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Max Wolf (gymnast)
Max Wolf was an American gymnast. He competed in four events at the 1904 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the team event.
References
Category:Year of birth missing
Category:Year of death missing
Category:American male artistic gymnasts
Category:Olympic gymnasts of the United States
Category:Gymnasts at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in gymnastics
Category:Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics
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|
Countryside vs city life essay
Group 5 Public transport is good for the society. He cycles to work down country lanes every morning, the sound of tractors, birds and animals in his ears. Start your own group. You will never be the underdog. Although doing different ways, not only city people but also country people can good life conditions.
You worry a lot more about the weather. For me, countryside is better than the city because there is calm and clean air. In her spare time she goes out and entertains herself doing shopping, visiting discos and restaurants and many others.
Kids who annoy you by listening to rap music in the bus? Use the keywords and hint from the previous task. There are many exhaust fumes in the city. Your kids and your dog barely know what grass is. Here in Sydney, I pop to the corner shop to get eggs at midnight if I want.
You can drive yourself where you want, when you want. However, some people agree that country living is a real life like a nice dream: What is convince to you?
Weaknesses What are your weaknesses or limitations? You can order anything from online stores and — miracle! I think that in the city there are more job opportunities than in the countryside. You feel a part of a genuine community, not just one peon out of millions.
It allows people to travel to different points of the city at cheaper price and it saves the environment. Because country people enjoy relax living, fresh food and fresh airthey look younger than their ages and longer life. More relaxing and enjoying with less advantages are in Countryside vs city life essay different from more stressed and competitive with many advantages.
The case for living in the city The countryside? They work hard and it is often more pressure than country people although they can have more advantages. In Sydney, where I live, my local park alone is the home to joggers, skateboarders, tai chi lovers and tight-rope walkers.
Nor are you likely to live the Good Life, a la Helen and Scott Nearingwho fed themselves thanks to their homestead until they both died. If you want to live like a king or at least be your own landlordmove to the country.
You have to reach an agreement. She has got a good job and the company is very big. Once a month he goes climbing with his best friend. Someone cuts you while queuing in the supermarket?
First similarity is convince.The city life is a busy, hyper and an active lifestyle where convenience is at your side most of the time compared to living in the country. Population in the city is much greater so movies, malls, restaurants, grocery stores, and other reliable sources are at easy access because there are so many.
Essay question: city life and country life Final draft The most notable difference between life in a countryside and life in a city is environment. There are less pollution, fewer cars and factories in the countryside.
Fatemah Professor English 11 November The City Life Vs. Comparing City Life with Countryside Life Essays; Life in Small Town vs Life in a City Essay Words | 4 Pages. Life in a small town vs. Life in a big city Life is a beautiful thing. Everyone has an interesting story about their life. It is known that what is good for one person may not be good for another person.
However, some people agree that country living is a real life like a nice dream: hearing natural music, seeing sights,and planting ultimedescente.com essay will tell you what similarities and differences between city and country living, so we can get more widen views.
The countryside? It must be nice if you're retired or dead. If you want to have a semblance of a social life and like to do wild things like, oh, going to the cinema on a Monday night, the.
In my opinion the city life is better than the country life.
I think that because in the city there are many facilities, but in the country there aren't. Share the disadvantages of living in a city or countryside.
Use the keywords and hint from the previous task. Group 1/ City Life. I think the disadvantages are not so many compared to the.
|
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This disclosure relates in general to content delivery and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to domain name service (DNS) resolution.
A content delivery network (CDN) is used by many web sites to deliver content more efficiently. The CDN may host, mirror and/or cache the content as well as deliver it to a requesting party. A web site or origin server is linked to the CDN such that some or all content can be sourced from the CDN rather than the web site. This process of fulfilling a link through a CDN is usually transparent to the user.
Singlecasting of large events can be difficult for CDNs to deliver efficiently. CDNs deliver content objects such as files or streams to tens of thousands of recipients in a short period of time. Serving resources can be overwhelmed by these large events. Where a point of presence (POP) or individual servers saturate, a user can experience inadequate quality of service (QoS). To avoid these bottlenecks, CDNs generally overbuild their serving resources and POPs. Overbuilding is undesirable, as it is inefficient and can result in increased expense and complexity that is not needed during normal operating conditions.
A domain name service (DNS) is used to resolve the IP address or group of IP addresses from where an object or stream should be sourced for delivery to a recipient. Users' local DNS recursors participate in a series of delegations to resolve the actual IP address of the server that will source the data. Through the delegation process, the request for data is routed to the server, which could be one of a number of servers that could source the data.
One or more alternative server addresses can be provided during the DNS resolution process. Any of the alternative servers can be used to provide the data associated with the requested domain. Where a small number of server addresses is provided, and/or where each user DNS recursor is given a DNS solution with the same server listed first, servers can overload and provide poor QoS. One solution to this problem is “round-robin DNS”, where IP addresses given in each DNS resolution are the same, but the order of the IP addresses could be varied for each DNS solution, with the goal of more evenly distributing the content requests across the servers.
Where a larger number of server addresses is desirable, there are limits, typically encountered at user-network firewalls and other security boundaries, on the size of a DNS solution packet, and therefore on the number of IP addresses that can be included in such a solution. A typical limit could be in the range of 16 to 20 IP addresses. There are two method known in the art that are usually deployed to work around this limit and enable utilization of more servers than the limit of the DNS solution packet size. One method is to use a load balancing switch to virtualize the IP addresses. In this method, a small number of logical IP addresses is returned in the DNS solution packet; content requests are intercepted by the load balancing switch; and the switch maps those requests to a greater (often far greater) number of physical IP addresses corresponding to physical servers. The switch is a “load balancing” switch because another of its functions, besides enabling the virtualization of server addresses, is to balance loads across servers, which among other effects, normally makes round-robin DNS unnecessary (because even if all content requests came to a single logical IP address, the switch can distribute the load among the physical IP addresses). Thus, in one example of this scenario, 16 logical IP addresses are returned in each DNS solution; all content requests are directed to one of these 16 logical IP addresses; the load balancing switch translates the 16 logical IP addresses to 60 physical server IP addresses; and the switch balances the loads across the 60 servers.
A second method of solving this DNS solution packet limit problem is to divide the content site into multiple, smaller logical sites, by using hostnames for each portion of the site (a “hostname” is the portion of the URL to the left of the website name, e.g., in the URL img.foo.com, “img” would be the hostname). As an example, if foo.com requires more than the limited number of servers that could be returned in a DNS solution packet, it could be divided into part-A.foo.com, part-B.foo.com, and part-C.foo.com. When DNS resolutions are requested, different server addresses can be provided for each hostname, thereby (in this example), tripling the number of servers that can be used to serve the content. When using this method, round-robin DNS is still useful, because changing the order of the IP addresses presented in the DNS solution for part-A.foo.com can help to more evenly distribute the content requests across the servers. Both of these methods, however, have limitations.
In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
|
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination compensation method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for compensating for illumination for image encoding and decoding.
2. Description of the Related Art
In multi-view coding (MVC) for 3-dimensional (3D) display applications, when prediction between neighboring views is performed, illumination changes between the neighboring views occur due to an incorrectly calibrated camera, different perspective projection directions, and different reflection effects, and as a result, encoding efficiency is lowered. In addition, in the case of a single view, the encoding efficiency is lowered due to illumination changes caused by screen switching and the like.
In order to solve these problems, the H.264 standard uses a weighted prediction technique.
This weighted prediction technique is applied to motion compensation at a slice level, and illumination is compensated for according to an appropriate weighted factor W and an additional offset O. An improved method for this weighted prediction technique is illumination change-adaptive motion estimation/compensation (ICA ME/MC).
According to ICA ME/MC, in the case of a Y component in the YUV color format, ICA ME/MC is performed in units of 16×16 blocks, and a difference value of illumination change (DVIC) in relation to each macroblock is obtained.
In ICA ME/MC, there are two modes. One is an IC-inter 16×16 mode which uses ICA ME/MC, and is used in a P or B slice. The other mode is an IC-direct 16×16 mode which does not use ICA ME/MC and is used only in a B slice. In order to compensate for local illumination change, a 1-bit flag, i.e., mb_ic_flag, is required for each of the inter 16×16 block mode and the direct 16×16 block mode.
Since there are very high correlations between the DVIC of a current block and the DVICs of neighboring blocks, the DVIC of the current block is transmitted by obtaining and encoding the difference between the DVIC of the current block and the DVICs of the neighboring blocks.
The ICA ME/MC in units of macroblocks for an inter 16×16 mode will now be explained.
For ICA ME/MC, a new sum of absolute differences (SAD) should be defined. Assuming that a pixel at coordinates (i,j) of a current frame is f(i,j), and a pixel at coordinates (i,j) of a reference frame is r(i,j), the SAD of blocks of a size of S×T is calculated according to Equation 1 below. Here, S×T may be 16×16, 16×8, 8×16, 8×8, 8×4, 4×8, and 4×4.
SAD ( x , y ) = ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ∑ j = n n + T - 1 f ( i , j ) - r ( i + x , j + y ) ( Equation 1 ) Here, (x,y) is a candidate motion vector, and (m,n) is the position of a current block.
In order to compensate for illumination change, a new SAD is required. The new SAD is obtained according to Equations 2 and 3 below:
M cur = 1 S × T ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ∑ j = n n + T - 1 f ( i , j ) M ref ( p , q ) = 1 S × T ∑ i = p p + S - 1 ∑ j = q q + T - 1 r ( i , j ) ( Equation 2 ) Here, Mcur is the mean value of pixels of a current block, and Mref is the mean value of pixels in a reference block. Also, (p,q) is the position of the reference block. The new SAD, i.e., NewSAD(x,y) is obtained according to Equation 3 below:
NewSAD ( x , y ) = ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ∑ j = n n + T - 1 { f ( i , j ) - M cur } - { r ( i + x , j + y ) - M ref ( m + x , n + y ) } ( Equation 3 )
In ICA ME/MC, a block which minimizes the NewSAD(x,y), for example, a 16×16 block, is searched for based on Equation 3, and a motion vector (MV) corresponding to the block is found.
If the motion vector MV(x′,y′) minimizing the NewSAD(x,y) is determined, an illumination compensation residual signal NewR(i,j) is determined according to Equation 4 below:
NewR ( i , j ) = { f ( i , j ) - M cur } - { r ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) - M ref ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = { f ( i , j ) - r ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } - { M cur - M ref ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = { f ( i , j ) - r ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } - DVIC ( Equation 4 )
In this case, the mb_ic_flag that is the 1-bit flag is stored in a syntax in order to indicate whether or not ICA ME/MC is used. The DPCM value of the DVIC is also included in the syntax. In the current example, if the mb_ic_flag is 0, it indicates that ICA MC for a current block has not been performed. If the mb_ic_flag is 1, it indicates that ICA MC for the current block has been performed.
Also, if the mb_ic_flag is 1, the ICA ME/MC unit of a decoding apparatus obtains a restored pixel by using Equation 5 below:
f ′ ( i , j ) = { NewR ″ ( x ′ , y ′ , i , j ) + r ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } + { M cur - M ref ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = { NewR ″ ( x ′ , y ′ , i , j ) + r ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } + DVIC ( Equation 5 ) Here, NewR″(i,j) is a restored illumination compensation residual signal, and f′(i,j) is a restored pixel in a current frame.
In this conventional ICA ME/MC method, DVIC information should be transmitted, and as a result, the encoding efficiency is lowered.
A method of compensating for illumination capable of omitting DVIC information by improving the conventional illumination method has been suggested.
In order to omit the DVIC information, an illumination-compensated reference block is generated by using Equation 6 below:f(i,j)=ax,y·r′x,y(i,j)+bx,y (Equation 6)
In Equation 6, ax,y and bx,y have values varying with respect to a motion vector (x,y), and have constant values in relation to each motion vector. Also, r′x,y(i,j) is a motion compensated reference block, and {circumflex over (f)}(i,j) is an illumination-compensated reference block. In the illumination compensation method using Equation 6, calculation of ax,y and bx,y is performed by using restored pixels neighboring a current block according to a linear regression method, an average of difference based prediction method, and a difference of average based prediction method. Accordingly, the DVIC information can be omitted. However, the illumination compensation method omitting the DVIC information calculates ax,y and bx,y from the restored pixels neighboring the current block, and therefore the performance of illumination change prediction by the method is lower than the performance by a method of calculating ax,y and bx,y by using the current block.
|
{
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|
Q:
Make API query to only one Stack Exchange site
Is there a way to limit a /search or a /similar query to a specific site or sites?
A:
By definition all /search and /similar queries are made on one specific site. There is currently no way to search more than one site.
Example:
http://api.stackoverflow.com/1.1/search?intitle=linq
This example will search only Stack Overflow for the term linq.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Expression of somatostatin, cortistatin, and somatostatin receptors in human monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells.
Increasing evidence suggests that neuropeptides play a role in the regulatory mechanisms between the neuroendocrine and immune systems. A differential expression of the five known somatostatin (SS) receptors (sst1-5) has been demonstrated in human immune cells and tissues. However, little is known concerning regulation and expression of sst1-5 and the peptide SS. Therefore, we investigated the expression and the time-dependent regulation of sst1-5, SS, and cortistatin (CST), a novel SS-like peptide, in human monocytes (MO), monocyte-derived macrophages (MP), and dendritic cells (DC) in the basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated state. MO, MP, and DC selectively expressed sst2 mRNA. SS mRNA was not detectable, whereas all samples expressed CST mRNA. Expression levels of sst2 and CST mRNA showed marked differences and were in the rank order of MP>>DC>>>MO. LPS stimulation did not induce expression of SS or sst1,3,4,5. However, sst2 mRNA expression was upregulated significantly by stimulation with LPS. CST mRNA was upregulated as well. During differentiation of MO in MP or DC, time-dependent, significantly increasing sst2 and CST mRNA levels were found. By confocal microscopy, the presence of sst2 receptors was demonstrated on MP, but not on DC. This study demonstrates for the first time a selective and inducible expression of the recently discovered CST, as well as sst2, in human monocyte-derived cells, suggesting a role for a CST-sst2 system rather than a SS-sst2 system in these immune cell types.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
IOS app store has created unrealistic pricing expectations - kgutteridge
http://appcubby.com/blog/5-is-the-new-10/
======
jeremymcanally
I think I prefer an open market with prices that have naturally fallen to this
point than something with artificially inflated prices. There are two things
at play here.
One, the competition in the app store right now is so voluminous and so fierce
that it's driving prices down. It's a natural phenomenon that will happen in
nearly any "free" market. To complain about it is to complain about the
essence of free market pricing.
Second, these lower prices allow for higher volume of sales. The prices have
settled here because this is what users see as the value of these apps. No
offense to these guys/gals, but I wouldn't pay $10 for something to track my
gas mileage. I'd find a free web app (if they exist) or just keep it in a
note. I get the value-add of IRS compliant reporting and such, but that's a
niche problem to solve. Charging $10 for that is fine, but don't expect mass
market appeal or uptake.
I think the biggest problem is that people who write niche apps like these
apps expect to see numbers like "Fart-O-Matic 9000" or "Angry Birds." You
won't. Accept that and then figure out what's going to make you the most
money. The trick is figuring out if pricing at $10 and making (x) sales is
more profitable than pricing at $1 and making (y) sales. For some developers,
pricing higher with lower volume is much, much better, and these developers
are typically niche applications (take a look at some of the "pro" audio apps
on iPad especially) that can handle the price difference because the people
seeking them REALLY need the value that they're offering.
An MPG tracking app that gives me nice Excel sheets might not be enough to
warrant $10 in the eyes of users, and I don't think that's necessarily Apple's
fault or the market's fault. Maybe it's just that the niche you're targeting
won't sustain the price you want, and unfortunately, that's the way the cookie
crumbles when selling software like this.
~~~
cageface
As an author of one semi-pro audio app, I can tell you that even the "pro"
apps are selling for as little as 1/10th of the price of a similar app on a
Mac. I really doubt the sales volumes compensate for that.
The big problem with the app store is that the people on the very high end of
the power distribution dictate a pricing structure for everyone that only
really works for those moving huge volumes. People now have a preconceived
idea of what an app should cost that often has nothing to do with how much it
must actually sell for in order to turn a profit.
~~~
technoslut
I'm assuming that you mean prosumer apps. I haven't seen these on iOS. The
only app that I've seen that is better on iOS is the official Twitter app.
Then again, I haven't seen traditionally big devs on the Mac release Acorn,
Flare, and Pixelmator on iOS.
~~~
cageface
For example, an excellent synth app like this would probably sell for at
_least_ $99 as a plugin for Mac/PC: <http://beepstreet.com/horizon>
I don't know for sure but I'd be very surprised if it's moving 20x the units
it would as a plugin. But if you price something like this above $10 you'll
get all kinds of user outrage because that's not what an "app" should cost.
~~~
technoslut
I'm listening to the link of the app and it is good but people have to be
aware of it. This is the third synth app I've seen. I've also seen Animoog
that was posted on The Verge.
The fault is that these apps need more advertisements. I'm willing to bet that
most don't know that they can create music with a low-priced app. Consumers
need to be made aware of this. There are YouTube videos destined to be made
with these kind of apps.
For example, I saw an Sprint iPhone ad yesterday (maybe you've seen it?) where
a guy is talking to his girlfriend while watching a game. All I gathered from
the commercial was that the iPhone was on Sprint. They didn't give me the app
or whether the game was live. The commercial became immediately insignificant.
~~~
cageface
I don't think marketing is the answer here. Every musician I know with an iOS
device knows about this app. The problem is that the potential audience for
something like this is never going to be big enough to make the Angry Birds
pricing model work.
~~~
technoslut
I've seen some that hate movies or TV but I've never seen anyone who doesn't
like music or wants ti create it, even on a superficial level.
Angry Birds is an outlier. Their success had as much to do with quiet
advertising than any blog could do.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to create – even it is something
different with an usual set of apps.
Some believe that iOS is only meant to consume. I don't believe that. Apple
has essentially released iWork and GarageBand in subsequent iPad releases.
------
MBCook
The kick the tires problem is a big one for me. I've downloaded enough free
apps that are junk. Downloading a paid app that has all sorts of problems is
very annoying, so I usually wait quite a while before buying something for
review to come in.
This makes me a little hesitant to try $ and $2 apps, even though
realistically that's a trivial amount of money. But if an app is $5 or $10,
then I really want a chance to try it first. Many apps don't have 'lite'
versions (since, IIRC, demos are forbidden).
Just having some kind of 2 hour return/refund policy would really help.
------
crazygringo
I think a lot of people may have a "mental budget" for apps -- e.g. spending
$5/mo. on apps seems reasonable to me, while spending $50/mo. is not.
So if apps were $10, I would buy 1 every couple months, instead of 2-3/mo like
I do now.
For example, I'll buy a $0.99 remote desktop connection app to connect to my
server from anywhere, that I will use maybe 3 times ever. But I will not buy
it for $10.
So I'm not convinced that higher app prices would necessarily translate into
higher revenue.
Also, remember that we can't compare piracy-free iPhone app pricing (ignoring
jailbreakers) with normal software pricing. Every purchased copy of Photoshop
"subsidizes" n other people who use it for free. So on any piracy-free
platform, you might expect prices to be lower.
------
jiaaro
This will fix itself -- _if_ he is correct that people _want_ iOS apps (read:
games) that reach parity with other handheld devices.
1\. Developers will start making simpler games to maintain profitability at
the $5 price point.
2\. Once the vast majority of iOS games are $5 and relatively shallow in
comparison with other devices, deeper more complex games will once again
contrast in value to the $5 games, allowing them to charge more money.
3\. Because of the "monthly budget" effect, I'm guessing the way this will
work is in-app purchases. X-Box has been very successful with this model. Sell
a full (but somewhat short) game for $5. Then allow the users to buy more
"content" for $2 per unit.
a $5 game That allows you to buy multiplayer content, additional story, or
other mods for a dollar or 2 at at time could easily get their average
lifetime sales per game up to 7 or 8 dollars. (and the big name games could
start at $10 and total 12 to 15)
__One more thing __
\--------------
I think it's worth pointing out that price decreases in the longer term don't
prove anything. This happens everywhere. Even on game consoles (Xbox, PS3,
wii, etc) where the games start out costing upwards to $40.
You can always to to a game store and find older games on sale for $15.
------
gdilla
This article was written over 2 years ago, before Apple introduced in-app
purchasing. Downward price pressure is a lot worse now than then. It's more
accurate to say Freemium is the new $5. But bundling, and try and buy is now
available.
------
technoslut
From the post:
>Because of this, most developers I spoke with at WWDC (even the VERY
successful ones) were looking to spread risk among several small apps rather
than creating one amazing app.
This is their loss. This garbage of having 15 different apps to accomplish a
job that can be done with one will eventually be finished whether it is on the
iPhone or iPad.
Much of the App Store is about word of mouth and less about price. If you give
a comprehensive app that is worth the price and has proper dev support, the
payers will be there.
Today, I need an incredible amount of apps just to do what would take 5
minutes on Photoshop. An opening is left on iOS by Adobe to fill the solution.
Virtually no one is doing this.
Jobs' intention was not to hurt devs, but to kill piracy, reduce software
pricing and make it safe for people to get apps without worrying about
malware. Some devs may no longer exist because they can't adapt but that is
not his fault.
The main mistake Apple has made so far is not allowing a trial period for apps
or offering refunds within a certain window.
~~~
rogerchucker
I thought those "lite" versions are essentially the "trial period" apps.
Refund window is problematic as Google witnessed (and thus stopped it); but
then again, if your app cannot provide me long term value then may be you
deserve a refund.
~~~
jiaaro
What they really need is a way to link the demo and full version together in
the app store.
Apps with a "demo" version should have a seamless upgrade-to-paid-version
experience.
Some apps have done this with via in-app purchases (check out living language
for example [http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/living-language-spanish-
for/i...](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/living-language-spanish-
for/id453341418?mt=8)) which does a great job of this and manages to get $15
out of you by demonstrating the value the app provides very effectively before
asking for money.
------
jyap
Firstly, as someone else pointed out, this was written over 2 years ago.
Pricing must also take into account the distribution power of the app store
and the actual usage medium.
iPad app prices are higher is a good example but then again this was written
pre-iPad.
------
PhuFighter
Bah. There are so many apps that I purchased that are complete junk, that,
IMO, paying a $0.99 for an app that I do use seems to even itself out. And
what about completely fraudulent apps (e.g. search for "blacklist" in the App
Store). How are they even getting in?
Given the huge amount of crap in the App store, the only real way of finding
things that are decent is to go to specialized aggregators. I go to
BoardGameGeek in order to find reviews of games. The detailed reviews there
mean more to me than the huge stinking pile of games in the App Store. There
needs to be a better way of sifting through the stuff in the App Store than
using the App Store Application itself.
~~~
drbarnard
Don't you see the problem there. The developers who build crap apps end up
being rewarded the same as those who build great apps. Essentially, you're
saying that you do pay $5 for a great app because you buy 5 and keep 1, but
the developer who built the app you like gets just $1. That sucks.
~~~
erichocean
That's the situation with "entertainment" content generally., e.g. all movies
at the theater cost the same.
And just like with movies, review sites, massive advertising to move units and
create awareness, and a general distrust of new things is where I'd expect the
App Store model to continue to go.
------
crazygringo
Also, I'd love to have a way to pay for apps _after_ I've been using them for
a while. For example, I would never have bought Instapaper in the first place
for $10, but now that I use it every day, I would be very happy to contribute
even $20.
It would be fascinating from a psychology standpoint to see what kinds of
results this might have.
~~~
gharbad
At a large scale, it approaches $0/user.
~~~
crazygringo
Citation?
For example, the business model of Evernote would seem to suggest otherwise.
------
prpatel
There's one thing that everyone has missed so far, and I've said it to anyone
who will listen: free apps are undermining both the app store(s) and the
developer. Before you brush me off as crazy, please think it through...
~~~
drbarnard
I started to reply to your comment and ended up writing a whole blog post in
agreement: <http://appcubby.com/blog/free-and-low-cost-apps/>
------
jemeshsu
App programmers are turning into like recording artists, where tunes are at
99cents a pop. The only way to survive then is to have hit app, like in hit
songs. Maybe there will be a billboard type of chart for apps soon.
~~~
rogerchucker
If you wanna stick to that analogy, what would be the equivalent of a "live
concert" in the app world?
------
NameNickHN
It has nothing to do with pricing in itself and all with competition. Look at
the gps navigation software. They cost more than the average app. Obviously
because there is no real or very little competition in that area.
~~~
geon
Map databases are very expensive. You can't just use Google Maps for
navigation, because of the licensing.
------
drbarnard
I just finished a followup post, since the one originally linked is over 2
years old.
<http://appcubby.com/blog/free-and-low-cost-apps/>
------
gcanyon
Everyone realizes this article is from 2009, right?
------
huhtenberg
That's a very well designed blog if you don't mind me saying.
~~~
drbarnard
I don't mind. Thanks! Since the site is mostly an ad for my apps, I thought
I'd have some fun with a graphics heavy approach.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
Q:
How to parse RxJava to receive just the data that i want?
I just want the numbers, but this is what i'm receiving at log:
[Boletim(grade=4.5), Boletim(grade=9.5)]
The Response:
public class GradeResponse {
@Inject
Retrofit retrofit;
@Inject
MainPresenter mainPresenter;
public void getGradeRx() {
MyApplication.getMainComponent().injectIntoGradeResponse(this);// informando ao dagger sobre o uso de um component e a necessidade de injetar dependência
Subscription getGrade = retrofit
.create(GradeService.class)
.getGrade()
.subscribeOn(Schedulers.newThread())
.observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
.map(model -> {
return model.getBoletim();
})
.subscribe(new Observer<Boletim[]>() {
@Override
public void onCompleted() {
}
@Override
public void onError(Throwable e) {
Log.i(TAG, "saporra vai me matar ainda");
}
@Override
public void onNext(Boletim[] grades) {
Log.i(TAG, Arrays.asList(grades).toString());
}
});
}
}
The models:
GradeModel:
@SerializedName("boletim")
@Expose
private Boletim[] boletim;
Boletim.class
public class Boletim {
@SerializedName("grade")
@Expose
private double grade;
The retrofit service is ok, the dependency injection is working. I'm receiving the onSuccess method from rxJava, i just need now receiving only the numbers without this "[Boletim(grade=".
A:
You are seeing the toString of your objects because you get the entire object in your map!
only the numbers without this "[Boletim(grade=".
Way can't you map again and extract it?
.map(model -> { // This map returns a Boletim[]
return model.getBoletim();
})
.map(boletim -> { // This map returns a double[]
Double grades = new Double[boletim.length];
for (int i =0; i < grades.length ; i++) {
grades[i] = boletim[i].getGrade() ;
}
return grades;
}).subscribe(new Observer<Double[]>() { // This subscribes to a double[]
@Override
public void onCompleted() {
}
@Override
public void onError(Throwable e) {
Log.i(TAG, "saporra vai me matar ainda");
}
@Override
public void onNext(Double[] grades) {
Log.i(TAG, Arrays.toString(grades));
}
}
Or you could put the for loop into onNext
If you don't want an Observable of arrays, then use flatMap
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Feature Ideas
Hey there and welcome to our feature request forum for The Events Calendar, Event Tickets and all of the premium plugins we develop provide on TheEventsCalendar.com!
We’re always looking for new and awesome ways to improve our products. We think they’re pretty great out of the box, but we also know that there are often things that could make them even better for how folks like yourself use them in the real world. Our tools help the right people, get to the right place at the right time. How can we improve our products and make them super awesome for you and your users? That’s where we can use your help!
If there are features that our products do not currently support but you think would be a huge added value for you and lots of other people, then please share them here with us. The submission form will walk you through a few quick questions to get the ball rolling.
Before posting your idea, here are a few tips that will help make your request stand out and succeed:
Look to see if someone else has suggested the same idea, or something very similar. Many ideas are being submitted and it’s very possible that another request already exists. In that case, add your vote to the existing request.
Be as descriptive as possible. What does the feature do? Where would it be located? Who would use it? How does this improve the overall experience of managing an events calendar in WordPress?
Use mockups, if possible. Pictures are worth a thousand words and having a visual often brings a greater level of clarity to an idea.
Please not, this is not a place to get support or ask questions about how the plugin works. If you need help, please visit our help desk. If you use our free core plugin, you can post in our forum on WordPress.org.
I suggest you ...
Enter your idea
(thinking…)
Enter your idea and we'll search to see if someone has already suggested it.
If a similar idea already exists, you can support and comment on it.
If it doesn't exist, you can post your idea so others can support it.
Enter your idea and we'll search to see if someone has already suggested it.
im am just looking at the german translation for now:
on the main page of your events there is a dropdown menu which can be used to filter events for a special month or filter them by a word.
the translation in the dropdown menu is not complete.
