notation. Theorem (Algebra of Limits of Sequences). Suppose $a_n\to a$ and $b_n\to b$. Then $$\begin{array}{\|ll\|ll\|} \hline \text{SR: }& a_n + b_n\to a + b& \text{CMR: }& c\cdot a_n\to ca& \text{ for any real }c\\ \text{PR: }& a_n \cdot b_n\to ab& \text{QR: }& a_n/b_n\to a/b &\text{ provided }b\ne 0\\ \hline \end{array}$$ Presented verbally, these rules have these abbreviated versions: the limit of the sum is the sum of the limits; the limit of the difference is the difference of the limits; the limit of the product is the product of the limits; the limit of the quotient is the quotient of the limits (as long as the one of the denominator isn't zero). Each property is matched by its analog for functions. Furthermore, there are analogs for the one-sided limits. In fact, we will see analogs of some of these rules for numerous new concepts to appear in the forthcoming chapters. Theorem (Algebra of Limits of Functions). Suppose $f(x)\to F$ and $g(x)\to G$ as $x\to a$ (or $x\to a^-$ or $x\to a^+$). Then $$\begin{array}{\|ll\|ll\|} \hline \text{SR: }& f(x)+g(x)\to F+G & \text{CMR: }& c\cdot f(x)\to cF& \text{ for any real }c\\ \text{PR: }& f(x)\cdot g(x)\to FG& \text{QR: }& f(x)/g(x)\to F/G &\text{ provided }G\ne 0\\ \hline \end{array}$$ Let's consider them one by one. Now, limits behave well with respect to the usual arithmetic operations. Theorem (Sum Rule). If the limits at $a$ of functions $f(x) ,g(x)$ exist then so does that of their sum, $f(x) \pm g(x)$, and the limit of the sum is equal to the sum of the limits: $$\lim_{x\to a} (f(x) + g(x)) = \lim_{x\to a} f(x) + \lim_{x\to a} g(x).$$ Proof. For any sequence $x_n\to a$, we have by SR: $$\lim_{x\to a} (f(x) + g(x)) = \lim_{n\to \infty} (f(x_n)+g(x_n)) = \lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n)+\lim_{n\to \infty} g(x_n).$$ $\blacksquare$ In the case of infinite limits, we follow the rules of the algebra of infinities as in Chapter 5: $$\begin{array}{lll} \text{number } &+& (+\infty)&=+\infty;\\ \text{number } &+& (-\infty)&=-\infty;\\ +\infty &+& (+\infty)&=+\infty\;\ -\infty &+& (-\infty)&=-\infty.\\ \end{array}$$ The proofs of the rest of the properties are identical. Theorem (Constant Multiple Rule). If the limit at $a$ of function $f(x)$ exists then so does that of its multiple, $c f(x)$, and the limit of the multiple is equal to the multiple of the limit: $$\lim_{x\to a} c f(x) = c \cdot \lim_{x\to a} f(x).$$ Theorem (Product Rule). If the limits at $a$ of functions $f(x) ,g(x)$ exist then so does that of their product, $f(x) \cdot g(x)$, and the limit of the product is equal to the product of the limits: $$\lim_{x\to a} (f(x) \cdot g(x)) = (\lim_{x\to a} f(x))\cdot( \lim_{x\to a} g(x)).$$ Let's set $g(x)=c$ in PR and use CR, then $$\lim_{x\to a} c f(x)= \lim_{x\to a} (f(x) \cdot g(x)) = c\cdot( \lim_{x\to a} g(x)).$$ Then CMR follows. Even though CMR is absorbed into PR, the former is simpler and easier to use. Theorem (Quotient Rule). If the limits at $a$ of functions $f(x) ,g(x)$ exist then so does that of their ratio, $f(x) / g(x)$, provided $\lim_{x\to a} g(x) \ne 0$, and the limit of the ratio is equal to the ratio of the limits: $$\lim_{x\to a} \left(\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}\right) = \frac{\lim\limits_{x\to a} f(x)}{\lim\limits_{x\to a} g(x)}.$$ We can say that the limit sign is “distributed” over these algebraic operations. The main building blocks are these two functions -- the constant function and the identity function -- with simple limits. Theorem (Constant). For any real $c$, the following limit exists at any point $a$: $$\lim_{x\to a} c = c.$$ Proof. For any sequence $x_n\to a$, we have $$\lim_{x\to a} c = \lim_{n\to \infty} c = c.$$ $\blacksquare$ Theorem (Identity). The following limit exists at any point $a$: $$\lim_{x\to a} x = a.$$ Proof. For any sequence $x_n\to a$, we have $$\lim_{x\to a} x = \lim_{n\to \infty} x_n = a.$$ $\blacksquare$ Any polynomial can be built from $x$ and constants by multiplication and addition. Therefore, the first five theorems allow us to compute the limits of all polynomials. Example. Let $$f(x)=x^3+3x^2-7x+8.$$ What is its limit as $x\to 1$? The computation is straightforward, but every step has to be justified with the rules above. To understand which rules to apply first, observe that the last operation is addition. We use SR first: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to 1}f(x)&=\lim_{x\to 1} (x^3+3x^2-7x+8) &\text{ ...then by SR, we have...}\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1} x^3+\lim_{x\to 1}3x^2-\lim_{x\to 1}7x+\lim_{x\to 1}8 &\text{ ...then using }\\ &\quad\quad \text{ PR, } \quad\quad \text{ CMR, } \quad \text{ CMR, } \quad \text{ CR}, &\text{ we have... }\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1} x \cdot\lim_{x\to 1} x^2+3\lim_{x\to 1}x^2-7\lim_{x\to 1}x+8 \quad&\text{ ...then by IR, we have...}\\ &=1\cdot\lim_{x\to 1} x^2+3\lim_{x\to 1}x^2-7\cdot 1+8 \quad&\text{ ...then by PR and IR, we have...}\\ &=1 \cdot 1 +3 \cdot 1 -7+8\\ &=5. \end{array}$$ $\square$ With this complex argument, it is easy to miss the simple fact that the limit of this function happens to be equal to its value: $$\lim_{x\to 1}f(x)=\lim_{x\to 1} (x^3+3x^2-7x+8)=x^3+3x^2-7x+8\Big\|_{x=1}=1^3+3\cdot 1^2-7\cdot 1+8 =5.$$ The idea is confirmed by the plot: Definition. A function $f$ is called continuous at point $a$ if $f(x)$ is defined at $x=a$, the limit of $f$ exists at $a$, and the two are equal to each other: $$\lim_{x\to a}f(x)=f(a).$$ Thus, the limits of continuous functions can be found by substitution. Equivalently, a function $f$ is continuous at $a$ if $$\lim_{n\to \infty}f(x_n)=f(a),$$ for any sequence $x_n\to a$. As we shall see, all polynomials are continuous. Now an example of a rational function... Example. Let's find the limit at $2$ of $$f(x)=\frac{x+1}{x-1}.$$ Again, we look at the last operation of the function. It is division, so we use QR first: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to 2}f(x)&=\lim_{x\to 2}\frac{x+1}{x-1}&\text{...we now justify QR by observing that }\\ && \lim_{x\to 2}(x-1)=1\ne 0, \text{ then...}\\ &=\frac{\lim_{x\to 2}(x+1)}{\lim_{x\to 2}(x-1)}\\ &=\frac{3}{1}\\ &=3. \end{array}$$ $\square$ Example. Let's find the limit at $1$ of the function $$f(x)=\frac{x^2-1}{x-1}.$$ Since the last operation is division, so are supposed to use QR first. However, the limit of the denominator is $0$: $$\lim_{x\to 1}(x-1)=0.$$ Then, QR is inapplicable. But then all other rules of limits are also inapplicable! A closer look reveals that things are even worse; both the numerator and the denominator go to $0$ as $x$ goes to $1$. An attempt to apply QR -- over these objections -- would result in an indeterminate expression: $$ \newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{x^2-1}{x-1}& \ra{???}& \frac{0}{0}\text{ as } x\to 1.\end{array}$$ This doesn't mean that the limit doesn't exist; we just need to get rid of the indeterminacy. The answer is algebra. We factor the numerator and then cancel the denominator (thereby circumventing the need for QR): $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to 1}f(x)&=\lim_{x\to 1}\frac{x^2-1}{x-1}\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1}\frac{(x-1)(x+1)}{x-1}\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1}(x+1) \\ &=2. \end{array}$$ The cancellation is justified by the fact that $x$ tends to $1$ but never reaches it. $\square$ Example. Let's consider more examples of how trying to apply the laws of limits without verifying their conditions could lead to indeterminate expressions. We choose a few algebraically trivial situations. First, for $x\to 0$, a misapplication of QR leads to the following: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{x^2}{x}& \ra{???}& \frac{0}{0},&\text{ instead of }\frac{x^2}{x}=x\to 0.\end{array}$$ We now discover how the same indeterminate expression has a different outcome: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{x}{x^2}& \ra{???}& \frac{0}{0},&\text{ instead of }\frac{x}{x^2}=\frac{1}{x}\to \infty.\end{array}$$ And another one: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{2x}{x}& \ra{???}& \frac{0}{0},&\text{ instead of }\frac{2x}{x}=2\to 2.\end{array}$$ $\square$ The answer to a limit problem can't be “It's indeterminate!”. We have to determine it. Example. Now, there are other kinds of indeterminate expressions. For $x\to \infty$, a misapplication of QR leads to the following: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{x^2}{x}& \ra{???}& \frac{\infty}{\infty},&\text{ instead of }\frac{x^2}{x}=x\to \infty.\end{array}$$ The same indeterminate expression has a different outcome: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll}\frac{x}{x^2}& \ra{???}& \frac{\infty}{\infty},&\text{ instead of }\frac{x}{x^2}=\frac{1}{x}\to 0.\end{array}$$ Finally, we see how indeterminate expressions appear under SR instead of QR. For $x\to \infty$, we have the following: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ll} (x+1)-x & \ra{???}& \infty -\infty,&\text{ instead of }(x+1)-x =1.\end{array}$$ $\square$ Example. Compute $$\lim\limits_{x \to 0} \dfrac{\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} - 3}{x^{2}}.$$ If we mindlessly substitute $x=0$, we get $0/0$... What does it mean? It means: $$\begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}$$ STOP! Erase everything and do algebra. The goal is to cancel the denominator. The trick is to multiply by the conjugate, $\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3$, of the numerator in order to “rationalize” it. Then we have: $$ \begin{aligned} \lim_{x \to 0} \dfrac{\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} - 3}{x^{2}} & = \lim_{x \to 0} \dfrac{(\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} - 3)\cdot (\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3)}{x^{2}\cdot (\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3)} \\ & = \lim_{x \to 0} \dfrac{(x^{2} + 9) - 3^{2}}{x^{2}(\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3)} \\ & = \lim_{x \to 0} \dfrac{x^{2}}{x^{2}(\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3)} \\ & = \lim_{x \to 0} \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{x^{2} + 9} + 3} \\ & = \dfrac{1}{\sqrt{0 + 9} + 3} \\ &= \dfrac{1}{6}. \end{aligned} $$ At the end, QR applies because the limit in the denominator exists and is not $0$. $\square$ Below, we re-state these famous limits for sequences from Chapter 5 as limits for functions: $$\lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{\sin x_n}{x_n} =1,\qquad \lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{1 - \cos x_n}{x_n} = 0,$$ for any sequence $x_n\to 0$. Theorem (Famous limits). $$\begin{array}{ll} \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x} =1;& \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1 - \cos x}{x} = 0. \end{array}$$ They would produce indeterminate expressions if we tried to apply the rules of limits without checking their conditions first. Instead of concentrating on how $x$ is approaching $a$, we can look at how far we step away from $a$. We consider the increment, i.e., the difference $h$ between the two. Thus, we replace $$x\to a \text{ with } h=x-a\to 0.$$ Then we re-write the limit $\lim_{x \to a} f(x)$ by substitution $h = x - a$, as follows. Theorem (Alternative formula for limit). The limit of a function $f$ at $a$ is equal to $L$ if and only if $$\lim_{h \to 0} f(a + h) = L.$$ This will make our computations look different... Example. Let's use the theorem to take another look at the following limit: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x^2-1}{x-1}&=\lim_{h \to 0} \frac{(1+h)^2-1}{(1+h)-1}&\text{ ...by the theorem,}\\ &=\lim_{h \to 0} \frac{1+2h+h^2-1}{1+h-1}&\text{ ...expand,}\\ &=\lim_{h \to 0} \frac{2h+h^2}{h}&\text{ ...simplify,}\\ &=\lim_{h \to 0} (2+h)&\text{ ...divide,}\\ &=2+h\bigg\|_{h=0}&\text{ ...substitute,}\\ &=2. \end{array}$$ This time, we didn't have to do any factoring! $\square$ As we see, this substitution might make the algebra simpler. Exercise. Use the theorem to compute: $$\lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x^3-1}{x-1}.$$ Just as with sequences, we can represent the Sum Rule as a diagram: $$\newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\la}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xleftarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \newcommand{\ua}[1]{\left\uparrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} \begin{array}{ccc} f,g&\ra{\lim}&F,G\\ \ \da{+}&SR &\ \da{+}\\ f+g & \ra{\lim}&\lim(f+g)=F+G \end{array} $$ In the diagram, we start with a pair of functions at the top left and then we proceed in two ways: right: take the limit of either, then down: add the results; or down: add them, then right: take the limit of the result. The result is the same! For the Product Rule and the Quotient Rule, we just replace “$+$” with “$\cdot$” and “$\div$” respectively. Discontinuity: what to avoid If one stands at the edge of a cliff, one small step may lead to catastrophic consequences. Standing off the edge will not. One can capture this phenomenon with the graph of this function: $$f(x)=\begin{cases} 1&\text{ if } x\le 0;\\ 0&\text{ if } x> 0. \end{cases}$$ In Chapters 6 - 10, we will study functions on a small scale. That is why the functions that may produce a dramatically different output in response to a small change in the input will not initially be a subject of our study. In Chapter 11 and 12, we will study functions on a large scale and these functions won't present a problem. What is the opposite of these “poorly behaved” functions? This is what we mean by a continuous dependence of $y$ on $x$ under function $f$: a small deviation of $x$ from $a$ produces a small deviation of $y=f(x)$ from $f(a)$: The idea is visualized below: Such dependencies are ubiquitous in nature: the location of a moving object continuously depends on time, the pressure in a closed container continuously depends on the temperature, the air resistance continuously depends on the velocity of the moving object, etc. It is our goal to develop this idea in full rigor and to make sure that our mathematical tools match the perceived reality. One of the informal ideas about continuity is that the graph of such a function is “made of a single piece”. We think of the graph as a rope: Even though it look intact, there may be an invisible cut that allow us to pull it apart. Example. Consider these two functions: $$f(x)=\frac{x^2-1}{x-1} \text{ and } g(x)=x+1.$$ The limit of the former is found by this computation: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to 1}f(x)&=\lim_{x\to 1}\frac{x^2-1}{x-1}\qquad \to \frac{0}{0}? \qquad\begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1}\frac{(x-1)(x+1)}{x-1}\\ &=\lim_{x\to 1}(x+1) \\ &=2. \end{array}$$ At the end, we use the fact that $x+1$ is continuous to apply a direct substitution. That's the only thing we need for the other limit: $$\lim_{x\to 1}g(x)=\lim_{x\to 1}(x+1)=x+1\Big\|_{x=1}=1+1=2.$$ The two functions are almost the same and the difference is seen in their graphs below. To emphasize the difference we use a little circle to indicate the missing point: There is only one point missing from the former graph. However, if we think of the graph of a function as a rope, we realize that the former graph consists of two separate pieces! Even though the cut is invisibly thin, we can pull the pieces apart. The latter graph is a single piece. It is indeed “continuous”. A light breeze would only move the latter but blow apart the former: The discontinuous graph in the last example was easy to “repair” (glue, solder, weld, etc.) by adding a single point. There are other, more extreme, cases of discontinuity. They cannot be fixed. Example. The sign function $f(x)=\operatorname{sign}(x)$ has a visible gap at $x=0$: This example shows how the idea of continuous dependence of $y$ on $x$ fails: starting with $x=0$, even a tiniest deviation of $x$, say, $x=.0001$, produces a jump in $y$ from $\operatorname{sign}(0)=0$ to $\operatorname{sign}(.0001)=1$. $\square$ Example. A more general view of the “jump discontinuity” is shown below: These $x$'s that are “close” to $a$ don't all end up “close” to $f(a)$. $\square$ The examples teach us a lesson. Given a function $f$ and a point $a$, where $f$ is defined, the graph of $f$ consists of three parts: 1. the part of the graph of $f$ with $x<a$, 2. the part of the graph of $f$ with $x=a$ (one point), and 3. the part of the graph of $f$ with $x>a$. For this function to be continuous, these three parts (the two pieces of the rope and a drop of glue) have to fit together: We put this idea in the form of a theorem that relies on the concept of a one-sided limit. Theorem. A function $f$ is continuous at $x=a$ if and only if $f$ is defined at $a$, the two one-sided limits exist and both equal to the value of the function at $a$; $$\lim_{x\to a^-}f(x)=f(a)=\lim_{x\to a^+}f(x).