It says
1. "Show Veranstaltungen Search"
it should be (correct german would be):
"Veranstaltungen durchsuchen"
2. "Hide Veranstaltungen Search"
it should be (correct german would be):
"Suche ausblenden"
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
962 F.2d 543
60 USLW 2798, 27 Collier Bankr.Cas.2d 119
In the Matter of PENGO INDUSTRIES, INC., Pengo Finance,N.V., Debtors.TEXAS COMMERCE BANK, N.A., Indenture Trustee, Appellee,v.Dr. Seymour LICHT, and Official Committee of UnsecuredCreditors of Pengo Industries, Appellants.
No. 91-1769.
United States Court of Appeals,Fifth Circuit.
June 12, 1992.Rehearing Denied July 10, 1992.
Richard H. Kuh, Edgar H. Booth and Donald L. Kuba, Warshaw, Burstein, Cohen, Schlesinger & Kuh, New York City, for Official Committee.
Edward L. Rothberg, Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, Houston, Tex., for Texas Commerce Bank.
Appeals from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Before GOLDBERG, DUHE, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges.
GOLDBERG, Circuit Judge:
1
A company finds itself unable to meet its debt obligations. Its bondholders fear bankruptcy, with its inherent delays, costs, and complications. But perhaps the company can work out its financial problems before capitulating to the bankruptcy courts. The company proposes an exchange: Bondholders can tender an old bond and receive a new bond of equal face value, but on terms more favorable to the company. The incentive for the bondholder is two-fold: an increased likelihood that the company can meet its obligations on the new bonds and the avoidance of bankruptcy proceedings. Although many bondholders do exchange their old bonds, the company nevertheless lands in bankruptcy court. The issue then becomes the amount of the new bondholder's claim against the debtor: Is it the full face value of the new bond or is it some lesser, discounted amount reflecting the fair market value of the old bond at the time of the exchange?
2
This particular query has fascinated not only creditors of companies engaging in consensual workouts, but also bankruptcy commentators and practitioners: Whether a face value exchange of debt instruments in a consensual out-of-court workout creates original issue discount that constitutes unallowable "unmatured interest" under section 502(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code. We affirm the district court and hold that such an exchange does not generate "unmatured interest."
I. BACKGROUND
3
The Pengo companies manufacture equipment for the petroleum industry, explosives, rubber products and earth-boring augers and teeth. In late 1988 and early 1989, involuntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code were filed against Pengo Industries, Inc. and its subsidiary, Pengo Finance, N.V. (collectively, "Pengo"). The Official Unsecured Creditors Committee and Dr. Seymour Licht, an individual creditor, objected to two proofs of claim filed by Texas Commerce Bank National Association ("TCBNA") on behalf of the holders of two securities, the Class A and Class B debentures. TCBNA served as indenture trustee for holders of Class A and Class B debentures.
4
Back in 1980, Pengo Finance issued $22,500,000 of 8 1/2% convertible debentures due in 1995. The public purchased these Old Debentures for the full face amount of $1,000 each. Neither Pengo Finance, nor Pengo, the guarantor, could make interest payments to the Old Debenture holders in 1983. Pengo merely accrued the interest expense on its books. Several years later, in 1985, a standstill agreement between Pengo and its senior secured lenders required an exchange offer as part of an out-of-court workout designed to enable Pengo to restructure its indebtedness. In the First Exchange Offer, Pengo Finance offered to exchange one 0% $500 face amount Class A debenture and one 0% $500 face amount Class B debenture for each 8 1/2% $1,000 face amount Old Debenture. Each participating Old Debenture holder received two New Debentures with a total face value of $1,000 for each of their Old Debentures with a face value of $1,000. The Old Debentures were subordinated to payment in full of the New Debentures. And, while the Old Debentures mature in 1995, the New Debentures matured in 1991. The Old Debentures could be redeemed for Pengo's common stock at a much less favorable rate than that for the New Debentures. About $13,205,000 of the Old Debentures--58.7% of the issue--were exchanged for the same face amount of New Debentures. Although holders of the New Debentures waived the payment of past due interest on the Old Debentures, Pengo remained in default on the Old Debentures outstanding after the exchange because it continued to fail to make interest payments.
5
The reorganization plan placed all unsecured creditors into a single class, which included holders of both Old and New Debentures. Those creditors will share in a limited distribution. Since the total claims of the unsecured creditors exceed the amount of the limited distribution, the amount of the New Debenture holders' claims directly alters the funds available to all other unsecured creditors.
6
The two proofs of claim filed by TCBNA on behalf of the holders of Class A and Class B debentures in the Pengo bankruptcy represented the full face amount of the outstanding New Debentures. TCBNA did not deduct any amount for unamortized original issue discount. The Committee and Dr. Licht, who holds Old Debentures, objected to the amounts of the claims, arguing that the exchange created unamortized original issue discount and, thus, a portion of the claims constituted "unmatured interest" not allowable under 11 U.S.C. § 502(b)(2).1
7
After a hearing and upon stipulated facts, the bankruptcy court sustained the objections and reduced the New Debenture holders' two proofs of claim to eliminate what the court considered to be unamortized original issue discount--unmatured interest under section 502(b)(2). The district court reversed the bankruptcy court and held that the proofs of claim did not include a claim for original issue discount. Texas Commerce Bank Nat'l Ass'n v. Licht (In re Pengo Indus., Inc.), 129 B.R. 104 (N.D.Tex.1991).2 The Committee and Dr. Licht appeal from the judgment of the district court reversing the judgment of the bankruptcy court. We review the bankruptcy court's conclusion of law de novo. Stoker v. Smith (In re Moody), No. 91-2156, Slip op. 4091, 4092 (5th Cir. Apr. 29, 1992) (citing Jordan v. Southeast Nat'l Bank (In re Jordan), 927 F.2d 221, 224 (5th Cir.1991)).
II. DISCUSSION
8
A. "Unmatured Interest" and Original Issue Discount.
9
Section 502(b) of the Bankruptcy Code requires the bankruptcy court to determine the amount of a claim objected to by a party in interest under section 502(a). Congress has provided specific standards to guide the bankruptcy court in making this determination. 11 U.S.C. § 502(b)(1)-(8) (1979 & Supp.1991). One established statutory rule is that the bankruptcy court must disallow any claim "for unmatured interest." 11 U.S.C. § 502(b)(2) (Supp.1991). This rule flows from the legal principle that "interest stops accruing at the date of the filing of the petition." S.Rep. No. 989, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 63, reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5787, 5849.
10
In this case, the bankruptcy rule meets an economic acronym: OID. OID--original issue discount--presents a definitional concept generally unfamiliar to those not bonded to the world of economics. As ably explained by the Second Circuit, "[o]riginal issue discount results when a [debt instrument] is issued for less than its face value. The discount, which compensates for a stated interest rate that the market deems too low, equals the difference between a [debt instrument]'s face amount (stated principal amount) and the proceeds, prior to issuance expenses, received by the issuer." LTV Corp. v. Valley Fidelity Bank & Trust Co. (In re Chateaugay Corp.), 961 F.2d 378, 380 (2nd Cir.1992); see Marc S. Kirschner, Dan A. Kusnetz, Laurence Y. Solarsh & Craig S. Gatarz, Prepackaged Bankruptcy Plans: The Deleveraging Tool of the '90's in the Wake of OID and Tax Concerns, 21 Seton Hall L.Rev. 643, 648-50 (1991) [hereinafter Deleveraging Tool ]; see also Nicholas P. Saggese, Gregg A. Noel & Michael E. Mohr, A Practitioner's Guide to Exchange Offers and Consent Solicitations, 24 Loy. L.A. L.Rev. 527, 548 n. 100 (1991) ("[A] debt security is issued with OID to the extent its stated redemption price at maturity exceeds its issue price.") [Hereinafter Practitioner's Guide ]. The discount on a debt instrument, deduced from a purchase price lower than the face value of the instrument, "is 'in the nature of additional interest.' " Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 649 & n. 28 (citations omitted). The borrower amortizes the OID, "for accounting and tax purposes, over the life of the [debt instrument]," then the company pays back the face value to the holders on the maturity date. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 380.
11
The "unmatured interest" bankruptcy rule and the economic notion of "original issue discount" intersect to form the legal nexus for our decision-making. The term "unmatured interest," which is not defined by the Bankruptcy Code, encompasses OID. The economic reality of original issue discounting bolsters this conclusion. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 380, ("As a matter of economic definition, OID constitutes interest.") (citations omitted). For OID constitutes a "method of providing for and collecting what in economic fact is interest to be paid to compensate for the delay and risk involved in the ultimate repayment of monies loaned." In re Public Serv. Co., 114 B.R. 800, 803 (Bankr.D.N.H.1990). Moreover, the legislative history verifies our inclusion of OID in the category of unallowable "unmatured interest." The Senate and House Reports both state that "[i]nterest disallowed under [§ 502(b)(2) ] includes postpetition interest that is not yet due and payable, and any portion of prepaid interest that represents an original discounting of the claim, yet that would not have been earned on the date of bankruptcy." S.Rep. No. 989, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 62, reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5787, 5848; H.R.Rep. No. 595, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. 352, reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. 5963, 6308. Since Congress considered unamortized OID "the economic equivalent of 'unmatured interest,' " we agree with both the bankruptcy court and the district court in concluding that any unamortized OID created in the Pengo exchange represents a disallowable claim in bankruptcy under section 502(b)(2). Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 650; see Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 380, ("[C]ourts that have considered the issue under section 502(b)(2) have held that unamortized OID is unmatured interest and therefore unallowable as part of a bankruptcy claim.") (citations omitted).
12
B. The Debt-for-Debt Face Value Exchange.
13
The 1980's spawned trouble--trouble for companies encumbered by massive amounts of debt. Not surprisingly, this crisis has fused into "an explosion of debt defaults, out-of-court debt restructuring and bankruptcies." Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 643. A company confronted with debt default can choose to rearrange its finances out of court as an alternative to obtaining relief under the bankruptcy laws.
14
A debtor in financial trouble may seek to avoid bankruptcy through a consensual out-of-court workout. Such a recapitalization, when it involves publicly traded debt, often takes the form of a debt-for-debt exchange, whereby bondholders exchange their old bonds for new bonds. The debtor hopes that the exchange, by changing the terms of the debt, will enable the debtor to avoid default. The bondholders hope that by increasing the likelihood of payment on their bonds, the exchange will benefit them as well. The debtor and its creditors share an interest in achieving a successful restructuring of the debtor's financial obligations in order to avoid the uncertainties and daunting transaction costs of bankruptcy.
15
Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 381. The Pengo exchange offer, like that in Chateaugay, constituted a "face value exchange," for Pengo simply substituted "new indebtedness for an existing debenture, modifying terms or conditions but not reducing the principal amount of the debt." Id.; see Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 646.3 Pengo, as would any other offerer of a face value exchange, obtained "more time to recover from its financial problems," Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 646, but "remain[ed] fully liable for the original funds borrowed." Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 381.
16
The 1989 bankruptcy court decision of In re Chateaugay created an enormous disincentive for investors to participate in consensual out-of-court restructurings and, thus, spurred movement of financially troubled companies into the bankruptcy courts. LTV Corp. v. Valley Fidelity Bank & Trust Co. (In re Chateaugay Corp.), 109 B.R. 51 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1990), aff'd, 130 B.R. 403 (S.D.N.Y.1991), aff'd in part and rev'd in part, 961 F.2d 378, (2nd Cir.1992). Before we explain why we choose not to follow the rule formulated by the Chateaugay bankruptcy court and urged by Appellants and, instead, adopt the rule of the Chateaugay court of appeals, we pause to further highlight the context of the Chateaugay and Pengo debt-for-debt face value exchange offers. The legislative history to section 502 supplies an example of how the pre-bankruptcy issuance of a note for cash generates OID: "[A] claim on a $1,000 note issued the day before bankruptcy would only be allowed to the extent of the cash actually advanced. If the original discount was 10 percent so that the cash advanced was only $900, then notwithstanding the face amount of note, only $900 would be allowed." S.Rep. No. 989, reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. at 5848; H.R.Rep. No. 595, reprinted in 1978 U.S.C.C.A.N. at 6308. In the illustration, the debtor issued a note for cash, while in Chateaugay and Pengo the debtor issued the debt instruments as part of an exchange of debt securities. See Practitioner's Guide, supra, at 550 n. 108. Although we conclude that the statutory rule excludes original issue discount to "prevent creditors from claiming disguised, unearned interest"--regardless of context--the legislative history simply does not provide guidance to courts considering section 502(b)(2) objections based on the notion of OID in the context of an exchange in a consensual out-of-court workout. Id. (emphasis in original); see Gary B. Wilcox & David M. Rievman, Restructuring Troubled Debt Under the New Debt Exchange Rules, 10 Va. Tax Rev. 665, 669 n. 28 (1991) [hereinafter Restructuring ].
17
The Chateaugay bankruptcy court, then, faced a narrow issue, but one of national first impression: Whether a face value exchange of debt instruments in a consensual out-of-court workout generated original issue discount not allowed under section 502(b)(2). In Chateaugay the LTV Corporation offered to exchange $1,000 face amount of new 15% senior notes and shares of common stock for each $1,000 face amount of old 13 7/8% debentures. After the face value exchange in Chateaugay, LTV filed for Chapter 11 protection. The indenture trustees filed proofs of claim for the face value of the new notes. The bankruptcy court first held, as we do, that unamortized OID constituted "unmatured interest" under section 502(b)(2). Chateaugay, 109 B.R. at 55. The court also held, however, that the exchange represented the issuance of new debt because "[m]aturity dates, interest rates, and sinking fund requirements have all been changed in the New Notes." Id. at 56. According to the Chateaugay bankruptcy court, LTV issued the new notes at a discount gauged by the difference between the face amount of the new notes and the value paid for the new notes. The court reasoned that the fair market value of the "property given up in the exchange transaction"--the old debentures--constituted the proper measure of the issue price of the new notes.4 Id. at 58 (holding that unamortized OID on the new notes could not be resolved on motion for summary judgment because dispute existed as to the value of the old debentures on the exchange date).
18
The Committee and Dr. Licht urge this Court to endorse the Chateaugay bankruptcy court's analysis and hold that the Pengo exchange created OID measured by the difference between the face amount of the New Debentures and the value given for the New Debentures, measured by the unamortized portion of the fair market value of the Old Debentures on the exchange date. The Chateaugay decision, however, produced a swift response from commentators who aggressively scrutinized its analysis of the original issue discount question in the face value exchange context and observed its effect on consensual out-of-court restructurings. See Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 647-48; Richard L. Epling, Exchange Offers, Defaults, and Insolvency: A Short Primer, Bankr.Devs.J. 15, 42-47 (1991) [hereinafter Primer ]; Practitioner's Guide, supra, at 548-51; Restructuring, supra, at 669 n. 28. This is so because the decision translated, in general terms, into the rule that when a financially troubled company exchanges new debt for old debt of equal face value, exchanging holders "will have a lower claim than those who did not [exchange], even though the overall debt obligation of the company has not been altered." Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 647. Under the rationale of the Chateaugay bankruptcy court, the claim of an exchanging holder of a debt instrument in a subsequent bankruptcy proceeding equals not the face amount of the new debt instrument, but the face amount of the new debt instrument minus the value paid for the new debt instrument, measured by the unamortized portion of the market value of the old debt instrument on the exchange date. For example, if we were to follow the Chateaugay bankruptcy court rule in this case, the claims of the exchanging holders of New Debentures would not be $1,000, the face amount of the New Debentures, but about $680, the face amount of the New Debentures ($1,000) minus the unamortized OID (approximately $320). This illustration makes it quite understandable that creditors of financially troubled companies are eager for the courts to provide them with guidance as to the post-bankruptcy ramifications of their workout decisions.
19
Until one month ago, the bankruptcy court's decision in Chateaugay represented the only school of judicial thought on the issue of whether a debt-for-debt face value exchange in a consensual out-of-court restructuring generated "unmatured interest" within the meaning of section 502(b)(2). But the Chateaugay bankruptcy and district court decisions did not reveal the complete interpretive scenario. A unanimous panel of the Second Circuit recently reversed the Chateaugay district court's judgment affirming the bankruptcy court and held, inter alia, that a face value exchange of debt obligations in a consensual workout does not generate OID. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 383. This holding injected a new theory of OID into the bankruptcy jurisprudence. The legal landscape eloquently pictured by the Second Circuit persuades us that, like the LTV exchange, the debt-for-debt face value exchange in the Pengo consensual workout did not create original issue discount for purposes of section 502(b)(2). We discuss the factors that support our holding.
20
1. The Debt-for-Debt Face Value Exchange and Section 502(b)(2).
21
Bankruptcy policy strongly favors the "speedy, inexpensive, negotiated" adjustment of creditor-company relations afforded by out-of-court procedures. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 382, (citing In re Colonial Ford, 24 B.R. 1014, 1015 (Bankr.D.Utah 1982)). The Bankruptcy Code promotes out-of-court "workouts in the first instance, with refuge in bankruptcy as a last resort." Id. (citing Colonial Ford, 24 B.R. at 1015). See generally Colonial Ford, 24 B.R. at 1015-17 (extensively detailing the advantages of out-of-court workouts and explaining how the Code favors such restructurings). We endorse the reasoning of the Second Circuit, which aims to align the resolution of the OID issue with this bankruptcy policy. If the exchange of debt generates OID for the purposes of section 502(b)(2) and the unamortized portion of that OID is not allowed under section 502(b)(2), "then creditors will be disinclined to cooperate in a consensual workout that might otherwise have rescued a borrower from the precipice of bankruptcy." Id. A rule that a debt-for-debt face value exchange in a consensual out-of-court workout creates OID concomitantly reduces the likelihood that creditors will "cooperate with a struggling debtor" because such a rule lowers the exchanging creditors' claims in bankruptcy. Id. Creditors faced with the choice of either refusing to exchange or accepting the exchange offer would certainly realize that if they choose to exchange, their claim in a subsequent bankruptcy proceeding would shrink by the amount of unamortized OID. Primer, supra, at 44 & n. 178 ("The financial press has noted this development with some dismay."). This creditor awareness would surely translate into "fewer out-of-court debt exchanges and more Chapter 11 filings." Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 382.
22
Such a rule also would "grant[ ] a ... windfall ... to holdouts who refuse to cooperate." Id. (citation omitted). The resulting dynamic is not difficult to prophesy. As the exchanging creditors' claim to a piece of the distributional pie shrinks, the corresponding portion of the pie actually recovered by the holdouts grows. Practitioner's Guide, supra, at 549-50 & n. 106. Since a rule recognizing the creation of OID in the context of a debt-for-debt face value exchange not only penalizes the exchanging creditors by revaluing their claims downward, but also rewards the non-exchanging holdouts by increasing the chance of receiving the total amount of their fully-intact claims, it "gives creditors a disincentive to cooperate with a struggling debtor." Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 658 (emphasis in original); see Practitioner's Guide, supra, at 549. We strongly disfavor a judicial interpretation of the Bankruptcy Code that contravenes the substantial Congressional policy favoring out-of-court consensual workouts. We hold, therefore, that the debt-for-debt face value exchange in the Pengo consensual out-of-court restructuring did not create "unmatured interest" in the form of original issue discount under section 502(b)(2) of the Bankruptcy Code.
23
2. Distinguishing Inapposite Scenarios.
24
As heretofore discussed, we decide only the narrow issue of whether a debt-for-debt face value exchange generates OID not allowed under section 502(b)(2). The parties offer cases and arguments discussing OID in contexts other than the one presented by the facts of this case. In closing, we think it is important to briefly state what this case is not about. First, we decline to consider when an original issue of debt might create a discount and, instead, appropriately confine our decision to whether the exchange of debt instruments in a consensual out-of-court restructuring creates a discount. See supra page 547 (contrasting how OID can arise when a debtor issues a debt instrument for an amount less than its face value with the suggestion that OID is generated when a debtor exchanges a debt instrument for another debt instrument of equal face value in a consensual out-of-court workout).
25
Next, we express no opinion as to whether a fair market value exchange creates OID not allowed under § 502(b)(2). In a "fair market value exchange," the holders exchange a debt instrument for a new debt instrument with a lower face amount. In the face value exchange involved in this workout, Pengo simply exchanged new indebtedness for old indebtedness with the same face amount.
26
We also refuse to investigate debt-for-stock exchanges and merely consider the debt-for-debt exchange presented by the facts of this case. In reducing the claims of the New Debenture holders, the bankruptcy court relied on In re Allegheny Int'l, Inc., 100 B.R. 247 (Bankr.W.D.Pa.1989). That case, however, concerned a pre-bankruptcy debt-for-equity swap, not a debt-for-debt exchange. Allegheny offered to exchange new debentures for old preferred stock. Id. at 248. Since the equity holders merely "had an interest in, but not a claim against" the debtor prior to the exchange, commentators have suggested that the exchange constituted an original issue of debt that created not only a claim against the debtor, but also a discount. Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 654 n. 43 (emphasis in original); see Practitioner's Guide, supra, at 549 n. 103 ("stockholder who exchanges his outstanding stock for debt has elevated his status to that of creditor"); Primer, supra, at 43 ("debentureholders had stepped up from an equity position as a result of the exchange"); Restructuring, supra, at 669 n. 28 ("preferred stockholders were elevated to creditor status"). We emphasize, as did the Second Circuit in Chateaugay, that we need not decide the distinct issue of whether OID arises from a debt-for-equity exchange. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 383, (noting that debtor Allegheny's balance sheet reflected an increase in overall liabilities after the debt-for-equity exchange).
27
Finally, this is not a tax case. We stress that the tax treatment of original issue discounting does not control our inquiry, which is placed firmly within the bankruptcy framework. The Second Circuit firmly rebuked the Chateaugay bankruptcy court for its reliance on tax cases for the proposition that a debt-for-debt exchange offer in a consensual out-of-court restructuring generates OID. Id. 961 F.2d at 383. While we might consider the tax treatment of a transaction persuasive authority in determining the bankruptcy treatment of that transaction, the tax rules applicable to a transaction certainly do not circumscribe those devised in bankruptcy. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 383, (citations omitted); Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 655 & n. 46 (citations omitted). The bankruptcy system revolves around the policy that all creditors who are similarly situated are entitled to fair and equitable treatment. Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 655 & 660 n. 56. The tax system, however, usually requires that whenever a "realization event" has occurred and the taxpayer can measure the amount of realizable gain or loss, the taxpayer must include the consequences of that transaction in calculating the taxpayer's income. Id. at 656. Just because an exchange offer may constitute a realization event justifying the taxation of the participants, it does not follow that the transaction demands a corresponding transformation in the relationship of similarly situated creditors. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 383; Deleveraging Tool, supra, at 656. As bluntly stated by the Second Circuit, the reasoning underlying the tax treatment of debt-for-debt exchanges "simply does not apply in the bankruptcy context."5 Chateaugay, 61 F.2d at 383. Especially when polestar bankruptcy policy militates against doing so, we do not feel compelled to interpret the Bankruptcy Code so as to parallel the tax rules for a transaction.
III. CONCLUSION
28
For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court.
1
Section 502(b)(2) provides in relevant part that
if such objection to a claim is made [under § 502(a) ], the court, after notice and a hearing, shall determine the amount of such claim in lawful currency of the United States as of the date of the filing of the petition, and shall allow such claim in such amount, except to the extent that--(2) such claim is for unmatured interest.
11 U.S.C. § 502(b)(2) (Supp.1991).
2
The district court opinion contains all the stipulated facts. For an exhaustive rendition of the events involved in this dispute, see Pengo, 129 B.R. at 105-08
3
This case differs from Chateaugay in one respect. In Chateaugay the old debentures were originally issued at a discount. Because the original discount carried over from the old debt to the new debt, the Second Circuit found OID on the new debt, although no new OID was created by the face value debt-for-debt exchange. Chateaugay, 961 F.2d at 384. Here, the Old Debentures were not issued at a discount; we confine our analysis to whether the exchange of the Old Debentures for the New Debentures generated OID
4
The court disregarded the value of the acquired stock in determining the value of the new notes; it compared the exchanged debentures with the acquired debt
5
The parties quarrel over whether this Court should consider certain statements contained in the Offering Circular about the reporting of interest income by holders of the New Debentures. We need not reach the issue of whether these statements are properly before this Court. Even if we resolved that issue affirmatively, we repeat that the tax treatment of a transaction does not determine its treatment in bankruptcy
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{
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}
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Regulation of ion transport in porcine distal colon: effects of putative neurotransmitters.
Porcine distal colon epithelium was mounted in Ussing chambers and bathed with porcine Ringer's solution. The effects of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, norepinephrine, and carbamylcholine on Na and Cl fluxes and transepithelial electrical parameters were determined after their serosal administration. Vasoactive intestinal peptide increased the Cl-dependent component of the short-circuit current with a half-maximal effect at 115 nmol/L. Transepithelial Na and Cl flux studies demonstrated that the increase in current was caused by stimulation of Cl secretion. Norepinephrine also stimulated Cl secretion and increased the serosal-to-mucosal Na flux, producing a half-maximal effect at 1.6 mumol/L. Selective blockade of alpha 1 adrenoceptors by 0.5 mumol/L prazosin produced an eightfold decrease in norepinephrine potency. Carbamylcholine produced a significant increase in Cl secretion and decreased absorption of both Na and Cl with a concentration of 10 mumol/L producing a half-maximal effect. The muscarinic cholinoceptor blocker atropine (0.1 mumol/L) produced a 22-fold decrease in carbamylcholine potency. The effects of all three transmitter substances were unaffected after pretreatment of tissues with the neuronal conduction-blocker tetrodotoxin or an inhibitor of arachidonic acid metabolism. These results indicate that (a) vasoactive intestinal polypeptide stimulates Cl secretion without affecting Na absorption; (b) norepinephrine acting through alpha 1 adrenoceptors stimulates net Cl secretion and activates a serosal-to-mucosal Na transport mechanism; and (c) carbamylcholine acting through muscarinic receptors stimulates Cl secretion and inhibits Na and Cl absorption.
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{
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This invention relates to a ground-based system to locate perpetrators of aircraft laser strikes.
Laser strikes against commercial aircraft are a growing problem in the United States. In the last decade there has been a large increase in the number of incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, likely driven by the increasing availability of high power, low cost laser pointers. Reports increased rapidly in 2015, with 7,703 incidents compared to 3,894 in 2014.
Impacts to the pilot include distraction, loss of night vision, temporary flash blindness and retinal burning. These effects generally happen during the most critical takeoff and landing phases of flight when the aircraft are closest to the ground, and as a result they pose a serious safety hazard that has many public officials very concerned.
Current responses to these incidents are limited. For persistent incidents in a given location, air traffic controllers may change departure and landing patterns to avoid areas where laser strikes have been reported. For more egregious incidents, police helicopters may be deployed to try to find the perpetrator on the ground using the helicopter's onboard infrared sensors. Currently, this is the only way for law enforcement to locate and stop a perpetrator from future incidents, but very few perpetrators have been apprehended to date.
An object of the present invention is a ground-based system to automatically detect laser streaks and geolocate their origin, with coupling to an alerting system to allow a rapid law enforcement response and a post-event analysis system to support prosecution. The system disclosed herein holds the promise of persistent protection of high criticality air space around an airport which will lead to significantly greater potential for perpetrator apprehension and prosecution, with associated strong deterrent effects.