$$ Where do discontinuous functions come from? We can observe them in nature around us: walking continuously -- until falling off a cliff, increasing the pressure continuously in a closed container -- until it explodes, increasing the temperature continuously of a piece of ice -- until it melts. Examples of discontinuity routinely come from human affairs because the outcomes are often designed to be discrete: Yes or No, all or nothing, etc. Example (grades). Let's consider possible outcomes in a university environment. We start with pass/fail. The outcome depends on your total (or average) score. A threshold is typically assigned: if the score is above it, you pass, otherwise you fail no matter how close you are. That's discontinuity! Using letter grades relieve this somewhat, but there are still thresholds! They will remain even if we choose to use $A-$, $B+$, etc. Generally, there are only a few possible outputs (the letter grades) but the input (the score) is arbitrary. To try to plot the graph of how the outcomes depend on the score, we show above the lines that must contain the graph of the function. There cannot be a continuous function with such a graph. $\square$ Example. A pair of useful discontinuous functions are the following two. First is the the integer part: The second is the fractional part: Example (taxes). A special care has to be taken in order to ensure continuity. Let's recall an example from Chapter 3. Hypothetically, suppose the tax code says about these three brackets of income: if your income is less than $\$ 10000$, there is no income tax; if your income is between $\$ 10000$ and $\$ 20000 $, the tax rate is $10\%$; if your income is over $\$ 20000$, the tax rate is $20\%$. We can express this algebraically. Suppose $x$ is the income and $y = f(x)$ is the tax rate, then $$f(x) = \begin{cases} 0 & \text{if } x \le 10000; \\ .10 & \text{if } 10000 < x \le 20000; \\ .20 & \text{if } 20000 <x. \end{cases}$$ The function is, of course, discontinuous (left): We see why this is a problem once we try to apply it directly. Imagine that your income has risen from $\$10,000$ to $\$10,001$, but your tax bill has risen from $\$0$ to $\$1,000$! How do we fix this? The principle we want to follow here is that a “small” change in the income will cause only a “small” change in the tax bill. This requirement is satisfied as long as the income stays within the brackets. The issue arises only at the transition points and can be addressed in the way shown on right. The interpretation of the result is possible if we understand the law correctly. The tax rate is marginal, i.e., it is the tax rate applied to the part of the income that lies within the bracket and these three numbers are meant to be added together to produce your tax bill (or tax liability). This is the formula for the tax bill as a function of income: $$g(x) = \begin{cases} 0 & \text{if } x < 10000; \\ .10\cdot (x-10000) & \text{if } 10000 < x \le 20000; \\ .10\cdot (x-10000)+.20\cdot (x-20000) & \text{if } 20000 <x. \end{cases}$$ The function is continuous. $\square$ Exercise. Prove the formula above as well as the continuity of the function. Even more extreme examples are below. Example. The reciprocal function $g(x)=1/x$ has an infinite gap at $x=0$: Here, if the deviations of $x$ from $0$ differ in sign, the jump in $y$ may be very large: from $\frac{1}{-.0001}=-10000$ to $\frac{1}{.0001}=10000$. $\square$ Example. The sine of the reciprocal $g(x)=\sin \left( 1/x \right)$ oscillates infinitely many times as we approach $0$: Here, a deviation of $x$ from $0$ may unpredictably produce any number between $-1$ and $1$. Then, as we know, the limit of this function at $0$ does not exist. Therefore, the function cannot possibly be continuous at $0$ according to the definition. To appreciate this conclusion from the geometric point of view, it is impossible to attach this graph to a single point on the $y$-axis no matter what that point may be. In the meantime, the function $h(x)=x\sin \left( 1/x \right)$ also oscillates infinitely many times as we approach $0$, yet, because the magnitude of these oscillations decreases, the limit exists (it's $0$!): Does this make the function continuous? No, there is still a point missing at $0$. In other words, the two oscillating branches are detached. Let's glue them together. We simply define a new function: $$f(x)=\begin{cases} x\sin \left( 1/x \right)&\text{ if } x\ne 0;\\ 0&\text{ if } x= 0. \end{cases}$$ $\square$ Example (nowhere). The Dirichlet function is nowhere continuous! It is defined by: $$I_Q(x)=\begin{cases} 1 &\text{ if }x \text{ is a rational number},\\ 0 &\text{ if }x \text{ is an irrational number}. \end{cases}$$ In an attempt to plot its graph, we can only draw two horizontal lines and then simply point out some of the missing points in either: If we were to plot all points, we'd have what looks like two complete straight lines. However, a light breeze would blow them apart: Continuity of transformations An abstract function $y=f(x)$ given to us without any prior background may be supplied with a tangible representation: 1. we think of the function as if it represents motion: $x$ time, $y$ location; 2. we plot the graph of the function on a piece of paper; 3. we think of the function as a transformation of the real line. Let's review the last point of view on function from Chapter 3: numerical functions are transformations of the real number line... and vice versa. We represent a numerical function as correspondence between the $x$ and the $y$-axis (in contrast to the graph they are parallel instead of perpendicular to each other): The arrows tell us what happens to each number but they also suggest what happens to the whole $x$-axis. The function $$y=f(x)=x+k$$ shifts the $x$-axis in the positive direction when $k>0$ and in the negative direction when $k<0$. Next, the function $$y=-x$$ takes the $x$-axis with at two spots nd then bring those two points to the assigned locations on the $y$-axis. These two transformations don't distort the line and are called motions. They are continuous! A fold of a piece of wire: This is the absolute value function, $y=\|x\|$! Another type of transformation is a stretch, $$y=f(x)=x\cdot k,$$ of a rubber string. We grab it by the ends and pull them apart: This is indeed a uniform stretch because the distance between any two points doubles. We understand “stretched by a factor $k$” as “shrunk by a factor $1/k$”. This is a combination of shifting, stretching, and shrinking: We will often color the numbers according to their values. This is the summary of the functions we have considered: We also plot the graphs of these functions below: A constant functions, $f(x)=k$, is a collapse. It shrinks to a single point. The transformation of the domain into the codomain performed by the function can be seen in what happens to its graph: First, we take the $x$-axis as if it is a rope and lift it vertically to the graph of the function and, second, we push it horizontally to the $y$-axis. A transformation can tear this rope. That's discontinuity! The sign function collapses the $x$-axis to three different points on the $y$-axis: Exercise. Discuss the continuity of the integer value function. Continuity under algebraic operations With the apparent abundance of discontinuous functions, now the good news: a typical function we encounter is continuous at every point of its domain. Of course, it can't be continuous outside. From all the functions we have seen so far, only a few piece-wise defined functions have been exceptions, especially the sign function and the integer value function. We prove continuity of a function by showing (and later using many times) the fact that its limit is evaluated by substitution: $$ \newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} % \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline\quad \lim_{x\to a}F(x)=F(a) \quad \\ \hline\end{array} \text{ or } \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline\quad F(x)\to F(a) \text{ as } x\to a.\quad \\ \hline\end{array} $$ Theorem. Every polynomial is continuous at every point. Every rational function is continuous at every point where it is defined. The theorem follows from the following algebraic result. Theorem. Suppose $f$ and $g$ are continuous at $x=a$. Then so are the following functions: 1. (SR) $f\pm g$, 2. (CMR) $c\cdot f$ for any real $c$, 3. (PR) $f \cdot g$, and 4. (QR) $f/g$ provided $g(a)\ne 0$. Proof. For SR, we try to evaluate the limit of the sum at $a$ as follows: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to a} \big[ (f+g)(x) \big] &=\lim_{x\to a} \big[ f(x)+ g(x) \big] & \text{ ...then by SR for limits...}\\ &=\lim_{x\to a} f(x)+ \lim_{x\to a} g(x) &\text{ ...then by continuity...}\\ &=f(a)+g(a)\\ &=(f+g)(a). \end{array}$$ Therefore, the limit if $f+g$ is the value of the function; hence, it is continuous by the definition. Next, CMR, PR, and QR are proved with CMR, PR, and QR for limits, respectively. $\square$ In SR, $g$ serves as a push of the graph of $f$. The picture below is meant to illustrate that idea. There is a rope, $f$, on the ground and there is also wind, $g$. Then, the wind, non-uniformly but continuously, blows the rope forward: We can say that if the floor and the ceiling represented by $f$ and $g$ respectively of a tunnel are changing continuously then so is its height, which is $g-f$: Or, if the floor and the ceiling ($f$ and $-g$) of a tunnel are changing continuously then so is its height ($g+f$). Thus, if there are no bumps in the floor and no bumps in the ceiling, you won't (suddenly) bump your head as you walk. In CMR, $c$ is the magnitude of a vertical stretch/shrink of the rubber sheet that has the graph of $f$ drawn on it: In PR, we say that if the width and the height ($f$ and $g$) of a rectangle are changing continuously then so is its area ($f\cdot g$): In QR, we say that if the width and the height ($f$ and $g$) of a triangle are changing continuously then so is the tangent of its base angle ($f/g$): The last one stands out with the extra restriction that the denominator isn't zero -- but only at the point $a$ itself. For example, $\frac{1}{x-1}$ is continuous at $x=0$; the fact that it is undefined at $1$ is irrelevant. An abbreviated version of the theorem reads as follows. Theorem. The sum, the difference, the product, and the ratio of two continuous functions is continuous (on its domain). To justify our conclusion about the continuity of polynomials, let's consider a general representation of an $n$th degree polynomial: $$a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2+...+a_{n-1}x+a_nx^n.$$ Then we follow the following sequence of conclusions: $$\begin{array}{lrrrrr} \text{these are continuous: }&1&,&x&,&x&,&...&&x&,&x&;\\ \text{these are too by PR: }&1&,&x&,&x^2&,&...&&x^{n-1}&,&x^n&;\\ \text{these too by CMR: }&a_0&,&a_1x&,&a_2x^2&,&...&&a_{n-1}x^{n-1}&,&a_nx^n&;\\ \text{this is continuous by SR: }&a_0&+&a_1x&+&a_2x^2&+&...&+&a_{n-1}x^{n-1}&+&a_nx^n&. \end{array}$$ We also conclude that the graph of a polynomials consists of a single piece. Once the continuity of polynomials is established, the continuity of rational functions (away from the points where the denominator is zero) is proven from QR. We also conclude that the graph of a rational function consists of several pieces -- one for each interval of its domain. Example. For example, the function $$f(x)=\frac{1}{(x-1)^2(x-2)(x-3)}$$ has three holes, $1,2,3$, in its domain. Therefore, its graph has four branches. $\square$ The transcendental functions We consider the exponential function and justify treating this function as defined on $(-\infty,\infty)$. Recall how in Chapter 1 we first defined the exponential function $f(x)=a^x,\ a>0$ for all integer values of $x$ as repeated multiplication. It was then also defined as repeated division in case of a negative $x$ in Chapter 4. We then extended the definition to all rational numbers $x=\frac{p}{q}$ by means of the formula: $$a^{\frac{p}{q}}=\sqrt[q]{a^p}=\left( \sqrt[q]{a}\right)^p.$$ Now, what about $y=a^x$ for real values of $x$? But first, the continuity. We will assume the continuity of $y=e^x$ one single point, $x=0$. Lemma. $$\lim_{x\to 0} e^x = 1.$$ Theorem. The exponential function $y=e^x$ -- defined for rational $x$ -- is continuous. Proof. Consider: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{h \to 0} e^{x_0 + h} &= \lim_{h \to 0} e^{x_0 } e^{h}&\text{ ...by Rule 1 of exponents...}\\ &= e^{x_0 } \cdot \lim_{h \to 0} e^{h} &\text{ ...by CMR...}\\ &= e^{x_0 } \cdot 1 &\text{ ...by the lemma...}\\ &= e^{x_0} . \end{array}$$ $\blacksquare$ Theorem. The natural exponential function, or the exponential function base $e$, also satisfies for each real $x$: $$e^x=\lim_{n\to \infty}\left( 1+\frac{x}{n} \right)^n.$$ What about trigonometric functions? Let's review. Suppose a real number $x$ is given. We construct a line segment of length $1$ on the plane. Then $\cos x$ is the horizontal coordinate of the end of the segment, $\sin x$ is the vertical coordinate of the end of the segment. We think of $\cos x$ as the length of the shadow of the stick of length $1$ under angle $x$ in the ground when the sun is above it and $\sin x$ as the length of its shadow on the wall at sunset... It is then plausible that -- as the stick rotates -- the length of the shadow changes continuously. Or the stick is still and it is the sun that is moving. Then the shadow gives us $\cos x$, where $x$ is a multiple of time: We will assume the continuity of $\sin$ and $\cos$ at one single point, $x=0$. Lemma. $$\lim_{x\to 0} \sin x = 0 \quad\text{ and }\quad \lim_{x\to 0} \cos x = 1.$$ Theorem. Both $\cos$ and $\sin$ are continuous at every $x$. Proof. Consider: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{h \to 0} \sin(a + h) &= \lim_{h \to 0} \left( \sin a \cdot \cos h + \cos a \cdot \sin h \right)&\text{ ...by a trig formula...}\\ &= \lim_{h \to 0} \left(\sin a \cdot \cos h\right) + \lim_{h \to 0} \left(\cos a \cdot \sin h\right) &\text{ ...by SR...}\\ &= \sin a \cdot \lim_{h \to 0} \cos h + \cos a \cdot \lim_{h \to 0} \sin h &\text{ ...by CMR...}\\ &= \sin a \cdot 1 + \cos a \cdot 0 &\text{ ...by the lemma...}\\ &= \sin a . \end{array}$$ $\blacksquare$ The theorem confirms that the graphs of $\sin$ and $\cos$ do indeed look like this, even if we zoom in on any point: Below, we re-state the famous limits as facts about continuity. Theorem (Famous limits). The following functions are continuous at every point: $$\begin{array}{ll} f(x)=\begin{cases} \frac{\sin x}{x} &\text{ if } x\ne 0;\\ 1& \text{ if } x=0; \end{cases}& g(x)=\begin{cases} \frac{1 - \cos x}{x} &\text{ if } x\ne 0;\\ 0 &\text{ if } x= 0. \end{cases} \end{array}$$ Limits and continuity under compositions An application of PR in a simple situation reveals a new shortcut: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to a} \big( f(x) \big)^2 &=\lim_{x\to a} \left( f(x)\cdot f(x) \right)\\ &=\lim_{x\to a} f(x)\cdot \lim_{x\to a} f(x) \\ &=\left(\lim_{x\to a} f(x)\right)^2, \end{array}$$ provided that limit exists. Then, furthermore, a repeated use of PR produces a more general formula: $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x)^n = \left[ \lim_{x\to a} f(x) \right]^n,$$ for any natural number $n$. Thus, the limit of the power is equal to the power of the limit. The conclusion is, in fact, about compositions of functions. Indeed, above we have: $$f(x)^n =g(f(x)) \text{ with } g(u)=u^n.$$ What is so special about this new function? It is continuous! In brief, compositions of continuous functions are continuous. The idea is illustrated as follows. Imagine we have three curved wires with a freely moving nut on each. The nuts are connected by two rods. Then, if the first nut is moved, it moves the second, and the second moves the third: We however first consider a limit at one given point. Theorem (Composition Rule). If the limit at $a$ of function $f(x)$ exists and is equal to $L$ then so does that of its composition with any function $g$ continuous at $L$ and $$\lim_{x\to a} (g\circ f)(x) = g(L).$$ Proof. Suppose we have a sequence, $$x_n\to a.$$ Then, we also have another sequence, $$b_n=f(x_n).$$ The condition $f(x)\to L$ as $x\to a$ is restated as follows: $$b_n\to L \text{ as } n\to \infty.$$ Therefore, continuity of $g$ implies, $$g(b_n)\to g(L)\text{ as } n\to \infty.$$ In other words, $$(g\circ f)(x_n)=g(f(x_n))\to g(L)\text{ as } n\to \infty.$$ Since sequence $x_n\to a$ was chosen arbitrarily, this condition is restated as, $$(g\circ f)(x)\to g(L)\text{ as } x\to a.$$ $\blacksquare$ We can re-write the result as follows: $$ \newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} % \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline\quad \lim_{x\to a} (g\circ f)(x) = g(L)\Bigg\|_{L=\lim_{x\to a} f(x)} \quad \\ \hline\end{array} $$ In a sense, the limit is, again, computed by substitution. Furthermore, the continuous $g$ can be moved out of the limit to be computed: $$ \newcommand{\ra}[1]{\!\!\!\!\!\xrightarrow{\quad#1\quad}\!\!\!\!\!} \newcommand{\da}[1]{\left\downarrow{\scriptstyle#1}\vphantom{\displaystyle\int_0^1}\right.} % \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline\quad \lim_{x\to a} g\bigg( f(x) \bigg) = g\left( \lim_{x\to a} f(x) \right) \quad \\ \hline\end{array} $$ Corollary. The composition $g\circ f$ of a function $f$ continuous at $x=a$ and a function $g$ continuous at $y=f(a)$ is continuous at $x=a$. Proof. We apply the theorem and then the continuity of $f$: $$\lim_{x\to a}(g\circ f)(x)=g\left( \lim_{x\to a} f(x) \right)=g\left( f(a) \right)=(g\circ f)(a).$$ $\blacksquare$ The composition of continuous functions is illustrated below: One can see now how the two continuous functions interact. First, we have their continuity described separately: 1. a small deviation of $x$ from $a$ produces a small deviation of $u=f(x)$ from $f(a)$, and 2. a small deviation of $u$ from $c$ produces a small deviation of $y=g(u)$ from $g(c)$. If we set $c=f(a)$, we have: 3. a small deviation of $u=f(x)$ from $c=f(a)$ produces a small deviation of $y=g(u)=g(f(x))$ from $g(c)=g(f(a))$. That's continuity of $h=g\circ f$ at $x=a$! Example. From trigonometry, we know that $$\cos(x)=\sin(\pi/2-x).$$ The, the continuity of $\sin$ implies the continuity of $\cos$. $\square$ Example. Consider these two functions and their composition: $$\begin{array}{ll} y=g(u)&=u^2+2u-1,\\ u=f(x)&=2x^{-3}. \end{array}$$ What is the limit of $h=g\circ f$ at $1$? First, we note that $g$ is continuous at every point as a polynomial. Therefore, by the theorem we have: $$\lim_{x\to 1} (g\circ f)(x) = g\left( \lim_{x\to 1} f(x) \right),$$ if the limit on the right exists. It does, because $f$ is a rational function defined at $x=1$: $$\lim_{x\to 1} f(x)=\lim_{x\to 1} 2x^{-3} =2\cdot 1^{-3}=2.$$ The limit becomes a number, $u=2$, and this number we substitute into $g$: $$\lim_{x\to 1} h(x) = g\left( \lim_{x\to 1} f(x) \right)=g(2)=2^2+2\cdot 2-1=7.$$ The answer is verified by a direct computation of $h$: $$h(x)=(g\circ f)(x) = g(f(x))=u^2+2u-1\Big\|_{u=2x^{-3}}=\left( 2x^{-3} \right)^2+2\left( 2x^{-3} \right)-1=4x^{-6} +4x^{-3} -1.$$ Since the function is continuous (rational and defined at $1$), we have by substitution: $$\lim_{x\to 1} h(x)=4x^{-6} +4x^{-3} -1\Big\|_{x=1}=4\cdot 1^{-6} +4\cdot 1^{-3} -1=7.$$ $\square$ We compute limits by verifying and then using, via CR, the continuity of the functions involved. Example. Compute: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1}{\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3}.$$ We proceed by a gradual decomposition of $$r(x)= \frac{1}{\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3}.$$ The last operation of $f$ is division. Therefore, $$r(x)=g(f(x)),\text{ where } u=f(x)=\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3 \text{ and }g(u)=\frac{1}{u}.$$ Function $g$ is rational; but is it continuous? Its denominator isn't zero at the point we are interested in: $$f(0)=\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3\Big\|_{x=0}=\left( 0^2+0-1 \right)^3=-1\ne 0.$$ Then CR applies and our limit becomes: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1}{\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3}=\lim_{x\to 0} r(x)=\lim_{x\to 0} g(f(x))=g(\lim_{x\to 0}f(x))=\frac{1}{\lim_{x\to 0}\left[ \left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3\right]},$$ provided the new limit exits. Notice that the limit to be computed has been simplified! Let's compute it. We start over and continue with a decomposition of $$p(x)= \left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3.$$ The last operation of $f$ is the power. Therefore, $$p(x)=g(f(x)),\text{ where } u=f(x)=x^2+x-1 \text{ and }g(u)=u^3.$$ Function $g$ is a polynomial and, therefore, continuous. Then CR applies and the limit becomes: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3=\lim_{x\to 0} p(x)=\lim_{x\to 0} g(f(x))=g(\lim_{x\to 0}f(x))=\left[ \lim_{x\to 0}\left( x^2+x-1\right) \right]^3,$$ provided the new limit exits. Notice that, again, the limit to be computed has been simplified! Let's compute it. We realize that the function $x^2+x-1$ is a polynomial and, therefore, its limit is computed by substitution: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \left( x^2+x-1\right) =x^2+x-1\Big\|_{x=0}=0^2+0-1=-1.$$ What remains is to combine the three formulas above: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1}{\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3}&=\frac{1}{\left[\lim_{x\to 0}\left( x^2+x-1 \right)^3 \right]}\\ &=\frac{1}{\left[ \lim_{x\to 0}\left( x^2+x-1 \right) \right]^3}\\ &=\frac{1}{\left[ -1 \right]^3}\\ &=-1. \end{array}$$ $\square$ When there is no continuity to use, we may have to apply algebra (such as factoring), or trigonometry, etc. in order to find another decomposition of the function. Our short list of continuous functions allows us to compute many limits; we just have to justify, every time, our conclusion by making a reference to this fact. Example. First, $$\lim_{n\to \infty}\ln \left( 1+\frac{1}{n} \right) =\ln \left( \lim_{n\to \infty} \left[ 1+\frac{1}{n} \right]\right) =\ln 1=0,$$ because $\ln x$ is continuous at $x=1$. Second, $$\lim_{n\to \infty}\left( 1+\frac{1}{n} \right)^2 =\left( \lim_{n\to \infty} \left[ 1+\frac{1}{n} \right]\right)^2 =1^2=1,$$ because $x^2$ is continuous at $x=1$. Third, $$\lim_{n\to \infty}\frac{1}{1+\frac{1}{n}} =\frac{1}{ \lim_{n\to \infty}\left[ 1+\frac{1}{n} \right]} =\frac{1}{1}=1,$$ because $\tfrac{1}{x}$ is continuous at $x=1$. $\square$ Continuity of the inverse So far, the only kind of function we know to be continuous is the rational functions: all algebraic operations, including compositions, on rational functions produce more rational functions. The continuity of even such a simple function as the square root $f(x)=\sqrt{x}$ remains unproven. But the inverse of this function is a polynomial! Recall that functions are inverses when one undoes the effect of the other; for example, the multiplication by $3$ is undone by the division by $3$, and vice versa; the second power is undone by the square root (for $x\ge 0$), and vice versa; the exponential function is undone by the logarithm of the same base, and vice versa, etc. Some of these functions are already known to be continuous. What about the rest? The inverses undo each other under composition; two functions $y=f(x)$ and $x=g(y)$ are called inverse of each other when for all $x$ in the domain of $f$ and for all $y$ in the domain of $g$, we have: $$g(f(x))=x \text{ and } f(g(y))=y.$$ What if one of these functions, say $f$, is continuous? Does it make the other, $g$, continuous too? Considering the fact that the functions in the right-hand sides of these equations are also continuous, we expect the answer to be Yes. Every function $y=f(x)$ which is one-to-one (i.e., there is only one $x$ for each $y$) has the inverse $x=g(y)$ which is also one-to-one (i.e., there is only one $y$ for each $x$). If we take the graph of the former and flip this piece of paper so that the $x$-axis and the $y$-axis are interchanged, we get the graph of the latter (and vice versa): The shapes of the graphs are the same; in fact, it's the same graph! If one has no breaks then neither does the other. It is then conceivable that the continuity of one implies the continuity of the other. We just have to be careful about the location of the sequence. We know that $$x_n\to a\ \Longrightarrow\ f(x_n)\to f(a).$$ What about the converse? Theorem. The inverse of a function $y=f(x)$ continuous at $x=a$, if exists, is a function $x=g(y)$ continuous at $b=f(a)$. Proof. Suppose we have a sequence that converges to $b$: $$y_n\to b.$$ Since $f$ is onto, there is such $x_n$ for each $n$ that $f(x_n)=y_n$. Then we have: $$f(x_n)\to b= f(a).$$ .... $\blacksquare$ Thus, not only the rational functions are continuous (within their domains) but also their inverses. In particular, we have $$\lim_{x\to a} \sqrt{f(x)} = \sqrt{ \lim_{x\to a} f(x) }.$$ Since the odd powers are one-to-one but the even powers aren't one-to-one, we treat the odd and even roots separately. The add roots have domains $(-\infty,\infty)$ while the even roots have domains $[0,\infty)$. The latter contains a special point, $0$, with the neighbors only on one side. That is why we need the concept of a one-sided limit in order to discuss continuity at such locations. Definition. A function $y=f(x)$ is called continuous from the right at $x=a$ if $$\lim_{x\to a^+}f(x)=f(a);$$ and a function $y=f(x)$ is called continuous from the left at $x=a$ if $$\lim_{x\to a^-}f(x)=f(a);$$ Theorem. The odd roots, $y=\sqrt[3]{x},\ y=\sqrt[5]{x},\ y=\sqrt[7]{x},\ ...$ are continuous at every real $x$. The even roots, $y=\sqrt[2]{x},\ y=\sqrt[4]{x},\ y=\sqrt[6]{x},\ ...$ are continuous at every $x>0$ and continuous from the right at $x=0$. Another important pair of inverses is the exponent and the logarithm. Since the former is continuous, then so is the latter. As we know from Chapter 4, this function is increasing for all rational $x$. Then, from the Comparison Theorem, we conclude that it is also increasing on $(-\infty,\infty )$. Therefore, it is one-to-one. Definition. The natural logarithm function, or the logarithm function base $e$, is defined as the inverse of the natural exponential function. Definition. The exponential function base $a>0$ is defined by its values for each real $x$: $$a^x=e^{x\ln a}.$$ The definition matches the old one given for the rational $x$. Theorem. The exponential function $y=a^x$ is continuous. Proof. It follows from the continuity of $y=e^x$ and the Composition Rule for limits. $\blacksquare$ More on limits and continuity To show continuity of functions beyond the rational functions, we will imply some indirect and direct methods. Theorem (Comparison Test). Non-strict inequalities between functions are preserved under limits, i.e., if $$f(x) \leq g(x)$$ for all $n$ greater than some $N$, then $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x) \leq \lim_{x\to a} g(x), $$ provided the limits exist. Otherwise we have: $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x\to a} f(x) =+\infty&\Longrightarrow& \lim_{x\to a} g(x)=+\infty;\\ \lim_{x\to a} f(x) =-\infty&\Longleftarrow& \lim_{x\to a} g(x)=-\infty. \end{array}$$ Warning: replacing the non-strict inequality, $$f(x) \leq g(x), $$ with a strict one, $$f(x) < g(x) ,$$ won't produce a strict inequality in the conclusion of the theorem. From the inequality, we can't conclude anything about the existence of the limit: Having two inequalities, on both sides, may work better. It is called a squeeze, just as in the case of sequences. If we can squeeze the function under investigation between two familiar functions, we might be able to say something about its limit. Some further requirements will be necessary. Theorem (Squeeze Theorem). If a function is squeezed between two functions with the same limit at a point, its limit also exists and is equal to the that number; i.e., if $$f(x) \leq h(x) \leq g(x) ,$$ for all $x$ within some open interval from $x=a$, and $$\lim_{x\to a} f(x) = \lim_{x\to a} g(x) = L,$$ then the following limit exists and equal to that number: $$\lim_{x\to a} h(x) = L.$$ Proof. For any sequence $x_n\to a$, we have: $$f(x_n) \leq h(x_n) \leq g(x_n).$$ We also have $$\lim_{n\to \infty} f(x_n) = \lim_{n\to \infty} g(x_n) = L.$$ Therefore, by the Squeeze Theorem for sequences we have $$\lim_{n\to \infty} h(x_n) = L.$$ $\blacksquare$ Example. Let's find the limit, $$\lim_{x \to 0}x \sin(\tfrac{1}{x}).$$ It cannot be computed by PR because $$\lim_{x\to 0}\sin(\tfrac{1}{x})$$ does not exist. Let's try a squeeze. This is what we know from trigonometry: $$-1 \le \sin(\tfrac{1}{x}) \le 1. $$ Note that this squeeze proves nothing about the limit of $\sin(\tfrac{1}{x})$: Let's try another squeeze: $$-\|x\| \le x \sin(\tfrac{1}{x}) \le \|x\| .$$ Now, since $\lim_{x\to 0}(-x) =\lim_{x\to 0}(x)=0$, by the Squeeze Theorem, we have: $$\lim_{x\to 0} x \sin(\tfrac{1}{x})=0.$$ $\square$ Example. We can use the same logic to prove that the Dirichlet function multiplied by $x$ is continuous at exactly one point! $$xI_Q(x)=\begin{cases} x &\text{ if }x \text{ is a rational number},\\ 0 &\text{ if }x \text{ is an irrational number}. \end{cases}$$ Again, to plot its graph we can only draw two lines and then point out some of the missing points: Example. The first of the two famous limits: $$\lim_{x\to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x} =1, \ \lim_{x\to 0} \frac{1 - \cos x}{x} = 0.$$ follows by the Squeeze Theorem from this trigonometric fact: $$\cos x \le \frac{\sin x}{x} \le 1.$$ $\square$ We would like to conclude that the inverses of $\sin$ and $\cos$ are also continuous. However, since neither function is one-to-one, we restrict the domain of the function to be able to define its inverse. First, we have a pair of inverse functions, the sine (restricted) and the arcsine: $$y=\sin x,\ x\in [-\pi/2,\pi/2], \text{ and } x=\sin^{-1}y,\ y\in [-1,1].$$ The graphs are of course the same with just $x$ and $y$ interchanged. Second, we have another pair of inverse functions, the cosine (restricted) and the arccosine: $$y=\cos x,\ x\in [0,\pi], \text{ and } x=\cos^{-1}y,\ y\in [-1,1].$$ Thirdly, we also have this pair of inverse functions, the tangent (restricted) and the arctangent: $$y=\tan x,\ x\in (-\pi/2,\pi/2), \text{ and } x=\tan^{-1}y,\ y\in (-\infty,+\infty).$$ Since $$\tan x =\frac{\sin x}{\cos x},$$ we apply QR to conclude that it is continuous at every point $x$ with $\cos x\ne 0$. Let's consider one such point, $x=\pi/2$. We know that, as $x\to \pi/2$, we have $$\sin x\to 1 \text{ and } \cos x\to 0.$$ We should conclude that $$\tan x\to \pm\infty.$$ However, which infinity? We take into account the sign of $\cos x$ on the two sides of $\pi/2$: $$0<\cos x\to 0 \text{ as } x\to \pi/2^- \text{ and } 0>\cos x\to 0 \text{ as } x\to \pi/2^+.$$ Therefore, $$\tan x\to +\infty \text{ as } x\to \pi/2^- \text{ and } \tan x\to -\infty \text{ as } x\to \pi/2^+,$$ and, indeed, the graph reveals different behavior on the two sides of $\pi/2$. The pattern repeats itself every $\pi$ units on the $x$-axis. We consider more examples of such behavior below. Global properties of continuous functions The definition of continuity is purely local: only the behavior of the function in the, no matter how small, vicinity of the point matters. Now, what if the function is continuous on a whole interval? What can we say about its global behavior? Recall that a function $f$ is called bounded on an interval $[a,b]$ if its range is bounded, I.e., there is such a real number $Q$ that $$\|f(x)\| \le Q$$ for all $x$ in $[a,b]$. Theorem. If the limit at $x=a$ of function $y=f(x)$ exists then $f$ is bounded on some interval that contains $a$: $$\lim_{x\to a}f(x) \text{ exists }\ \Longrightarrow\ \|f(x)\| \le Q$$ for all $x$ in $[a-\delta,a+\delta]$ for some $\delta >0$ and some $Q$. We have been speaking until now of continuity only one point at a time: there is no cut at $x=a$. Definition. A function $f$ is called continuous on interval $I$ if the interval is contained in the domain of $f$ and $$\lim_{n\to\infty}f(x_n)=f(x),$$ for any sequence $x_n$ in $I$ such that $x_n\to a$. Recall that it is simply called continuous when it is continuous on its domain. Example. In particular, $1/x$ is continuous on $(-\infty,0)$ and on $(0,\infty )$. But it is not continuous on $(-\infty,\infty)$ or $(-\infty,0)\cup (0,\infty )$. $\square$ Proposition. (a) If $f$ is continuous on $[a,b)$ or $[a,b]$, then $f$ is continuous at every $x$ in $(a,b)$ and at $x=a$ from the right. (b) If $f$ is continuous on $(a,b]$ or $[a,b]$, then $f$ is continuous at every $x$ in $(a,b)$ and at $x=b$ from the left. Example. In particular, $\sqrt{x}$ is continuous on $[0,\infty)$; $\sin^{-1}x$ and $\cos^{-1} x$ are continuous on $[-1,1]$. The global version of the above theorem guarantees that the function is bounded on any a closed bounded interval, i.e., $[a,b]$, as follows. Theorem (Boundedness). A continuous on a closed bounded interval function is bounded on the interval. Proof. Suppose, to the contrary, that $f$ is unbounded on interval $[a,b]$. Then there is a sequence $x_n$ in $[a,b]$ such that $f(x_n)\to \infty$. Then, by the Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem, sequence $x_n$ has a convergent subsequence $y_k$: $$y_k \to y.$$ This point belongs to $[a,b]$! From the continuity, it follows that $$f(y_k) \to f(y).$$ This contradicts the fact that $y_k$ is a subsequence of a sequence that diverges to $\infty$. $\blacksquare$ In other words, the range of the function is within $[-Q,Q]$. Exercise. Why are we justified to conclude in the proof that the limit $y$ of $y_k$ is in $[a,b]$? Example. We show that the theorem fails if one of the conditions is omitted: (a) the function is discontinuous on a closed bounded interval; (b) the function is continuous on a not closed bounded interval; (c) the function is continuous on a closed unbounded interval. In all three cases, the unbounded behavior of the function can be expressed as an infinite limit: $$\begin{array}{ll} \text{(a) }&\lim_{x\to c^-}f(x)=+\infty;\\ \text{(b) }&\lim_{x\to b^-}f(x)=+\infty;\\ \text{(a) }&\lim_{x\to +\infty}f(x)=+\infty;\\ \end{array}$$ However, we shouldn't equate unboundedness with infinite limits; here is the graph of $y=x\sin x$: Our understanding of continuity of functions has been as the property of having no gaps in their graphs. In fact, there are no gaps in the range either. To get from point $A=f(a)$ to point $B=f(b)$ we have to visit every point in between (no teleportation!): We can see in the second part of the illustration how this property may fail. This idea is more precisely expressed by the following. Theorem (Intermediate Value Theorem). Suppose a function $f$ is defined and is continuous on interval $[a,b]$. Then for any $c$ between $f(a)$ and $f(b)$, there is $d$ in $[a,b]$ such that $f(d) = c$. Proof. The idea of the proof is this: we will make the intervals in the $x$-axis that satisfy the condition of the theorem narrower and narrower; then the continuity of the function will ensure that the corresponding intervals in the $y$-axis will be getting narrower and narrower too. More precisely, we will construct a sequence of nested intervals $$I=[a,b] \supset I_1=[a_1,b_1] \supset I_2=[a_2,b_2] \supset ...,$$ so that they have only one point in common. Consider the halves of $I=[a,b]$: $$\left[ a,\frac{a+b}{2} \right],\ \left[ \frac{a+b}{2},b \right].$$ For at least one of them, there is a change of $f$ from less to more or from more to less of $c$. Call this interval $I_1:=[a_1,b_1]$: $$f(a_1)<c,\ f(b_1)>c\quad \text{ or }\quad f(a_1)>c,\ f(b_1)<c.$$ Next, we consider the halves of this new interval: $$\left[ a_1,\frac{a_1+b_1}{2} \right],\ \left[ \frac{a_1+b_1}{2},b_1 \right].$$ Once again, for at least one of them, the values of $f$ cross $y=c$. Call this interval $I_2:=[a_2,b_2]$: $$f(a_2)<c,\ f(b_2)>c\quad \text{ or }\quad f(a_2)>c,\ f(b_2)<c.$$ Note that whenever $f(a_n)=c$ or $f(b_n)=c$, we are done. We continue on with this process and the result is a sequence of intervals $$I=[a,b] \supset I_1=[a_1,b_1] \supset I_2=[a_2,b_2] \supset ...,$$ that satisfies these two properties: $$a\le a_1 \le ... \le a_n \le ... \le b_n \le ... \le b_1 \le b,$$ $$f(a_n)<c,\ f(b_n)>c\quad \text{ or }\quad f(a_n)>c,\ f(b_n)<c.$$ Also we have: $$\|b_{n+1}-a_{n+1}\|=\frac{1}{2} \|b_n-a_n\| = \frac{1}{2^n} \|b-a\| \to 0.$$ By the Nested Intervals Theorem, the sequences converge to the same values: $$a_n\to d,\ b_n\to d.$$ From the continuity of $f$, we then have: $$f(a_n)\to f(d),\ f(b_n)\to f(d).$$ By the Comparison Theorem, we conclude from the second property above: $$f(d)\le c,\ f(d)\ge c\quad \text{ or }\quad f(d)\ge c,\ f(d)\le c.$$ Hence, we have $$f(d)=c,$$ so $d$ is the desired number. $\blacksquare$ Choosing $c=0$ in the theorem gives us the following. Corollary. If a continuous on interval function $f$ has the opposite signs at the end-points of $[a,b]$: $$f(a)>0,\ f(b)<0\quad \text{ or }\quad f(a)<0,\ f(b)>0,$$ then $f$ has an $x$-intercept between $a$ and $b$. Exercise. Show that any odd degree polynomial has an $x$-intercept. The proof of the Intermediate Value Theorem via the Nested Intervals Theorem is nothing more than an iterated search for a solution of the equation $f(x)=c$. Example. Let's use the method to solve the equation: $$\sin x=0.$$ We start with the interval $[a_1,b_1]=[3,3.5]$. The function $f(x)=\sin x$ does change its sign over this interval. We divide the interval in half and pick the half over which $f$ also changes its sign. Then we repeat this process several times. The spreadsheet function for $a_n$ is: $$\texttt{=IF(R[-1]C[3]R[-1]C[4]<0,R[-1]C,R[-1]C[1])},$$ and $b_n$: $$\texttt{=IF(R[-1]C[1]R[-1]C[2]<0,R[-1]C[-1],R[-1]C)},$$ white $d_n$ is the mid-point of the interval. We can see that the values of $a_n,\ b_n$ converge to $\pi$ and the values of $f(a_n),\ f(b_n)$ to $0$. The scatter plot of $(a_n,f(a_n))$ is shown on the right along with its version for a logarithmically re-scaled $y$-axis. $\square$ The theorem says that there are no missing values in the image of an interval. Corollary. If the domain of a continuous function is an interval then so is its range. Proof. It follows from the Intermediate Point Theorem. $\blacksquare$ This is how discontinuity may cause the range to have gaps: The last graph shows that the converse of the theorem isn't true. Recall from Chapter 4 that all strictly monotonic functions are one-to-one because the graph can't come back and cross a horizontal line for the second time: The converse is true but only for continuous functions: File:1-1 non-monotonic.png Corollary. Suppose $f$ is a continuous function on an interval $I$. Then, the function is one-to-one if and only if it is strictly monotonic. Exercise. Prove the corollary. The image of an interval is an interval but is the image of a closed interval closed? If it is, the function reaches its extreme values, i.e., the least upper bound $\sup$ and the greatest lower bound $\inf$. We repeat the definition from Chapter 4. Definition. Given a function $y=f(x)$. Then $x=d$ is called a global maximum point of $f$ on interval $[a,b]$ if $$f(d)\ge f(x) \text{ for all } a\le x \le b;$$ and $x=c$ is called a global minimum point of $f$ on interval $[a,b]$ if $$f(c)\le f(x) \text{ for all } a\le x \le b.$$ (They are also called absolute maximum and minimum points.) Collectively they are all called global extreme points. Just because something is described doesn't mean that it can be found. For example, $f(x)=1/x$ has no minimum value on $[0,\infty)$. Theorem (Extreme Value Theorem). A continuous function on a bounded closed interval has a global maximum and a global minimum, i.e., if $f$ is continuous on $[a,b]$, then there are $c,d$ in $[a,b]$ such that $$f(c)\le f(x) \le f(d),$$ for all $x$ in $[a,b]$. Proof. It follows from the Bolzano-Weierstrass Theorem. $\blacksquare$ Definition. Given a function $y=f(x)$. Then $x=M$ is called the global maximum value of $f$ on interval $[a,b]$ if it is the maximum element of the range of $f$; i.e., $$M\ge f(x) \text{ for all } a\le x \le b;$$ and $y=m$ is called the global minimum value of $f$ on interval $[a,b]$ if it is the minimum element of the range of $f$; i.e., $$m\le f(x) \text{ for all } a\le x \le b.