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f 132/132/132 155/155/155 154/154/154
f 132/132/132 154/154/154 138/138/138
f 109/109/109 135/135/135 156/156/156
f 109/109/109 156/156/156 141/141/141
f 157/157/157 158/158/158 159/159/159
f 157/157/157 159/159/159 160/160/160
f 160/160/160 159/159/159 161/161/161
f 160/160/160 161/161/161 162/162/162
f 163/163/163 164/164/164 165/165/165
f 163/163/163 165/165/165 166/166/166
f 165/165/165 164/164/164 167/167/167
f 165/165/165 167/167/167 168/168/168
f 169/169/169 166/166/166 165/165/165
f 169/169/169 165/165/165 168/168/168
f 170/170/170 168/168/168 167/167/167
f 170/170/170 167/167/167 171/171/171
f 172/172/172 169/169/169 168/168/168
f 172/172/172 168/168/168 170/170/170
f 170/170/170 171/171/171 173/173/173
f 170/170/170 173/173/173 174/174/174
f 157/157/157 172/172/172 170/170/170
f 157/157/157 170/170/170 174/174/174
f 157/157/157 174/174/174 175/175/175
f 157/157/157 175/175/175 158/158/158
f 173/173/173 176/176/176 175/175/175
f 173/173/173 175/175/175 174/174/174
f 177/177/177 175/175/175 176/176/176
f 177/177/177 176/176/176 178/178/178
f 175/175/175 177/177/177 179/179/179
f 175/175/175 179/179/179 158/158/158
f 177/177/177 178/178/178 180/180/180
f 177/177/177 180/180/180 179/179/179
f 181/181/181 166/166/166 169/169/169
f 181/181/181 169/169/169 182/182/182
f 182/182/182 169/169/169 172/172/172
f 182/182/182 172/172/172 183/183/183
f 183/183/183 172/172/172 157/157/157
f 183/183/183 157/157/157 160/160/160
f 162/162/162 184/184/184 183/183/183
f 162/162/162 183/183/183 160/160/160
f 185/185/185 159/159/159 158/158/158
f 185/185/185 158/158/158 179/179/179
f 186/186/186 187/187/187 185/185/185
f 186/186/186 185/185/185 179/179/179
f 188/188/188 166/166/166 181/181/181
f 188/188/188 181/181/181 189/189/189
f 181/181/181 182/182/182 190/190/190
f 181/181/181 190/190/190 189/189/189
f 182/182/182 183/183/183 184/184/184
f 182/182/182 184/184/184 190/190/190
f 161/161/161 159/159/159 185/185/185
f 161/161/161 185/185/185 187/187/187
f 191/191/191 192/192/192 193/193/193
f 191/191/191 193/193/193 194/194/194
f 192/192/192 162/162/162 161/161/161
f 192/192/192 161/161/161 193/193/193
f 195/195/195 164/164/164 163/163/163
f 195/195/195 163/163/163 196/196/196
f 195/195/195 197/197/197 167/167/167
f 195/195/195 167/167/167 164/164/164
f 198/198/198 197/197/197 195/195/195
f 198/198/198 195/195/195 196/196/196
f 199/199/199 171/171/171 167/167/167
f 199/199/199 167/167/167 197/197/197
f 200/200/200 199/199/199 197/197/197
f 200/200/200 197/197/197 198/198/198
f 199/199/199 201/201/201 173/173/173
f 199/199/199 173/173/173 171/171/171
f 191/191/191 201/201/201 199/199/199
f 191/191/191 199/199/199 200/200/200
f 191/191/191 194/194/194 202/202/202
f 191/191/191 202/202/202 201/201/201
f 202/202/202 176/176/176 173/173/173
f 202/202/202 173/173/173 201/201/201
f 203/203/203 178/178/178 176/176/176
f 203/203/203 176/176/176 202/202/202
f 202/202/202 194/194/194 204/204/204
f 202/202/202 204/204/204 203/203/203
f 203/203/203 204/204/204 180/180/180
f 203/203/203 180/180/180 178/178/178
f 205/205/205 206/206/206 198/198/198
f 205/205/205 198/198/198 196/196/196
f 206/206/206 207/207/207 200/200/200
f 206/206/206 200/200/200 198/198/198
f 207/207/207 192/192/192 191/191/191
f 207/207/207 191/191/191 200/200/200
f 207/207/207 184/184/184 162/162/162
f 207/207/207 162/162/162 192/192/192
f 208/208/208 204/204/204 194/194/194
f 208/208/208 194/194/194 193/193/193
f 208/208/208 187/187/187 186/186/186
f 208/208/208 186/186/186 204/204/204
f 188/188/188 189/189/189 205/205/205
f 188/188/188 205/205/205 196/196/196
f 190/190/190 206/206/206 205/205/205
f 190/190/190 205/205/205 189/189/189
f 184/184/184 207/207/207 206/206/206
f 184/184/184 206/206/206 190/190/190
f 161/161/161 187/187/187 208/208/208
f 161/161/161 208/208/208 193/193/193
f 157/157/157 158/158/158 159/159/159
f 157/157/157 159/159/159 160/160/160
f 160/160/160 159/159/159 161/161/161
f 160/160/160 161/161/161 162/162/162
f 163/163/163 164/164/164 165/165/165
f 163/163/163 165/165/165 166/166/166
f 165/165/165 164/164/164 167/167/167
f 165/165/165 167/167/167 168/168/168
f 169/169/169 166/166/166 165/165/165
f 169/169/169 165/165/165 168/168/168
f 170/170/170 168/168/168 167/167/167
f 170/170/170 167/167/167 171/171/171
f 172/172/172 169/169/169 168/168/168
f 172/172/172 168/168/168 170/170/170
f 170/170/170 171/171/171 173/173/173
f 170/170/170 173/173/173 174/174/174
f 157/157/157 172/172/172 170/170/170
f 157/157/157 170/170/170 174/174/174
f 157/157/157 174/174/174 175/175/175
f 157/157/157 175/175/175 158/158/158
f 173/173/173 176/176/176 175/175/175
f 173/173/173 175/175/175 174/174/174
f 177/177/177 175/175/175 176/176/176
f 177/177/177 176/176/176 178/178/178
f 175/175/175 177/177/177 179/179/179
f 175/175/175 179/179/179 158/158/158
f 177/177/177 178/178/178 180/180/180
f 177/177/177 180/180/180 179/179/179
f 181/181/181 166/166/166 169/169/169
f 181/181/181 169/169/169 182/182/182
f 182/182/182 169/169/169 172/172/172
f 182/182/182 172/172/172 183/183/183
f 183/183/183 172/172/172 157/157/157
f 183/183/183 157/157/157 160/160/160
f 162/162/162 184/184/184 183/183/183
f 162/162/162 183/183/183 160/160/160
f 185/185/185 159/159/159 158/158/158
f 185/185/185 158/158/158 179/179/179
f 186/186/186 187/187/187 185/185/185
f 186/186/186 185/185/185 179/179/179
f 188/188/188 166/166/166 181/181/181
f 188/188/188 181/181/181 189/189/189
f 181/181/181 182/182/182 190/190/190
f 181/181/181 190/190/190 189/189/189
f 182/182/182 183/183/183 184/184/184
f 182/182/182 184/184/184 190/190/190
f 161/161/161 159/159/159 185/185/185
f 161/161/161 185/185/185 187/187/187
f 191/191/191 192/192/192 193/193/193
f 191/191/191 193/193/193 194/194/194
f 192/192/192 162/162/162 161/161/161
f 192/192/192 161/161/161 193/193/193
f 195/195/195 164/164/164 163/163/163
f 195/195/195 163/163/163 196/196/196
f 195/195/195 197/197/197 167/167/167
f 195/195/195 167/167/167 164/164/164
f 198/198/198 197/197/197 195/195/195
f 198/198/198 195/195/195 196/196/196
f 199/199/199 171/171/171 167/167/167
f 199/199/199 167/167/167 197/197/197
f 200/200/200 199/199/199 197/197/197
f 200/200/200 197/197/197 198/198/198
f 199/199/199 201/201/201 173/173/173
f 199/199/199 173/173/173 171/171/171
f 191/191/191 201/201/201 199/199/199
f 191/191/191 199/199/199 200/200/200
f 191/191/191 194/194/194 202/202/202
f 191/191/191 202/202/202 201/201/201
f 202/202/202 176/176/176 173/173/173
f 202/202/202 173/173/173 201/201/201
f 203/203/203 178/178/178 176/176/176
f 203/203/203 176/176/176 202/202/202
f 202/202/202 194/194/194 204/204/204
f 202/202/202 204/204/204 203/203/203
f 203/203/203 204/204/204 180/180/180
f 203/203/203 180/180/180 178/178/178
f 205/205/205 206/206/206 198/198/198
f 205/205/205 198/198/198 196/196/196
f 206/206/206 207/207/207 200/200/200
f 206/206/206 200/200/200 198/198/198
f 207/207/207 192/192/192 191/191/191
f 207/207/207 191/191/191 200/200/200
f 207/207/207 184/184/184 162/162/162
f 207/207/207 162/162/162 192/192/192
f 208/208/208 204/204/204 194/194/194
f 208/208/208 194/194/194 193/193/193
f 208/208/208 187/187/187 186/186/186
f 208/208/208 186/186/186 204/204/204
f 188/188/188 189/189/189 205/205/205
f 188/188/188 205/205/205 196/196/196
f 190/190/190 206/206/206 205/205/205
f 190/190/190 205/205/205 189/189/189
f 184/184/184 207/207/207 206/206/206
f 184/184/184 206/206/206 190/190/190
f 161/161/161 187/187/187 208/208/208
f 161/161/161 208/208/208 193/193/193
# ext.tangent 0.055482 -0.434629 -0.898899 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.287809 -0.734255 -0.614846 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.832703 -0.553240 -0.023050 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.669466 -0.659053 -0.342730 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.084844 -0.936026 0.341551 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.088613 -0.966621 -0.240397 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.089936 -0.987859 0.126674 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.024759 -0.253468 -0.967027 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.816746 0.064943 -0.573330 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.539252 0.759147 -0.364558 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.010997 -0.102044 -0.994719 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.714264 0.133303 -0.687064 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.033452 0.595033 -0.803005 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.714886 -0.287891 -0.637226 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.061060 -0.655118 -0.753055 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.066935 0.166505 -0.983766 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.088530 -0.965641 -0.244337 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.784761 -0.524381 -0.330417 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.816776 -0.576955 0.000689 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.084480 -0.932233 0.351858 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.772787 -0.628949 0.084991 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.088634 -0.975031 0.203616 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.434281 -0.601744 -0.670301 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.031642 -0.329366 -0.943672 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.641442 0.339880 -0.687774 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.604338 0.004546 -0.796715 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.599747 -0.423106 -0.679180 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.060157 -0.645137 -0.761695 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.871935 -0.418536 0.254079 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.031644 0.329362 0.943673 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.055535 -0.622950 0.780288 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.089936 0.987859 -0.126674 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.040080 0.455728 -0.889216 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.009724 -0.088037 -0.996070 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.136228 -0.417133 -0.898578 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.778839 -0.526891 -0.340287 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.919179 -0.393337 -0.019882 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.417876 -0.669910 -0.613678 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.813092 -0.083842 -0.576066 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.666535 0.649001 -0.366780 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.724295 0.002031 -0.689488 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.072103 0.591489 -0.803083 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.648845 -0.412395 -0.639477 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.038945 0.176170 -0.983589 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.675777 -0.657644 -0.332909 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.698839 -0.715276 -0.001874 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.646465 -0.758444 0.082737 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.538204 -0.512857 -0.668816 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.571618 0.450600 -0.685720 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.596184 0.114131 -0.794694 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.668669 -0.307311 -0.677083 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.932443 -0.253976 0.256996 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.182011 0.693882 0.696707 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.376891 0.895573 0.236437 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.877610 0.425880 -0.220061 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.777091 0.629225 -0.014337 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.064786 0.722548 -0.688279 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.086041 0.948534 -0.304761 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.077056 0.853911 -0.514682 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.062070 0.666814 0.742635 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.733542 0.351180 0.581884 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.627095 -0.504191 0.593754 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.046581 0.494785 0.867766 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.625119 0.273374 0.731090 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.049810 -0.234605 0.970814 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.629648 0.678847 0.377771 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.088003 0.959678 0.266973 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.094881 0.145171 0.984847 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.086171 0.949901 -0.300437 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.678205 0.734755 -0.013173 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.633308 0.698407 -0.333390 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.064285 0.717177 -0.693920 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.547844 0.720380 -0.425346 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.071923 0.799126 -0.596846 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.591850 0.752802 0.288101 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.069016 0.744364 0.664198 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.446356 -0.229212 0.865002 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.547039 0.228430 0.805337 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.707403 0.584712 0.397106 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.087604 0.954987 0.283418 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.838579 0.241303 -0.488424 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.069014 -0.744365 -0.664198 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.031014 0.356851 -0.933646 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.077058 -0.853911 0.514682 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.013932 -0.170593 0.985243 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.044913 0.476298 0.878136 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.051141 0.715155 0.697093 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.650421 0.759481 -0.011856 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.786773 0.577686 -0.217408 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.207814 0.948921 0.237405 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.786874 0.212354 0.579427 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.527412 -0.609383 0.592022 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.666641 0.155423 0.728995 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.009719 -0.240038 0.970715 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.743324 0.553530 0.375597 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.063805 0.159650 0.985110 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.799930 0.599890 -0.015623 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.748077 0.572358 -0.335838 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.667766 0.609468 -0.427361 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.444927 0.847420 0.289688 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.477639 -0.144839 0.866535 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.494018 0.323416 0.807062 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.588597 0.702959 0.399253 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.782645 0.389334 -0.485682 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.030199 -0.832959 -0.552509 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.187112 -0.980768 -0.055526 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.771747 -0.556299 0.308119 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.642644 -0.753451 0.138998 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.056030 -0.628192 0.776038 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.080280 -0.888104 0.452577 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.068663 -0.764173 0.641346 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.076347 -0.826629 -0.557544 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.814118 -0.321203 -0.483778 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.543724 0.504134 -0.670979 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.064376 -0.692513 -0.718528 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.708057 -0.298564 -0.639934 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.022294 0.065018 -0.997635 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.762618 -0.609833 -0.215677 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.090856 -0.995048 -0.040302 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.050401 -0.331770 -0.942013 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.080409 -0.889452 0.449899 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.788301 -0.598917 0.140998 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.724137 -0.535430 0.434672 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.055429 -0.621682 0.781306 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.653748 -0.548747 0.521047 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.063578 -0.709553 0.701778 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.426920 -0.894507 -0.132656 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.080292 -0.871207 -0.484306 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.463239 -0.003910 -0.886225 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.498908 -0.494498 -0.711732 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.598267 -0.765634 -0.236394 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.090807 -0.994224 -0.057208 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.783986 -0.318559 0.532810 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.080294 0.871206 0.484306 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.018031 -0.215363 0.976368 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.068661 0.764174 -0.641346 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.001463 0.002113 -0.999997 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.062893 -0.675989 -0.734223 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.181872 -0.813649 -0.552175 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.767940 -0.624752 0.141256 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.858663 -0.407540 0.310820 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.361703 -0.930692 -0.054617 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.740953 -0.463190 -0.486255 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.623775 0.397609 -0.672913 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.640192 -0.421457 -0.642283 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.030415 0.060208 -0.997722 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.638948 -0.737679 -0.218117 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.112705 -0.316888 -0.941743 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.667329 -0.731712 0.138816 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.616705 -0.657770 0.432451 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.545352 -0.658154 0.519061 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.582323 -0.802390 -0.130655 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.459287 0.080048 -0.884674 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.582457 -0.395718 -0.710036 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.727722 -0.644650 -0.234197 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.826935 -0.171811 0.535405 -1.0
# ext.tangent 0.038735 -0.621201 0.782694 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.383685 -0.223993 0.895887 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.928071 0.012693 0.372186 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.816397 -0.212813 0.536848 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.058053 0.621878 0.780959 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.001706 0.000107 0.999999 1.0
# ext.tangent 0.039794 0.419604 0.906835 -1.0
# ext.tangent -0.058311 -0.652822 0.755264 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.946062 -0.218170 0.239517 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.753070 -0.509585 -0.416185 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.065309 -0.728196 0.682250 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.904308 -0.341070 0.256707 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.127678 -0.975742 -0.177834 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.859926 -0.237756 0.451662 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.036240 -0.413982 0.909563 1.0
# ext.tangent -0.009986 -0.966393 0.256876 1.0
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Catholics United announced they are preparing to spend $500,000 to defend members of Congress who voted FOR the pro-abortion healthcare law. Catholics United are an affiliate of Catholics in Alliance, which has received heavy funding from athiest billionaire and Nazi collaborator George Soros. Catholic Vote Action & Cathlic Advocate are fighting back.http://www.catholicvoteaction.org/http://catholicadvocate.com/
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{
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|
If our contemporaries as a whole could see what it is that is guiding them and where they are really going, the modern world would at once cease to exist as such, for the rectification could not fail to come about through that very circumstance. ~ Rene Guenon A day will come, one day in the unending succession of days, when beings, beings who are now latent in our thoughts and hidden in our loins, shall stand upon this earth as one stands upon a footstool, and shall laugh and reach out their hands amidst the stars. ~ H G Wells
Rene Guenon appeared in the world process at the time of the spiritual emptiness of the West. With all of history and geography pretty much known, it had become impossible to ignore the vast differences in spiritual experiences in the world. Guenon was able to sort them out and to reveal their deep similarity in terms of social organization, inner experience, and metaphysical principles. Yet his voluminous works are just a beginning. The logical consequences of his writings still need to be explicated. He himself suggested several areas for further research in those writings.
Although we don’t always make them explicit, we conform to the core of Guenon’s principles. That is not a slavish following, a “Guenonian scholasticism” as Evola called it. Evola himself, although calling Guenon the Master of the Twentieth Century, challenged Guenon on certain points. Sometimes he was mistaken but on other times he made key contributions. Furthermore, we need to distinguish between metaphysical principles which are apodictic and personal judgments which are at best informed opinions.
Guiding Principles
If worship of providence were forbidden, the natural consequence would be their fall, for a nation of fatalists or casualists or atheists never existed in the world, and we saw that all the nations of the world believe in a provident divinity, and have embraced only four principle religions: paganism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam. ~ Giambattista Vico
We are not out to “prove” any Guenonian principles; for that, his own works need to be consulted. Rather, we accept them, even if provisionally, and draw out their consequences as if they are true.
First of all, the modern world is an anomaly in the world, as no civilization has ever been based on its principles, or, better said, anti-principles. Instead, they have all been based on what he calls Tradition, whose basic principles have been described throughout Gornahoor. Tradition means “handed down”, not a nostalgic return to some idealized past. Hence, it is not necessarily Luddite, as the example of the City of the Sun shows.
Traditional societies are hierarchical with specific functional areas and daily life was centered around the rites and rituals of an exoteric religious tradition. Beyond that, there is an esoteric tradition related to, but different from, the exoteric tradition. The esoteric tradition comprises various practices and metaphysical teachings that lead to higher states of being.
Exoteric and Esoteric
The relationship between the exoteric and the esoteric is expressed in this principle: every exoteric religious or theological statement is equivalent to an esoteric metaphysical statement. That is why we don’t get involved in theological disputes since they can’t be resolved at that level without appealing to faith or authority. Esoterism, on the other hand, results in gnosis, or certain knowledge. In other words, what the believer believes, the knower knows.
For example, the religious idea of monotheism is the metaphysical idea of the Absolute, i.e., there is one foundational principle of the world. Polytheism, hence, means competing principles with no underlying unity. Atheism is the denial of an underlying principle so everything that happens is the result of determinism or chance events. As Vico pointed out, no society based on atheism, fatalism, or chance events could survive for long. The modern mind considers atheism as simply another defensible opinion, but for the traditional mind the atheist is an enemy of the people and a danger to the state. He would have no more right to free speech than a quack physician who prescribes harmful and ineffective treatments.
Guenon’s next point is that the esoteric component has been lost in the West. We accept that, but not absolutely since it is an opinion not a metaphysical truth. Nevertheless, it is pointless to criticize bishops, popes, and so on, for that reason. The task, for us, is to delineate the features of a Western esoteric Tradition to prepare the way for its return.
A further point is that the esoteric should not be seen in opposition to the exoteric. Rather, those capable of and interested in pursuing and esoteric path should do it in the context of an exoteric path. These would be, at the risk of over-simplification, one of the many paganisms or one of the Abrahamic religions as Vico noted. The normal choice, however, is to choose the exoteric religion of one’s land. Hence, Guenon did not fully embrace Islam as a lifestyle until he migrated to Egypt.
The notion of picking and choosing and shopping around for one’s religion is absurd from the Traditional point of view. Religious pluralism is a liberal and modern idea. The opposite Traditional view is called “Integralism”, i.e., the nation as an organic unity. Evola’s solution of avoiding any commitment to a Tradition was an unfortunate choice and serves as a bad example.
A writer can praise the virtues of loyalty and fidelity in the abstract, but they must be tested in practice. Hence, a commitment to an exoteric religion can be a serious challenge to one’s loyalty and fidelity. However, we accept all its dogmas and rites as an act of will. (Faith is an act of intellect commanded by the will.) The point is that we are not out to reform the exoteric religion but rather to bring to light the latent esoterism in it.
We often hear the complaint that the exoteric teachings are not good enough or that there is not esoteric teaching, and on and on. That, for us, is simply too passive; if you are not finding anything better, then you probably don’t deserve anything better. A more active approach is to stifle the complaining while mining the hidden gold nuggets of esoterism.
As a reminder, anyone who is thriving under the exoteric religion does not need anything here. Esoterism is purely optional and is intended for those to whom the exoteric religion, as conventionally expressed, lacks all power and meaning.
Paganism
As we have seen, pagans considered that there was a semi-divine founder of their tradition who established the spiritual, religious, and political practices that dominated their everyday life. By maintaining the worship of the ancestors, and appeasing or propitiating the gods, providence would continue to guide the people. Hence, we see that the Indo-Aryan Brahmans could trace their lineage back to 21 rishis, each Greek city had its own divine founder, and Rome was founded by a few noble families.
Hence, any attempts to revive Western paganism are counter-traditional, unless a demigod arrives to start a new family. It is not possible to just jump into an existing stream. The other issue is that in a pagan society, the bulk of the population would be serfs, slaves, or shudras. No revivalist cares to mention that.
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
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Q:
How to make AutoFac use same instance of nested dependency per top-level object? (SignalR dependency injection per hub)
I am trying to set up my AutoFac registration in such a way that this test passes:
[Test]
public void Autofac_registration_test()
{
// Given
var builder = new ContainerBuilder();
RegisterServices(builder);
var container = builder.Build();
// When
var firstHub = container.Resolve<Hub>();
var secondHub = container.Resolve<Hub>();
// Then
firstHub.Should().NotBe(secondHub);
firstHub.FooRepo.Context.Should().Be(firstHub.BarRepo.Context);
firstHub.FooRepo.Context.Should().NotBe(secondHub.FooRepo.Context);
}
i.e. I want to use the same Context object all the way down within a single Hub, but use a different one when a new Hub is created.
RegisterServices is currently just:
private void RegisterServices(ContainerBuilder builder)
{
builder.RegisterType<MyHub>();
builder.RegisterType<FooRepo>();
builder.RegisterType<BarRepo>();
builder.RegisterType<Context>(); // How should I scope this?
}
Which fails at firstHub.FooRepo.Context.Should().Be(firstHub.BarRepo.Context); because Context is transiently scoped.
But scoping context per lifetime also fails, this time at firstHub.FooRepo.Context.Should().NotBe(secondHub.FooRepo.Context);.
It feels like this is a reasonable thing to want to do, so am I missing anything obvious out-of-the-box here?
Or will I have to do something manual to track Hub creation?
(For context, this is for a SignalR app. Hubs are created per SignalR request, so this was an attempt to match the unit-of-work lifetime of an HTTP request in normal webby situations).
A:
What @Steven said in his comment was correct, I needed a per-object-graph lifestyle.
Castle.Windsor supports this, so I swicthed to using that for my dependency injection instead of AutoFac. The registration now looks like:
container.Register(Component.For<Hub>().LifestyleTransient());
container.Register(Component.For<FooRepo>().LifestyleTransient());
container.Register(Component.For<BarRepo>().LifestyleTransient());
container.Register(Component.For<Context>().LifestyleBoundTo<Hub>()); // Important bit
For more information, see: http://docs.castleproject.org/Windsor.LifeStyles.ashx?HL=scope#Bound_8
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"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
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Upcoming Events & Highlights
Evaluation
Internal Design
Communication Enhancers
The internal evaluation design for the project is utilized for the benefit and enhancement of the Residents' communication skills. Over the course of the project year, Residents will implement four inquiry-based lessons within the classroom: 2 discipline specific lessons and 2 inter-disciplinary lessons. Once a semester, an experienced STEM faculty member called Communication Enhancer (CE) visits the classroom during a lesson implemented by the Resident. After the observation, the CE provides constructive feedback to the Resident and LT about his/her observations. The first evaluation occurs during the first implemented lesson in November, and will focus on the Resident's ability to communicate content and research to the students. The second evaluation occurs during the inter-disciplinary lessons implemented in the spring semester. Evaluation and discussion will include topic areas such as: organization, accuracy, relevance, logic, language, equity, delivery, audiovisual aids, use of time, questions, presence.
In addition to feedback from the Communication Enhancers, the Residents are required to complete a lesson reflection form about the lesson implementation and thoughtfully reflect on many aspects of performance, learning and teaching styles, communication, and evaluation. This reflection is then reviewed by both the Lead Teacher and Resident together, to better improve the communication of the Residents.
Workshop & Project Feedback Questionnaires
In order to improve the project and experiences of the participants, you will be asked to complete feedback
questionnaires after workshops & orientation, mid-year of the project, and at the end of the year.
Mid-year Participation Evaluation
Residents and LTs will be evaluated mid-year by the GK-12 Staff regarding their participation in the program and fulfillment of requirements.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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Q:
ESTA Elegible after Qatar?
I am planning a week vacation at the end of august, since I am a EU citizen I would like to know if visiting Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai will make me ineligible for an ESTA and therefore for a trip to USA later
A:
The US State Department says:
Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015
Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, travelers in the following categories must obtain a visa prior to traveling to the United States as they are no longer eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country).
Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria.
Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai are fine. Indeed, all three are very close allies of the US: the US has a huge air base in Qatar , a large naval base in Bahrain and a customs pre-clearance station in the UAE.
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Antimutagenic effects of spermine and guanosine in continuous cultures of Escherichia coli mutator strain mutH.
In E. coli strain RH531 containing mutator gene mutH-, whose mechanism of enhanced mutability depends upon DNA replication, spermine and guanosine reduce the rates of mutation to T5R and to increased fitness.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Cal Crutchlow is set to try the 2017 Honda RC213V during a post-race test at Aragon next week.
The 2017 engine was recently given its debut in the hands of factory riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa at Misano. HRC has now asked LCR's Crutchlow, already race-testing an alternative chassis, to provide his feedback.
"Yes I will," Crutchlow said of the 2017 bike test. "At the end of the day, that's why I'm here, I'm here to test for them. I'm testing for them permanently throughout this year.
"We won't be testing on the same day as the other guys [next week]. We'll be trying to compare some stuff for the other [Honda] guys to try, so they are not wasting their time. And that's it."
While unwilling to provide any further details, Crutchlow did confirm he will again be using the alternative RCV chassis this weekend.
"Our intention is to use the new chassis again," said the Brno winner. " I have two of them. I had two in the last race also. But we do back-to-back comparisons, and the problem is that you waste too much time doing that, you lose too much time in sessions when you could be concentrating on one or the other.
"But at the last race, I still believe that the chassis we had was not the best chassis for that track, but the front tyre didn't help us either. We know that Marc tried the harder front tyre when he went testing after, and it was a lot better.
"But I will stick with what I've got, because we want to see what it's like at this circuit. What do I have to lose? I'm not fighting for a championship. So I can afford to say yes or no for us and for Honda."
The chassis was raced by Pedrosa at Barcelona in June, but subsequently rejected by the Spaniard.
"I know that sure, Dani raced it in Barcelona, and he was also on the podium in Barcelona. But there are some negatives to it. Maybe at that track, the negatives were emphasized a little. And if I rode it at that track, maybe they would have been even more than Dani, because of size, weight, wings, etc.
"But I can go back at any time, I could have used it for one session and took it off, it's just that I wanted to continue with it, we have decided to continue with it. Plus it's good that we have mileage on it.
"We don't think it would work for Marc's style, maybe. But that doesn't mean that it won't in the end. I think there are some areas where it could be improved.
"It's stronger in one area than the other, but the other chassis is stronger in another area. So we're actually gaining something in one area but giving something up somewhere else. [The two chassis] are like the complete opposite. In the end, why not carry on and gather information for Honda, because they can see the data."
The Englishman believes Honda's strategy of gathering data from a range of different chassis designs will ultimately pay off.
"We're on three difference chassis now. Marc and Dani are essentially on the same chassis- a little different because of size and how they ride - and mine is a little bit different.
"Honestly, to me it's a good thing. It's about trying to improve and getting information. I go back to what happens with Ducati and [Michele] Pirro. He rides round all week and they are improving from it.
"Look at how much they have improved from the Avintia bike he rode, which was my [2014] bike; he finished nowhere. And look at how he went in Mugello and Misano on a [2016] factory bike. He finished two seconds behind Dovi at the last race.
"It shows how much of a step they have made from having somebody testing all the time. I think it's good what they're [HRC] doing, and we'll continue to try and help them, because in the end, I want the best result for me as well. Not necessarily on that weekend, but over time. But it's not that what they have is good and what I have is bad, it's just different."
Despite the lack of a clear performance advantage for one or other chassis, Crutchlow believes it is important to stick with one design and not switch back and forth.
"The guys in the garage don't have to sit and siphon through data, to have a look and say, can we give 1Nm more torque out of that corner because you have a tiny bit less wheelie, but then the lap before, you exited 3 km/h faster and had less wheelie. It's pointless. You are better off sticking with one chassis.
"You know the time when Dani wasn't going well? When he was chopping and changing things. But I really do think that Honda are doing a really good job with what they are doing."
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"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
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Exclusive: Read the first two chapters of Rick Riordan's next Trials of Apollo book, The Tyrant's Tomb
It’s not easy being a kid, and it’s especially hard being a god trapped in the body of a kid.
Over the course of three books so far, Rick Riordan’s series The Trials of Apollo has found the titular Greek god transformed into a mortal boy named Lester Papadopoulos and tasked with relighting Oracles that have gone dark. This has not been a painless journey; by the end of the previous book, The Burning Maze, Apollo/Lester had lost his friend Jason Grace. Jason had first appeared in Heroes of Olympus, one of Riordan’s previous series about the children of Greek and Roman myth.
EW can exclusively reveal that the fourth book in the series is called The Tyrant’s Tomb; check out the cover below. As the book begins, Apollo/Lester and his companion Meg McCaffrey are set on returning Jason’s body to Camp Jupiter. On the way, they run into a pretty nasty undead monster.
The Tyrant’s Tomb is set to hit stores on Sept. 24. Read the first two chapters below.
Image zoom Disney Press
Excerpt from The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan
1.
There is no food here
Meg ate all the Swedish fish
Please get off my hearse
I believe in returning dead bodies.
It seems like a simple courtesy, doesn’t it? A warrior dies, you should do what you can to get their body back to their people for funerary rites. Maybe I’m old-fashioned. I am over four thousand years old. But I find it rude not to properly dispose of corpses.
Achilles during the Trojan War, for instance. Total pig. He chariot-dragged the body of the Trojan champion Hector around the walls of the city for days. Finally I convinced Zeus to pressure the big bully into returning Hector’s body to his parents so he could have a decent burial. I mean, come on. Have a little respect for the people you slaughter.
Then there was Oliver Cromwell’s corpse. I wasn’t a fan of the man, but please. First, the English bury him with honors. Then they decide they hate him, so they dig him up and “execute” his body. Then his head falls off the pike where it’s been impaled for decades and gets passed around from collector to collector for almost three centuries like a disgusting souvenir snow globe. Finally, in 1960, I whispered in the ears of some influential people, Enough, already. I am the god Apollo, and I order you to bury that thing. You’re grossing me out.
When it came to Jason Grace, my fallen friend and half brother, I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. I would personally escort his coffin to Camp Jupiter and see him off with full honors.
That turned out to be a good call. What with the ghouls attacking us and everything.
Sunset turned San Francisco Bay into a cauldron of molten copper as our private plane landed at Oakland Airport. I say our private plane. The chartered trip was actually a parting gift from our friend Piper McLean and her movie star father. (Everyone should have at least one friend with a movie star parent.)
Waiting for us beside the runway was another surprise the McLeans must have arranged: a gleaming black hearse. Meg McCaffrey and I stretched our legs on the tarmac while the ground crew somberly removed Jason’s coffin from the Cessna’s storage bay. The polished mahogany box seemed to glow in the evening light. Its brass fixtures glinted red. I hated how beautiful it was. Death shouldn’t be beautiful.
The crew loaded it into the hearse, then transferred our luggage to the backseat. We didn’t have much: Meg’s back- pack and mine (courtesy of Marco’s Military Madness), my bow and quiver and ukulele, and a couple of sketchbooks and a poster-board diorama we’d inherited from Jason.
I signed some paperwork, accepted the flight crew’s condolences, then shook hands with a nice undertaker who handed me the keys to the hearse and walked away.
I stared at the keys, then at Meg McCaffrey, who was chewing the head off a Swedish fish. The plane had been stocked with half a dozen tins of the squishy red candy. Not anymore. Meg had single-handedly brought the Swedish sh ecosystem to the brink of collapse.
“I’m supposed to drive?” I wondered. “Is this a rental hearse?”
Meg shrugged. During our flight, she’d insisted on sprawling on the Cessna’s sofa, so her dark pageboy haircut was flattened against the side of her head. One rhinestone-studded point of her cat-eye glasses poked through her hair like a disco shark n.
The rest of her out t was equally disreputable: floppy red high-tops, threadbare yellow leggings, and the well-loved knee-length green frock she’d gotten from Percy Jackson’s mother. By well-loved, I mean the frock had been through so many battles, washed and mended so many times, it looked less like a piece of clothing and more like a deflated hot-air balloon. Around Meg’s waist was the pièce de résistance: her multi-pocketed gardening belt, because children of Demeter never leave home without one.
“I don’t have a driver’s license,” she said, as if I needed a reminder that my life was presently being controlled by a twelve-year-old. “I call shotgun.”
“Calling shotgun” didn’t seem appropriate for a hearse. Nevertheless, Meg skipped to the passenger’s side and climbed in. I got behind the wheel. Soon we were out of the airport and cruising north on I-880 in our rented black grief-mobile.
Ah, the Bay Area . . . I’d spent some happy times here. The vast misshapen geographic bowl was jam-packed with interesting people and places. I loved the green-and-golden hills, the fog-swept coastline, the glowing lacework of bridges and the crazy zigzag of neighborhoods shouldered up against one another like subway passengers at rush hour.
Back in the 1950s, I played with Dizzy Gillespie at Bop City in the Fillmore. During the Summer of Love, I hosted an impromptu jam session in Golden Gate Park with the Grateful Dead. (Lovely bunch of guys, but did they really need those fteen-minute-long solos?) In the 1980s, I hung out in Oakland with Stan Burrell—otherwise known as MC Hammer—as he pioneered pop rap. I can’t claim credit for Stan’s music, but I did advise him on his fashion choices. Those gold lamé parachute pants? My idea. You’re welcome, fashionistas.
Most of the Bay Area brought back good memories. But as I drove, I couldn’t help glancing to the northwest—toward Marin County and the dark peak of Mount Tamalpais. We gods knew the place as Mount Othrys, seat of the Titans. Even though our ancient enemies had been cast down, their palace destroyed, I could still feel the evil pull of the place—like a magnet trying to extract the iron from my now-mortal blood.
I did my best to shake the feeling. We had other problems to deal with. Besides, we were going to Camp Jupiter—friendly territory on this side of the bay. I had Meg for backup. I was driving a hearse. What could possibly go wrong?
The Nimitz Freeway snaked through the East Bay flatlands, past warehouses and docklands, strip malls and rows of dilapidated bungalows. To our right rose downtown Oakland, its small cluster of high-rises facing off against its cooler neighbor San Francisco across the Bay as if to proclaim We are Oakland! We exist, too!
Meg reclined in her seat, propped her red high-tops up on the dashboard, and cracked open her window.
“I like this place,” she decided.
“We just got here,” I said. “What is it you like? The abandoned warehouses? That sign for Bo’s Chicken ’N’ Waffles?”
“Nature.”
“Concrete counts as nature?”
“There’s trees, too. Plants flowering. Moisture in the air. The eucalyptus smells good. It’s not like . . .”
She didn’t need to finish her sentence. Our time in Southern California had been marked by scorching temperatures, extreme drought, and raging wild res—all thanks to the magical Burning Maze controlled by Caligula and his hate-crazed sorceress bestie, Medea. The Bay Area wasn’t experiencing any of those problems. Not at the moment, anyway.
We’d killed Medea. We’d extinguished the Burning Maze. We’d freed the Erythraean Sibyl and brought relief to the mortals and withering nature spirits of Southern California.
But Caligula was still very much alive. He and his co- emperors in the Triumvirate were still intent on controlling all means of prophecy, taking over the world, and writing the future in their own sadistic image. Right now, Caligula’s fleet of evil luxury yachts was making its way toward San Francisco to attack Camp Jupiter. I could only imagine what sort of hellish destruction the emperor would rain down on Oakland and Bo’s Chicken ’N’ Waffles.
Even if we somehow managed to defeat the Triumvirate, there was still that greatest Oracle, Delphi, under the control of my old nemesis Python. How I could defeat him in my present form as a sixteen-year-old weakling, I had no idea.
But, hey. Except for that, everything was fine. The eucalyptus smelled nice.
Traf c slowed at the I-580 interchange. Apparently, California drivers didn’t follow that custom of yielding to hearses out of respect. Perhaps they gured at least one of our passengers was already dead, so we weren’t in a hurry.
Meg toyed with her window controls, raising and lower- ing the glass. Reeee. Reeee. Reeee.
“You know how to get to Camp Jupiter?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“ ’Cause you said that about Camp Half-Blood.”
“We got there! Eventually.”
“Frozen and half-dead.”
“Look, the entrance to camp is right over there.” I waved vaguely at the Oakland Hills. “There’s a secret passage in the Caldecott Tunnel or something.”
“Or something?”
“Well, I haven’t actually ever driven to Camp Jupiter,” I admitted. “Usually I descend from the heavens in my glorious sun chariot. But I know the Caldecott Tunnel is the main entrance. There’s probably a sign. Perhaps a Demigods Only lane.”
Meg peered at me over the top of her glasses. “You’re the dumbest god ever.” She raised her window with a final Reeee. SHLOOMP!—a sound that reminded me uncomfortably of a guillotine blade.
We turned west onto Highway 24. The congestion eased as the hills loomed closer. The elevated lanes soared past neighborhoods of winding streets and tall conifers, white stucco houses clinging to the sides of grassy ravines.
A road sign promised CALDECOTT TUNNEL ENTRANCE, 2 MI. That should have comforted me. Soon, we’d pass through the borders of Camp Jupiter into a heavily guarded, magically camouflaged valley where an entire Roman legion could shield me from my worries, at least for a while.
Why, then, were the hairs on the back of my neck quivering like sea worms?
Something was wrong. It dawned on me that the uneas- iness I’d felt since we landed might not be the distant threat of Caligula, or the old Titan base on Mount Tamalpais, but something more immediate . . . something malevolent, and getting closer.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Through the back window’s gauzy curtains, I saw nothing but traffic. But then, in the polished surface of Jason’s coffin lid, I caught the reflection of movement from a dark shape outside—as if a human-size object had just own past the side of the hearse.
“Oh. Meg?” I tried to keep my voice even. “Do you see anything unusual behind us?”
“Unusual like what?”
THUMP.
The hearse lurched as if we’d been hitched to a trailer full of scrap metal. Above my head, two foot-shaped impressions appeared in the upholstered ceiling.
“Something just landed on the roof,” Meg deduced.
“Thank you, Sherlock McCaffrey! Can you get it off?”
“Me? How?”
That was an annoyingly fair question. Meg could turn the rings on her middle fingers into wicked gold swords, but if she summoned them in close quarters, like the interior of the hearse, she a) wouldn’t have room to wield them, and b) might end up impaling me and/or herself.
CREAK. CREAK. The footprint impressions deepened as the thing adjusted its weight like a surfer on a board. It must have been immensely heavy to sink into the metal roof.
A whimper bubbled in my throat. My hands trembled on the steering wheel. I yearned for my bow and quiver in the backseat, but I couldn’t have used them. DWSPW, driving while shooting projectile weapons, is a big no-no, kids.
“Maybe you can open the window,” I said to Meg. “Lean out and tell it to go away.”
“Um, no.” (Gods, she was stubborn.) “What if you try to shake it off?”
Before I could explain that this was a terrible idea while traveling fifty miles an hour on a highway, I heard a sound like a pop-top aluminum can opening—the crisp pneumatic hiss of air through metal. A claw punctured the ceiling—a grimy white talon the size of a drill bit. Then another. And another. And another, until the upholstery was studded with ten pointy white spikes—just the right number for two very large hands.
“Meg?” I yelped. “Could you—?”
I don’t know how I might have finished that sentence. Protect me? Kill that thing? Check in the back to see if I have any spare undies?
I was rudely interrupted by the creature ripping open our roof like we were a birthday present.
Staring down at me through the ragged hole was a withered, ghoulish humanoid, its blue-black hide glistening like the skin of a house y, its eyes filmy white orbs, its bared teeth dripping saliva. Around its torso uttered a loincloth of greasy black feathers. The smell coming off it was more putrid than any dumpster—and believe me, I’d fallen into a few.
“FOOD!” it howled.
“Kill it!” I yelled at Meg.
“Swerve!” she countered.
One of the many annoying things about being incarcerated in my puny mortal body: I was Meg McCaffrey’s servant. I was bound to obey her direct commands. So when she yelled “swerve,” I yanked the steering wheel hard to the right. The hearse handled beautifully. It careened across three lanes of traffic, barreled straight through the guardrail, and plummeted into the canyon below.
2.
Dude, this isn’t cool
Dude just tried to eat my dude
That’s my dead dude, dude
I like flying cars. I prefer it when the car is actually capable of flight, however.
As the hearse achieved zero gravity, I had a few microseconds to appreciate the scenery below—a lovely little lake edged with eucalyptus trees and walking trails, a small beach on the far shore, where a cluster of evening picnickers relaxed on blankets.
Oh, good, some small part of my brain thought. Maybe we’ll at least land in the water.
Then we dropped—not toward the lake, but toward the trees.
A sound like Luciano Pavarotti’s high C in Don Giovanni issued from my throat. My hands glued themselves to the wheel.
As we plunged into the eucalypti, the ghoul disappeared from our roof—almost as if the tree branches had purposefully swatted him away. Other branches seemed to bend around the hearse, slowing our fall, dropping us from one leafy cough-drop-scented bough to another, until we hit the ground on all four wheels with a jarring thud. Too late to do any good, the airbags deployed, shoving my head against the backrest.
Yellow amoebas danced in my eyes. The taste of blood stung my throat. I clawed for the door handle, squeezed my way out between the airbag and the seat, and tumbled onto a bed of cool soft grass.
“Blergh,” I said.
I heard Meg retching somewhere nearby. At least that meant she was still alive. About ten feet to my left, water lapped at the shore of the lake. Directly above me, near the top of the largest eucalyptus tree, our ghoulish blueblack friend was snarling and writhing, trapped in a cage of branches.
I struggled to sit up. My nose throbbed. My sinuses felt like they were packed with menthol rub. “Meg?”
She staggered into view around the front of the hearse. Ring-shaped bruises were forming around her eyes—no doubt courtesy of the passenger-side airbag. Her glasses were intact but askew. “You suck at swerving.”
“Oh, my gods!” I protested. “You ordered me to—” My brain faltered. “Wait. How are we alive? Was that you who bent the tree branches?”
“Duh.” She flicked her hands, and her twin golden scimitars flashed into existence. Meg used them like ski poles to steady herself. “They won’t hold that monster much longer. Get ready.”
“What?” I yelped. “Wait. No. Not ready!”
I pulled myself to my feet with the driver’s-side door.
Across the lake, the picnickers had risen from their blankets. I suppose a hearse falling from the sky had gotten their attention. My vision was blurry, but something seemed odd about the group. . . . Was one of them wearing armor? Did another have goat legs?
Even if they were friendly, they were much too far away to help.
I limped to the hearse and yanked open the backseat door. Jason’s coffin appeared safe and secure in the rear bay. I grabbed my bow and quiver. My ukulele had vanished somewhere underneath the inflated airbags. I would have to do without it.
Above, the creature howled, thrashing in its branch cage.
Meg stumbled. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. Then the ghoul broke free and hurtled downward, landing only a few yards away. I hoped the creature’s legs might have broken on impact, but no such luck. It took a few steps, its feet punching wet craters in the grass, before it straightened and snarled, its pointy white teeth like tiny mirror-image picket fences.
“KILL AND EAT!” it screamed.
What a lovely singing voice. The ghoul could’ve fronted any number of Norwegian death metal groups.
“Wait!” My voice was shrill. “I—I know you.” I wagged my finger, as if that might crank-start my memory. Clutched in my other hand, my bow shook. The arrows rattled in my quiver. “H-hold on, it’ll come to me!”
The ghoul hesitated. I’ve always believed that most sentient creatures like to be recognized. Whether we are gods, people, or slavering ghouls in vulture-feather loincloths, we enjoy others knowing who we are, speaking our names, appreciating that we exist.
Of course, I was just trying to buy time. I hoped Meg would catch her breath, charge the creature, and slice it into putrid ghoul pappardelle. At the moment, though, it didn’t seem that she was capable of using her swords for anything but crutches. I supposed controlling gigantic trees could be tiring, but honestly, couldn’t she have waited to run out of steam until after she killed Vulture Diaper?
Wait. Vulture diaper . . . I took another look at the ghoul: its strange mottled blue-and-black hide, its milky eyes, its oversize mouth and tiny nostril slits. It smelled of rancid meat. It wore the feathers of a carrion eater . . .
“I do know you,” I realized. “You’re a eurynomos.”
I dare you to try saying you’re a eurynomos when your tongue is leaden, your body is shaking from terror, and you’ve just been punched in the face by a hearse’s airbag.
The ghoul’s lips curled. Silvery strands of saliva dripped from his chin. “YES! FOOD SAID MY NAME!”
“B-but you’re a corpse-eater!” I protested. “You’re supposed to be in the Underworld, working for Hades!”
The ghoul tilted its head as if trying to remember the words Underworld and Hades. It didn’t seem to like them as much as kill and eat.
“HADES GAVE ME OLD DEAD!” it shouted. “THE MASTER GIVES ME FRESH!”
“The master?”
“THE MASTER!”
I really wished Vulture Diaper wouldn’t scream. It didn’t have any visible ears, so perhaps it had poor volume control. Or maybe it just wanted to spray that gross saliva over as large a radius as possible.
“If you mean Caligula,” I ventured, “I’m sure he’s made you all sorts of promises, but I can tell you, Caligula is not—”
“HA! STUPID FOOD! CALIGULA IS NOT THE MASTER!”
“Not the master?”
“NOT THE MASTER!”
“MEG!” I shouted. Ugh. Now I was doing it.
“Yeah?” Meg wheezed. She looked fierce and warlike as she granny-walked toward me with her sword-crutches. “Gimme. Minute.”
It was clear she would not be taking the lead in this particular fight. If I let Vulture Diaper anywhere near her, it would kill her, and I found that idea 95 percent unacceptable.
“Well, eurynomos,” I said, “whoever your master is, you’re not killing and eating anyone today!”
I whipped an arrow from my quiver. I nocked it in my bow and took aim, as I had done literally millions of times before, but it wasn’t quite as impressive with my hands shaking and my knees wobbling.
Why do mortals tremble when they’re scared, anyway? It seems so counterproductive. If I had created humans, I would have given them steely determination and superhuman strength during moments of terror.
The ghoul hissed, spraying spit.
“SOON THE MASTER’S ARMIES WILL RISE AGAIN!” it bellowed. “WE WILL FINISH THE JOB! I WILL SHRED FOOD TO THE BONE, AND FOOD
WILL JOIN US!”
Food will join us? My stomach experienced a sudden loss of cabin pressure. I remembered why Hades loved these eurynomoi so much. The slightest cut from their claws caused a wasting disease in mortals. And when those mortals died, they rose again as what the Greeks called vrykolakas—or, in TV parlance, zombies.
That wasn’t the worst of it. If a eurynomos managed to devour the flesh from a corpse, right down to the bones, that skeleton would reanimate as the fiercest, toughest kind of undead warrior. Many of them served as Hades’s elite palace guards, which was a job I did not want to apply for.
“Meg?” I kept my arrow trained on the ghoul’s chest. “Back away. Do not let this thing scratch you.”
“But—”
“Please,” I begged. “For once, trust me.”
Vulture Diaper growled. “FOOD TALKS TOO MUCH! HUNGRY!”
It charged me.
I shot.
The arrow found its mark—the middle of the ghoul’s chest—but it bounced off like a rubber mallet against metal. The Celestial-bronze point must have hurt, at least. The ghoul yelped and stopped in its tracks, a steaming puckered wound on its sternum. But the monster was still very much alive. Perhaps if I managed twenty or thirty shots at that exact same spot, I could do some real damage.
With trembling hands, I nocked another arrow. “Th-that was just a warning!” I bluffed. “The next one will kill!”
Vulture Diaper made a gurgling noise deep in its throat. I hoped it was a delayed death rattle. Then I realized it was only laughing. “WANT ME TO EAT DIFFERENT FOOD FIRST? SAVE YOU FOR DESSERT?”
It uncurled its claws, gesturing toward the hearse.
I didn’t understand. I refused to understand. Did it want to eat the airbags? The upholstery?
Meg got it before I did. She screamed in rage.
The creature was an eater of the dead. We were driving
a hearse.
“NO!” Meg shouted. “Leave him alone!”
She lumbered forward, raising her swords, but she was in no shape to face the ghoul. I shouldered her aside, putting myself between her and the creature, and fired my arrows again and again.
They sparked off the creature’s blue-black hide, leaving steaming, annoyingly nonlethal wounds. Vulture Diaper staggered toward me, snarling in pain, its body twitching from the impact of each hit.
It was five feet away.
Two feet away, its claws splayed to shred my face.
Somewhere behind me, a female voice shouted, “HEY!”
The sound distracted Vulture Diaper just long enough for me to fall courageously on my butt. I scrambled away from the ghoul’s claws.
Vulture Diaper blinked, confused by its new audience. About ten feet away, a ragtag assortment of fauns and dryads, perhaps a dozen total, were all attempting to hide behind one gangly pink-haired young woman in Roman legionnaire armor.
The girl fumbled with some sort of projectile weapon. Oh, dear. A manubalista. A Roman heavy crossbow. Those things were awful. Slow. Powerful. Notoriously unreliable. The bolt was set. She cranked the handle, her hands shaking as badly as mine.
Meanwhile, to my left, Meg groaned in the grass, trying to get back on her feet. “You pushed me,” she complained, by which I’m sure she meant Thank you, Apollo, for saving my life.
The pink-haired girl raised her manubalista. With her long, wobbly legs, she reminded me of a baby giraffe. “G-get away from them,” she ordered the ghoul.
Vulture Diaper treated her to its trademarked hissing and spitting. “MORE FOOD! YOU WILL ALL JOIN THE KING’S DEAD!”
“Dude.” One of the fauns nervously scratched his belly under his PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BERKELEY T-shirt. “That’s not cool.”
“Not cool,” several of his friends echoed.
“YOU CANNOT OPPOSE ME, ROMAN!” the ghoul snarled. “I HAVE ALREADY TASTED THE FLESH OF YOUR COMRADES! AT THE BLOOD MOON, YOU WILL JOIN THEM—”
THWUNK.
An Imperial gold crossbow bolt materialized in the center of Vulture Diaper’s chest. The ghoul’s milky eyes widened in surprise. The Roman legionnaire looked just as stunned.
“Dude, you hit it,” said one of the fauns, as if this offended his sensibilities.
The ghoul crumbled into dust and vulture feathers. The bolt clunked to the ground.
Meg limped to my side. “See? That’s how you’re supposed to kill it.”
“Oh, shut up,” I grumbled.
We faced our unlikely savior.
The pink-haired girl frowned at the pile of dust, her chin quivering as if she might cry. She muttered, “I hate those things.”
“Y-you’ve fought them before?” I asked.
She looked at me like this was an insultingly stupid question.
One of the fauns nudged her. “Lavinia, dude, ask who these guys are.”
“Um, right.” Lavinia cleared her throat. “Who are you?”
I struggled to my feet, trying to regain some composure. “I am Apollo. This is Meg. Thank you for saving us.”
Lavinia stared. “Apollo, as in—”
“It’s a long story. We’re transporting the body of our friend, Jason Grace, to Camp Jupiter for burial. Can you help us?”
Lavinia’s mouth hung open. “Jason Grace . . . is dead?”
Before I could answer, from somewhere across Highway 24 came a wail of rage and anguish.
“Um, hey,” said one of the fauns, “don’t those ghoul things usually hunt in pairs?”
Lavinia gulped. “Yeah. Let’s get you guys to camp. Then we can talk about”—she gestured uneasily at the hearse—“who is dead, and why.”
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Okay, so this isn’t that bold. Last season, Smith was waltzing to Michael Strahan’s record before Justin Smith’s triceps injury knocked him out for the last two-and-a-half regular season games. Aldon had 19.5 sacks going into the last three games of 2012, but stayed on that number. With Justin still hampered in the playoffs, Aldon was still ineffective; he didn’t collect a sack, but still had 10 hurries and five hits.
Some will point to that and say the third-year linebacker needs his defensive end to occupy multiple blockers to be effective. Justin Smith is such a dominant force as a 3-4 defensive end, so it’d be a lie to say that Smith doesn’t create opportunities for his teammate. However, Aldon Smith had 87 total pressures and 50 defensive stops in 2012, according the Pro Football Focus. The elder Smith recently inked an extension with the Niners, but he turns 34 on Sept. 30. He’s getting close to the end. I still expect at least one more top-flight season from “The Cowboy.” The Smith & Smith partnership will hit its peak in 2013, as Aldon breaks the sack record.
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Passenger rail terminology
Various terms are used for passenger rail lines and equipment-the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas:
Rapid transit
A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleration. It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e. is fully grade separated from other traffic). It uses sophisticated signaling systems, and high platform loading.
Originally, the term rapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars, trams, streetcars, omnibuses, and other forms of public transport. A variant of the term, mass rapid transit (MRT), is also used for metro systems in Singapore, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
Though the term was almost always used to describe rail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including local ferries in some cases.
The term bus rapid transit has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit.
Metro
Metros, short for metropolitan railways, are defined by the International Association of Public Transport (L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics, or UITP) as urban guided transport systems "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level but with physical separation in such a way that inadvertent access is not possible. In different parts of the world Metro systems are also known as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway (e.g. monorail, rack railways) are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the urban public transport network." Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on the same fixed-guideway principles as steel wheel systems.
Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Warsaw, Saint Petersburg, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Moscow all have metro (from the word metropolitan where "metro" means "mother" and "politan" means "city") systems which are called metro in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch and Russian.
Subway
Subway used in a transit sense refers to either a rapid transit system using heavy rail or a light rail/streetcar system that goes underground. The term may refer only to the underground parts of the system, or to the full system. Subway is most commonly used in the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada, though the term is also used elsewhere, such as to describe the SPT Subway in Glasgow, Scotland, and in translation of system names or descriptions in some Asian and Latin American cities.
Some lines described as subway use light rail equipment. Notably, Boston's Green Line and the Newark City Subway, each about half underground, originated from fully surface streetcar lines. Also, the Buffalo Metro Rail is referred to as "the subway", while it uses light rail equipment and operates in a pedestrian mall downtown for half of its route and underground for the remaining section. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as in Philadelphia, where trolleys operate in an actual subway for part of their route and on city streets for the remainder. This is locally styled subway-surface.
In some cities where subway is used, it refers to the entire system; in others, only to the portions that actually are underground. Naming practices often select one type of placement in a system where several are used; there are many subways with above-ground components, and on the other hand, the Vancouver SkyTrain and Chicago 'L' include underground sections. Historic posters referred to Chicago's Red & Blue lines (then called the State Street & Milwaukee/Dearborn lines) as "the subway lines".
When the Boston subway was originally built, the subway label was only used for sections into which streetcars (trams) operated, and the rapid transit sections were called tunnels. Also, in some countries, subway refers to systems built under roads and the informal term tube is used for the deep-underground tunnelled systems (such as London's Piccadilly line) – in this usage, somewhat technical nowadays and not used much in London, underground is regardless the general term for both types of system.
Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in these cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Until March 2019, Seattle, Washington had a bus subway downtown in which diesel-electric hybrid buses and light rail trains operated in a shared tunnel. The hybrid buses ran in electrical-only mode while traveling through the tunnel and overhead wires power the light rail trains which continue to operate in the tunnel. Bus subways are sometimes built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines, such as the MBTA Silver Line in Boston. These are usually called by the term bus rapid transit.
'Subway' outside the USA, and especially in Europe often refers to an underground pedestrian passageway linking large road interconnections that are often too difficult or dangerous to cross at ground level. In Canada, the term subway may be used in either sense.
Underground and Tube
The usage of underground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system.
In London the colloquial term tube now refers to the London Underground and is the most common word used for the underground system, and it is used by Transport for London the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London. However, strictly speaking, it should only refer to those deep lines which run in bored circular tunnels as opposed to those constructed near to the surface by 'cut-and-cover' methods. The Glasgow metro system is known as the Glasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The word Metro is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and around Newcastle upon Tyne to refer to the Tyne and Wear Metro.
U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The term metro is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using the term U-Bahn—a shortening of Untergrundbahn, meaning "underground railway"—and S-Bahn—an abbreviation for the German "Stadtschnellbahn" or just "Schnellbahn" (fast city train, fast train) the more common English translation, suburban train. So for example in Berlin, the mostly underground system is known as the Berlin U-Bahn and it is integrated with the mostly above-ground system, known as the Berlin S-Bahn. The Frankfurt U-Bahn is an important exception, the system being really a light rail transit system with underground sections.
Hamburg S-Bahn fulfills all criteria for heavy rail inside the state and city of Hamburg, but some lines go beyond the state border into the state of Niedersachsen and there the S-Bahn runs with lower train frequency.