$$ (They are also called absolute maximum and minimum value.) Collectively they are all called global extreme value. Such value of $x$ is called a global maximum point or global minimum point respectively. Then the global max (or min) value is reached by the function at any of its global max (or min) points. For example, $f(x)=\sin x$ attains its max value of $1$ for infinitely many choices of $x=\pi /2,5\pi /2,...$. Why are the restriction of the theorem essential? Example. The function $1/x$ doesn't attain its least upper bound value on $(0,1]$ as it is, in fact, infinite. The theorem doesn't apply because the interval isn't closed. Secondly, the function $1/x$ doesn't attain its greatest lower bound value, which is $0$, on $[1,\infty)$. The theorem doesn't apply because the interval isn't bounded. Here $\sup$ isn't attained even though the interval is closed and bounded. The theorem doesn't apply because $f$ is not continuous. $\square$ Note that the reason we need the Extreme Value Theorem is to ensure that the optimization problem we are facing has a solution. Example (Laffer curve). A typical continuity argument (outside mathematics) is as follows. The exact dependence of the revenue on the income tax rate is unknown. It is, however, natural to assume that both $0\%$ and $100\%$ rates will produce zero revenue. If we also assume that the dependence is continuous, we conclude that increasing the rate may yield a decreasing revenue. $\square$ Exercise. What other implicit assumption are made in the example? Put the example in the form of a theorem and prove it. Example (supply and demand). Another continuity argument in economics is as follows. In a typical transaction, the supplier is willing to produce more of the commodity for a higher price. The buyer is prepared to buy more for a lower price. Then the quantity of the commodity is represented by two functions of price. The former is increasing and the latter is decreasing: If we assume also that the two functions are continuous, we conclude that there must be a price that satisfies both parties. $\square$ Large-scale behavior and asymptotes Graphs of most functions are infinite and won't fit into any piece of paper. They have to leave the paper and they do that in a number of different ways: We just have to look at the $x$- and $y$-coordinates separately to determine the trend of the point $(x,y)$ in the plane. How? We can imagine walking on the curve and looking down on the $x$-axis to record the $x$-coordinates and looking forward or back to see what is happening the $y$-coordinate. Alternatively, we imagine that the curves drawn on a piece of paper. Then, if we look at it at a sharp angle from the direction of the $x$-axis the change of $x$ becomes almost negligible and we clearly see the behavior of the $y$-coordinate. If we look from the direction of the $y$-axis, only the change of $x$ is significant. Conversely, what is we have the limit description of the curve, what does it look like? For example, we have: if $x\to +\infty$ and $y\to 0^+$, then we have: $(x,y) \searrow$; if $x\to 3^+$ and $y\to -\infty$, then we have: $(x,y) \swarrow$; etc. If the point however approaches the line it can't cross ($y=0$ and $x=3$ in the above examples), the curve starts to become more and more straight and almost(!) merge with that line. The line is then called an asymptote. Example. The simplest case, however, is the one with no asymptotes: $y=x,\ y=x^2, ...$ at $\pm\infty$, $y=e^x,\ y=\ln x$ at $+\infty$, and many more. $\square$ Definition. Given a function $f$, we say that $f$ goes to infinity if $$f(x_n)\to \pm\infty,$$ for any sequence $x_n\to \pm\infty$ as $n\to \infty$. Then we use the notation: $$f(x) \to \pm\infty \text{ as }x\to \pm\infty,$$ or $$\lim_{x\to\pm\infty}f(x)=\pm\infty.$$ Example. We previously demonstrated the following: $$\lim_{x \to -\infty} e^{x} = 0, \quad \lim_{x \to +\infty} e^{x} = +\infty.$$ Example. As an illustration of the asymptotic behavior, we will consider the tangent $y=\tan x$ (restricted) and its inverse, arctangent: $$y=\tan x \text{ and } x=\tan^{-1}y,$$ for $-\pi/2 <x < \pi/2$. The graphs are of course the same with just $x$ and $y$ interchanged. Let's describe their large-scale behavior with limits. First the tangent: $$\tan x\to-\infty \text{ as } x\to -\pi/2^+ \text{ and } \tan x\to+\infty \text{ as } x\to \pi/2^-.$$ In other words, $$x\to -\pi/2^+,\ y\to-\infty \text{ and } x\to \pi/2^-,\ y\to+\infty.$$ Changing $x$ to be the dependent and $y$ to be the independent variables, we simply re-write the above for the arctangent: $$\tan^{-1} y\to-\pi/2^+ \text{ as } y\to -\infty \text{ and } \tan^{-1} y\to\pi/2^- \text{ as } y\to +\infty.$$ $\square$ Definition. Given a function $y=f(x)$, a line $y=p$ for some real $a$ is called a horizontal asymptote of $f$ if $$\lim_{n\to \infty}f(x_n)=p,$$ for any sequence $x_n\to -\infty$ or for any sequence $x_n\to +\infty$, as $n\to \infty$. Then we use the notation, respectively: $$\lim_{x\to -\infty}f(x)=p \text{ or } \lim_{x\to +\infty}f(x)=p.$$ Definition. A line $x=a$ for some real $a$ is called a vertical asymptote of $f$ if $$\lim_{n\to \infty}f(x)=\pm\infty,$$ for any sequence $x_n\to a^-$ or $x_n\to a^+$ as $n\to \infty$. Then we use the notation, respectively: $$\lim_{x\to a^-}f(x)=\pm\infty \text{ or } \lim_{x\to a^+}f(x)=\pm\infty.$$ Even though the two definitions look very different, they describe the identical behavior of the curve. We can see the symmetry in the graph of $y=1/x$ and we can see it in the algebra: $$\begin{array}{lll} &x&y\\ \hline \text{horizontal: }& x\to +\infty & y\to 0\\ \text{vertical: }& x\to 0 & y\to +\infty \end{array}$$ We just interchange $x$ and $y$. This operation is familiar. Theorem. The vertical asymptotes of a function are the horizontal asymptotes of its inverse and vice versa. Example. Some functions have both kinds: $y=0$ is the horizontal asymptote (at both ends) and $x=0$ is the vertical asymptote of $y=1/x$. After all, this function is the inverse of itself! In more detail: $$\frac{1}{x}\to 0^- \text{ as }x\to -\infty,\ \frac{1}{x}\to 0^+ \text{ as }x\to +\infty, \frac{1}{x}\to -\infty \text{ as }x\to 0^-,\ \frac{1}{x}\to +\infty \text{ as }x\to 0^+.$$ $\square$ Example (Newton's Law of Gravity). The force of gravity between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. In other words, the force is given by the formula: $$F = \frac{C}{r^2},$$ where: $C$ is some constant; $r$ is the distance between the centers of the mass of the two. Then, if $r>0$ is variable, we have: $$ \lim_{r \to +\infty} F (r)= 0.$$ This means that the force becomes negligible when the two objects become sufficiently far away from each other. $\square$ Example (Newton's Law of Cooling). The law states that the difference between an object's temperature and the temperature of the atmosphere is declining exponentially. In other words, we have: $$T - T_{0} = Ce^{kx}, \ k<0,\ C>0,$$ where $T$ is the temperature and $T_{0}$ is the ambient temperature. We compute: $$\lim_{t\to +\infty}T(t)=T_0.$$ Therefore there is a horizontal asymptote $y = T_{0}$. The asymptote may be approached by the graph from above or from below: a warmer object cooling: $T - T_{0} > 0$ and $T \searrow$; a cooler object warming: $T - T_{0} < 0$ and $T \nearrow$. Example. Suppose we are facing the opposite (inverse!) problem: suppose we know the limits, now we need to plot the asymptotes and a possible graph of the function. Suppose this is what we know about $f$: it is defined for all $x\ne 3$, and $$\lim_{x\to 3}f(x)=+\infty,\ \lim_{x\to -\infty}f(x)=3,\ \lim_{x\to +\infty}f(x)=-2.$$ Let's rewrite those: 1. $x\to -\infty,\ y\to 3$; 2. $x\to 3^-,\ y\to +\infty$; 3. $x\to 3^+,\ y\to +\infty$; 4. $x\to +\infty,\ y\to -2$. We draw rough strokes to represent these facts, left: The ambiguity about how the graph approaches the asymptotes remains at $-\infty$ and $+\infty$. We connect the initial strokes into a single graph (with two branches). Two possible versions of the graph of $f$ are shown on the right. $\square$ Example. The asymptote may be approached by the graph is the three main ways: $$\lim_{x \to \infty} \left( 1 + \frac{1}{x} \right) = 1, \quad \lim_{x \to +\infty} \left( 2 - \frac{1}{x} \right) = 2, \quad \lim_{x \to +\infty} \left( \frac{1}{x}\cos x \right) = 0.$$ Exercise. Use limits to describe the large-scale behavior of the function shown below: Limits and infinity Let's summarize the possible outcomes of our computations of limits: $$ \lim = \begin{cases} L & \rightarrow \text{ It's a number. You can do algebra with the limit.} \\ \pm\infty & \rightarrow \text{ You can do some algebra: } \infty + \infty = \infty \text{, but not other: } \infty - \infty = ?\\ \text{DNE} & \rightarrow \text{ Do no algebra with the limit.}\\ 0/0,\ \infty /\infty,\ \infty - \infty & \rightarrow \text{ It's indeterminate. Start over! } \end{cases}$$ Example. Let's fully investigate this function: $$f(x) = \begin{cases} \frac{x^{2} - x}{x^{2} - 1} & \text{ if } x \neq 1; \\ 1 & \text{ if } x = 1. \end{cases}$$ The point where the two formulas might conflict is $x=1$. The function is defined, but does the limit exist? Let's compute: $$\lim_{x\to 1} f(x) = \lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x^{2} - x}{x^{2} - 1}.$$ Plug in $x=1$. $$\frac{1^{1} - 1}{1^{2} - 1} = \frac{0}{0}. \quad \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}$$ Indeterminate! We conclude that we need to do algebra with the function before turning back to the limit. $$\begin{aligned} \lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x^{2} - x}{x^{2} - 1} & = \lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x(x-1)}{(x-1)(x+1)} \\ & = \lim_{x \to 1} \frac{x}{x+1} \\ &= \frac{1}{1 + 1} = \frac{1}{2}. \end{aligned}$$ The last step is justified by the fact that the function $\frac{x}{x+1}$ is rational and, therefore, continuous at any point of its domain. Now, are the two one-sided limits equal? No: $1 \neq \frac{1}{2}$. That's why the function has a discontinuity at this point (a removable kind). We can simplify the formula: $$f(x) = \begin{cases} \frac{x}{x+1} & \text{ if } x \neq 1, \\ 1 & \text{ if } x = 1. \end{cases}$$ We find the domain by solving: $x + 1 \neq 0$ and $x \neq 1$. The domain is $(-\infty,-1) \cup(-1,\infty).$ Consider $\frac{x}{x+1}$ at $x=-1$: $$\lim_{x \to -1}\frac{x}{x+1}=\infty.$$ Thus, $x=-1$ is a vertical asymptote. However, there are still four different ways of how the graph can approach the asymptote. To tell which one, compute the one-sided limits while watching the signs of the numerator and the denominator: $$\begin{aligned} \lim_{x \to -1^{-}} \frac{x}{x+1} \left( = \frac{-}{-} = + \right) & = +\infty ,\\ \lim_{x \to -1^{+}} \frac{x}{x+1} \left( = \frac{-}{+} = - \right) & = -\infty. \end{aligned}$$ Next, the function's behavior at $\infty$: $$\lim_{x \to \infty} f(x) = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{x}{x+1} = 1. $$ Thus, $y=1$ is a horizontal asymptote. Finally, we plot a rough sketch of the graph: Just as before, each property of limits is matched by its analog for limits at infinity. Theorem (Algebra of Limits of Functions at Infinity). Suppose $f(x)\to F$ and $g(x)\to G$ as $x\to \pm \infty$. Then $$\begin{array}{\|ll\|ll\|} \hline \text{SR: }& f(x)+g(x)\to F+G & \text{CMR: }& c\cdot f(x)\to cF& \text{ for any real }c\\ \text{PR: }& f(x)\cdot g(x)\to FG& \text{QR: }& f(x)/g(x)\to F/G &\text{ provided }G\ne 0\\ \hline \end{array}$$ Theorem (Substitution Rule). $$\lim_{x \to \infty} f(g(x)) = f\left( \lim_{x \to \infty} g(x) \right) $$ if $f$ is continuous at $L = \lim_{x \to \infty} g(x)$. Example. Compute: $$\begin{array}{lrl} \lim_{x \to -\infty} \left( e^{x} - \frac{1}{x} + 3 \right) &\overset{\text{SR}}{=\! =\! =\! =} & \lim_{x \to -\infty} e^{x} - \lim_{x \to -\infty} \frac{1}{x} + \lim_{x \to -\infty} 3 \\ & = &0 - 0 + 3 \\ & = &3. \end{array}$$ $\square$ Example. Compute: $$\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{x}{x + 1}. $$ Plugging in $x = \infty$, gives us $$\frac{\infty}{\infty} \quad \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}$$ Facing an indeterminate expression, we are supposed to do algebra instead. What are we trying to accomplish? We want to get rid of the infinities in the numerator and the denominator. How about we divide both by $x$? $$\begin{array}{lrl} \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{x}{x + 1} & = &\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{x}{x}}{\frac{(x+1)}{x}} \\ &= &\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{1}{1 + \frac{1}{x}} \\ &\overset{\text{QR}}{=\! =\! =\! =}& \frac{\lim_{x \to \infty} 1}{\lim_{x \to \infty} \left(1 + \frac{1}{x}\right)} \\ &\overset{\text{SR}}{=\! =\! =\! =}& \frac{1}{1 + 0} = 1. \end{array}$$ It worked! $\square$ Example. Evaluate the limit of this function at $\infty$: $$\frac{x^{2}}{x^{2} + 1}$$ Substitution leads to $$\frac{\infty}{\infty}, \quad \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}$$ which is indeterminate. Let's divide by $x$ as last time. $$\begin{aligned} \frac{x^{2}}{x^{2} + 1} & = \frac{\frac{x^{2}}{x}}{\frac{(x^{2} + 1)}{x}} \\ & = \frac{x}{x + \frac{1}{x}} \to \frac{\infty}{\infty}. \end{aligned}$$ It's still indeterminate! We haven't eliminated the infinities. Let's divide by $x$ again, $$\begin{aligned} \frac{x}{x + \frac{1}{x}} & = \frac{\frac{x}{x}}{\frac{(x + \frac{1}{x})}{x}} \\ &= \frac{1}{1 + \frac{1}{x^{2}}} \\ &\to \frac{1}{1 + 0} \\ &= 1. \end{aligned}$$ Better idea: Divide by $x^{2}$ in the first place. $\square$ How do we evaluate the limit at $\infty$? For a rational function, the leading terms of the two polynomials determine the long term behavior of the numerator and denominator and, therefore, of the whole fraction. Example. Consider: $$\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\overbrace{3x^{3}}^{\text{long-term}} - \overbrace{2x^{2} + x - 8}^{\text{short-term}}}{\underbrace{2x^{2}}_{\text{parabola}} - \underbrace{17x + 5}_{\text{where it is.}}} \to \frac{\infty}{\infty}. $$ This is what determines the long term: $$\frac{3x^{2}}{2x^{2}} = \frac{3}{2}x \to \infty.$$ To make this visible, we divide numerator and denominator by $x^{2}$. $$\begin{aligned} \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{(3x^{3} - 2x^{2} + x - 8)}{x^{2}}}{\frac{(2x^{2} - 17x + 5)}{x^{2}}} & = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{3x - 2 + \frac{1}{x} - \frac{8}{x^{2}}}{2 - \frac{17}{x} + \frac{5}{x^{2}}} \\ & = \frac{\infty - 2 + 0 - 0}{2 - 0 + 0} \\ & = \infty. \end{aligned}$$ $\square$ The lesson: To get rid of the indeterminacy, get rid of one of the infinities. The plan: Divide both parts of the fraction by $x$ to the degree of the denominator. Example. Given $$ f(x) = \frac{x^{3} - x}{x^{2} - 6x + 5}. $$ At $\infty$, we have: $$\begin{aligned} \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{x^{3} - x}{x^{2} - 6x + 5} &= \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{x^{3} - x}{x^{2}}}{\frac{x^{2} - 6x + 5}{x^{2}}} \\ & = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{x - \frac{1}{x}}{1 - \frac{6}{x} + \frac{5}{x^{2}}} \\ & = \frac{\infty - 0}{1 - 0 - 0} \\ & = \infty. \end{aligned}$$ It's infinite, yes, but which infinity? We need to find the sign. We just find the signs of the leading terms of the numerator and denominator. $$\begin{array}{lll} \lim_{x \to +\infty} (x^{3} - x) = +\infty, & \lim_{x \to -\infty} (x^{3} - x) =-\infty;\\ \lim_{x \to +\infty} (x^{2} - 6x + 5) = +\infty, & \lim_{x \to -\infty} (x^{2} - 6x + 5) = +\infty. \end{array}$$ Conclusion: no horizontal asymptotes. Now vertical asymptotes. We look at $$\frac{x^{3} - x}{x^{2} - 6x + 5}$$ and search for $0$ of the denominator. Let's factor both: $$\begin{gathered} x^{3} - x = x(x^{2} - 1) = x(x - 1)(x + 1)\\ x^{2} - 6x + 5 = (x-1)(x-5) \end{gathered}$$ We use the quadratic formula: $$\begin{aligned} x & = \frac{6 \pm \sqrt{6^{2} - 4\cdot 5}}{2} = \frac{6 \pm \sqrt{36 \cdot 20}}{2} \\ & = \frac{6 \pm 4}{2} = 5,1. \end{aligned}$$ Now, we have: $$f(x) = \frac{x(x-1)(x+1)}{(x-5)(x-1)} = \frac{x(x+1)}{x-5}$$ for $x \neq 1$ (that's the domain); $$\lim_{x \to 1} f(x) = \frac{1(1+1)}{1-5} = -\frac{1}{2},$$ because $\frac{x(x+1)}{x-5}$ is continuous at $1$. So $x=1$ is not a vertical asymptote. $$\lim_{x \to 5^{-}} \frac{x(x+1)}{x-5} = \frac{30}{0} = \overset{?}{\pm} \infty$$ Therefore, $x=5$ is a vertical asymptote. But which infinity? We need to find the sign. $$\frac{ + \cdot +}{-} = \; -$$ We conclude: $$\lim_{x \to 5^{-}} \frac{x(x+1)}{x-5} = - \infty.$$ Similarly, we find: $$\lim_{x \to 5^{+}} f(x) = +\infty.$$ $\square$ Some facts about limits of sequences can be restated for functions. First, recall the lesson about the behavior of polynomials at $\infty$: only the leading term matters. Theorem (Limits of polynomials). Suppose we have a polynomial of degree $p$ with the leading coefficient $a_p\ne 0$. Then its limit is: $$\lim_{x\to \pm\infty}(a_px^p+a_{p-1}x^{p-1}+...+ a_1x+a_0)=\begin{cases} \pm\infty &\text{ if } a_p>0;\\ \mp\infty &\text{ if } a_p<0. \end{cases}$$ Then, if we zoom out on the graph of a polynomial, we will see just four possible patterns A more general result is about rational functions. Theorem (Limits of rational functions). Suppose we have a rational function represented as a quotient of two polynomials of degrees $p$ and $q$, with the leading coefficients $a_p\ne 0,\ b_q\ne 0$. Then the limit of this function is: $$\lim_{x\to +\infty}\frac{a_px^p+a_{p-1}x^{p-1}+...+ a_1x+a_0}{b_qx^q+b_{q-1}x^{q-1}+...+ b_1x+b_0}=\begin{cases} \infty&\text{ if } p>q;\\ \frac{a_p}{b_p}&\text{ if } p=q;\\ 0&\text{ if } p<q. \end{cases}$$ Exercise. State the above theorem for $x\to -\infty$. The long-term behavior of a rational function is determined by the leading terms of its numerator and denominator: $$\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{a_px^p+a_{p-1}x^{p-1}+...+ a_1x+a_0}{b_qx^q+b_{q-1}xx^{q-1}+...+ b_1x+b_0}=\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{a_px^p}{b_px^q}=\frac{a_p}{b_p}\lim_{x\to\infty}x^{p-q}.$$ The picture is complicated -- in comparison to polynomials -- by that fact that rational functions also have horizontal and vertical asymptotes. Example. Sometimes we face indeterminate expressions with functions other than rational. Evaluate: $$\lim_{x\to \infty} \left(\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} - x \right). $$ Substitution gives us: $$\infty - \infty, \quad \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}$$ which is indeterminate. The trick is to multiply and divide by the “conjugate”: $$\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} + x.