The same applies also to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the only exception that the word "Metro" is used instead of "U-Bahn" and "S-tog" instead of "S-Bahn". (The Danish word "S-tog" applies to the trains (tog), rather than the tracks as in Germany; "S-tog" means "S-train".) Otherwise, the S-Bahn of Berlin and the S-tog of Copenhagen are very similar with the exception of the size.
In Switzerland, where there is only one underground railway system in Lausanne, the term metro is generally used, due to the influence from the French language.
In Sweden, the metro of Stockholm is called "Tunnelbana" or "T-bana" which refers to the fact that the trains often run in tunnels. The same applies to Norway and the "T-bane" of Oslo.
Elevated and Overhead
Elevated is a shorthand for elevated railway, a railway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. The term overhead tends to be used in Europe. The names of elevated railways are sometimes further abbreviate it to El or L. Some examples include:
Chicago 'L' The best known elevated transit system in the United States.
Vancouver SkyTrain An automated rapid transit system that is mostly elevated.
New York City Subway A combination of the old IRT and BMT rapid transit systems that had built or leased numerous elevated lines throughout the entire city. New York "El's" are the oldest ones in the United States, dating from 1869. Today, the majority of "El" lines in New York are in Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx. Most "El's" in Manhattan were torn down in the 1940s and '50s, some replaced by subways.
Liverpool Overhead Railway This was the United Kingdom's only true elevated railway, although the London and Greenwich Railway of 1836 was constructed on a brick viaduct for the greater part of its length.
SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line is elevated except for the portion running through Center City and University City, and is sometimes referred to as the "El".
The Manila LRT Line 1 in Manila, Philippines, is an elevated railway, made operational in 1984 and the country's first urban rail transit since Manila tram service ended in 1944, during the Japanese occupation of the city.
The BTS Skytrain is an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand, which was officially opened on 5 December 1999 by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It now consists of 34 stations and 2 lines.
Sydney Metro Monorail was an elevated monorail through the CBD of Sydney from the bicentenary in 1988 until its dismantlement in 2013.
Heavy rail
The term heavy rail has different meanings in different parts of the world.
Europe
Austria, Germany, Switzerland
The German complementary term is Vollbahn and the opposite Kleinbahn. These terms were defined to distinguish different axle loads and connected construction rules. Today the term Vollbahn is not common and Kleinbahn is used for small gauge lines.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, heavy rail refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter, intercity, high-speed rail, rural and freight services, as distinct from metro, light rail and tram lines, people movers and similar.
North America
In North America, the American Public Transportation Association defines a heavy rail system as an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic. The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers.
In North America, heavy rail can also refer to rapid transit, when referring to systems with heavier passenger loadings than light rail systems, but distinct from commuter rail and intercity rail systems. It is characterized by high-speed, passenger rail cars running in separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded.
Such passenger rail cars are almost always electrically driven, with power either drawn from an overhead line or an electrified third rail.
At-grade urban rail transit
Tram, streetcar, trolley
The terms tram, streetcar and trolley refer to most forms of common carrier rail transit that run entirely or partly on streets, providing a local service and picking up and discharging passengers at any street corner, unless otherwise marked. While tram or tramway are widely used worldwide, the term used varies in different dialects of English, with streetcar and trolley most commonly used in North America (streetcar being more common in the western and central part of the continent and trolley in the eastern part), while tram predominates in Europe and elsewhere.
Tram is a British word, cognate with the Low German traam, and the Dutch trame, meaning the "shafts of a wheelbarrow". From this the term "tram" was used in the coal mines of Scotland and Northern England for a coal cart running on rails, and by extension to any similar system of trackway. Some sources however claim that it was derived from the name of engineer Benjamin Outram.
Streetcar is an American word derived from "street" + "car", where "car" is used in the sense of a vehicle running on rails, i.e. railway car. The first American streetcars, introduced around 1830, were horsecars, and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of the streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled by cables, were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States.
Trolley is an American word derived from the electric current pickup mechanism in early systems. The first successful electric streetcars in the United States used a system devised by Frank J. Sprague, in which a spring-loaded trolley pole pushed a small trolley wheel up against an overhead wire to collect electricity for the motors. Although not the first overhead collection system, it was far more reliable than its predecessors, and eventually became used by almost all streetcars. Some authorities believe that the vehicle became known as a trolley car because it reminded people (particularly on the West Coast) of a boat trolling for fish. Others believe it derived from a dialect word for a wheeled cart.
In the U.S. the word tram frequently refers to a special-purpose bus used as a shuttle (and often not designed for use on public roads), such as for parking lot shuttles at theme parks and major events or transportation within theme parks. Other common North American English meanings of the term tram include aerial cable cars and short-distance, rubber-tired people-movers (such as at certain airports). Tourist buses that have been given the appearance of a vintage streetcar (i.e. trolley-replica buses) are most commonly referred to, ambiguously, simply as trolleys by the companies or entities operating them or selling them, but may be referred to as trams or streetcars.
Historical systems
Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies include horsecar, heritage streetcar, and cable car.
Heritage streetcar (also known as heritage trolley or vintage trolley) is an American term for streetcar systems that use vehicles that were built before 1960, or modern replicas of such vehicles.
Cable car is an American word for a passenger rail vehicle attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location, not on board the vehicle. There are cable cars operating in numerous cities, such as San Francisco.
Light railway
A light railway is a British English term referring to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation at the price of slower operating speeds and lower vehicle capacity. They were permitted under the Light Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The London Docklands Light Railway, has more rapid transit style features than would be typical of light rail systems, but fits within the U.K. light railway definition.
Light rail
A light rail transit (LRT) system is an urban rail transit system with a "light" passenger capacity compared to heavy rail and metro systems. Its operating characteristics are that it uses railcars, called light rail vehicles (LRVs), operating singly or in short multiple unit trains on fixed rails in a right-of-way that is not necessarily grade separated from other traffic for much of the way. Light rail vehicles are almost always electrically driven, with power usually being drawn from an overhead line rather than an electrified third rail, though a few exceptional systems use diesel multiple units (DMUs) instead as a cheaper alternative to an electrically driven light rail system.
The phrase light rail was coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence of streetcars/trams with more modern technology. It was devised in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place, and was a translation of the German word Stadtbahn. However, instead of the literal translation of city rail, the UMTA used light rail instead. In general, it refers to streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features. It is named to distinguish it from heavy rail, which refers to rapid transit systems as well as heavier regional rail/intercity rail.
A few systems such as people movers and personal rapid transit could be considered as even "lighter", at least in terms of how many passengers are moved per vehicle and the speed at which they travel. Monorails are a separate technology.
Light rail systems can typically handle steeper inclines than heavy rail, and curves sharp enough to fit within street intersections. They are typically built in urban areas, providing frequent service with multiple-unit trains or single cars.
The most difficult distinction to draw is that between light rail and streetcar/tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are:
The traditional type, where the tracks and trains run along the streets and share space with road traffic. Stops tend to be frequent, and little effort is made to set up special stations. Because space is shared, the tracks are usually visually unobtrusive.
A more modern variation, where the trains tend to run along their own right-of-way and are often separated from road traffic. Stops are generally less frequent, and the passengers are often boarded from a platform. Tracks are highly visible, and in some cases significant effort is expended to keep traffic away through the use of special signaling, and even grade crossings with gate arms.
At the highest degree of separation, it can be difficult or impossible to draw the line between light rail and rapid transit, as in the case of London's Docklands Light Railway, which would likely not be called light rail were it not for the contrast between it and the London Underground.
Many light rail systems — even fairly old ones — have a combination of the two, with both on-road and off-road sections. In some countries, only the latter is described as light rail. In those places, trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal — sometimes just with concrete "buttons" to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks.
There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it's called light rail) is the dominant form of new urban rail transit in the United States. The Federal Transit Administration helps to fund many projects, but as of 2004, the rules to determine which projects will be funded are unfavorable toward the simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some places in the country have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support. Most of these lines have been "heritage" railways, using refurbished or replica streetcars harkening back to the first half of the 20th century. However, a few, such as the Portland Streetcar, use modern vehicles. There is a growing desire to push the Federal Transit Administration to help fund these startup lines as well.
Light rail is generally powered by electricity, usually by means of overhead wires, but sometimes by a live rail, also called third rail (a high voltage bar alongside the track), requiring safety measures and warnings to the public not to touch it. In some cases, particularly when initial funds are limited, diesel-powered versions have been used, but it is not a preferred option. Some systems, such as AirTrain JFK in New York City, are automatic, dispensing with the need for a driver; however, such systems are not what is generally thought of as light rail, crossing over into rapid transit. Automatic operation is more common in smaller people mover systems than in light rail systems, where the possibility of grade crossings and street running make driverless operation of the latter inappropriate.
Interurban
In the U.S., interurban (German Überland(straßen)bahn) refers to a higher-speed streetcar (tram) line – i.e. electrical railcars or trains which run both between the cities or towns (often in rural environments) on their own right-of-way, and through the city streets as trams. In the U.S., some interurban railcars constructed in the period 1900–1930 ran at extremely high speed for its time. Essentially, the classic interurbans were the light-rail lines of the day. Several advanced innovations – like streamlining, wind tunnel research and lightweight constructions – have their origin on the interurban scene, or were early adopted by companies like J. G. Brill Company, Cincinnati Car Company, and St. Louis Car Company. The fastest interurbans had a maximum service speed at 145–150 km/h, and an average speed including stops at above 80 km/h. The Cincinnati–Toledo route of Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad was . A few interurbans like Philadelphia and Western Railroad adapted to high speeds with double-track, absolute block signalling and without grade crossings. Others ran at (too) high speed on single-track right-of-way without block signalling – and experienced disastrous wrecks.
The classic U.S. interurbans are all but gone, with two of the remaining (Norristown High Speed Line , IRT Dyre Avenue Line) having been upgraded to rapid transit specifications, and a third system (Cleveland's Blue and Green Lines) now considered to be light rail. The South Shore Line, which runs from Chicago's Millennium Station to South Bend, Indiana, has been converted to modern electric rapid-transit operation on the dense corridor between Chicago and Gary, Indiana but still runs essentially as an interurban through several small towns between Gary and South Bend. Los Angeles has a light-rail system whose lines sometimes follow the routes of the area's interurbans, although this revival commenced decades after the original interurban ceased service.
The European interurbans, like the Silesian Interurbans (Tramwaje Śląskie S.A.; German Schlesische Straßenbahn) and Belgium’s Coastal Tram, were (and are) more like conventional tramways, as their names indicate.
Interurbans sometimes used freight railways rather than building their own track.
In Australia, interurban refers to long distance commuter trains such as the routes between Newcastle and Sydney, between Brisbane and Gympie, or between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Some interurban trains may operate from where suburban lines end, such as Southern Higlands services between Campbelltown and Goulburn, or between Ipswich and Rosewood. These do not have the features of "intercity trains" in other parts of the world, such as booked seats and meal services, but are bare commuter trains. They are properly called interurban rather than intercity, although New South Wales refers to its interurban services as "intercity" trains.
Tram-train
Tram-trains are railcars or trains which run like trams (streetcars) in city streets, and on heavy rail tracks out to the suburbs or between the cities. Usually, this requires two current systems (German Zweisystemstadtbahn, Stadtbahn with two systems), both the tram voltage (600 or 750 V DC) and the heavy rail high voltage (in Germany, 15 kV AC). The vehicles must also be adapted to the heavy rail’s signalling system. This transit mode combines the tram’s availability with stops in the street, and the heavy rail’s higher speed. They are often faster than most rapid transit (metro) systems. The first system was opened in Karlsruhe in 1992. Their top speed is often 100 km/h, in Kassel as much as 114 km/h. This transit mode is a rebirth of the interurban.
Regional and commuter rail
Regional rail (also called metropolitan rail, commuter rail, or suburban rail) is an electric or diesel propelled railway for urban passenger train service consisting of local short distance travel operating between adjacent cities and towns, or between a central city and adjacent suburbs, using either locomotive hauled or multiple unit railroad passenger cars.
Regional rail usually provides rail services between towns and cities, rather than purely linking major population hubs in the way inter-city rail does. Regional rail operates outside major cities. Unlike Inter-city, it stops at most or all stations. It provides a service between smaller communities along the line, and also connections with long-distance services. Alternative names are "local train" or "stopping train".
Examples include the former BR's Regional Railways, France's TER (Transport express régional) and Germany's DB Regio services. Regional rail operates throughout the day but often at low frequency (once per hour or only a few times a day), whereas commuter rail provides a high-frequency service within a conurbation.
Regional trains are usually all seated and provide luggage space, although they seldom have all the amenities of inter-city trains such as a buffet or dining car. Since their invention, the distinction between regional and long-distance rail has also been the use of multiple unit propulsion, with longer distance trains being locomotive hauled, although development of trains such as the British Rail Class 390 have blurred this distinction. Shorter regional rail services will still usually be operated exclusively by multiple units where they exist, which have a shorter range and operate at lower average speeds than services on Inter-city rail networks. Not using a locomotive also provides greater passenger capacity in the commuter role at peak periods.
British Rail, during sectorisation, did once create a "Regional Railways" subsidiary, however this was so named to differentiate it's 'all other regions' lines from the other sectors Network SouthEast, which heavily focused on commuters services to London terminal stations but operated rail services across the South East region, and the Inter-City sector which operated long distance services.
Commuter rail in North America refers to urban passenger train service for local short-distance travel operating between a central city and its suburbs. Such rail service, using either locomotive-hauled or self-propelled railroad passenger cars, is characterized by multi-trip tickets, specific station-to-station fares, and usually only one or two stations in the central business district. It does not include heavy rail, rapid transit, light rail, streetcar, tram, or intercity rail service. Some commuter rail systems do link nearby cities, e.g. Boston and Providence (MBTA) or Baltimore and Washington (MARC Train). The national passenger rail provider, Amtrak, uses the term Regional to distinguish its slower trains on the Northeast Corridor from its Acela high-speed express service. The term regional railroad refers to second-tier freight lines.
Intercity, Corridor and Long-Distance
The Inter-City was a British named train, introduced in 1950, but the term InterCity was adopted by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services. Since then, the terms Inter-city or intercity have been widely adopted to refer to express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.
In the U.S., "Corridor" services refer to routes connecting relatively nearby cities, where one city can be visited from another without staying overnight. "Long-Distance" refers to routes which cover vast rural distances.
Other types of rail transit
Automated guideway transit refers to guided transit vehicles operating singly or in multi-car trains with fully automated control (no crew on transit units). Service may be on a fixed schedule or in response to a passenger-activated call button. Automated guideway transit includes personal rapid transit, group rapid transit and people mover systems.
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also called personal automated transport (PAT), is a public transportation concept that offers on-demand, non-stop transportation, using small, independent vehicles on a network of specially built guideways.
People mover or automated people mover (APM) systems are fully automated, grade-separated mass transit systems which serve a relatively small area such as an airport, downtown district or theme park. The term "people mover" has become generic for the type of system, which may use technologies such as monorail, duorail, automated guideway transit or maglev.
Monorail means a system of guided transit vehicles operating on or suspended from a single rail, beam, or tube. Usually they operate in trains. Monorails are distinguished from other types of elevated rail system by their use of only a single beam, and from light rail and tram systems by the fact they are always grade separated from other vehicles and pedestrians.
Suspension railway is a form of elevated monorail where the vehicle is suspended from a fixed track (as opposed to a cable used in aerial tramways), which is built above street level, over a river or canal, or an existing railway track.
Service type
Local service
Means trains stop at every station on a route. For light rail vehicles operating on city streets as trams or streetcars, local service is analogous to local bus service, where stops are every block or two apart.
Regional service
Regional passenger trains may be classified as either slow or stopping trains, or else limited-stop or semi-fast or express trains, where not all stations and stops are served. For example, a pair of closely spaced trains may both stop at the most heavily used stations. For lesser-used stations, the first train stops at alternate stations, while the following train stops at the stations missed by the first train.
Express service
Means trains operate for long distances without stopping, skipping some stations between stops. This speeds up longer trips, especially in major urban areas. In major cities, express trains may have separate tracks for at least part of their routes.
Passenger boarding
Street-level boarding
Used primarily by light rail and tram lines that stop on the street rather than at stations. No platforms are used, the passengers walk up steps into the vehicles. For wheelchairs, a retractable lift or ramp is required to gain access to the vehicle.
Low-level platforms
Generally about above track level and are used primarily by some commuter rail and light rail and tram/streetcar rail systems. Wheelchairs can board low-floor vehicles directly from the platform, but high-floor vehicles require retractable lifts or ramps.
High-level platforms
Generally above track level and are used primarily by heavy rail, automated guideway, and some commuter rail lines. Only high-floor vehicles can be used, but wheelchairs can board directly from platforms if vehicle floors are level with the platform.
Rail terminology with regard to speed
Conventional rail
Generally, the speed range for conventional rail is or less.
The vast majority of local, regional and express passenger trains, and almost 100% of freight trains are of this category.
Countries that do not make distinction between conventional rail and higher-speed rail can have the maximum speeds of conventional rail up to with the systems that can operate at the speeds higher than that be classified as high-speed rail. For the countries with higher-speed rail classification, the maximum speeds of conventional rail can vary which may go up to such as in Canada.
Higher-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for higher-speed rail is between and .
The higher-speed rail can operate at top speeds that are higher than conventional rail but the speeds are not as high as those in the high-speed rail services. These services are provided after improvements to the conventional rail infrastructure in order to support trains that can operate safely at higher speeds. There is no globally accepted standard in the speed ranges for this classification. Local and regional jurisdictions may have their own definitions. For example, a definition in North Texas has a wide range of speeds between and . A planned construction in Thailand, called medium-speed rail, has the top speeds of .
High-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for high-speed rail is between and .
There is no globally accepted standard separating high-speed rail from conventional railroads; however a number of widely accepted variables have been acknowledged by the industry in recent years. Generally, high-speed rail is defined as having a top speed in regular use of over . Although almost every form of high-speed rail is electrically driven via overhead lines, this is not necessarily a defining aspect and other forms of propulsion, such as diesel locomotives, may be used. A definitive aspect is the use of continuous welded rail which reduces track vibrations and discrepancies between rail segments enough to allow trains to pass at speeds in excess of . Track radius will often be the ultimate limiting factor in a train's speed, with passenger discomfort often more imminent than the danger of derailment. Depending on design speed, banking and the forces deemed acceptable to the passengers, curves often exceed a 5 kilometer radius. Tilting trains have been developed for achieving greater comfort for passengers, so higher speeds are possible on curvy tracks. Although a few exceptions exist, zero grade crossings is a policy adopted almost worldwide, with advanced switches utilizing very low entry and frog angles. Magnetic levitation trains fall under the category of high-speed rail due to their association with track oriented vehicles; however their inability to operate on conventional railroads often leads to their classification in a separate category.
In the United States, the federal law has used the term "high-speed rail" as the rail services with "reasonably expected to reach sustained speeds of more than 125 miles per hour [200 km/h]" since 1998. In 2009, the United States Department of Transportation created a vision plan for national high-speed rail network with conflicting definitions by describing the lowest speed range of the high-speed rail systems as "Emerging HSR" with top speeds between and This created confusion in terminology and the media started to differentiate the "higher-speed rail" from the high-speed rail. Some state-level departments of transportation and council of governments now use different sets of definitions. For examples, North Central Texas Council of Governments uses the definition of the speeds over , and Texas Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Department of Transportation use the speeds of or more to define high-speed rail. These agencies have a separate category for higher-speed rail which can be a wide range of speeds between and .
Very high-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for very high-speed rail is between and .
The term is used for the fastest trains introduced after 2000, exceeding 300 km/h. Shanghai Transrapid is one example, with a line speed of 430 km/h.
Ultra high-speed rail
Generally, the speed range for ultra high-speed rail is between and .
A number of both technological and practical variables begin to influence trains in the vicinity of 500–600 km/h. Technologically, the limitations are by no means beyond reach, however conventional trains begin to encounter several physical obstacles, most notably track damage and pantograph limitations. It is important to note that the current world record for rail vehicles is held by the TGV V150 set on 15 April 2007 at , and conventional trains may indeed eventually reach into ultra high-speeds. However, this test has shown that speeds over 500 km/h are unrealistic for regular usage; it wears down the material too much. Based on current and foreseeable technology, these speeds will more than likely be reached predominantly by maglev trains. The two most prominent maglev trains are the Transrapid with a maximum speed of and the Japanese MLX01, which holds the world land speed record for rail vehicles at .
Trains faster than will exceed the speed of most propeller-driven aircraft. Regardless of technological parameters, the track for such a train and anything faster would more than likely require turn radii of significantly higher proportions than current dimensions, essentially preventing anything but a direct line between terminals. Such trains are extremely unlikely in the current or near future.
Greater than 1000 km/h (621 mph)
Depending on the aerodynamic design of the vehicle and various ambient atmospheric conditions, a train would begin to exhibit transonic airflow in the vicinity of Mach 0.8 (988 km/h) and higher. From a modern perspective, this is essentially the realistic maximum speed of trains as they are known today. This is because the Prandtl-Glauert singularity would cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle as the sound waves reflected off of the ground, potentially blasting the train into the air. The only trains that could exceed this speed significantly are vactrains.
Rail terminology with respect to railway track gauge
Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to the standard track gauge where the distance between the inside edges of the rails of the track is (see the list of countries that use the standard gauge).
Narrow gauge railways have track gauges of between and . They are cheaper to build and operate, but tend to be slower and have less capacity. Minimum gauge railway have a gauge of less than and are primarily used as industrial railways rather than for passenger transit. However many miniature railways use this type of gauge.
Broad gauge railways use a track gauge greater than . Examples include , and .
Comparison of types
See also
Glossary of rail transport terms
Glossary of Australian railway terms
Glossary of New Zealand railway terms
Glossary of North American railway terms
Glossary of United Kingdom railway terms
References
Category:Glossaries of rail transport
Category:Passenger rail transport
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Mechanisms involved in metformin action in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.
The N, N' dimethyl-biguanide : Metformin is an antidiabetic drug that increases glucose utilization in insulin-sensitive tissues. As Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and diabetes share some altered parameters-such as abnormal glucose: insulin ratio, altered lipidic metabolism and insulin-resistance syndrome- the use of metformin has become increasingly accepted and widespread in the treatment of PCOS. Currently, metformin is used to induce ovulation and during early pregnancy in PCOS patients, however, a complete knowledge of the metformin action has not been achieved yet. This review describes beyond the classical reproductive action of metformin and explores other benefits of the drug. In addition, the present work discusses the molecular mechanisms involved further than the classical pathway that involves the AMP-activated protein kinase.
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A China Southern Airlines flight was stuck in Shanghai for five hours after an elderly woman threw coins into the engine for “good luck.”
The 80-year-old stopped on the tarmac to make “blessings” as she was boarding her Guangzhou-bound flight and then threw nine coins into the engine turbine, according to the Independent.
Her “good luck” ritual prompted concerned passengers to alert airline staff, who conducted a full examination of the engine and evacuated 150 passengers.
Staff members found that one coin had landed in the engine and expressed concerns over the potential damage it could have caused had it been sucked into the mechanism.
The woman was later detained by police, the airline said.
“After investigation the involved passenger surnamed Qiu said she threw coins to pray for safety. According to Qiu’s neighbor, Qiu believes in Buddhism,” police said, according to the Daily Mail.
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Hato Mayor del Rey
Hato Mayor del Rey is the capital of Hato Mayor Province, Dominican Republic. It is bordered on the North by the municipalities of El Valle and Sabana de la Mar, on the South by the San Pedro de Macorís Province, on the East by the El Seibo Province and on the West by the municipality of Bayaguana, Monte Plata. It is located 27 kilometers from the San Pedro de Macorís Province and 110 kilometers from the capital city of Santo Domingo. Hato Mayor del Rey has a population of 70,141 inhabitants, and is divided into three municipal districts: Yerba Buena, Guayabo Dulce and Mata Palacio.
Etymology
Directly translated into English, it means Great Herd of the King or King's Great Herd. The name stems from the colonial period in the 16th century, in which Hato Mayor del Rey was among the largest herding regions of Hispaniola and served King Charles I.
History
Hato Mayor del Rey was founded around the year 1520 by Francisco Dávila as land that was dedicated to cattle and agriculture. Francisco Dávila, in his position as Treasurer and Perpetual Royal Regidor in Hispaniola, established the Majorat of Dávila on 23 August 1554 in the city of Santo Domingo, in the presence of his nephew Gaspar Dávila. The lands of Hato Mayor del Rey then formed a part of Dávila's majorat.
Over time, Hato Mayor del Rey passed through the hands of several heirs and keepers. In 1746, Don Antonio Coca y Vevers Landeche, who was the perpetual manager of the Majorat of Dávila, founded Hato Mayor del Rey as a village. The village included a hermitage dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy to encourage people living near the estate to practice Catholicism.
Until July 1843, Hato Mayor del Rey was part of the community of El Seibo and the province of El Seibo. After 1843, Hato Mayor del Rey became its own independent community by decree of the occupying Haitian forces under Charles Rivière-Hérard. On 9 June 1845, Hato Mayor del Rey's independent community status was lost under law No. 40 of the Provincial Administration, reverting it to a military outpost of El Seibo. On 13 October 1848, Dominican President Manuel Jiménes, proclaimed the community of Hato Mayor del Rey an independent town by Decree No. 174 of the Conservative Council and the Chamber of Tribunes. During the Annexation, Hato Mayor del Rey was converted into a military base in charge of the protection of El Seibo.
On 14 December 1888, Mrs. María de las Mercedes de la Rocha y Landeche and her husband Esteban Fernández de Coca, before the presence of Ramón María Gautreaux, Secretary and Treasurer of the township, and Antonio Lluberes and Manuel Mañón, witnesses, donated 1,070,879.41 m2 to the City Council of Hato Mayor del Rey.
Climate
Notable residents
Antonio Bastardo (major league baseball pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies)
References
Category:Populated places in Hato Mayor Province
Category:Municipalities of the Dominican Republic
Category:Populated places established in 1520
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Various connectors are known for the connection of external components to medico-technical apparatuses. The access to the medico-technical apparatuses generally takes place by means of plugs, which are inserted into matching sockets of the medico-technical apparatuses. In this regard, the medico-technical apparatuses, which will be referred to generally below as medical apparatuses, comprise a corresponding socket unit, whilst the external components comprise a plug unit.
For the treatment of patients with kidney disease, use is made of blood treatment apparatuses, which include in particular the known extracorporeal dialysis apparatuses or apparatuses for peritoneal dialysis. The preparation of medical treatment fluids is required for cleaning the patient's blood. These include, for example, dialysing fluid or substitution fluid. In so-called automatic peritoneal dialysis (APD) or acute dialysis, the medical treatment fluids are automatically processed in the blood treatment apparatuses. The treatment fluids are prepared in fluid reservoirs, which are connected to the blood treatment apparatuses.
The fresh dialysing fluid is pumped from the fluid reservoir into the blood treatment apparatus. The fluid reservoir can already contain a concentrate which is diluted with water. In this case, the fluid reservoir only has to be filled with water. In this connection, therefore, water is understood to mean a medical fluid. It is also possible for a plurality of fluid reservoirs to be connected to a blood treatment apparatus, if a treatment fluid ready for use is produced in the treatment apparatus by mixing a plurality of fluids. The connection of the fluid reservoir to the blood treatment apparatuses again takes place with a plug unit, which is inserted into a socket unit of the blood treatment apparatus.
For the filling of devices for supplying dialysing fluid, apparatuses are known to which the devices for supplying dialysing fluid can be connected. The apparatuses for the filling therefore in turn comprise a socket unit which can be connected to the plug unit of the device for supplying dialysing fluid.
A device for supplying a treatment fluid is described for example in European Application No. EP 0 575 970 A2. The known device for supplying dialysing fluid comprises a bag for accommodating the fluid, to which a hose line is connected, which at its free end is connected to a plug. The dialysis apparatus comprises a socket into which the plug is inserted. Two flow connections can be produced with the plug and the socket, in order to convey fresh dialysing fluid from the bag into the dialysis apparatus and used dialysing fluid back into the bag. To secure the plug in the socket against slipping out, the plug comprises latching noses which engage in the recesses of the socket when the plug is fully inserted into the socket.
The connection of the device for supplying medical fluids to the blood treatment apparatus or an apparatus for the filling of the device for supplying medical fluids should be as straightforward and reliable as possible for the medical personnel. The socket unit should be able to be rinsed with a rinsing fluid for the purpose of disinfection.
A socket unit for a dialysis apparatus is described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2009/074588 A1, said socket unit being able to be rinsed with a rinsing fluid. The socket of the socket unit comprises a cylindrical housing body, in which a connection piece for a connector of a plug unit is disposed. For the purpose of rinsing, the housing body of the socket unit is closed by a closure piece, so that the cylindrical recess in the housing body forms a rinsing chamber through which the rinsing fluid flows. The closure piece is guided displaceably on the housing body of the socket unit between a first position in which the rinsing chamber is closed and a second position in which the rinsing chamber is open.