$$ This is the result: $$\begin{aligned} \lim_{x\to \infty} \frac{\left(\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} - x \right)\left(\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} + x\right)}{\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} + x} & = \lim_{x\to \infty} \frac{(x^{2} + 1) - x^{2}}{\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} + x} \\ & = \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{1}{\sqrt{x^{2} + 1} + x} \\ & = \frac{1}{\infty} \\ & = 0. \end{aligned}$$ $\square$ Continuity and accuracy The idea of continuity can be introduced and justified by considering the accuracy of a measurement. Suppose we have a collection of square tiles of various sizes and we need to find the area $A$ of each of them in order to know how many we need to cover the whole floor. The answer is, of course, to measure the side, $x$, of each tile and then compute: $$A=x^2.$$ For example, we have: $$x=10\Longrightarrow A=100.$$ But what if the measurement isn't fully accurate; for example, $$x=10 \pm .3.$$ As a result, the computed value of the area of the tile -- what we care about -- will also have some error! Indeed, the area won't be just $A=100$ but $$A=(10 \pm .3)^2 .$$ Therefore, $$\begin{array}{lll} A&=10^2 \pm 2 \cdot 10 \cdot .3 +.3^2 \\ &=100.09 \pm 6. \end{array}$$ The meaning of the result is that the actual area must be somewhere within the interval $(94.09,106.09)$. Suppose next that we can always improve the accuracy of the measurement of the side of the tile $x$ -- as much as we like. The question is, can we also improve the accuracy of the computed value of $A$. Can we achieve this accuracy to anybody's satisfaction, even if this standard of accuracy might change? Let's make it specific. Suppose $x=10$. The above computation shows that if the desired accuracy of $A$ is $\pm 5$, we haven't achieved it with the given accuracy of measurement $x$, which is of $\pm .3$. We can easily show, however, that $\pm .2$ would solve the problem: $$\begin{array}{lll} A&=(10 \pm .2)^2=10^2 \pm 2 \cdot 10 \cdot .2 +.2^2 \\ &=100.04 \pm 4. \end{array}$$ It follows that the actual area must be within $4.04$ from $100$. Let's rephrase this problem in order to solve it for all possible values of the desired accuracy of $A$. Let's assume that the measurement of the side is $a$ and, therefore, the assumed area $A$ is $a^2$. Now suppose we want the deviation of $A$ form the true area to be some small value $\varepsilon >0$ or better. What deviation $\delta$ of $a$ from $x$ do we need to be able to guarantee that? Suppose the actual length is $x$ and, therefore, the actual area is $A=x^2$. Then we want to ensure that $A$ is within $\varepsilon$ from $a^2$ by making sure that $x$ is within $\delta$ from $a$. What should $\delta$ be? To rephrase algebraically, we want to find $\delta$ such that $$\|x-a\| <\delta \Longrightarrow \|x^2-a^2\|<\varepsilon.$$ The definition suggested by the above discussion is as follows. Definition. A real-valued function $f$ is called continuous at $x=a$ if for any $\epsilon >0$ there is $\delta >0$ such that $$\|x-a\| <\delta \Longrightarrow \|f(x)-f(a)\|<\varepsilon.$$ Thus the answer to our question is: yes, we can always improve the accuracy of the computed value of $A=x^2$ -- to anybody's satisfaction -- by improving the accuracy of the measurement of $x$. Exercise. Prove that $f(x)=x^2$ is continuous at $x=0,\ x=1,\ x=a$. Exercise. Carry out this kind of analysis for: a thermometer put in a cup of coffee to find its temperature. Assume that the thermometer gives perfect readings. Hint: it'll take time for it to warm up. Exercise. What is the relation between $\varepsilon$ and $\delta$ when $f$ is linear? To further illustrate the idea, let's consider a different situation. Suppose we don't care about the area anymore; we just want to fit these tiles into a strip $10$ inches wide. We take a tile and if it fits, it is used; otherwise, it is discarded. Then, we still get a measurement $a$ of the side of the tile but our real interest is whether $a$ is less or more than $10$. Just as in the previous example, we don't know the actual length $x$ exactly; it's always within some limits: $5.0 \pm 0.5$ or $a \pm \delta$. Here $\delta$ is the accuracy of measurement of $x$. The algebra is much simpler than before. For example, if the length is measured as $11$, we need the accuracy $\delta=1$ or better to make the determination. It's the same for the length $9$. But what if the measurement is exactly $10$? Even if we can improve the accuracy, i.e., $\delta$, as long as $\delta > 0$, we can't know whether $x$ is larger or smaller than $10$. Let's define a function that makes this decision: $$f(x)=\begin{cases} 1 \quad\text{ (pass) } & \text{ if } x \le 10, \\ 0 \quad\text{ (fail) } & \text{ if } x > 10. \end{cases}$$ Suppose we need the accuracy of $y = f(x)$ to be $\varepsilon = 0.5$. Can we achieve this by decreasing $\delta$? In other words, can we find $\delta$ such that $$\|x-10\|<\delta \Longrightarrow \|f(x)-1\|<\varepsilon ?$$ Of course not: $$x>10 \Longrightarrow \|f(x)-1\|=\|0-1\|=1.$$ Thus, the answer to our question is: No, we cannot always improve the accuracy of the computed value of $f(x)$ -- to anybody's satisfaction -- by improving the accuracy of the measurement of $x$. The reason to be quoted is that $f$ is discontinuous at $x=10$. Exercise. Carry out this kind of analysis for: the total test score vs. the corresponding letter grade. What if we introduce A-, B+, etc.? We next pursue this idea of continuity of the dependence of $y$ on $x$, stated as: we can ensure the desired accuracy of $y$ by increasing the accuracy of $x$. We discuss limits first. The $\varepsilon$-$\delta$ definition of limit We can define limits and continuity of functions without invoking limits of sequences. Let's start over. We re-write what we want to say about the meaning of the limits in progressively more and more precise terms. $$\begin{array}{l\|ll} x&y=f(x)\\ \hline \text{As } x\to a, & \text{we have } y\to L.\\ \text{As } x\text{ approaches } a, & y\text{ approaches } L. \\ \text{As } \text{the distance from }x \text{ to } a \text{ approaches } 0, & \text{the distance from }y \text{ to } L \text{ approaches } 0. \\ \text{As } \|x-a\|\to 0, & \text{we have } \|y-L\|\to 0.\\ \text{By making } \|x-a\| \text{ as smaller and smaller},& \text{we make } \|y-L\| \text{ as small as needed}.\\ \text{By making } \|x-a\| \text{ less than some } \delta>0 ,& \text{we make } \|y-L\| \text{ smaller than any given } \varepsilon>0. \end{array}$$ Definition. The limit of function $f$ at $x=a$ is a number $L$, if exists, such that for any $\varepsilon >0$ there is such a $\delta> 0$ that $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \ \Longrightarrow\ \|f(x)-L\|<\varepsilon.$$ This is the geometric meaning of the definition: if $x$ is within $\delta$ from $a$, then $f(x)$ is supposed to be within $\varepsilon$ from $L$. In other words, this part of the graph fits within the $\varepsilon$-band around the line $y=L$. This is the “$\varepsilon$-$\delta$ definition” of limit of a function. It matches the definition of limit of a sequence which can now be called the “$\varepsilon$-$N$ definition”. Theorem. The two definitions of the limit of a function are equivalent. Proof. $[\varepsilon$-$\delta \Rightarrow \varepsilon$-$N]$ Suppose $x_n\to a$. Suppose now that $\varepsilon>0$ is given. As the definition above is satisfied, there is a $\delta> 0$ that $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \ \Longrightarrow\ \|f(x)-L\|<\varepsilon.$$ On the other hand, we have: $$\|x_n-a\|<\delta \text{ for all } n>N,$$ for some $N$. Therefore, for all $n>N$, we have $$\|f(x_n)-L\|<\varepsilon.$$ This means that $f(x_n)\to L$. $[\varepsilon$-$N \Rightarrow\varepsilon$-$\delta]$ .... $\blacksquare$ As an exercise, let's compute the limit of an arbitrary linear function. The relation between $\delta$ and $\varepsilon$ is predicable: Theorem. For a linear function $f(x)=mx+b$ with $m\ne 0$, the definition of limit is satisfied for $$\delta = \varepsilon / \|m\|.$$ Proof. $$\begin{array}{lll} \|x-a\|<\delta &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x-a\|<\varepsilon / \|m\|\\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|m\| \cdot \|x-a\|<\varepsilon \\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|m \cdot (x-a)\|<\varepsilon \\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|mx-ma\|<\varepsilon \\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|(mx+b)-(ma+b)\|<\varepsilon \\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|f(x)-f(a)\|<\varepsilon . \end{array}$$ $\blacksquare$ Corollary. $$\lim_{x\to a} (mx+b)=ma+b.$$ Proof. We just need to consider the case $m=0$. The definition is trivially satisfied for $L=b$ and any $\delta$ and $\varepsilon>0$: $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \ \Rightarrow\ \|f(x)-L\|=\|b-b\|=0<\varepsilon.$$ $\blacksquare$ Example. Prove the limit by using the definition: $$\lim_{x \to -1.5}\frac{9 - 4x^2}{3 + 2x} = 6 .$$ Plugging $x=-1.5$ gives us an indeterminate expression: $$\frac{9 - 4x^2}{3 + 2x}\Bigg\|_{x = -1.5} \leadsto \frac{0}{0}\ \begin{array}{\|c\|}\hline \ \text{ DEAD END }\ \\ \hline\end{array}.$$ We start over. Let's match what we want to prove with the definition: $$\lim_{x \to \underbrace{-1.5}_{a}} \underbrace{\frac{9 - 4x^2}{3 + 2x}}_{f(x)} = \underbrace{6}_{L}.$$ We replace $f(x)$ with a simpler expression, equal for all $x \neq -1.5$: $$ \begin{aligned} \dfrac{9 - 4x^{2}}{3 + 2x} &= \dfrac{3^{2} - (2x)^{2}}{3 + 2x} \\ & = \dfrac{(3 + 2x)(3 - 2x)}{3 + 2x} \\ & = 3 -2x, \end{aligned} $$ for all $x$ for which $3 + 2x \neq 0$, or $x \neq 1.5$ Now, this expression is linear! Then the dependence of $\delta$ on $\varepsilon$ is simple, as we know: $$\delta = \frac{\varepsilon}{2}.$$ Then we need to demonstrate the following: $$ 0 < \| x - (-1.5)\| < \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} \overset{?}{\Longrightarrow} \|3 - 2x - 6\| < \varepsilon$$ Then, we re-write it: $$ \begin{aligned} 0 < \| x + 1.5\| < \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} \overset{?}{\Longrightarrow} & \|-3 - 2x\| < \varepsilon,\\ 0 < \| x + 1.5\| < \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} \overset{?}{\Longrightarrow}& \| 2x + 3\| < \varepsilon,\\ 0 < \| x + 1.5\| < \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2} \overset{?}{\Longrightarrow}& \| x+ 1.5 \| < \dfrac{\varepsilon}{2}. \end{aligned} $$ It works! The definition is satisfied. $\square$ Things aren't as simple for non-linear functions. Example. Let's consider first $f(x)=x^2$ at $a=0$. We expect the limit to be $L=0$. But what is the value of $\delta$ in terms of $\varepsilon$? $$\begin{array}{lll} \|f(x)-L\|<\varepsilon &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x^2\|<\varepsilon\\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x\|^2<\varepsilon\\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x\|<\sqrt{\varepsilon} . \end{array}$$ Thus, we have discovered that $\delta=\sqrt{\varepsilon}$ works in the definition. $\square$ Example. However, this is how changing the location from $a=0$ to $a=1$ complicates things: $$\begin{array}{lll} \|f(x)-L\|<\varepsilon &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x^2-1\|<\varepsilon\\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|(x-1)(x+1)\|<\varepsilon\\ &\Longleftrightarrow\ \|x-1\|<\frac{\varepsilon}{\|x+1\|}\\ &\Longleftarrow\ \|x-1\|<\delta<\frac{\varepsilon}{\|x+1\|} . \end{array}$$ To find such a $\delta$, we have to proceed to estimating of $\|x+1\|$, just as we did before. The reason for this complication is explained by the fact that the graph of $y=x^2$ curves differently on the left and on the right of $a=1$. $\square$ Example. Let's consider the sign function around $0$: $$f(x) = \operatorname{sign}(x) = \begin{cases} -1& \text{ if } x < 0, \\ 0 & \text{ if } x = 0, \\ 1 & \text{ if } x >0. \end{cases}$$ Our guess is that $\lim_{x \to 0} f(x)$ does not exist but, for now, we will just show that $L = 1$ is not the limit. We need to show that there is no $\delta$ satisfying this condition for some $\varepsilon > 0$. Pick $\varepsilon = 1$. Is there $\delta > 0$ such that: $$ 0 < \|x - \overbrace{0}^{a}\| < \delta \Rightarrow \|\underbrace{\overbrace{\text{sign}(x)}^{f(x)} - \overbrace{1}^{L}\| < \varepsilon = 1}_{f(x) \text{ is within } (0,2)}.$$ What $x$ would violate this? Any $x < 0$ since we have then $f(x) = -1$. The definition fails, so $L = 1$ is not the limit. $\square$ Exercise. Prove that $L=0$ isn't the limit either. In order to learn how to disprove the existence of limit, let's state the negation of the definition. Theorem. A number $L$ is not the limit of function $f$ at $x=a$ if there is an $\varepsilon >0$ such that for any $\delta> 0$ and some $x$ we have $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \text{ and } \|f(x)-L\| \ge \varepsilon.$$ Example. Let's prove the non-existence of limit at $a=0$ for the sign function $f(x)=\operatorname{sign}(x)$. Suppose $L\ne 0$ is any number. Let's pick $\varepsilon =\|L\|/2$. Now suppose $\delta>0$ is arbitrary and suppose for some $x\ne 0$ we have $$0<\|x\|<\delta \text{ and } \|f(x)-L\| < \varepsilon = \|L\|/2.$$ Then, $f(x)$ is of the same sign as $L$. But what does this say about $-x$? We also have: $$0<\|-x\|<\delta \text{ and, therefore, } \|f(-x)-L\| < \varepsilon = \|L\|/2.$$ Then, $f(-x)$ is also of the same sign as $L$. This contradicts the fact that $f(-x)=-f(x)$. $\square$ Let's prove the Composition Rule independently from this new definition. These are the three instances of the definition we face; we need to prove part 3 from parts 1 and 2: 1. $y=g(x)\to L$ as $x\to a$, i.e., any $\not\varepsilon\ \gamma>0$ there is such a $\delta> 0$ that $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \ \Longrightarrow\ \|g(x)-L\|<\not\varepsilon\ \gamma;$$ 2. $z=f(y)\to M$ as $y\to L$, i.e., any $\varepsilon >0$ there is such a $\not\delta\ \gamma> 0$ that $$0<\|y-L\|<\not\delta\ \gamma \ \Longrightarrow\ \|f(y)-M\|<\varepsilon;$$ 3. $z=f(g(x))\to M$ as $x\to a$, i.e., any $\varepsilon >0$ there is such a $\delta> 0$ that $$0<\|x-a\|<\delta \ \Longrightarrow\ \|f(g(x))-M\|<\varepsilon.$$ Above we reconcile the parameters, $\varepsilon$ and $\delta$, that appear in each, by matching the three variables: a small deviation of $x$ (how small: within $\delta$) causes a small deviation of $y$ (call it $\gamma$), which in turn causes a small deviation of $z$ (that's $\varepsilon$). Suppose now $\varepsilon >0$ is given. Then the $\gamma$ found, from this $\varepsilon$, in part 2 is fed into part 1 producing a $\delta$. Combining these two statements together, we have: $$\begin{array}{lll} 0<\|x-a\|<\delta &\Longrightarrow\ \|g(x)-L\|<\gamma, &\quad \text{ let } y=g(x)\\ &\Longrightarrow\ \|y-L\|<\gamma &\Longrightarrow\ \|f(y)-M\|<\varepsilon \end{array}$$ Part 3 is proven! Theorem (Composition). Suppose 1. $y=g(x)\to L$ as $x\to a$, and 2. $z=f(y)\to M$ as $y\to L$. 3. $z=(f\circ g)(x)\to M$ as $x\to a$. Exercise. Prove that if $f$ and $g$ are continuous at $x=a$, the so are $\max\{f,g\}$ and $\min\{f,g\}$. We have required that if $x$ is within $\delta$ from $a$, then $f(x)$ is within $\varepsilon$ from $L$. We are referring here to intervals -- one containing $a$ and another $L$ -- but not just any; these intervals are centered at these points. This symmetry requirement isn't necessary. Even when we start with a symmetric interval around $a$, the symmetry around $L$ only appears when the function is linear. Theorem. The limit of a function $f$ at $x=a$ is $L$ if and only if for any $\varepsilon_1,\ \varepsilon_2 >0$ there are such $\delta_2, \ \delta_2 > 0$ that $$-\delta_1<x-a<\delta_2 \ \Longrightarrow\ -\varepsilon _1 <f(x)-L<\varepsilon _2.$$ The theorems supply an alternative definition of limit, and of continuity. Exercise. (a) Prove the above theorem. (b) Use the above theorem to prove the Composition Theorem above. (c) Use the above theorem to prove that the inverse of a continuous function is continuous. Flowchart for limit computation Retrieved from "https://calculus123.com/index.php?title=Limits_and_continuity&oldid=775"	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7336