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import classnames from './utils';
let className = '';
export { className as class };
export let type = 'border';
export let size = '';
export let color = '';
$: classes = classnames(
className,
size ? `spinner-${type}-${size}` : false,
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color ? `text-${color}` : false
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<div {...$$restProps} role="status" class={classes}>
<span class="sr-only">
<slot>Loading...</slot>
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Germany hunts bomb suspect in Chemnitz Published duration 8 October 2016
image copyright AP image caption Police failed to find the suspect in a raid on an apartment
Police in the eastern German city of Chemnitz have detained three people as they continue a search for a suspect believed to be planning a bomb attack.
Acting on a tip-off from the domestic intelligence service, police raided a flat but failed to find the suspect, Jaber al-Bakr, 22, who was born in Syria. He remains on the run.
Several hundred grams of "highly volatile" explosives were found at the property, investigators said.
They were destroyed by a bomb squad.
About 100 people were evacuated from the block of flats as the explosives were moved for a controlled detonation.
Two people in contact with Mr al-Bakr were detained at Chemnitz railway station and another person was detained near the flat in the Fritz-Heckert neighbourhood, Kathlen Zink of Saxony's criminal investigation office said.
She said they were suspected of being "linked with the suspect somehow" and had been taken in for questioning.
image copyright AFP image caption A robot capable of disarming bombs has been deployed at Chemnitz railway station
image copyright Getty Images image caption Police check cars at Berlin's Schoenefeld
The "where, when, how and why" of the planned attack remained unknown according to Tom Bernhardt, a spokesman for the same office.
He said the explosives in the flat were "relatively well hidden".
Saxony police have released pictures of Damascus-born Mr al-Bakr wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt with a colourful print.
They have not provided any information about how long he had been in Germany.
They have urged anyone with information about him to come forward.
image copyright @PolizeiSachsen
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity has waned since her decision to open the borders to refugees and migrants last year, admitting more than a million people, many of them Syrian.
In July, an axe attack on a train near Wuerzburg and a suicide bombing in Ansbach wounded 20 people and were claimed by so-called Islamic State (IS).
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Moderating Effects of Forgiveness on Relationship Between Empathy and Health-Related Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach.
Health-related quality of life (QOL) is a recommended clinical tool to assess hemodialysis patients and a primary end point to observe the effectiveness of overall disease management. Empathy is associated with positive outcomes such as pain relief and reduced anxiety and distress. Numerous studies have tested the relationships among empathy, forgiveness, and QOL; however, a mechanism of forgiveness has not been fully explored in hemodialysis patients. To test the relationship among empathy and health-related QOL and confirm the moderating effects of forgiveness on relationship between empathy and health-related QOL among hemodialysis patients. In a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from September to December 2017, 457 hemodialysis patients from five hospitals filled out the Heartland Forgiveness Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C, Kidney Disease Questionnaire, and general information. The data were analyzed using SPSS, and structural equation modeling was used to address the relationships among empathy, forgiveness, and health-related QOL. Empathy was significantly positively associated with health-related QOL. The proposed model had a good fit to the data. Forgiveness was found to play a partial mediating role between empathy and health-related QOL. The results imply that empathy significantly directly and indirectly influences health-related QOL. Empathy among hemodialysis patients should be monitored and effectively managed to improve positive effects on their health-related QOL. Nurses should consider implementing empathy interventions with an emphasis on building forgiveness strategies to help hemodialysis patients improve their health-related QOL.
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Nazmie-Lee Marai
Nazmie-Lee Marai (born 2 December 1991) is a Papua New Guinean athlete. He competed in the men's 60 metres at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
References
External links
Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:Papua New Guinean male sprinters
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Papua New Guinea
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This article is more than 6 years old
This article is more than 6 years old
The Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, believes Dejan Lovren will fill a leadership void at Anfield after the Croatia international centre-back completed a £20m move from Southampton.
Lovren is the third player to join Liverpool from the Saints this summer, following the signings of Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, and his capture takes the club’s pre-season spending to approximately £80m.
The 25-year-old started all three of Croatia’s World Cup matches in Brazil and Rodgers believes Lovren will add something that has been missing at the heart of the Liverpool defence.
“I think he’s a really commanding centre-half,” said Rodgers, on the official club website. “I’ve said since we lost Jamie Carragher that we needed that leadership. He’s a player that gives us that.
“He’s very strong, very commanding, but he can play. I’ve been really impressed with him.
“I watched him at Lyon, he came into the Premier League with Southampton and I know their players thought he was a big driving force for them and kept them defensively solid.
“He had a really good World Cup. I think he’s a player that can still improve, still develop as he’s in his mid-20s. He’s someone I’m really looking forward to working with.”
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Paul Beyerl
Rev. Paul Beyerl, (pronounced "bye'-rul") born 1945 in Owen, Wisconsin, is known as an author and educator, and particularly as a Wiccan priest, in Wiccan and neopagan circles.
Biography
Rev. Paul and Rev. Gerry Beyerl, his partner since 1993, reside on an 11 acre property in southeast Minnesota just west of Houston, Minnesota. The property is known as The Hermit’s Grove and is a retreat and educational center for The Rowan Tree Church and The Hermit's Grove. It houses the administrative offices, lodging for Church Members and students, a 4500 research library, and the herbal area holding more than 200 species of dried botanicals.
The Rowan Tree Church is Wiccan, representing The Tradition of Lothloriën. Beyerl founded both in the 1970s when living in Minneapolis. The Rowan Tree Church trains its clergy in The Mystery School, a challenging and in-depth educational program. Both the Church and Mystery School serve Church Members and students living near the center and at great distances. The Tradition is discussed at length in Beyerl’a book A Wiccan Bardo, Revisited.
The Hermit's Grove also represents the publishing house for the Church, and has its own education program, the Master Herbalist Program. It is the publishing house and maintains the Master Herbalist Program .
Publications
Beyerl began publishing a Wiccan newsletter - The Unicorn - in 1977. It is now among the longest-published Wiccan newsletters in North America, in continuous publication since 1977.
Bibliography
• The Master Book of Herbalism (1984) Phoenix Publishing ()
• A Wiccan Bardo: Initiation and Self-Transformation originally published by Prism Press in England and the U.S. () and by Unity Press in Australia in 1989.
• A Wiccan Reader Vol 1 (1994)
• A Wiccan Reader Vol 2 (2010)
• Painless Astrology (1997) Hermit's Grove ()
• The Holy Books of the Devas (1998) The Hermit's Grove ()
• A Compendium of Herbal Magick (1998) Phoenix Publishing ()
• A Wiccan Bardo, Revisited (1999) The Hermit’s Grove ()
• The Symbols and Magick of Tarot (2005) The Hermit's Grove ()
• Gem and Mineral Lore (2005) The Hermit's Grove ()
• On Death & Dying (2014) The Hermit's Grove ()
http://www.therowantreechurch.org/
http://www.thehermitsgrove.org/
Discography
The Arts of Healing - Lecture on cassette (ACE)
Initiation and Initiatory Orders (Panel Discussion with Ian Corrigan, Liafal, and Donald Michael Kraig) (ACE)
References
Bond, Lawrence & Ellen Evert Hopman (1996) People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out. (reissued as Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans & Witches Today in 2002: Destiny Books ) Interview.
Lewis, James & Shelley Rabinovitch (2002) The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. Citadel ,
O'Gaea, Ashleen (2003) In the Service of Life: A Wiccan Perspective on Death. C Trade Paper ,
Raeburn, Jane (2001) Celtic Wicca: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century. Citadel ,
External links
The Hermit's Grove
Category:1945 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Clark County, Wisconsin
Category:Writers from Minnesota
Category:Wiccan priests
Category:American Wiccans
Category:20th-century American writers
Category:21st-century American writers
Category:20th-century clergy
Category:21st-century clergy
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Video gaming in school children: How much is enough?
Despite extensive debate, the proposed benefits and risks of video gaming in young people remain to be empirically clarified, particularly as regards an optimal level of use. In 2,442 children aged 7 to 11 years, we investigated relationships between weekly video game use, selected cognitive abilities, and conduct-related problems. A large subgroup of these children (n = 260) was further examined with magnetic resonance imaging approximately 1 year later to assess the impact of video gaming on brain structure and function. Playing video games for 1 hour per week was associated with faster and more consistent psychomotor responses to visual stimulation. Remarkably, no further change in motor speed was identified in children playing >2 hours per week. By comparison, the weekly time spent gaming was steadily associated with conduct problems, peer conflicts, and reduced prosocial abilities. These negative implications were clearly visible only in children at the extreme of our game-playing distribution, with 9 hours or more of video gaming per week. At a neural level, changes associated with gaming were most evident in basal ganglia white matter and functional connectivity. Significantly better visuomotor skills can be seen in school children playing video games, even with relatively small amounts of use. Frequent weekly use, by contrast, was associated with conduct problems. Further studies are needed to determine whether moderate video gaming causes improved visuomotor skills and whether excessive video gaming causes conduct problems, or whether children who already have these characteristics simply play more video games. Ann Neurol 2016;80:424-433.
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In The
Court of Appeals
Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo
No. 07-18-00278-CR
LEVI STUART NICHOLS AKA LEVI STUART NICHOLAS, APPELLANT
V.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, APPELLEE
On Appeal from the 108th District Court
Potter County, Texas
Trial Court No. 74,586-E, Honorable Douglas R. Woodburn, Presiding
February 26, 2020
ORDER
Before QUINN, C.J., and PIRTLE and DOSS, JJ.
Pending before the Court is appellant’s motion for rehearing. We clarify one matter
addressed in the motion and otherwise deny it. The matter concerns the first footnote in
our opinion. Through it, we observed that 1) the circumstances could raise suspicions
about whether the sole purpose of the inventory was to search for drugs, and 2) appellant
did not so argue below or on appeal as grounds for suppressing the contraband eventually
found. Appellant replied to those observations by arguing that:
In addition, the substance of footnote 1 of this Court’s opinion seems to
imply that trial counsel below should have requested the trial court to issue
fact findings on whether the totality of the circumstances evinced an intent
on the part of the police to conduct a pretextual inventory search. However,
pretextual seizures are permitted under the current state of the law.
Therefore, to request such a finding in the instant case would have
accomplished little.
We make no comment on whether “pretextual seizures are permitted under the
current state of the law.” Rather, our intent was to indicate that appellant did not question
whether the inventory was undertaken in good faith or merely as a subterfuge to justify a
general search for contraband. As said in Colorado v. Bertine, 479 U.S. 367, 107 S. Ct.
738, 93 L. Ed. 2d 739 (1987), “reasonable police regulations relating to inventory
procedures administered in good faith satisfy the Fourth Amendment.” Id. at 374
(emphasis added). Similarly, our United States Supreme Court in Florida v. Wells, 495
U.S. 1, 110 S. Ct. 1632, 109 L. Ed. 2d 1 (1990), explained that inventory searches were
permissible due to “the principle that an inventory search must not be a ruse for a
general rummaging in order to discover incriminating evidence.” Id. at 4 (emphasis
added). Because appellant did not contend that, under the circumstances at bar, the
inventory procedures were not administered in “good faith” or were invoked merely as “a
ruse for a general rummaging . . . to discover incriminating evidence,” that topic fell
outside the scope of our review. See Washington v. State, 152 S.W.3d 209, 213 (Tex.
App.—Amarillo 2004, no pet.) (holding that the issue of whether the trial court erred in
refusing to suppress evidence was waived because the grounds asserted on appeal did
not comport with those proffered to the trial court).
With that, we deny the motion for rehearing.
Per Curiam
Do not publish.
2
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SEVERE: Error configuring application listener of class org.springframework.web.conte Hello got this problem that appears suddenly in spring roo project i wrote it here as when I google the errors there are ...
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Q:
How do I make Linux recognize a new SATA /dev/sda drive I hot swapped in without rebooting?
Hot swapping out a failed SATA /dev/sda drive worked fine, but when I went to swap in a new drive, it wasn't recognized:
[root@fs-2 ~]# tail -18 /var/log/messages
May 5 16:54:35 fs-2 kernel: ata1: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x50000 action 0xe frozen
May 5 16:54:35 fs-2 kernel: ata1: SError: { PHYRdyChg CommWake }
May 5 16:54:40 fs-2 kernel: ata1: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0)
May 5 16:54:45 fs-2 kernel: ata1: device not ready (errno=-16), forcing hardreset
May 5 16:54:45 fs-2 kernel: ata1: soft resetting link
May 5 16:54:50 fs-2 kernel: ata1: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0)
May 5 16:54:55 fs-2 kernel: ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)
May 5 16:54:55 fs-2 kernel: ata1: soft resetting link
May 5 16:55:00 fs-2 kernel: ata1: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0)
May 5 16:55:05 fs-2 kernel: ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)
May 5 16:55:05 fs-2 kernel: ata1: soft resetting link
May 5 16:55:10 fs-2 kernel: ata1: link is slow to respond, please be patient (ready=0)
May 5 16:55:40 fs-2 kernel: ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)
May 5 16:55:40 fs-2 kernel: ata1: limiting SATA link speed to 1.5 Gbps
May 5 16:55:40 fs-2 kernel: ata1: soft resetting link
May 5 16:55:45 fs-2 kernel: ata1: SRST failed (errno=-16)
May 5 16:55:45 fs-2 kernel: ata1: reset failed, giving up
May 5 16:55:45 fs-2 kernel: ata1: EH complete
I tried a couple things to make the server find the new /dev/sda, such as rescan-scsi-bus.sh but they didn't work:
[root@fs-2 ~]# echo "---" > /sys/class/scsi_host/host0/scan
-bash: echo: write error: Invalid argument
[root@fs-2 ~]#
[root@fs-2 ~]# /root/rescan-scsi-bus.sh -l
[snip]
0 new device(s) found.
0 device(s) removed.
[root@fs-2 ~]#
[root@fs-2 ~]# ls /dev/sda
ls: /dev/sda: No such file or directory
I ended up rebooting the server. /dev/sda was recognized, I fixed the software RAID, and everything is fine now. But for next time, how can I make Linux recognize a new SATA drive I have hot swapped in without rebooting?
The operating system in question is RHEL5.3:
[root@fs-2 ~]# cat /etc/redhat-release
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 5.3 (Tikanga)
The hard drive is a Seagate Barracuda ES.2 SATA 3.0-Gb/s 500-GB, model ST3500320NS.
Here is the lscpi output:
[root@fs-2 ~]# lspci
00:00.0 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Memory Controller (rev a2)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 LPC Bridge (rev a3)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SMBus (rev a3)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a1)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a2)
00:04.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 IDE (rev a1)
00:05.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:05.1 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:05.2 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:06.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI bridge (rev a2)
00:08.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a3)
00:09.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a3)
00:0a.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0c.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0d.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0e.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0f.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control
00:19.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] HyperTransport Technology Configuration
00:19.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Address Map
00:19.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] DRAM Controller
00:19.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K8 [Athlon64/Opteron] Miscellaneous Control
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 02)
04:00.0 PCI bridge: NEC Corporation uPD720400 PCI Express - PCI/PCI-X Bridge (rev 06)
04:00.1 PCI bridge: NEC Corporation uPD720400 PCI Express - PCI/PCI-X Bridge (rev 06)
Update: In perhaps a dozen cases, we've been forced to reboot servers because hot swap hasn't "just worked." Thanks for the answers to look more into the SATA controller. I've included the lspci output for the problematic system above (hostname: fs-2). I could still use some help understanding what exactly isn't supported hardware-wise in terms of hot swap for that system. Please let me know what other output besides lspci might be useful.
The good news is that hot swap "just worked" today on one of our servers (hostname: www-1), which is very rare for us. Here is the lspci output:
[root@www-1 ~]# lspci
00:00.0 RAM memory: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Memory Controller (rev a2)
00:01.0 ISA bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 LPC Bridge (rev a3)
00:01.1 SMBus: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SMBus (rev a3)
00:02.0 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a1)
00:02.1 USB Controller: nVidia Corporation MCP55 USB Controller (rev a2)
00:04.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 IDE (rev a1)
00:05.0 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:05.1 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:05.2 IDE interface: nVidia Corporation MCP55 SATA Controller (rev a3)
00:06.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI bridge (rev a2)
00:08.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a3)
00:09.0 Bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 Ethernet (rev a3)
00:0b.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0c.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:0f.0 PCI bridge: nVidia Corporation MCP55 PCI Express bridge (rev a3)
00:18.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] HyperTransport Configuration
00:18.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Address Map
00:18.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] DRAM Controller
00:18.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Miscellaneous Control
00:18.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Link Control
00:19.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] HyperTransport Configuration
00:19.1 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Address Map
00:19.2 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] DRAM Controller
00:19.3 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Miscellaneous Control
00:19.4 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] K10 [Opteron, Athlon64, Sempron] Link Control
03:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) (rev 02)
04:00.0 PCI bridge: NEC Corporation uPD720400 PCI Express - PCI/PCI-X Bridge (rev 06)
04:00.1 PCI bridge: NEC Corporation uPD720400 PCI Express - PCI/PCI-X Bridge (rev 06)
09:00.0 SCSI storage controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic SAS1064ET PCI-Express Fusion-MPT SAS (rev 04)
A:
If your SATA controller supports hot swap, it should "just work(tm)."
To force a rescan on a SCSI BUS (each SATA port shows as a SCSI BUS) and find new drives, you will use:
echo "0 0 0" >/sys/class/scsi_host/host<n>/scan
On the above, < n > is the BUS number.
A:
echo "- - -" >/sys/class/scsi_host/host<n>/scan
^ ^
\_\_______ note spaces between the dashes.
A:
When a drive has failed in some circumstances Linux won't realise you've actually pulled it physically from the array. If you have that problem (as I did this morning) you can do the following:
echo 1 > /sys/block/<devnode>/device/delete
e.g., in my case, /dev/sda had failed and I didn't want to reboot the server, so I did:
echo 1 > /sys/block/sda/device/delete
After I did that, the new drive (which had actually been physically added already) was immediately visible.
If it is not visible at this point, you can also do this to force a re-scan:
echo "- - -" > /sys/class/scsi_host/host<n>/scan
That "- - -" is wildcards for channel, id & LUN respectively, so you can restrict the scan to some subset if you want by specifying numbers instead.
Before you start, you could also:
readlink /sys/block/<devnode>
Which will show you the path with the right host number to check in /proc/scsi/scsi for disappearence after removal.
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Debates over fundamental concepts in quantum theory such as reality, locality and quantum entanglement not only deepen our understanding of quantum mechanics but also promote the development of quantum information technology. One of such debates, which has existed since the beginning of quantum mechanics, is whether the quantum state corresponds to a real physical state (i.e., it is ontic) or whether it merely represents an observer's knowledge about the underlying reality (i.e., it is epistemic)[@b1][@b2][@b3][@b4]. A major reason for doubting the reality of the quantum state is that an epistemic interpretation of the quantum state could provide an intuitive explanation for many counterintuitive but fundamental quantum phenomena, such as the measurement postulate and wave function collapse[@b3][@b4].
Recently Harrigan and Spekkens formulated a theory regarding the ontic and epistemic concepts of the quantum states[@b2]. Their model is based on a reasonable assumption that every quantum system possesses a real physical state denoted *λ*, which is called the ontic state. Every ontic state corresponds to a different ontic *λ*, on which the possibility of measurement outcomes depends. Under this assumption, quantum states are supposed to be distinguishable via two models. A state is said to be of the *ψ*-ontic model if distinct pure quantum states always match distinct real states. On the other hand, a state is of the *ψ*-epistemic model if distinct states may result in the same ontic *λ*. Pusey, Barrett, and Rudolph (PBR) further develop the argument for the *ψ*-ontic and *ψ*-epistemic models through a no-go theorem. The theorem states that *ψ*-epistemic model cannot reproduce the predictions of quantum theory if the preparation independence assumption is taken[@b3]. Patra *et al.*[@b4] conclude on a similar result but with a different assumption of continuity for a single quantum system (Hardy also obtains a similar result independently[@b5]). Further theoretical works focusing on the no-go theorems for *ψ*-epistemic models have been presented in refs [@b6], [@b7], [@b8], [@b9], [@b10], [@b11], [@b12], [@b13], [@b14]. Given these growing theoretical works, experimental tests of the *ψ*-ontic and *ψ*-epistemic models are needed.
The first experiment testing of the existence of *ψ*-epistemic models was implemented by Nigg *et al.*[@b15] with two atoms in an ion trap following the PBR theorem[@b3]. Very recently, Ringbauer *et al.* reported an experiment to rule out the maximal *ψ*-epistemic model with single photons in 3 and 4 dimensions[@b16]. The no-go theory of continuous *ψ*-epistemic models[@b4] was also experimentally tested using attenuated coherent states of light to simulate the high-dimensional single photon quantum states by Patra *et al.*[@b17]. However, due to the nonideal state preparation (the phase fluctuations of the coherent states) in the experiment[@b17], one additional assumption that the ontic state depends on control measurements should be included in the explanation of the experiment. Furthermore, the no-go theorem is proposed for a state of single particles whereas a coherent state with pretty large possibility of multi-photons was used in the experiment[@b17]. Therefore, further experiments to test the epistemic models with a state of single particles and with fewer assumptions are needed.
In this paper, we report an experimental test of the existence of the continuous *ψ*-epistemic models with high-dimensional single photon quantum states. We produce the heralded narrowband single photon quantum states in dimensions 3, 7, 16, 25 and 32 to test the no-go theorem and our results support the no-go theorem for continuous *ψ*-epistemic models. In comparison with Patra *et al.*'s experiment[@b17], our experiment benefits from the ideal single photon source and avoids the nonideal state preparation loophole. Thus the no-go theory of continuous *ψ*-epistemic models is tested without additional assumptions except for the fair-sampling assumption for the single photon detection loophole made in all of the above experiments[@b15][@b16][@b17] and often made in nonlocality experiments[@b18].
Results
=======
The no-go theorem and the experimental setup
--------------------------------------------
The difference between the *ψ*-ontic models and the continuous *ψ*-epistemic models (also named *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models) is shown in [Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}. The *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models assume that there are ontic states *λ* in the initial ensemble (e.g. *ψ*~1~) that will remain part of the slightly perturbed ensemble (e.g. *ψ*~2~) (see Method for a detail definition of the *δ*-continuity). There are two parameters to characterize the *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models: the parameter *δ* characterizes how continuous the model is, and characterizes how epistemic it is. As proven in ref. [@b4], there is a fundamental constraint (the no-go theorem) on *δ*-continuous models for single systems: there are no *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models with reproducing the measurement statistics of quantum states in a Hilbert space of dimension *d*. Mathematically, the *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models predict the following (with preparations *Q*~*k*~ corresponding to distinct quantum states \|*ψ*~*k*~〉 all contained in a ball of radius *δ*):
Here *P*(*k*\|*M*, *Q*~*k*~) stands for the probability of outcome *k* with a measurement *M* carried out on a system in ontic state *λ* which is prepared with procedure *Q*~*k*~ and associated with a probability distribution *P*(*λ*\|*Q*~*k*~). The parameter can be viewed as a measure of the extent to which distributions over real states overlap in the neighborhood of a given quantum state[@b4], or it can be seen as related to the variational distance between the distributions *P*(*λ*\|*Q*~*k*~)[@b3].
According to quantum theory, however, there invariably exist some states for which the left-hand side of [Eq. (1)](#eq19){ref-type="disp-formula"} is equal to 0. As a typical example, we consider *d* distinct states (*j*, *k* = 1, ...*d*), which are all at mutual distance from the state . They have *δ*-continuity property since \|*ψ*~*k*~〉 contain in a ball of radius *δ* centered on \|*ψ*〉. If the basis of the measurement *M* is chosen to be \| *j*〉, then *P*(*k*\|*M*, *Q*~*k*~) = 0 for all *k* = 1, ...*d* and thus the left hand side of [Eq. (1)](#eq19){ref-type="disp-formula"} is equal to 0. Hence, the *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models' existence can be experimentally tested.
We use the time bins of the narrowband single photon (labeled by the time *jτ* when it is detected) as the basis states \| *j*〉 to realize the quantum state \|*ψ*~*k*~〉 in the experiment. As shown in [Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}, narrowband paired photons are generated through spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in a two-dimensional ^85^Rb magneto-optical trap (MOT) (see Methods for detail)[@b19][@b20]. A detection (the single photon counter: PerkinElmer SPCM-AQRH, *C*~*dk*~ = 500 ± 100 *c*/*s*, *D*~0~, *D*~1~/*D*~2~) of the Stokes photon heralds the presence of its paired anti-Stokes photon, which also determines the start point of the experiment. After collection of the photons with single mode fibre (SMF), the anti-Stokes photon passes through an electro-optical amplitude modulator (EOAM, fiber-based, 10 GHz, Eospace), which is used to shape the waveform of the photons[@b21][@b22]. With the EOAM and an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG, Agilent 81150A), the anti-Stokes photon can be prepared with the waveform consisting of a train of *d* pulses with one missing. To perform under a stable time base, the AWG's master clock is phase-locked to an external 10 MHz reference (SRS FS725) with exceptionally low phase noise (−130 dBc/Hz at 10 Hz offset) and one second Allan variance (\<2 × 10^−11^). The modulated anti-Stokes photons then pass through a 180 *m* fiber spool to end the preparation process, which is long enough to store the entire photon wave package. The coincidence counts are implemented by a time-to-digital converter (Fast Comtec P7888) with a 2 ns bin width. The verification of the single-photon nature of the heralded anti-Stokes photons is carried out with standard Hanbury-Brown-Twiss interferometer (a fiber-based 50/50 beam splitter and two detectors *D*~1~ and *D*~2~)[@b23].
The high-dimensional single photon quantum states
-------------------------------------------------
We set the pump and coupling light powers to 40 *μW* and 1.4 *mW*, respectively. With the EOAM working at its maximum transmission, the coincidence counts of the unmodulated photon pairs for 240 s are illustrated as the red curve in [Fig. 3(a)](#f3){ref-type="fig"}. The heralded anti-Stokes photon has a coherence time of about 600 ns. Controlling the EOAM with the desired square waveform allows the single photon to be modulated into a train of *d* pulses with one missing. For instance, *d* = 16 is illustrated as the blue curve in [Fig. 3(a)](#f3){ref-type="fig"}. The full width at half maximum of each pulse is about 5 ns and the time interval between neighbour pulses is 12 ns, which are limited by the bandwidth (240 MHz) of the AWG (the square waveform has a 2.5 ns rising/falling time). To minimize the defects in the rising and falling regimes of the pulse, we keep the single-photon counts only at the middle of each pulse within the time window *T*~*p*~ = 2 *ns*. The extinction ratio of the EOAM is estimated to be *R*~*ext*~ = 20 ± 2 *dB*. We confirm the quality of the heralded single-photon source by measuring its conditional autocorrelation function , where *N*~0~ denotes the Stokes counts at *D*~0~, *N*~01~ (*N*~02~) denote the twofold coincidence counts at two detectors *D*~0~ and *D*~1~ (*D*~0~ and *D*~2~), and *N*~012~ is the threefold coincidence counts among three detectors *D*~0~, *D*~1~ and *D*~2~. An attenuated coherent light source has , while a two-photon source gives . As shown in [Fig. 3(a)](#f3){ref-type="fig"}, holds well within the overall waveform and it suggests the good quality of our single-photon source. Compared with the attenuated coherent light source[@b17], the single-photon source reduces the multi-photon probability at least by a factor of with the same generation rate.
With all the losses accounted for (the fiber coupling efficiency 70%, filter transmission 70%, EOAM transmissions 55%, detector quantum efficiency 50% and fiber connection efficiency 90%), the efficiency of our heralded narrowband single photon source is about 4.8%. In the *d*-pulse modulation case, the utilization efficiency defined as the ratio of modulated photon counts to the unmodulated photon counts, is about (*d* − 1) × 1.4%. Here 1.4% is the ratio of the counts for one pulse to the entire unmodulated photon counts. Therefore, the overall possibility of detecting one heralded anti-Stokes photon in *d*-pulse train is with the prefactor *η*′ = 1.4% × 4.8%. Therefore, this preparation yields the heralded single photon state as
where \|0〉 denotes the vacuum state, and \| *j*〉 represents the single photon at time bin *jτ*.
To deal with the vacuum component that never gives rise to a click, we consider its complementary set of ontic states Λ~*clk*~ = Λ\\Λ~0~ (here, Λ~*clk*~ and Λ~0~ stand for the ontic states that give rise to a click with positive probability and states that give rise to no-click, respectively)[@b17]. The distance should thus be redefined as , where is the projection of \|*ψ*~*k*~〉 onto the space orthogonal to the vacuum, and is similarly defined. Since in our experiment, the above no-go theorem holds as [Eq. (1)](#eq19){ref-type="disp-formula"} with a slight modification: for all choices of *Q*~*k*~, the *δ*~0~-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models have
where *clk* is the event that the detector clicks in one of the time bins. Hence, the epistemic models would predict a nonzero count rate in the unregistered bins which contradicts the quantum prediction. In addition, we would like to point out that the *δ*~0~-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models will still predict a nonzero counts as shown in [Eq. (3)](#eq19){ref-type="disp-formula"} even in the presence of inefficient detectors under the fair-sampling assumption[@b17][@b24]. This class of *ψ*-epistemic models are what we test in the experiment.