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Like all stories about babies, this one begins with a mom. In this case, th.. Celebrating the ordination: Aaron Bonar ’10, Jay Brouwer ’09, Homer Twigg ’08, Father Gregerson, Bob Gregerson ’85, Jacob Stump ’11, Craig O'Connor ’12, Glee Club Director Richard Bowen, and Robert Cassady ’12. Photo by Eileen Bowen Nathan Colglazier ’10 joins the group. Father Gregerson blesses his parents. Father Gregerson blesses Homer Twigg's family. Wabash friends and family were there to celebrate last June when Royce Gregerson ’09 was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, IN. Eileen Bowen provided the photos above, and here’s the article from Today’s Catholic News announcing Father Gregerson’s ordination: Gregerson brings deep relationship with Christ to the Priesthood Deacon Royce Gregerson has been preparing for the day of his Ordination to the Priesthood by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne on June 6 for many years with prayer and study, keeping his focus on the Priesthood of Christ. “At the foundations of a priestly foundation has to be a profound relationship, a true friendship, with Christ,” he says. A Marion native, Royce Vincent Gregerson is one of three children of Roy and Karen Gregerson, and is a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Wayne. He received his elementary education at St. Paul School in Marion, finishing at St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth School after a move to Fort Wayne and graduated from Bishop Luers High School in 2005. He attended Wabash College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 2009. Growing up in a close-knit family, Deacon Gregerson credits his parents for his deep enduring faith. “My parents very conscientiously passed on the faith to us and made sure that the formation they were giving us in the faith was being complemented by the formation in the faith we received through Catholic schools,” he says. His parents admit they were not surprised by his vocational call to the Priesthood. “When he was a small lad he would pretend to be a priest. As he grew older he held his Catholic values to be very important,” Roy says, adding that as he and his wife pray for their son and his fellow seminarians. They feel Deacon Gregerson will be, “a very sound priest, who is placing our Lord at the center of his life. A priest that is concerned with maintaining the tradition of the holy Catholic Church.” Karen adds of her son’s ordination, “I have a great sense of anticipation, filled with joy and feel incredibly blessed to have a priest in the family. … I feel I have become closer to Jesus because of our son’s vocation as a priest and that his Holy Priesthood will have a positive impact on many people, but especially our immediate family.” Deacon Gregerson also found inspiration in his parish priests, especially Father Duane Craycraft and Father Jim Shafer, and adds that his Catholic education and participation in his parish youth group were essential to responding to his vocation. Though Deacon Gregerson has always been interested in the Priesthood, it was not until high school that he gave it great consideration. He says, “There was one particularly poignant moment while I was on a service trip with my youth group in which I realized that what made me most happy was serving others, which to me seemed to be embodied above all else in the Priesthood.” Deacon Gregerson’s seminary formation began at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2011. He then studied in Rome where he was in residence at Pontifical North American College and in 2014 earned a Bachelor’s of Sacred Theology. Deacon Gregerson is currently working to earn a License of Sacred Theology in moral theology from Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, with an expected completion in 2016. Seminary life has been a lesson in forming his relationship with Christ and with himself. “The seminary experience has helped to prepare me for the Priesthood above all by forming my relationship with Christ. … At the same time, seminary formation has forced me to confront myself, my own personality, limits and also strengths, and to conscientiously grow on a human level in addition to my spiritual growth,” he says. Deacon Gregerson’s summer assignment experiences have been invaluable to his future ministry as priest. “I have had the example of many different excellent priests of our diocese to learn from, who have also encouraged me in my discernment and formation. … These experiences have made me even more excited to serve the people of this diocese as a priest,” he says. This soon-to-be ordained priest also has a great love for music and cooking. “I think that both food and music have unique abilities to reach people, to begin dialogues about the most important things in life, as bridges between physical reality and the divine,” he says. Deacon Gregerson was ordained to the diaconate in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter at the Altar of the Chair in Rome on Oct. 2, 2014. Now, months later, as he waits the glorious day of Ordination to the Priesthood he feels he brings his theological background and love of Christ to the Priesthood. “The most important thing that I will bring to the Priesthood is a knowledge of Christ and a relationship with Him, a loving dialogue in prayer into which I hope to be able to introduce others,” he says, adding that his love of languages has him speaking not only English and Spanish but Italian and French as well, which will be helpful in his priestly ministry. For those who may be discerning the Priesthood, Deacon Gregerson encourages prayer and reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. Frequent conversations with a priest are also encouraged. “Above all, I would say that the most important thing is a total trust in God through prayer,” he says. Following ordination, Deacon Gregerson looks forward to celebrating the sacraments, especially the Holy Mass, for and with the faithful. He adds, “I look forward also to being able to accompany people during the most important times of their lives, baptizing their children, preparing them for marriage, helping them to address difficulties in their lives and sharing their joys, helping them to pray and to trust in God, and even preparing them for death and ministering to them in times of crisis.” Let us know what you’re up to! Send your news, updates, and teachable moments to Class Notes Editor Karen Handley: handleyk@wabash.edu Steve Charles Andrew McGlothlen ’05 Weds in Chillocothe, IL Pacheco ’06 Talks Wabash, Positive Messages A Man's Life Diving Into the Spotlight Wabash Magazine Online Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN Copyright © 2017 Wabash College \| All rights reserved.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7338
__label__wiki	0.51225	0.51225	/ Cory Doctorow / 10:36 am Wed Sep 12, 2018 This is the golden age of Chinese science fiction We've been covering the rise and rise of Chinese science fiction here since the early part of the decade, as Chinese authors have been successfully exported to the English-speaking world (a rare feat, as there are enough books written in English to satisfy demand, leading to a real poverty of literature translated into English), which broke through in 2016, when authors like Hao Jingfang took home Hugo awards, along with the incredible Cixin Liu. Chinese science fiction fandom is also on the rise, with massive conventions and prominent reading clubs, along with massively popular short fiction sites. 2018 saw the launch of a new Asian Science Fiction Writers' Association, too. At this year's Worldcon, I participated in a panel on "The Working Class in Science Fiction" where the panelists grappled with the lack of working class characters and working class solidarity in SF. SF writer and union organizer Eric Flint suggested that maybe this was down to the post-war boom-years for science fiction, in which the pulp-reading working-class reader found themselves enjoying new prosperity, entering a new technical elite of engineers and technical workers, and where class and solidarity no longer seemed relevant to working peoples' lives. China is certainly entering a similar boom at the moment, as a new manufacturing and technical middle-class emerges, though "with Chinese characteristics" (for example, the manufacturing sector is dominated by the 80,000,000 women who migrated from the provinces to the factory cities of the Pearl River Delta). It's interesting to see sf emerge in tandem with China's high-tech revolution, especially given how tightly tied the story of Chinese human rights abuses are to the story of Chinese technological growth. Wang Yao’s day job is teaching Chinese writing at Xian Jiaotong University. Growing up in a family of engineers spurred her interest in the sci-fi genre, and she dreamed of becoming an eminent scientist, like Nobel laureate Marie Curie. She earned a place at Peking University’s School of Physics and majored in atmospheric science. However, after feeling out of place for a few years, she changed course and eventually pursued a doctoral degree in comparative literature. She believes science fiction has a value beyond profit. “You can earn a lot of money by producing a sci-fi film. But more importantly, science fiction can raise relevant questions, help us understand the age we live in, and confront real-life dilemmas,” says Wang. These questions include how humans should respond to technology such as artificial intelligence, and more existential questions about the role of the human race and our traditions. Wang believes it is vital that Chinese society contemplates these questions. “Science fiction looks at the process of modernisation and how our values, identity, lifestyle, traditions and even emotions change amid that,” says Wang. In Western countries, modernisation and the emergence of science fiction occurred at the same time. But in contemporary China, where development is happening at such a rapid pace, society has yet to comprehend the process of modernisation, giving rise to many problems – some of which people refuse to acknowledge, and others that are censored by the authorities. “Sci-fi writers are very perceptive and they’re conscious of the influence of globalisation and modernisation. They ponder where Chinese people stand in this process and what our responsibilities are,” Wang says. “We are not copying how other countries develop. We are finding our own way and considering alternatives to modernisation.” Science fiction’s new golden age in China, what it says about social evolution and the future, and the stories writers want world to see [Rachel Cheung/South China Morning Post] (via Beyond the Beyond) books / Business / china / china shakes the multiverse / publishing / science fiction GET THE BOING BOING NEWSLETTER Many of the key Googler Uprising organizers have quit, citing retaliation from senior management The Googler Uprising was a string of employee actions within Google over a series of issues related to ethics and business practices, starting with the company's AI project for US military drones, then its secretive work on a censored/surveilling search tool for use in China; then the $80m payout to Android founder Andy Rubin after […] Amazon on Prime Day Strike: 'People who plan to attend the event on Monday are simply not informed' Workers say they’re underpaid and overworked, strikes planned for July 15th & 16th Huawei plans hundreds of layoffs at U.S.-based research subsidiary Futurewei Some 850 people in research labs across America will lose their jobs. Over those AirPods? Here are 10 pairs of earbuds that bring the noise They might be the shiny new thing, but AirPods aren’t for everybody. Maybe you’re looking for a new sound or you understandably lost those tiny buds during a brisk run. If so, here’s 10 headphones and earbuds that break out of the Apple mode with a return to quality and wearability. Klipsch R5 Bluetooth Neckband […] This top-rated password manager helps keeps your logins secure When it comes to passwords, there’s no such thing as paranoia. You want them secure and complex, and you definitely don’t want to repeat them on all your accounts. The trouble is, the internet seems to keep growing. And so do those accounts. Just one lockout from an important email or banking site is enough […] This personal AC cleans and dehumidifies the air as it cools With the rising temperatures on tap this summer, the climate is going to be a frequent topic of conversation, and those conversations won’t be happy ones. Luckily, there’s a way to do a little climate change of your own – in a safe and sustainable way. When it comes to personal air conditioners, EvaPolar is […]	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7341
__label__wiki	0.500937	0.500937	Home » Purim Party Guide: How to Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday Lifestyle Religion Special Events and Occasions 0 Purim Party Guide: How to Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday Although only one-fourth of Jewish Americans say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month, participation in religious holidays and other traditions is still incredibly important — even to those who wouldn’t classify themselves as observant. With dozens of major and minor holidays to celebrate, it can be difficult to keep them all straight. That’s especially true in the modern age, as our Gregorian calendar is drastically different from the lunisolar calendar used in the Jewish faith. Even if you don’t regularly go to the temple, you’re probably familiar with most of the major holidays. There are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, known as the High Holy Days which respectively celebrate the coming of the new year and allow people to atone for their sins. Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights, gets a lot of the glory for its astounding origin story (and the fact that the youngest members of the faith receive present each night). Passover, of course, is well-known throughout the world and provides a real reason for many Jews to celebrate. In fact, 70 percent of US Jews said they participated in the Passover Seder during 2013. But whether you grew up in the Jewish faith or you’re not overly familiar with these holidays and ceremonies, you might not know a lot about Purim. Purim, known in English as the “Feast of Lots,” is a lighthearted holiday that’s immensely important to the history of the Jewish religion. In order to celebrate properly, you’ll need to understand a bit more about the story — and the essential elements that come along with any Purim festivities. If your aim is to throw an unforgettable Purim party, here’s where you should start. A quick introduction to Purim The Purim holiday commemorates the survival of the Jewish people — an incredibly common theme for these religious festivities and a source of pride among those who subscribe to this religion. The story involves Queen Esther of Persia, a brave female figure whose actions managed to save her people from certain death. The simplest version of the story is as follows: Esther, an orphan raised by her relative named Mordechai, was married to King Achashverosh of Persia. The king was unaware of Esther’s Jewish heritage, as Mordechai urged Esther to not reveal this fact to her husband. Haman, the king’s advisor, had a vendetta against Mordechai, who refused to bow down to anyone but God. As revenge, Haman hatched a plan to exterminate all the Jews in the land, whom Haman saw as being disobedient. When this news reached Esther, she came up with a plan to save her people. She risked her own life and appeared before the king unannounced to suggest hosting a banquet to which Haman would be invited. In preparation for the event, Esther and her people fasted for three days. At the banquet, Esther revealed Haman’s wicked plan and the king was outraged. He ordered Haman to be hanged, thus saving the Jewish people and cementing the need for celebration from then on. This year, Purim will begin at sundown (like all other Jewish holidays do) on March 20 and will last for one full day. Although the Purim story may not seem all that lighthearted, the traditions that accompany these festivities are often extremely enjoyable (especially for kids). What should the perfect Purim party Include? READ How buying crafts online is different from offline purchases? Costumes: There are several reasons for people to dress up in costumes on Purim, the important part is remembering to do it. It’s not necessarily a Halloween free-for-all. In fact, most participants will either dress up as a character from the Purim story or as a Jewish hero or historical figure. If you plan on throwing a Purim party, make sure to remind those invited to dress appropriately for the occasion (and provide extra costume pieces for those who might forget). Noisemakers: When the story of Purim is read in the synagogue, participants are actually encouraged to make a lot of noise — particularly when Haman’s name is mentioned. Noisemakers (called graggers) are often used, and people stomp their feet or hiss and boo when Haman enters the story. In some congregations, chants are used to revel in the names of Esther and Mordechai while condemning the evil actions of Haman. While you may not be reading the story of Purim at your party, you’ll still want to make some welcome noise. Consider hiring a traditional Jewish band or exploring options for Purim party entertainment in Queens to ensure your celebration is a lively one. Festive Foods: Jewish holidays are often known by the delicious dishes served, and Purim is no exception. Meat and wine are typically included on the Purim menu; in fact, adults are often encouraged to drink to excess, though this may not be part of your personal celebration. Hamantaschen — three-cornered pastries filled with fruit preserves, poppy seeds, or chocolate — are traditionally made and consumed during Purim and are often included in gift baskets that are given out to friends. This can be a fantastic alternative to the goodie bags you’ll often see at other parties. In addition, gifts of money, clothes, or food are given to charitable organizations as part of the Purim festivities. By raising funds as part of your Purim party or making a donation drop-off part of the festivities, you can give back to others and have a great time doing it. READ Reasons to Try Scuba Diving Once in Life Understanding the finer details of a given Jewish holiday can be difficult, even if you’ve gone to temple your entire life. But by keeping these elements in mind, you’ll be able to throw a festive and delicious Purim party that your guests won’t soon forget. What you must know about American Independence Day Things you must know about Easter Reasons Why Interracial Marriage Is Beautiful Rituals That Make The Wedding Of Sikh Religion Beautiful. 12 Places Perfect For Your Birthday Celebration In… What Is The Best Memorable Gift You Can Offer To Someone? Tag: Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday How to Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday Iconic Jewish Holiday Jewish Holiday Party Guide: How to Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday Purim Purim Party Purim Party Guide Purim Party Guide: How to Celebrate an Iconic Jewish Holiday How to Save Money Each Month? Reasons to Try Scuba Diving Once in Life Previous post: Where to Start when your Loved one Needs Dementia Care Next post: 6 Things to Do Before You Turn 50 Where to Start when your Loved one Needs Dementia Care Caring for a loved one who is suffering from dementia is extremely difficult, both emotionally and practically. You may be...	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7342
__label__wiki	0.562388	0.562388	Rumor: Kevin Durant not happy with Warriors, believes he was misled in returning from injury Kevin Durant is reportedly not happy with the Golden State Warriors. According to Bleacher Report’s and Radio.com Sports’ Ric Bucher, Durant is upset with the Warriors because of how they misled him in returning from his right calf injury in the NBA Finals. “What I’ve heard, through various places, is that he’s not really happy with how things went down because of the injury,” Bucher said, via Karl Buscheck of 95.7 The Game. “There’s an element of, ‘Was I misled as far as injuring myself coming back and playing and having a catastrophic injury like this coming off a calf strain?’ “We don’t know, definitively, exactly what was said, how much was said, how much he was aware of that, but I can tell you that people in the KD camp, people are running for cover because they don’t want to be holding the bag on who led him astray. Because the bottom line is, what Steve Kerr said, ‘We didn’t think he could get injured worse.’ If Steve Kerr was told that, I’m sure KD was told that. And now he’s looking at the prospect of not playing for, possibly, a year and having his free agency upended. I don’t see how that makes him happier with the Warriors than he was before.” Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. KD is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season. The two-time Finals MVP becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer once he declines his 2019-20 player option with the Warriors. Golden State is said to be interested in re-signing Durant to a full five-year max contract this offseason. We’ll see if Durant, though, wants to even come back. He’s been heavily linked to joining either the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets with Kyrie Irving. JUST IN: Rumor: Timberwolves believe they have a pathway to sign D’Angelo Russell this summer Related TopicsKevin DurantWarriors	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7345
__label__cc	0.621583	0.378417	The BMA should reject this latest attempt to push it neutral on assisted suicide and euthanasia June 20, 2016 Written by Dr Peter Saunders End of Life Dr Peter Saunders was, until December 2018, the Chief Executive of CMF. Prior to that he was a general surgeon in New Zealand, Kenya and the UK. He is now the CEO of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA), a global movement uniting national Christian medical and dental organisations in over 60 countries, On 21 June, the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) of the British Medical Association (BMA) will consider two motions on assisted suicide. The BMA is the UK’s professional association and registered trade union for doctors and currently has 170,000 members. It has been opposed to the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia for every year of its history with the exception of 2005-6 when it was neutral for just twelve months. The first motion (79 on the agenda) affirms that ‘it is not appropriate at this time to debate whether or not to change existing BMA policy’. Only if this is not passed will debate take place on the second motion (80): ‘that this meeting believes that the BMA should adopt a neutral stance on assisted dying’. A total of 29 motions were put forward on this issue – of which 21 upheld current BMA policy and only 8 opposed it; 27 motions did not make the cut of the agenda committee. The use of the term ‘assisted dying’ is especially interesting as it is a form of words developed by the pro-euthanasia lobby that is vaguely defined and has no meaning in law. So it raises the question as to what the BMA would actually be going neutral on? British parliaments have consistently resisted any move to legalise any form of assisted suicide or euthanasia. There have been a dozen unsuccessful attempts in the last twelve years. Last year the Marris Bill in the House of Commons and the Harvie Bill in the Scottish Parliament were defeated by 330-118 and 82-36 respectively. The majority of doctors are opposed to a change in the law. Opinion polls show an average of 65% doctors opposing the legalisation of assisted suicide and/or euthanasia with the remainder undecided or in favour. The Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of General Practitioners and British Geriatrics Society are officially opposed. 82% of Association for Palliative Medicine members oppose a change in the law, with 72% saying a bill allowing assisted suicide even for imminently dying people would have an adverse effect on the delivery of palliative care. Amongst all doctors, these voices carry the greatest weight in this debate due to their understanding of the vulnerability of dying patients and their knowledge of treatments to alleviate their symptoms. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are contrary to all historic codes of medical ethics, including the Hippocratic Oath, the Declaration of Geneva, the International Code of Medical Ethics and the Statement of Marbella. Neutrality would be a quantum change for the profession and against the international tide. Furthermore, neutrality on this particular issue would give assisted suicide a status that no other issue enjoys. Doctors, quite understandably, are strongly opinionated and also have a responsibility to lead. The BMA is a democratic body which takes clear positions on a whole variety of health and health-related issues. Why should assisted suicide and euthanasia enjoy a position which no other issue shares, especially when doctors will actually be the ones carrying it out? Furthermore, to drop medical opposition to the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia at a time of economic austerity could be highly dangerous. Many families and the NHS itself are under huge financial strain and the pressure vulnerable people might face to end their lives so as not to be a financial (or emotional) burden on others is potentially immense. Were the BMA to drop its opposition, and as a consequence a law were to be passed, it would also leave the medical profession hugely divided at a time when, perhaps, more than any other time in British history, we need to be united as advocates for our patients and for the highest priorities in a struggling health service. The British Medical Association (BMA) rejected an attempt to move it neutral at its ARM in 2012 saying that neutrality was the worst of all positions. This was based on bitter experience. When the BMA took a neutral position for a year in 2005/2006 we saw huge pressure to change the law by way of the Joffe Bill. Throughout that crucial debate, which had the potential of changing the shape of medicine in this country, the BMA was forced to remain silent and took no part in the debate. Were it to go neutral again it would be similarly gagged and doctors would have no collective voice. Going neutral would instead play into the hands of a longstanding campaign led by a small pressure group with a strong political agenda. Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying (HPAD), which is affiliated to the pressure group ‘Dignity in Dying’ (formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society), at last count had just over 500 supporters, representing fewer than 0.25% of Britain’s 240,000 doctors. The BMA has been historically opposed to a change in the law on assisted suicide and euthanasia for good reasons. These reasons have not changed. Going neutral would be inappropriate, undemocratic and potentially highly dangerous. It would also be playing into the hands of a small unrepresentative pressure group and giving an advantage to only one side of the debate. Furthermore it would communicate confused messages to the public at a critical time and divide the profession at a time when a united doctors’ voice is needed more than ever. The BMA ARM would be wise to give short shrift to this latest neutrality proposal. The issue has been debated to death in recent years and the views of parliament and the medical profession in this country are settled. There are many more pressing and crucial matters on the ARM agenda. It is time to give this one a well-deserved rest. Tags: ARM, assisted suicide, BMA, euthanasia ← Healthcare apps: helpful or harmful? BMA rejects attempt to push it neutral on assisted suicide by 2 to 1 majority →	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7346
__label__cc	0.601486	0.398514	‘Jackass’ star Steve-O confirms Elisabetta Canalis romance with a kiss Elisabetta Canalis, George Clooney, Jackass, Steve O February 1, 2012 Mrs Carter: From George Clooney to Steve-O, Elisabetta likes her men funny. When fans first heard that Elisabetta Canalis went from dating Hollywood A-lister George Clooney to ‘Jackass’ daredevil Steve-O many couldn’t make the connection as to why she would go from one extreme to another in her dating types, but these two men are […] Elisabetta Canalis, Mehcad Brooks take their romance public Elisabetta Canalis, George Clooney, Mehcad Brooks, True Blood November 16, 2011 Mrs Carter: George Clooney who? We already knew that ‘Dancing With The Stars’ contestant Elisabetta Canalis was dating ‘True Blood’ hunk Mehcad Brooks, but it’s nice to see them enjoying their romance out in public now. The couple went public with their relationship on Monday as they arrived together looking cuter than ever at the […] George Clooney makes first red-carpet appearance with Stacy Keibler George Clooney, Stacy Keibler October 17, 2011 It looks like George Clooney and Stacy Keibler are finally coming out and admitting what most everyone has known about for quite some time now — they are in fact dating. The occasion happened in New York City this weekend, as Clooney took Keibler with him to the premiere of his highly-anticipated new movie “The […] George Clooney’s ex warns Stacy Keibler to be careful George Clooney, Stacy Keibler September 22, 2011 It has never been a secret that George Clooney is not interested in being married again and has always been honest about his intentions when he gets involved in relationships, but his ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Daily says that regardless of what he tells people, he ends up breaking hearts. Daily has a warning for his new […] Stacey Keibler enjoying ‘the moment’ with George Clooney George Clooney, Stacey Keibler September 22, 2011 George Clooney’s ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis may have wanted to settle down with Clooney, much like almost every woman in the world wants, but his new flame Stacy Keibler is happy just living in the moment with George and isn’t looking to marry him. Stacy’s ex-boyfriend, Geoff Stutts says that Keibler is a “blast to be […] George Clooney gets married in new advertisement for DnB NOR DnB NOR, George Clooney September 20, 2011 While we may never see bachelor George Clooney get married in real life, it was hilarious to see him in the new advertisement for DnB NOR pretending he is a husband. The advertisement starts out with a blond woman waking up in a strange bed, in an unfamiliar hotel and she is not really sure […] ‘Dancing with the Stars’ 2011: is George Clooney ex Elisabetta Canalis in cast? ABC, Dancing with the Stars, Elisabetta Canalis, George Clooney, Stacy Keibler August 17, 2011 There’s a rather fascinating new rumor out there when it comes to “Dancing with the Stars” season 13, and this time it involves someone who was perceived to be Hollywood royalty just a matter of months ago. According to new reports, Italian model / actress Elisabetta Canalis — best known for her recent relationship to […] ‘The Ides of March’ trailer: Ryan Gosling becomes political prey George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March July 28, 2011 Just one day after receiving the first-ever poster for George Clooney’s “The Ides of March,” we now have the trailer for the political thriller set to debut in North America at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. While Clooney may play the Presidential candidate in the film in Governor Mike Morris, the actual story […] George Clooney, Ryan Gosling play copycat in ‘The Ides of March’ poster George Clooney, The Ides of March July 27, 2011 Now, we have our first look at what may be one of the most-anticipated films of all awards season 2011 — “The Ides of March.” George Clooney is stepping into the director’s chair to tell the story of a Presidential candidate (also played by Clooney) who gets drawn into a major (and rather inconvenient) scandal […] George Clooney, Brad Pitt committed for Toronto International Film Festival Brad Pitt, George Clooney July 26, 2011 It looks as though the Toronto International Film Festival is going to continue one of its biggest longstanding traditions this year — getting as many members of the A-list community together in order to have a good time. When it comes to some of the big names coming to the festival this September, here are […]	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7349
__label__cc	0.582943	0.417057	EU and Government of Georgia sign EUR 28 million Security Sector Support programme for Georgia In the framework of the 16thGeorgia's European way Conference in Batumi, representatives of the European Union and the Government of Georgia signed the first ever EU support programme on security sector reform for Georgia. Entitled "SAFE: EU4 Security, Accountability and Fight Against Crime in Georgia" the five year and 28MEUR (approx. 86 MGEL) programme will start in 2019 and support the Government in the fight against crime and corruption; hybrid and emerging threats; border management; civil protection and crisis management; and oversight of the security sector. "The EU stands by Georgia and its citizens on security. This programme will ensure safer borders and help the Government more effectively protect its citizen's from crime and cybercrime, hybrid threats, and natural disasters. At the same time it will also strengthen oversight of the security system by actors such as the Parliament, Ombudsman, independent oversight institutions, and civil society to ensure that citizens' rights are ensured. " noted Lawrence Meredith, Director for the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood in the European Commission. “Georgia is grateful for the EU Financial and Technical assistance to Georgia which plays a crucial role in the European Transformation of the Country, particularly in the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. Georgian side pays particular importance to the EU SAFE Programme, which is the first programme of this kind funded by the EU to support implementation of key priorities of the Georgian Government including combating crime and cybercrime, hybrid threats, and fight against the natural disasters. At the same time, EU support to Economic Governance and Fiscal Accountability envisaged by the EU 4 Economic Governance and Fiscal Accountability programme is of utmost importance” noted Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. The programme will be implemented through some 12 separate projects by EU Member state administrations, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) as well as private consultancy firms. A grant calls for proposals for civil society will also be held. A public launch event for the programme is planned. In addition, the European Union and the Government of Georgia also signed theEUR 18.6 million (approx. GEL 57 million) "EU 4 Economic Governance and Fiscal Accountability" programme to further strengthen fiscal governance in Georgia. Activities under this programme will focus on enhancing budgetary frameworks, strengthening external audit and independent fiscal monitoring as well as encouraging civic participation in oversight of public finances. It will be implemented through direct grant support to the government as well as technical assistance projects implemented by EU Member State administrations and the World Bank.	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7353
__label__cc	0.629985	0.370015	Home » Blog » Nehmer Claims: What You Need to Know Nehmer Claims: What You Need to Know Tuesday May 30, 2017 Last Updated: February 27th, 2018 CCKBlog Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is a class action lawsuit brought to court in 1986 to challenge a VA regulation that stated that chloracne, a skin condition, is the only disease that is scientifically linked to exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. The class action was filed on behalf of all Vietnam Veterans (and their survivors) who had been denied benefits for a condition allegedly associated with herbicide exposure. The case was brought by attorneys from the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). In 1991, NVLSP’s attorneys negotiated a favorable “consent decree” – a settlement that resolves a dispute without either party admitting guilt or liability – with the VA. The Nehmer consent decree, which is still in effect today, requires VA to take certain actions whenever it recognizes a new disease as scientifically linked to Agent Orange exposure. When VA adds a new disease to their list of “presumptive conditions” – i.e. conditions they recognize as associated with herbicide exposure – they must identify all claims for the recognized disease that were previously filed and/or denied, and pay disability and death benefits to these veterans or their survivors, retroactive to the date VA received the original claim. VA added the most recent batch of presumptive conditions – ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and B-cell leukemia — to the list in 2010. VA has already reviewed more than 140,000 past claims for these diseases and is in the process of reviewing the remaining claims. Because of complex rules governing who is considered a Nehmer class member, what counts as claim under the Nehmer consent decree, and how far back to pay retroactive benefits, VA has failed to reach out to certain eligible veterans and assigned incorrect effective dates. Read on to see if you, as a veteran or a survivor, qualify for compensation under Nehmer. Nehmer Class Members Nehmer class members include not just eligible veterans, but also survivors of eligible veterans. Survivors include the veterans’ spouse, child(ren), or parent(s). So, if the veteran dies prior to receiving payment for any Nehmer-related benefits, VA will pay any unpaid retroactive benefits to the veterans’ spouse, child(ren), or parent(s). And if the veterans’ survivors are deceased, retroactive benefits may be paid to any of the “class members’” surviving spouse, child(ren), or parent(s). If no survivors can be located, the retroactive benefits will be paid to the veteran’s estate. Eligibility Requirements for Veteran For a veteran or his/her survivor to be eligible for benefits under Nehmer, the veteran must have served in Vietnam; and filed a claim and/or had a claim denied, which includes a claim inferred (see “What counts as a claim?” section) for one of the three new presumptive conditions; and that claim was filed, denied, or inferred between September 25, 1985 and August 31, 2010, the date VA published the final regulation; and Note: If the claim was filed before September 25, 1985 but still pending or on appeal on or after September 25, 1985, the veteran is still eligible. The veteran is diagnosed with one of the presumptive diseases, or has a diagnosis that could be reasonably interpreted as one of the covered diseases. Unfortunately, only veterans with duty or visitation (i.e. “boots on the ground”) in the Republic of Vietnam, or on its inland waterways, between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, make up the class of veterans affected by the Nehmer review. If you’re not sure you qualify, read our post about what counts as “boots on the ground” in Vietnam. Unfortunately, veterans that served in the Korean DMZ or Thailand are not considered part of the Nehmer class. But service connection may still be possible. Eligibility Requirements for Survivors If a Nehmer class member dies before receiving benefits, VA will pay any unpaid retroactive benefits to the first individual listed below that is in existence at the time of payment: The class member’s spouse, regardless of current marital status A spouse is the person who was legally married to the class member at the time of the class member’s death The class member’s child(ren), regardless of age or marital status If more than one child exists, payment of the retroactive benefits owed shall be divided into equal shares The class member’s parent(s), regardless of dependency If both parents are alive, half the retroactive benefits owed will be paid to each parent The class member’s estate Presumptive Diseases In this post, we will focus on the three most recent additions to VA’s list of presumptive diseases – ischemic heart disease, chronic B-cell leukemia, and Parkinson’s disease. At the end of this section, however, you will find a list of all covered conditions and the dates they were added to the list. According to VA, “ischemic heart disease” includes but is not limited to acute, subacute, or old myocardial infarcation (i.e. heart attack); atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease (CAD), including coronary spasm, coronary bypass surgery; and, stable, unstable, or Prinzmetal’s angina (i.e. chest pain). Since the term refers only to heart disease, it does not include hypertension, nor peripheral manifestations of arteriosclerosis such as peripheral vascular disease or stroke. Chronic B-Cell Leukemia B-cell leukemia describes several different types of lymphoid leukemias and includes the following types: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, mature B-cell type B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia Precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia Hairy cell leukemia There are fourteen kinds of lymphomas involving B-cells. Mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue lymphoma (MALT) Small cell lymphocytic lymphoma (overlaps with the chronic lymphocytic leukemia) Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) Mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma Waldenstrm macroglobulinemia Nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (NMZL) Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma Primary effusion lymphoma Parkinson’s disease belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders, which are the result of the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. The four primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face; rigidity, or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia, or slowness of movement; and postural instability, or impaired balance and coordination. Other symptoms may include depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing, and speaking; urinary problems or constipation; skin problems; and sleep disruptions. There are currently no blood or laboratory tests that have been proven to help in diagnosing sporadic PD. Therefore the diagnosis is based on medical history and a neurological examination. Conditions Covered by Nehmer Soft-tissue Sarcoma — October 15, 1991 Hodgkin’s disease — February 3, 1994 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma — May 19, 1993 Porphyria cutanea tarda — February 3, 1994 Lung cancer — June 9, 1994 Bronchus cancer — June 9, 1994 Larynx cancer — June 9, 1994 Trachea cancer — June 9, 1994 Multiple myeloma — June 9, 1994 Acute and Subacute peripheral neuropathy — November 7, 1996 Prostate cancer — November 7, 1996 Type 2 Diabetes — May 8, 2001 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) — October 16, 2003 AL Amyloidosis (ALA) — May 7, 2009 Ischemic heart disease — August 31, 2010 Parkinson’s disease — August 31, 2010 B-cell leukemia — August 31, 2010 The effective date for previously submitted claims must be one of the following dates: The later of the following: The date VA received the claim (this can be a date prior to September 25, 1985, if the claim was pending or on appeal on September 25, 1985), or The date the disability arose The day following the date of the class member’s separation from active service, if the claim was filed within one year from the date of separation The effective date for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) claims must be one of the following dates: The date VA received the claim, or The first day of the month of the veteran’s death, if the claim was filed within one year from the date of the veteran’s death NOTE: If the class member’s claim for DIC was either pending on May 3, 1989, or was received by VA between May 3, 1989 and August 31, 2010, the effective date of the award will be the later of the date the claim was received by VA or the date the death occurred. Do I need to file a new claim? No! You do not need not file a new claim or a claim for an earlier effective date when VA adds a new presumptive condition to the list. VA is required to search its own records to find eligible veterans or survivors and award benefits, without action on the veteran or survivor’s part. You can, however, submit evidence at any time. There is no time limit for submission. What counts as a claim under Nehmer? Typically, a “claim” is submitted via a VA form or a formal request. A “claim” in the context of Nehmer, however, is a little more loosely interpreted. According to VA, a claim meeting the eligibility requirements of Nehmer can be any of the following: A claim for Service Connection An informal claim A pension claim An inferred claim for Service Connection A claim inferred by Veteran or VA during review Notice of Death A claim for burial benefits A claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), death pension or accrued benefits Social Security Administration – VA Form 21-4182, Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation or Death Pension VA Form 21-601, Application for Accrued Amounts Due To A Deceased Beneficiary In some instances, VA may grant an award without a formal claim ever being filed. If, at the time of a prior decision on another compensation claim, VA had medical evidence containing a diagnosis of a now-covered condition, then the condition is considered to have been part of the previously denied claim. That is, if you filed a claim for a non-exposure-related condition and in the medical records you submitted for that claim there is documentation of the existence of your now-presumptive disease, then that claim counts as a claim for your Nehmer condition. Note: Your previously submitted claim does not need to mention exposure to herbicides as the basis for service connection. VA Almost Never Awards Extra-schedular Grants What Is Deployment-Related Lung Disease? Veterans Affairs Facilities and Their Functions Burial Benefits for Veterans and Eligibility I Served in Vietnam, Am I Presumed to Have Been Exposed to Agent Orange? I Received an Unfavorable Board Decision; What Should I Do? I Am a Disabled Veteran; Am I Eligible for Disability Benefits? What is a Statement of the Case (SOC)? VA Released Report on National Suicide Data Continue Reading » What Are VA Accrued Benefits? Continue Reading » FAQ Friday: When the Board remands your appeal, what happens? 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__label__cc	0.741207	0.258793	Sensing, connectivity, and computing Figure 1: Information regarding safety, durability, serviceability, and energy efficiency of assets could be gathered and intelligently manipulated and shared in a uniform format on an IoT platform. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a paradigm shift that promises to forever change the internet as we know it. However, the Building Internet of Things (BIoT), the AEC industry’s spinoff of IoT, likely holds as much or more potential for the design and construction of intelligent structures. In the strictest sense, BIoT is about using smart sensors and devices to bring all aspects of an asset’s technical performance into one common platform as a way to automatically optimize system operations — whether that’s a highway system or an office building or an industrial plant. A “smart” system enables data to flow across an enterprise infrastructure, spanning the devices where valuable data is gathered from different building components and people, to the back-end systems where that data can be translated into insights and action. We’re already seeing how smart buildings help improve operational efficiencies and minimize energy consumption, and can positively impact the human experience in terms of convenience and safety. Now consider how BIoT concepts applied during design and construction of infrastructure and other assets could conserve valuable operational resources and optimize financial investments while delivering more cognitive, smarter, more versatile, and sustainable structures. Many of the BIoT technologies are already available. Enriching RFID One of the easiest ways to embed BIoT into the design and construction process is to rely more heavily on radio-frequency identification (RFID) for tracking material, equipment, and personnel. With RFID, project teams make sure schedules are accurate based on material orders. Some contractors are starting to experiment with RFID tags as construction worker ID badges that are tagged to a secure cloud network. Through the cloud, a project manager or construction manager is able to see in real-time the number of people working on a project in what areas. The embedded intelligent tags help large retailers manage their production lines and follow supply chains more efficiently. Further, RFID can be used to automatically track shipping containers and other supply systems. But RFID is just the low-hanging fruit of BIoT. The implementation of building information modeling (BIM), smart sensors, and devices into the construction and project management process offers far greater value. As Lachmi Khemlani, an architect who specializes in intelligent building modeling and the founder and editor of AECbytes, noted in a recent article, “With regard to BIM authoring tools, there would certainly be additional ‘placeholders’ to capture the additional ‘smart’ properties of a building element. Presumably, the BIM application also has to take into account how these smart elements will interact with each other, simulating them digitally as they would behave in real life.” (www.aecbytes.com/feature/2014/InternetofThings.html). RFID-tagged objects that are synced to a cloud-based network are able to talk with each other, so BIM systems will also need to be able to simulate these relationships digitally. Khemlani illustrated this concept with the following example: “If a smart beam and a smart column ‘know’ that they have to fit together in a certain way when they are being constructed, the design tool has to take that into account and make sure they come together in the same way in a BIM model.” Similarly, some industry pioneers are combining BIM and smart sensors to improve jobsite safety. In the published paper, Workforce Location Tracking to Model, Visualize, and Analyze Workspace Requirements in Building Information Models for Construction Safety Planning (www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926580515002022), the authors proposed an approach to proactively improve construction safety through a combination of lean practices, BIM-enabled automated workspace visualization, remote sensing, and workspace modeling technologies. In the case study tested on a real construction project, high-precision GPS data loggers were attached to the hardhat personal protective equipment (PPE) of a work crew constructing cast-in-place concrete columns. The team further developed algorithms to extract activity-specific workspace parameters from the recorded workforce location tracking data. Using an unmanned aerial vehicle to create as-built information of the site’s working conditions and visualized within BIM, construction managers, foremen, and site supervisors are able to evaluate potential workspace conflicts among the other competing work crews or lifting equipment. IoT and project management Too often, project managers spend untold hours gathering, sorting, entering, and coordinating project data to track and report project progress. The application of BIoT sensors and devices on people, equipment, and materials interconnects the entire project team. The subsequent real-time data — data that is particularly valuable when issues arise — is directly fed to any project management solution, improving the decision-making process. The sensor data can also be connected to create an executive-level graphic for clients or management. BIoT improves the proficiency and viability of correspondence and coordinated effort much better than conventional methods because data and information can be shared among colleagues regardless of their location. As well, it facilitates the analysis of Big Data. Big Data for project managers could mean the sharing of cross-functional management experience between engineers, scientists, business analysts, maintenance staff, etc. It might also support a data-driven assessment of available resources — people, material, and finances — to ensure maximum efficiency. In essence, BIoT provides the data that will facilitate a big-picture vision of a project and the ability to adapt team skills to work within organizational scopes. With BIoT, project management tools will be more interconnected to show the overall impact in budget and schedule. For example, a change order during the construction phase can be input into the system where the system will correctly calculate the necessary lead time as well as schedule and budget impacts. Accessibility to detailed and real-time information allows agile project teams to find alternatives or to proceed with approved changes. BIoT and infrastructure From roads, bridges, and pipelines to communication networks, civil infrastructure is a vital element of every community. BIoT provides an amazing platform for all engineers to measure structural humidity, moisture, vibration analysis, etc. and to achieve an exact conclusion without individual judgment. BIoT allows structural engineers to perform monitoring-based commissioning for preventative analysis or to avoid and address potential safety issues before they occur As Figure 1 shows, all information regarding safety, durability, serviceability, and energy efficiency of assets could be comprehensively gathered and intelligently manipulated and shared in a uniform format on an IoT platform to create extraordinary sense for decision-making people. According to the article “Civil Infrastructures Connected Internet of Things” from the Current Advances in Civil Engineering journal (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259368593_Civil_Infrastructures_Connected_Internet_of_Things), a social researcher in Hong Kong took advantage of the statistical records on traffic flow from several downtown cable-stayed bridges to study the level of local economic activity. The authors believe that the subsequent economic index created from this information will provide a comprehensive and objective stock index that accurately reflects local economic trends. Crystal Building, located on London’s Royal Docks, incorporates more than 3,500 data monitoring points and a state-of-the-art building management system that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Photo: Siemens As well, the direct communication between BIoT sensors and smart objects is expected to significantly help transportation agencies better manage traffic. A densely distributed sensory network in transportation systems could automatically gather data about vehicle speeds, weight-in movements, and positions. That information could then be used to improve traffic flow, minimize incidents, and effectively save lives. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 report card gives American infrastructure an overall GPA of D+. The report further recommends an investment of $3.6 trillion by the end of 2020 to address the problem. However, investment is only part of the challenge. Along with investment and committed leadership, we must take advantage of smart technologies such as BIoT sensors and devices. Imagine how a densely embedded sensory network might detect early infrastructure deterioration. Together with a properly designed closed-loop intelligent system, those responsible for operations and maintenance will be able to react appropriately to improve service or reduce environmental impact or both. Realizing BIoT’s potential Building a sustainable asset is relatively straightforward; maintaining such an energy efficient asset can only be possible with modern IoT. What has begun with BIoT-based building automation systems is fast becoming an important tool for professionals in the design and construction of tomorrow’s facilities. For example, Crystal Building, located on London’s Royal Docks, is considered one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. In fact, by incorporating innovation and technology solutions in the areas of energy efficiency and sustainability, this building set a new industry benchmark. This all-electric building uses solar power and a ground source heat pump to generate its own energy. It incorporates rainwater harvesting, black water treatment, solar heating, and automated building management systems — and it relies on IoT systems to manage everything. The structure incorporates more than 3,500 data monitoring points and a state-of-the-art building management system that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Its lighting system automatically adjusts for brightness and color according to the time of day and the automated ventilation system is sequenced to indoor and outdoor conditions. Smart node technology allows the building to store electricity in a battery during off peak hours for use during the peak hours. The building can even measure every kilowatt of electricity it uses and compare its performance against other buildings across the world. The owners state that the building consumes 46 percent less energy and emits 70 percent less CO2 than comparable office buildings. The building is the first to receive both a LEED Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council and certification through the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. More to the point, the Crystal Building was built with advances that are all accessible today. Along these lines, envision what we can accomplish for sustainability when we start to incorporate cognition into these buildings. The potential outcomes are endless. Structures are turning out to be substantially more than concrete, steel, wood, and glass. They are smart, versatile environments that are a piece of a more sustainable future. While BIoT concepts are still fragmented and only a few solutions are commercially available now, the approach has the potential to play a big role in all major segments of the built environment. The underlying core capabilities — sensing, connectivity, and computing — are essential for the BIoT system. Sandeep Kulkarni, LEED AP, is an MEP project engineer at NV5 (www.nv5.com), a multidiscipline firm providing planning, design, permitting, inspection and field supervision, and management oversight of transportation systems, water/wastewater systems, sports facilities, military base renovations, utilities expansion, renewable energy, and education and health care facilities. dbrigham	cc/2019-30/en_head_0021.json.gz/line7365

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