Experimental results
--------------------
In our experiment, we produce the state *ψ*~*k*~ () for several dimensions *d* = 3, 7, 16, 25, 32. As an example, the measured results for \|*ψ*~2~〉, \|*ψ*~5~〉, and \|*ψ*~7~〉 at *d* = 7 are shown in [Fig. 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"}. The measured fraction of counts in the unregistered time bins (where *N*(*j*, *Q*~*k*~) represents the counts registered in bin *j* when we prepare state \|*ψ*~*k*~〉) and their statistical errors for different dimensions *d* are shown in [Fig. 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"} (open red squares and red bars). As expected, the count rate in the empty bins is not strictly zero due to the imperfect optical components. The expected quantity *ε*~*expt*~ can be obtained through the estimation from the finite extinction ratio *R*~*ext*~ of the EOAM and the detector dark counts *C*~*dk*~*T*~*p*~ during a time bin, i.e.,
The dependency of on *d* calculated by [Eq. (4)](#eq22){ref-type="disp-formula"} is plotted in [Fig. 4(a)](#f4){ref-type="fig"} (black line). In addition, the uncertainty of are shown in the gray region. Any positive deviation from this gray region could support an epistemic model. The fact that the measured values of *ε*~*expt*~ reveal no positive deviation excludes a large class of *ψ*-epistemic models.
Since the quality of the single-photon source is crucial, we also measure the conditional autocorrelation function for each dimensions *d* and the results are shown in [Fig. 4(b)](#f4){ref-type="fig"}. It shows that the measured is kept within the whole coincidence window of the modulated anti-Stokes photon. Furthermore, in order to shown which kinds of continue *ψ*-epistemic models are excluded in our experiment, we plot the experimental bound in the *δ*~0~, plane in [Fig. 4(c)](#f4){ref-type="fig"}. As shown in [Fig. 4(c)](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, the models with are ruled out in the experiment.
Discussions and Conclusion
==========================
Our experiment is based on the theoretical work of ref. [@b4]. Comparing with the previous experiment of ref. [@b17], our experiment utilizes a heralded narrowband single photon source, which has several merits that advance the test of the no-go theory of continuous *ψ*-epistemic models. First, the state we use is a really pure quantum state rather than an equivalent pure state obtained by weakening a laser beam. Second, in our experiment, the nonideal state preparation loophole is plugged up for the utilization of the single photon Fock state that is immune to phase fluctuation[@b25][@b26]. This greatly simplifies the modification of the tested *ψ*-epistemic models and also avoids the need to introduce additional assumptions. Furthermore, the overall efficiency *η* in Eq. (6) is not constant but depends on *d*, which leads to two significantly new results when compared with ref. [@b17]. First, the *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models are characterized by two parameters *δ* and . Logically, when distinctive quantum states become closer to each other, they should share more common ontic states *λ* in the ontic space Λ. In other words, *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models allow the parameter to increas when the distance *δ* decreases. However, as shown in [Fig. 4(c)](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, the experimentally measured quantity clearly decreases when the distance *δ*~0~ decreases, which is counterintuitive in the view of the epistemic models. Second, as shown in [Fig. 4(a)](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, the experimentally measured quantity decreases when the dimension *d* increases. Therefore if we use a better single photon detector with fewer dark counts (e.g., a superconducting single-photon detector) and a better modulator with higher extinction ratio to reduce the undesired counts, the measured quantity can possibly be arbitrarily small. It implies that, for any given *δ*~0~ and , one can always find an appropriate dimension *d* and detecting apparatus so that , which suggests a reliable method to exclude almost all kinds of continuous *ψ*-epistemic models.
In summary, we have reported an experiment to test the no-go theorem for *δ*-continuous *ψ*-epistemic models with high-dimensional single photon quantum states. The tested no-go theorem is based on a natural assumption of continuity. However, as proposed in ref. [@b27], the *δ*-continuity does not hold well for all preparation procedures, one of such example is the purely classical distributions of the form . So there are debates[@b27] on the validity of the no-go theorem in ref. [@b4]. Nevertheless, the continuity may hold for those associated with pure quantum states. Here, the heralded single photon has a purity of *γ* \> 0.98 (see Methods for detail analysis). Hence, the assumption of continuity is reasonable in our experiment. Last, we also would like to point out that there still exist some *ψ*-epistemic models which are not *δ*-continuous, such as pairwise continuous *ψ*-epistemic models[@b11]. Thus, whether a no-go theory exists for all the *ψ*-epistemic models is still an open question deserving further exploration.
Methods
=======
Definition of the *δ*-continuity
--------------------------------
Let *δ* \> 0 and let be the ball of radius *δ* centered on \|*ψ*〉, i.e., is the set of states \|*ϕ*〉 such that . If for any preparation *Q*, there exists an ontic state *λ* (which can depend on *Q*) for all preparations *Q*′ corresponding to quantum states in the ball centered on the state \|*ϕ*~*Q*~〉, we have *P*(*λ*\|*Q*′) \> 0. Then we say this model is *δ* continuous.
The narrowband paired photon source
-----------------------------------
The narrowband photon pairs are generated through spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in a two-dimensional ^85^Rb magneto-optical trap (MOT) with a longitudinal length of *L* = 1.7 *cm* as addressed in our previous work[@b20][@b28]. The atoms are prepared on the ground level \|1〉 and have an optical depth of about 50 in the \|1〉 → \|3〉 transition, as shown in [Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}. The pump laser (780 nm, *ω*~*p*~) is 80 MHz blue detuned from the transition \|1〉 → \|4〉, and the coupling laser (795 nm, *ω*~*c*~) is on resonance with the transition \|2〉 → \|3〉. The Stokes and anti-Stokes beams, focused at the MOT center with a 1/*e*^2^ diameter of 0.3 mm, are aligned at a 2.5° angle with respect to the pump-coupling axis. In the presence of two counter propagating pump and coupling lasers, phase-matched Stokes (*ω*~*s*~) and anti-Stokes (*ω*~*as*~) photon pairs can be generated. After the quarter wave plates (QWP) and filters (F1/F2), the photon pairs are collected by single-mode fibers (SMF) and finally detected with single-photon counters (PerkinElmer SPCM-AQRH, *C*~*dk*~ = 500 ± 100 *c*/*s*, *D*~0~, *D*~1~/*D*~2~). The source is run periodically with a magneto-optical trap for a trapping time of 4.5 ms and a biphoton generation time of 0.5 ms.
The purity of the heralded single photon
----------------------------------------
The narrowband time-frequency entangled paired photons generated through SFWM are used to produce the heralded single photon. The time-frequency quantum-state purity of the heralded single photon depends on the response time uncertainty of the trigger photon detector[@b25]: , where is the density operator of the heralded single photon, and Δ*τ* is the response time of the detector. With a typical time resolution of Δ*τ* = 2 *ns* and the power spectrum bandwidth of the source being smaller than 5 *MHz*, the heralded single photon has a purity of *γ* \> 0.98.
Additional Information
======================
**How to cite this article**: Liao, K.-Y. *et al.* Experimental test of the no-go theorem for continuous **ψ**-epistemic models. *Sci. Rep.* **6**, 26519; doi: 10.1038/srep26519 (2016).
We thank S. Massar for helpful discussions. This work was supported by the NSF of China (Grants Nos 11474107 and 11474153), the GNSFDYS (Grant No. 2014A030306012), the FOYTHEG (Grant No. Yq2013050), the PRNPGZ (Grant No. 2014010), and the PCSIRT (Grant No. IRT1243). K.L. was also supported by the SRFGS of SCNU.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
**Author Contributions** K.-Y.L., X.-D.Z. and H.Y. designed and carried out the experiments. S.-L.Z., B.-Q.A. and G.-Z.G. provided theoretical assistance. Y.H. and S.-L.Z. wrote the paper and all authors discussed the contents. B.-Q.A., H.Y. and S.-L.Z. supervised the whole project.
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{#f2}
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[^1]: These authors contributed equally to this work.
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I know that I’ve been covering lots of our North Orange County and Santa Ana races recently, but one of the most interesting races is taking place in AD-74, where Newport Beach Councilwoman Leslie Daigle and Newport Beach Leslie Daigle-hater Bob Rush are taking on incumbent Allan Mansoor.
Rush is a newcomer to the Democratic Party as well as to electoral politics and many have thought that he might be playing a spoiler role, knocking the second-place Republican out of the race. That may still be the case — but there’s no assurance that he’ll finish as high as second. He has raised $111,699, but $99,999 is his own loan to the campaign and the rest is from three $3900 donations and he has spent under $10,000.
If Rush loses, he’ll still have done a great service in making the Republican candidates have to spend money in the primary when they otherwise might have agreed to a cease-fire during the primary. Rush is irked with Daigle, who he believes has been unresponsive to his concerns on the NB City Council. The question floating around has been: could Rush knock daigle out of the race? But now there’s reason to ask another question: if he gets 30-35% of the vote based on his Democratic ballot affiliation, could Rush knock Mansoor out of the race?
I wouldn’t be asking that except for one thing: a new Late Independent Expenditure (which I call a “LIE”) from wealthy and mercurial and moderate Republican political intervenor Charles Munger, whose sister Molly is also spending like a remorseless machine on her initiative to raise tax money to fund schools (but not, unlike the Governor’s/unions’ proposal, the general fund.) Both Mungers are the children of Warren Buffet’s right-hand man, Charles Sr.
Allan Mansoor had about $115,400 in the bank at the point of his last report, two months ago. He has had $12,000 in LIEs made on his behalf, almost $10,500 from the Establishment GOP “Lincoln Club” (which is dedicated to powering the world by making the 16th President spin in his grave) and the rest from Fieldstead & Co., which is coincidentally the name of a new NBC situation comedy for next year — naw, just seeing if you were paying attention — all for slate cards and mailers. (The Republican Party of OC also spent almost $19,000 on a LIE: a slate mailer against her.)
Daigle entered the final 80 days with $108,000 in the bank, but for her the story has been an overwhelming number of LIEs. Peace officers and fire fighters spent $23,000 for a mailer in support of her, but the hugest LIEs have come from “Spirit of Democracy California,” which I’m advised is more commonly known as a life form named “Charles Munger,” chair of the moderate-libertarian Santa Clara County GOP. Check this out:
That is one — what’s the technical term for it? — serious gob of money. $15,000 in consultants, $15,600 in slate mailers, about $115,000 in campaign literature and mailings — and $325,000 in production and airtime of TV/Cable ads. Yow! (NOTE TO REPUBLICANS: DO NOT PISS OFF CHARLES MUNGER!)
I’m trying to figure out just what Mansoor did to make Munger go medieveal on him like this (as well as why Munger waited until maybe half of the ballots were already cast.) I doubt that there was any single thing. Mansoor is a caveman conservative; Daigle is an attractive representative of the GOP’s almost entirely evaporated moderate wing — who won’t owe anything to the county party and might be someone who could, amazingly for these days, be convinced to cross party lines if necessary for some vote to keep the state from self-destruction. (She may have to check with Charles Munger first, but that’s still a step up over Mansoor.)
AD-74 is a libertarian-leaning district — the only new one covering any territory in OC — and yes, that includes not only Loretta Sanchez’s CD-46 but Linda Sanchez’s CD-38 — to have voted against Prop 8. In fact, the real danger for Democrats of a Daigle victory is that — if she kept from being sucked entirely into the maw of the OC GOP Establishment — she could conceivably become a statewide candidate. (I know of one Dem activist, no fan of Mansoor, who hopes that she loses precisely on that account.)
And — Bob Rush, a former No Party Preference candidate who has been a Democrat for just a few months, apparently hates her.
Here’s an interesting possibility: could conservatice Republicans decide to nip Daigle’s higher political ambitions in the but by supporting Rush over her in November — sending return fire to Charles Munger to keep his grubby mitts out of OC politics? Rush is as good a Democrats — meaning as loosely a Democrat — as they’re going to find. Could they decide to accept two years of him in office as the price of knocking Daigle out of the race, figuring that they could elect someone like, oh, Jim Righeimer in 2014?
I don’t see Mansoor versus Rush as being a particularly interesting race, unless Rush shows a lot more fundraising (and willingness to spend his own loan.) Mansoor versus Daigle — that would be an expensive (presuming that Charles Munger stays at it) and interesting race. But Daigle versus Rush — a grudge match where it’s not even sure where the Orange County money would come down? Would Munger really spend that much to beat the also-moderate Rush?
THAT would be FASCINATING! Sorry, everyone, but I have to put considerations of political advantage aside here. From a pure “politics as spectator sport” perspective, I have to root for the grudge match!
About Greg Diamond
Prolix worker's rights and government accountability attorney and General Counsel of CATER. His anti-corruption work in Anaheim infuriated the Building Trades and Teamsters in spring 2014, leading them to work with the Democratic Party of Orange County Chair and other co-conspirators (who had long detested the internal oversight his presence provided) to remove him from the position of DPOC North Vice Chair of in violation of party rules and any semblance of due process. He also runs for office sometimes.
Unless otherwise specifically stated, none of his writings prior to that lawless putsch ever spoke for the Democratic Party at the local, county, state, national, or galactic level. He tries to either suppress or openly acknowledge his partisan, issue, ideological, and "good government" biases in most of his writing here. If you have a question about any particular writing, just ask him about it and (unless you are an pseudonymous troll) he will probably answer you at painful length.
He lives in Beautiful Bountiful Brea, but while he may brag about it he generally doesn't blog about it. A family member works as a campaign treasurer for candidates including Wendy Gabriella in AD-73; he doesn't directly profit from that relatively small compensation and it doesn't affect his coverage. He does advise some campaigns informally and (except where noted) without compensation.
15 Comments
Oddly I may be as moderate as Charles Munger, but he was an idiot for sponsoring my county Republican Party and helping to give money to a far right executive director who is the spouse of a very-anti drug spokesman Paul Chabot and my county party would not support his “moderate platform so basically he threw 15 thousand down the toilet, but at least it was better than paying for polo ponies.
Charles Munger is also an idiot for Proposition 14, which helped to create a contest where NO Republican filed for Congressional District 35 and I had to support the Green Party guy in protest.
I would like to see Daigle elected, so we could have some sensible Republicans elected like how we have Nathan Fletcher in the State Assembly so far.
You and Mr. Munger have a somewhat high opinion of Ms Daigle’s talents, intellect and “attractiveness” – somewhat higher than warranted by my observations. Still, given the alternative…
I’m tempted to say that there are NO independent thinkers on the Republican side of the aisle in Sacramento, they all just do what the Chamber of Commerce tells them to do. (I don’t REALLY want to say that until I see if our recent talks to Silva (this morning) Norby and Mansoor on the California Disclose Act had any effect.) So at least a “Prop 14 moderate” like Daigle might listen to OTHER interests besides just the Chamber’s corporations.
Remember, most Republicans feel about Daigle the way you and I feel about Tom Daly.
BTW I looked up Fieldstead and Company a week or two ago when I noticed they were Mansoor’s main contributor besides the Lincoln Club. Fieldstead is NOTHING but the company managing the investments of OC’s gay-bashing billionaire Howard Ahmanson. I guess Howard digs him some Mansoor. Too bad he couldn’t come up with a name so nice sounding as “Spirit of Democracy California.” http://fieldstead.com/default.html
Wrapping this comment up with a neat bow, if Allan does decide to do the right thing and support the California Disclose Act, it’s because he’s tired of getting attacked by the “Spirit of Democracy” and would rather Munger’s grinning bowtied mug was on all the attack ads.
My opinion is nowhere near as high as Munger’s. If I were in the district, I expect that I’d vote for Bob Rush and hope that he really does turn out to be a Democrat. But the difference between Daigle and Mansoor is pretty stark. It would be very cool if he did support the Disclose Act due to this, though. I don’t think he will, though, because his puppeteers don’t want him to.
I’m curious about Rush too. It’s too late for me to find out enough about him to make a difference by June 5. The Pot-Stirrer, who has never voted Democratic, was impressed enough by him in debates (and unimpressed with Mansoor and Daigle) that he’s thinking of voting Democratic for the first time.
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759 P.2d 186 (1988)
107 N.M. 399
RODEY, DICKASON, SLOAN, AKIN & ROBB, P.A., Petitioner,
v.
REVENUE DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND REVENUE OF the STATE of NEW MEXICO, Respondent.
No. 17617.
Supreme Court of New Mexico.
August 10, 1988.
Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A., Richard C. Minzner, Paul D. Barber, James O. Browning, Albuquerque, for petitioner.
Hal Stratton, Atty. Gen., Frank D. Katz, Daniel Yohalem, Sp. Asst. Attys. Gen., Santa Fe, for respondent.
OPINION
STOWERS, Justice.
We granted certiorari in this case to determine whether the New Mexico gross receipts tax applies to legal services performed by a non-Indian law firm off a reservation on behalf of Indian Tribes for claims against the United States pursuant to the Indian Claims Commission Act of 1946, (the Act) 25 U.S.C. Sections 70 to -70v-3 (1976), as amended Pub.L. No. 95-69 § 29(a), 91 Stat. 273 (July 20, 1977).
The district court held that federal law preempted the state tax imposed by the respondent Revenue Division of the Department of Taxation and Revenue (Revenue Division) and granted summary judgment to petitioner Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, P.A. (Rodey). The court of appeals reversed, holding that the Act did not preempt the imposition of the tax and the tax did not constitute an impermissible infringement on tribal self-government or *187 Indian sovereignty, and remanded back to the district court to determine what portion of the legal services performed by Rodey took place outside New Mexico.
We granted certiorari and affirm the court of appeals' decision but on different grounds. We affirm only the result reached by the court of appeals insofar as it held that the Revenue Division properly imposed a gross receipts tax on the legal services performed by Rodey.
We do not agree with the court of appeals' reasoning that the New Mexico gross receipts tax imposed on legal services performed by a non-Indian law firm off the reservation requires a federal preemption by implication analysis. The federal preemption by implication doctrine created by the United States Supreme Court to protect Indian interests on the reservation does not apply to activities of non-Indians occurring off Indian reservations. See Ramah Navajo School Bd., Inc. v. Bureau of Revenue, 458 U.S. 832, 102 S.Ct. 3394, 73 L.Ed.2d 1174 (1982) (Ramah).
The material facts, set forth in the court of appeals' opinion, are as follows. Rodey represented the Navajo Tribe in claims before the Federal Indian Claims Commission and the United States Court of Claims under the Act. The claims initially were filed in 1950 and 1951 and Rodey was retained in 1973 to prosecute those claims. In 1982 the parties reached a settlement resulting in two judgments in favor of the Tribe for $36,800,000. The statutory maximum, or ten percent of the judgments, was allocated as attorney fees in accordance with the Act. Rodey received a portion of this allocation amounting to $2,286,000. It paid the New Mexico gross receipts tax on that amount totalling approximately $93,000, and then filed for a refund. No portion of the tax was paid by the Tribe. Rodey performed at least fifty percent of its legal services in connection with these claims outside of the tribal reservation but within the State of New Mexico, and in addition, Rodey claims it performed some work on the reservation, some in Arizona, Utah and in Washington D.C. The Revenue Division denied the refund and Rodey filed suit in the district court.
The Revenue Division argues that based on the preemption cases, Ramah, 458 U.S. 832, 102 S.Ct. 3394, 73 L.Ed.2d 1174 (1982), White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448 U.S. 136, 100 S.Ct. 2578, 65 L.Ed.2d 665 (1980) (White Mountain), Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones, 411 U.S. 145, 93 S.Ct. 1267, 36 L.Ed.2d 114 (1973) (Mescalero), and Warren Trading Post Co. v. Arizona Tax Commission, 380 U.S. 685, 85 S.Ct. 1242, 14 L.Ed.2d 165 (1965) (Warren Trading Post), the tax imposed on Rodey for legal work performed off the reservation is not preempted by federal law. And, the preemption by implication doctrine, which balances federal, state and tribal interests, is inapplicable to activities taking place off the reservation. Rodey, on the other hand, claims that the preemption by implication analysis applies whenever the taxed activity deals with reservation Indians in a federally-regulated area, irrespective of whether the activity takes place on or off the reservation.
"Absent federal law to the contrary, Indians going beyond reservation boundaries have generally been held subject to nondiscriminatory state law otherwise applicable to all citizens of the State." Mescalero, 411 U.S. at 148-49, 93 S.Ct. at 1270. Exemptions from state taxes are not granted by implication, Oklahoma Tax Commission v. United States, 319 U.S. 598, 606, 63 S.Ct. 1284, 1287-88, 87 L.Ed. 1612 (1943); United States Trust Co. v. Helvering, 307 U.S. 57, 60, 59 S.Ct. 692, 693-94, 83 L.Ed. 1104 (1939). Trotter v. Tennessee, 290 U.S. 354, 356, 54 S.Ct. 138, 139, 78 L.Ed. 358 (1933), only an actual conflict with explicit provisions of a federal statute will preempt a state tax. In the instant case no federal statute exists that expressly forbids state taxation of the attorney fees received by counsel pursuant to the Act.
Because there is no explicit preemption, Rodey bases its claim for a tax exemption on the preemption by implication doctrine, which evolved as an exception to the requirement of explicit tax exemption. In White Mountain the Supreme Court stated *188 the basis of the preemption by implication doctrine with respect to Indian tribes.
The unique historical origins of tribal sovereignty make it generally unhelpful to apply to federal enactments regulating Indian tribes those standards of preemption that have emerged in other areas of the law * * *. We have thus rejected the proposition that in order to find a particular state law to have been pre-empted by operation of federal law, an express congressional statement to that effect is required.
White Mountain, 448 U.S. at 143-44, 100 S.Ct. at 2583 (citations omitted). This analysis includes two independent but related barriers to the assertion of state taxing authority over Indian tribes, their reservations and their activities.
First, the exercise of such authority may be pre-empted by federal law. Second, it may unlawfully infringe "on the right of reservation Indians to make their own laws and be ruled by them." Williams v. Lee, 358 U.S. 217, 220 [79 S.Ct. 269, 270-71, 3 L.Ed.2d 251] (1959). The two barriers are independent because either, standing alone, can be a sufficient basis for holding state law inapplicable to activity undertaken on the reservation or by tribal members. They are related, however, in two important ways. The right of tribal self-government is ultimately dependent on and subject to the broad power of Congress. Even so, traditional notions of Indian self-government are so deeply engrained in our jurisprudence that they have provided an important "backdrop," McClanahan v. Arizona State Tax Comm'n, [411 U.S. 164, 172, 93 S.Ct. 1257, 1262, 36 L.Ed.2d 129 (1973)], against which vague or ambiguous federal enactments must always be measured.
Id. at 142-43, 100 S.Ct. at 2583
The Supreme Court repeatedly has stated however that exemptions from state tax by implication are permitted only where the taxed activity of the non-Indian occurred on the reservation. Ramah, 458 U.S. at 838, 102 S.Ct. at 3398-99, (imposition of New Mexico's gross receipts tax on receipts earned by a non-Indian contractor from the construction of a school for Indian children on the reservation was preempted by federal laws). A distinction has been made between the activities of non-Indians as opposed to Indian activities on reservations. Indian activities on reservations cannot be taxed by the state absent congressional consent. Mescalero, 411 U.S. at 148, 93 S.Ct. at 1270. Where the non-Indian activities occur on the reservation, a tax exemption by implication requires the balancing of federal interests determined from the relevant federal laws, with tribal interests as revealed by "traditional notions of tribal sovereignty," and with state interests to raise revenues from those to whom it provides governmental services. Id.; see also Annotation, Indians State or Local Taxation, 73 L.Ed.2d 1506, 1509-14 (1984).
Relying on White Mountain, Warren Trading Post, Ramah and Mescalero, the court of appeals reasoned that an Indian tribe in all instances did not shed its constitutionally protected rights of tribal sovereignty and independence upon crossing outside its reservation boundaries. Therefore, the court went on to examine whether preemption by implication occurred when the taxed activity involved a non-Indian law firm assisting an Indian tribe asserting a claim under the Act where the activity, subject to taxation, took place off the reservation. Applying this preemption analysis, the court held that the New Mexico gross receipts tax sought to be imposed by the Revenue Division on the attorney fees paid by the Tribe to Rodey did not significantly impact tribal or federal interests. The Tribe received 90% of the judgments awarded it in the settlement; Rodey received the maximum 10% contracted for as attorney fees. The gross receipts was computed from and paid entirely out of the 10%. The Tribe received no more or less due to the imposition of the tax. Moreover, Rodey performed a considerable amount of its legal services on behalf of the Tribe in New Mexico. The state therefore has a legitimate interest in raising revenues as compensation for the services it provides Rodey, namely the privilege of engaging in business within the state. The *189 state's interests are strongest when the taxpayer is the recipient of state services. Washington v. Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, 447 U.S. 134, 157, 100 S.Ct. 2069, 2083, 65 L.Ed.2d 10 (1980). Thus, the court of appeals concluded that even though the federal preemption by implication analysis applies to this case, the gross receipts tax sought to be imposed by the Revenue Division did not impermissibly infringe on the Tribe's self-government or sovereignty.
As noted already, we do not agree that the preemption by implication doctrine applies to the activity of non-Indians occurring off the reservation. The Supreme Court held in Ramah, White Mountain and Warren Trading Post that the state taxes sought to be imposed on activities of non-Indians that took place on the reservation were implicitly preempted by federal laws. We have been unable to discover any direction by the Supreme Court that preemption by implication, an exception to the general doctrine that preemption must be by an explicit Act of Congress, would apply to activities which occur off reservations. Certain privileges of tribal sovereignty do not extend beyond the political and geographical boundaries of the sovereign. See Nevada v. Hall, 440 U.S. 410, 99 S.Ct. 1182, 59 L.Ed.2d 416 (1979). Thus, tribal activity beyond reservation boundaries would be susceptible to taxation by the state in the "absence of express federal law to the contrary." Mescalero, 411 U.S. at 148, 93 S.Ct. at 1270. In Mescalero, the Court held that New Mexico may collect its nondiscriminatory gross receipts tax on a ski resort operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe on off-reservation land. Indians going beyond reservation boundaries have generally been held subject to nondiscriminatory state laws that are otherwise applicable to all citizens of the state. Id. at 148-49, 93 S.Ct. at 1270-71. The preemption by implication doctrine does not extend to insulate a non-Indian from state taxes for work performed off the reservation.
When reviewing state taxation of activities of non-Indians off the reservation, an actual conflict with an express federal provision is required. Mescalero, 411 U.S. at 149-50, 93 S.Ct. at 1270-71. Since no federal statute explicitly forbids state taxation of the attorney fees in this case, we decline to extend the preemption by implication doctrine to situations involving off-reservation business activities. We also need not apply the infringement test here, since the impact of the state tax fell solely on Rodey. Therefore, Rodey is not entitled to any refund from the Revenue Division for work it performed in New Mexico in connection with the lawsuit on behalf of the Indian tribes. Whether Rodey is entitled to any refund of the gross receipts tax it paid as a result of legal services performed outside New Mexico is a factual matter to be determined by the trial court upon remand.
The judgment of the trial court granting summary judgment is reversed and the case is remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
SCARBOROUGH, C.J., SOSA, Senior Justice, and WALTERS and RANSOM, JJ., concur.
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Posey vest
A Posey vest is a type of medical restraint used to restrain a patient to a bed or chair. Its name comes from the J.T. Posey Company, its inventor, though the term "Posey" is used generically to describe all such devices. The vest is placed on the patient, and meshy straps extending from each corner are tied either individually to each side of the bed or together to the back of a chair. Poseys are most often used to prevent patients from injuring themselves by falling or climbing out of the bed or chair. They allow patients the freedom to move around their arms and legs if no limb restraints have been applied.
Laws in many places require Posey vests be applied with the opening at the patient's front. Misuse in which a Posey vest is applied backwards has resulted in patients being choked to death. Many lawsuits have been litigated in which a patient has died while restrained by a Posey.
Film showing use of the Posey Vest.
Variations
A cushion belt is a belt that does not include a vest, and simply fastens around the waist, and is tied to the sides of a bed or to a chair.
An alternate version of the Posey is a vest that is placed on with an opening in the back and a back zipper, and straps that extend from the sides.
See also
Straitjacket
References
Category:Safety clothing
Category:Physical restraint
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FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks with reporters following the weekly policy luncheons on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that “nobody wins a trade war” but he hoped President Donald Trump’s tactics in negotiations China would put the United States in a better position to move trade talks forward with Beijing.
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Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band logged what was, according to the global guardians of such lore, their longest recorded set ever at Helsinki’s Olympiastadion this past July 31: four hours and six minutes.
Fans of the Boss can’t necessarily bank on a similar marathon at the Rogers Centre this Friday night, but they can more or less bank on . . . well . . . a marathon. Marathons are what Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band do for a living, after all, and have done for a living for years. They’ve staked their reputation on delivering concerts that habitually extend well beyond the accepted, industry-standard running time of 90 minutes or two hours.
That kind of dogged commitment to giving the people what they want doesn’t come without a serious commitment to pseudo-athletic musicianship from everyone onstage, nor without a willingness to go the extra mile financially when concert-hall curfews — typically set at 11 p.m. in this town — are blown through and local venue and union fees start piling up to the tune of tens and/or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
If a prudently early start time isn’t observed going in, that kind of exhaustive stage show can actually gnaw into the headliner’s nightly takeaway from the show’s net profits in a fairly big way.
The 62-year-old Springsteen, who has been employing a 16-piece band in service of some of the longest shows of his career on the summer leg of his transatlantic Wrecking Ball tour, is obviously successful enough after more than 40 years on the touring trail that he can afford to crash past the three-hour mark on a regular basis.
Indeed, he’d be offending his tremendously loyal fan base if he dared sell it short even just once. Such a “display of energy and its depletion is part of what is expected of him,” a recent New Yorker profile noted, going on to quote Springsteen on concert length: “there is a commercial exchange, and that ticket is my handshake. That ticket is me promising you that it’s gonna be all the way every chance I get. That’s my contract. And ever since I was a young guy I took that seriously.”
“With the Boss, he’s maybe even painted himself into a bit of a corner,” ventures Toronto-based booking agent Jack Ross, who counts Bruce Cockburn, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards and Sam Roberts among his clients. “He’d probably disappoint fans if he went out and did a long show by anybody else’s standards that was two or two-and-a-half hours long.
“It has to be exhausting, although I do emphasize that for the artist, it is the very best time of their day . . . For a touring musician, life is sorta boring and there’s a lot of drudgery involved. The very best part of their day is the time when they’re onstage.
“That’s sort of their reward for driving around in a van or a tour bus and being away from home and having to talk about themselves all the time.”
There is, nevertheless, a fine line to be walked between delighting in the communal ecstasy of delivering a crowd a boffo performance for as long as you can sustain it and overstaying your welcome.
The audience — Boss fans probably in particular — tends to have jobs to face tomorrow and kids to attend to tonight. Is it really fair to make them stay for over three hours until “Born to Run,” which is typically deep in the encores?
Mind you, as most working musicians will tell you, there’s no hard-and-fast rule for figuring out how long you should stay up there.
“I really don’t want to ever cross that line, and that’s definitely something we’ve thought about lots,” says Jimmy Shaw, guitarist for Toronto’s Metric. “I’m not a fan of the two-hour show, man. It’s too much f---in’ rock.
“But it’s kind of band dependent. When you’re getting in a car with a bunch of your college buddies in Connecticut and driving to, like, a jam-band show in Maine, you kinda want it to go for three-and-a-half hours because you drove a long way and you’re on some really good drugs and it’s really fun, y’know?
“But when you’re seeing the Strokes play, you kinda want it to be 51 minutes because they’re cooler than you and you kinda want to leave with that impression that they’re off to somewhere way cooler than you could ever get into.”
Shaw notes that Metric feels compelled to deliver a longer set now that it’s popular enough to charge $40 rather than $15 for a ticket to its shows, which is no doubt also a consideration for a lifetime champion of the working class such as Springsteen. Three-and-a-half hours of rock ‘n’ roll for your $130 ticket to the Rogers Centre is an inarguably good deal compared to 90 per cent of the tours that come to Toronto charging similar prices.
After 15 years or so of attending rock shows for a living, mind you, this writer tends to tune out after 45 minutes or an hour. Three hours is a tough slog — although I’ve swooned through a couple of Cure shows that went on for three hours and barely even noticed the time passing. Obviously how much music one can take in one sitting is dependent on the depth of one’s personal fanhood.
Still, there aren’t a lot of artists outside the Grateful Dead/Phish jam-band circuit — where 20-minute guitar solos, let alone three-and-a-half-hour shows, are the norm — who can get away with such excess.
“You have to have two things,” opines Steve Jordan, overseer of the Polaris Music Prize and an enormous Springsteen fan. “One is you have to have hits, and two is you have to have albums. If you are a pop-hit act, you can have 20 hits or more and that would probably be a pretty decent show.
“But I think what keeps people’s attention for that long is not just the excitement of Bruce playing ‘Glory Days,’ but also him going back to his first couple of records or even playing outtakes that didn’t make the records, of keeping the true fans’ attention as well as giving the less engaged fans what they want, as well.
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“Prince is the same way. You’re gonna hear ‘Purple Rain,’ but hopefully you’re also gonna hear ‘Erotic City’ or ‘DMSR’ or something from The Black Album. Those are the ones, I think, who get away with it, the ones who can go even deeper than an album legacy or a legacy of hits — into a legacy of, like, B-sides and enough greatness that it goes deeper than even what ended up on the records.
“And also, they have to be f---ing amazing live bands.”
The latter statement is also true: few bands possess the physical ability to put it out there for hours on end the way Springsteen and the E-Street Band are celebrated for doing it night after night.
As Mike Levine, bassist for storied CanCon rockers Triumph — whose energetic sets historically topped out around the 100-minute mark — puts it: “We’d be dead. We couldn’t exist with sets that long.”
The key, says Levine, is not only just performing within one’s own limits, however, but knowing how much the audience can take, as well.
“You pace a show, right?” he says. “If you looked at it like a graph, you’ve gotta come out big and keep going big, then you keep it going and kinda settle the audience down and go through whatever material you really want them to pay attention to, and then you start peaking.
“You get that graph moving higher towards the end of the show and then in the encore you take them higher and then, when they’re really, really high, that’s when you go: ‘See ya later. Bye. Thanks for coming.’ You want to leave them buzzing on their way out as opposed to saying: ‘Oh, God, I’m so exhausted.’
“Then again, if you’re Bruce and you’ve got a huge body of work and your fans absolutely idolize you, you can do whatever the heck you want for those ticket prices.”
The artist's cut of the proceeds will suffer if the show goes long, but the cost varies — it can be as little as $500 for a solo act playing in a theatre, or tens of thousands in a stadium with a massive and complicated production. The crew working the performance get paid a premium, overtime rate for an extended show, and if the crew loading out your gear has to work past midnight, the artists gets dinged again.
But if your fans absolutely idolize you, too, it’s hard to give up the spotlight. PS I Love You frontman Paul Saulnier, for instance, figures no one wants more than 45 minutes of what he has to offer, but there have been occasions where he and drummer Ben Nelson have felt compelled to go long.
“Only a couple of times have we played over an hour and that’s just because we had a crowd that was just not getting enough,” he says. “But it’s happened a few times for us where the crowd sort of won’t let us stop. And that’s a crazy feeling. And I’ll be that probably happens every night to Bruce Springsteen. If he just wants to give people what they want, I’m cool with that.”
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It would be desirable to provide anhydrous self-warming hair care compositions. These rinse-out compositions are first applied to the hair, and then when contacted with water they generate heat and give a perception of warmth, to the user. The perception of warmth is desirable, because it serves as a signal or cue to the user, that the composition works, and provides warmth and relation.
Alternately, water could be applied to hair first and then the rinse-out compositions could be applied, or water and rinse-out compositions could be simultaneously applied to the hair. All of these methods would generate heat.
Such, rinse-out compositions can take the form of shampoos, conditioners, or 2 in 1 products that is compositions that are; both shampoos and conditioners.
Known anhydrous self-warming rinse-out hair care compositions have deficiencies in rheology and conditioning ability. It would be desirable to overcome these deficiencies in rheology and conditioning ability.
Publication and products which relate to the field of the invention are as follows:
The Product: Lux Self-Warming Conditioner Treatmentxe2x80x941998
Product Label from the Andrew Jergens Company, for the Biore Facial Muskxe2x80x94copyright 1998. The Biore Self-Heating Mask is a facial mask which contains sodium silicoaluminate. On contact with water, this mask heats up.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,685xe2x80x94July, 1994 (incorporated by reference) describes a clear conditioning composition comprising an amidoamine salt, said amidoamine salt comprising an amidoamine compound of a specified formula that is neutralized with a suitable acid.
The invention relates to an anhydrous, self-warming rinse-out hair care composition which comprises:
a) at least one glycol;
b) at least one quaternary ammonium compound;
c) at least one amidoamine; and
d) at least one silicone.
Compositions of the invention can take the form of conditioners, shampoos, or 2 in 1 products.
The invention also relates to a method for deep conditioning the hair with self-warning and/or cleansing the hair with self-warming, which comprises contacting the hair with a composition of the invention and with water.
The invention also relates to a process for preparing a composition of the invention.
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EDITORS AND LIBRARIANS: KILL FROM YOUR SYSTEMS AND ARCHIVES NYHK102 SLUGGED OBIT LINDA BROWN ON MARCH 26, 2018. THE IMAGE DOES NOT SHOW LINDA BROWN. - FILE - This undated file photo, location unknown, shows Linda Brown. Brown, the Kansas girl at the center of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, has died at age 75. Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel of Topeka confirmed that Linda Brown died Sunday, March 25, 2018. (AP Photo/File)
EDITORS AND LIBRARIANS: KILL FROM YOUR SYSTEMS AND ARCHIVES NYHK102 SLUGGED OBIT LINDA BROWN ON MARCH 26, 2018. THE IMAGE DOES NOT SHOW LINDA BROWN. - FILE - This undated file photo, location unknown, shows Linda Brown. Brown, the Kansas girl at the center of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, has died at age 75. Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel of Topeka confirmed that Linda Brown died Sunday, March 25, 2018. (AP Photo/File)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Linda Brown, who as a Kansas girl was at the center of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down racial segregation in schools, has died at age 75.
Her father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll the family in an all-white school in Topeka, and the case was sparked when he and several black families were turned away. The NAACP’s legal arm brought the lawsuit to challenge segregation in public schools, and Oliver Brown became lead plaintiff in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court that ended school segregation.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., said in a statement that Linda Brown is one of a band of heroic young people who, along with her family, courageously fought to end the ultimate symbol of white supremacy — racial segregation in public schools.
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“She stands as an example of how ordinary schoolchildren took center stage in transforming this country. It was not easy for her or her family, but her sacrifice broke barriers and changed the meaning of equality in this country,” Ifill said.
Peaceful Rest Funeral Chapel of Topeka confirmed Linda Brown’s age and that she died Sunday afternoon. No cause of death was released. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Her sister, Cheryl Brown Henderson, founding president of The Brown Foundation, confirmed the death to The Topeka Capital-Journal . She declined comment from the family.
The landmark case was brought before the Supreme Court by the NAACP’s legal arm to challenge segregation in public schools. It began after several black families in Topeka were turned down when they tried to enroll their children in white schools near their homes. The lawsuit was joined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia.
On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separating black and white children was unconstitutional because it denied black children the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law. “In the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote. “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
The Brown decision overturned the court’s Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which on May 18, 1896, established a “separate but equal” doctrine for black’s in public facilities.
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“Sixty-four years ago, a young girl from Topeka, Kansas sparked a case that ended segregation in public schools in America,” Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a statement. “Linda Brown’s life reminds us that by standing up for our principles and serving our communities we can truly change the world. Linda’s legacy is a crucial part of the American story and continues to inspire the millions who have realized the American dream because of her.”
Brown v. Board was a historic marker in the Civil Rights movement, likely the most high-profile case brought by Thurgood Marshall and the lawyers of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in their decade-plus campaign to chip away at the doctrine of “separate but equal.”
“Her legacy is not only here but nationwide,” Kansas Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis said.
Oliver Brown, for whom the case was named, became a minister at a church in Springfield, Missouri. He died of a heart attack in 1961. Linda Brown and her sister founded in 1988 the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research.
The foundation says on its webpage that it was established as a living tribute to the attorneys, community organizers and plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court decision. Its mission is to build upon their work and keep the ideals of the decision relevant for future generations.
“We are to be grateful for the family that stood up for what is right,” said Democratic state Rep. Annie Kuether of Topeka. “That made a difference to the rest of the world.”
___
This story has been corrected to show that Linda Brown was 75, not 76.
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Q:
Dispatch event occurs multiple times
I'm using a dispatch event in Symfony, And I don't understand because I have the kernel.response twice.
Controller:
/**
* @Route("/evento", name="evento")
*/
public function eventoAction()
{
$dispatcher = new EventDispatcher();
$subscriber = new StoreSubriber();
$dispatcher->addSubscriber($subscriber);
$event = new FilterOrderEvent($order);
$dispatcher->dispatch(StoreEvents::STORE_ORDER,$event);
return $this->render('::event.html.twig');
}
Subscriber:
namespace AppBundle\Events;
use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventSubscriberInterface;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\FilterResponseEvent;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\GetResponseEvent;
class StoreSubriber implements EventSubscriberInterface
{
public static function getSubscribedEvents()
{
return array(
'kernel.request' => array(
array('onKernelResponsePre', -10),
array('onKernelResponseMid', 5),
array('onKernelResponsePost', 0),
),
'store.order' => array('onStoreOrder', 0),
);
}
public function onKernelResponsePre(GetResponseEvent $event)
{
echo "<br>";
echo "onKernelResponsePre";
}
public function onKernelResponseMid(GetResponseEvent $event)
{
echo "<br>";
echo "onKernelResponseMid";
}
public function onKernelResponsePost(GetResponseEvent $event)
{
echo "<br>";
echo "onKernelResponsePost";
}
public function onStoreOrder(FilterOrderEvent $event)
{
echo "<br>";
echo "ORDER";
}
}
service.yml:
services:
user_check_token:
class: AppBundle\Events\StoreSubriber
tags:
- { name: kernel.event_subscriber }
My Output:
onKernelResponseMid
onKernelResponsePost
onKernelResponsePre
ORDER
Events ( twig )
onKernelResponseMid
onKernelResponsePost
onKernelResponsePre
My question is, why am I seeing onKernelResponseMid, onKernelResponsePost, and onKernelResponsePre twice?
A:
I would say because you subscribed to the event twice.
First inside your eventoAction $dispatcher->addSubscriber($subscriber);
Second with Tagging your subscriber in your configuration tags: - { name: kernel.event_subscriber }
Try removing this $dispatcher->addSubscriber($subscriber); from eventoAction.
edit
other possible reasons
multiple kernel event event can fire for each request, symfony can do subrequest, anywhere during running the code. This can be also in twig like this: {{ render(controller('AcmeArticleBundle:Article:recentArticles') }}. As this is another real request the event will fire. To handle this you need to add conditions to your subscriber to filter only request which you want to handle
if you use prod environment clear cache as your twice registered subscriber can be cached.
edit 2
how to debug subrequest
To easily find out if there where any sub request going on, you can look in the web debug toolbar.
go to the fullpage view (click any section)
upper left corner find link "last 10" (meaning show last 10 requests)
at glance you should see how each request went one after another, with they urls and times, and possibility to go to that request full page debug.
This way you'll should be able to find if there are any subrequests and where they originated from.
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|
Fractionating controlled memory processes and recall of context in recognition memory: a case report.
Recollection has been described as both a recognition memory judgment requiring cognitive control and the ability to retrieve contextual information about a prior occurrence. At the core of this article is the question whether or not these two subcomponents of recollection are dissociable in amnesia. In three experiments, we explored the influence of exclusion task instructions on performance in a single case (CJ), with the view to understand the relative contributions of control and source memory to recognition memory decisions. First, contrasting findings were obtained between tasks requiring strategic control or source reports. Second, even though CJ displayed some residual source memory relative to the ability to strategically control this information, his source memory capacity was time-limited. Our findings resonate with the novel proposal that recollection draws heavily upon working memory resources, and provide an example of how amnesic patients might utilize residual working memory capacity to solve episodic memory tasks.
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UPDATE: This article has been ammended. Previously we reported 8chan to have been set up during the GamerGate controvosy. This has now been changed as 8chan was set up in October 2013.
In the wake of all the hate and harassment that’s being going on over the internet in the last few months, artist financial support website Patreon has made some adjustments to its community guidelines to take a stand against bullying, harassment, threats, and hate speech. Not only do the new rules disallow such things as the doxing of Patreon users, but also bans users raising money to fund the likes of pornography and harmful images.
8chan, a messaging board which was a popular meeting ground during the GamerGate controversy after the subject was bannned from 4chan, has been informed that it can no longer use Patreon to fund its hosting bills since the site is frequently home to materials such as illustarted child exploitation, paedophillia encouragement, and self-harm imagery. 8chan must either change, or leave Patreon by the end of the month. In response, the 8chan Patreon page is now requesting funds to help look after Hachi the cat instead.
8chan owner Fredrick Brennan was contacted by Patreon yesterday in a message that Brennan published to his Patreon page.
“Fredrick,
We understand your dedication to free speech in principle, but 8chan is currently being used for a number of activities that violate our new community guidelines. Because we’ve read your interviews and done significant research on 8chan’s story and philosophy, we are aware that you, yourself, don’t verbally support a lot of the activities on 8chan. It sounds like free speech is a core value for you, and you’re willing to prioritize that principle above all else.
While we understand your commitment to free speech, we will not allow 8chan to continue using Patreon, as several boards facilitate the distribution of harmful content and activity, such as illustrated child exploitation imagery. Other violations include facilitating the promotion and/or encouragement to commit self harm, and facilitating the promotion and/or encouragement of pedophilia practices. While we are aware that illustrated child exploitation imagery is not illegal in the United States, we take a strict stance, regardless of the law, on the usage of Patreon to fund or facilitate its distribution.
Because 8chan, in its current state, violates our community guidelines, we will be removing your page from Patreon at the end of the month, after the next payments cycle. If you feel like our decision was based on false information, if you’d like to change 8Chans content policies, or if you have further questions, please feel free to email us back.
-The Patreon Team”
The whole 8chan Patreon page is now dedicated to ‘Making videos of Hachi the cat’. It still retains all the supporters it had under the 8chan banner, and pulls in over $1,500 per month.
“Cats are great therapy, and every open source developer should have one,” explains Brennan on the page.
“Unfortunately, due to my debilitating disease, I cannot care for a cat by myself and must hire an attendant.
Even simple things like opening tuna cans and changing litter are impossible for me. As a reward, I will upload one video of Hachi every week and also document her progress and adventures in the world!
I hope that you will help me take care of my cat!”
Brennan states that he realises that over a thousand dollars is a lot to look after a cat, and will donate any remaining fund to charity. With the reputation 8chan has, this very probably means that the messaging board’s hosting costs are the ‘charity’ in question. The whole thing is clearly a joke, and how Patreon will proceed to deal with Brennan is as of yet unclear.
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David Thorne, the hilarious fella who turned one co-worker’s request that he design a missing pet poster into an insta-classic web meme full of dry sarcasm, doesn’t restrict his wry written responses to cat ladies. He also helpfully responds to his fans that call him a “foggot.”
Thorne is the man behind the website 27b/6, where innocent correspondence between he and other human beings quickly delves into the nonsensical. His exchanges are — and I don’t use this term lightly — laugh-out-loud funny. So when, earlier this month, a one George Lewis emailed David a one-line message (“I have read your website and it is obviously that your a foggot”), I knew I’d soon be peeing myself.
Explains David:
Sometimes people email me to tell me how their day is going, other times they email me to tell me that I am a dickhead and my website is stupid which I am already aware of due to many preceding emails stating the same thing. I don’t harbor behind a fake name and my email address is clearly listed so it is a simple process for people like George to express their opinion to me but as I never initiate an email correspondence, simply reply, I am not always sure why they bother. If I was hetroflexible, I am pretty sure I would already be aware of the fact and if I’m not, stating that I am is in error so either way it is a pointless exercise. I don’t email random people telling them that they have a pet cat named Charles on the off chance they do and are not aware of it.
Read from the top on down.
From: George Lewis
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 6.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: No Subject
I have read your website and it is obviously that your a foggot.
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 8.07pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Re: No Subject
Dear George,
Thank you for your email. While I have no idea what a foggot is, I will assume it is a term of endearment and appreciate you taking time out from calculating launch trajectories or removing temporal lobe tumors to contact me with such. I have attached a signed photo as per your request.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 8.49pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: No Subject
I didnt ask for a photo fag. and I meant faggot you homo. im not a fan so you can shove your signed photo up your ass. You would probably enjoy that. LOL!!!! Go suck your boyfriends dick in a gay club.
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 9.17pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Re: Re: Re: No Subject
Dear George,
While I do not have a boyfriend, I do have a friend who is homosexual and I once asked him “Do you ever think about having sex with me because you are gay?” to which he replied “Do you ever think about having sex with Rosie O’Donnell because you are straight? Same thing.” If I was inclined to have a boyfriend, I would select one my height and weight to save having to readjust the driver’s seat position. I am not interested in doubling my wardrobe as I wear the same outfit everyday to facilitate speedy identification should I ever be in a boating accident.
Although I have never been to a gay club as such, when I was about ten, a friend and I constructed a club house in my backyard using timber stolen from a building site down the street. Our club, which we named ‘The Kiss Club’ due to a certain band being popular at the time, employed an intensive entry exam in which the applicant had to know all the words to Love Gun and not be a girl. As we had no other friends and knew no girls apart from my sister, this made sense at the time. The next day after school, having managed to recruit several new members by promising laminated membership cards and changing the entry exam to ‘knowing the names of the band members’, we all rode to my place to partricipate in our first club meeting only to discover my sister, outraged by the ‘no girls’ rule and armed with four litres of paint left over from a recent bedroom redesign, had painted the clubhouse pink and added ‘ing’ to the end of the word ‘Kiss’.
Also, despite your inference, I have managed, up to this point, to avoid putting most things in my bottom. Primarily due to the possibility that I might enjoy it, get carried away, and move on to watermelons or midsize family autos. When I was about eight, I drew a face on my hand and practiced kissing it, which I will admit is a little gay, and I have often thought there would be advantages to homosexuality such as Abercrombie & Fitch reward points, successful couch fabric selection capabilities and the gift of dance. With or without a top on. This would come in extremely useful if I needed five hundred dollars and saw a poster advertising a dance competition with a first prize of five hundred dollars.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 9.33pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: No Subject
If you livd close by gaycunt I would be over your place with five friends tonight.
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 2 September 2010 10.08pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: No Subject
Dear George,
I knew we would get along well. We have only known each other for one day and already you are organising a party. I am not sure where Gaycunt is but if I did “livd close by” to it, I would definitely be up for that.
We could all sit outside on banana lounges discussing the best way to rebuild a 4WD transmission and agree, through shared stories of conquests supporting our assertions, that there is no basis to the proposition that those least assured of their persuasions are the first to condemn others for theirs. Although the ideal would be for everyone to be capable of love without fear, restraint, or obligation, clearly this does not apply to homosexuals.
At no time during the night would you comment on how much you liked my Abercrombie & Fitch pants or ask “is that a Marcel Breuer couch? I love the fabric selection” and when we danced, we would all leave our tops on.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 1.18pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: No Subject
no fag I live in Charleston west virginia the best country in the world. I wasnt sying it would be a party. we would smash your fucking skull in and if you are calling me a fag you can get fucked becasue I have a girlfriend.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 1.56pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Yeehaw y’all
Dear George,
Is she also your sister? I checked out her photos on your Facebook page and while she is not exactly my type, I accept that other people have different preferences. Even when those preferences include facial tattoos and stretch pants constructed from sufficient material to shelter a small village. And their livestock. Some men enjoy dancing with other men without their tops on while others prefer the company of a woman two KFC family buckets away from upsetting the planet’s rotational axis.
I read somewhere that Eskimos prefer women of girth as it provides warmth at night. I have seen the size of those igloos though and there is no way your girlfriend would make it through the opening. You could probably just construct one around her and despite the hassle of having to trudge out into the snow every day to catch and prepare the eighty seals required to maintain her mass, it would be like a kiln in there.
If I were an Eskimo, I would build my igloo next to a supermarket or on a tropical beach.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 2.01pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Yeehaw y’all
She isnt fat you fag. and that she got that tattoo is a teardrop becasue her family is dead.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 2.06pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Re: Re: Yeehaw y’all
Did she eat them?
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 2.32pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Yeehaw y’all
Get fucked fag her family they died in a traffic accident. have some respect. Go put some more gel in your hair and dye it balck like a emo skinny fag. And how can you see my facebook page pictures?
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 3.02pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yeehaw y’all
Dear George,
Yes, I have heard those motorhomes can be a bitch to steer. Especially around tight corners during a police chase or moonshine run.
I will concede to fifty percent of your description of me as a “skinny fag” being correct. If our bodies are temples, mine would be a heavily shelled Iranian mosque express. To rectify this, I have instigated a fitness and weight training regime. Once a week I carry two heavy garbage bags out to the sidewalk and jog back. As this week was my first session and I did not want to over exert myself, I took the car. Obviously with a few breaks in between to re-hydrate and stretch.
Although hardly an emo, I understand their pain. If I looked in the mirror and saw an anorexic version of Pugsly Adams staring back at me I would probably start cutting myself as well. I will admit to having dyed my hair once though. The product, misrepresented as ‘Natural Black’ instead of ‘Astro Boy black’, turned my hair as dark as an adequate simile describing just how black it actually was and stained my forehead and ears purple. In an attempt to blend the colour, I rubbed the remainder of the mixture onto my face, figuring it might look like a tan. I spent the following two weeks telling people that I could not leave the house due to agoraphobia, an illness usually self-diagnosed by the unemployed as an excuse to stay home and masturbate or play Wii.
I have access to your Facebook page due to the friend request you accepted from the Oscar Wilde profile I constructed yesterday. I assumed the name would hold no relevance to you and, consistency being the last refuge of the unimaginative, I typed ‘Redneck wearing baseball cap’ into google images to locate a photo you would identify and feel comfortable with.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 4.48pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Yeehaw y’all
Thats fraud. I will report you to the police and to facebook fag. i would shoot you in the face with my .32 if you were here right now.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 5.19pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: tarded
Dear George,
Yes, I’m fairly certain there is a worldwide criminal investigation network dedicated solely to bringing those who construct fake Facebook profiles to justice. I believe the punishment is tar and feathering in most parts of the world except West Virginia where you are stripped naked, oiled up and chased around a paddock while wearing a pig mask.
Apparently in West Virginia, this is also known as a ‘date’. Variations include substituting the paddock with a motorhome or the person with an actual pig. Or in your case, both.
Also, as it is probably far more acceptable for men in West Virginia to hold guns than hands, I will assume the term ‘shooting me in the face with your .32’ is not a euphemism.
Regards, David.
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 7.04pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: tarded
Ive deleted you from my facebook and reported you. i hope you die of aids fag. Dont bothering emailing me again becasue I wont read it.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 7.12pm
To: George Lewis
Subject: dneck
Yes you will.
From: George Lewis
Date: Friday 3 September 2010 7.16pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: dneck
No I fucking wont fag
|
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|
Testing conception of engagement of imidazoline receptors in imidazoline drugs effects on isolated rat heart atria.
Recently, attention has been payed to the role of imidazolines in physiology of the heart. However, no systematic comparative studies were reported regarding the activity of a representative set of specific ligands towards imidazoline receptors in the heart preparations. The aim of this project was to test effects of a set of ligands on the pharmacological function of putative imidazoline receptors in isolated rat heart atria. Known imidazoline drugs with a postulated high affinity to imidazoline I(1) receptor: AGN192403, rilmenidine, moxonidine and clonidine were used. The specific ligands of imidazoline I(2) receptor: 2-BFI, BU239 and putative natural ligand for imidazoline I(1), I(2) and I(3) receptors, agmatine, were tested also. The spontaneously beating right and left atria, driven electrically, were studied. Dose-response curves for amplitude and rate of the contractions of the atria were produced by administration of increasing doses of the agents. Phentolamine as alpha(1)/alpha(2) adrenergic receptors blocker and idazoxan as I(2)/I(1)/alpha(2) receptors blocker were added in order to inhibit ino- and chronotropic effects of the compounds studied. The -log EC(50) parameters were calculated. The positive inotropic effect on left atria were evoked with the rank order of potency: agmatine >> clonidine > BU239 > rilmenidine > or = moxonidine and these effects were generally diminished by idazoxan. Moxonidine produced a weak positive inotropic effect potentiated by idazoxan. Rilmenidine and moxonidine were assumed to act as partial agonists of imidazoline I(1) receptor. AGN192403 did not change the amplitude of beating of left atria. The positive chronotropic effects on spontaneously beating right heart atria were with in the following order of potency: BU239 > or = agmatine >>> clonidine > AGN192403. Idazoxan markedly antagonized chronotropic effect of both BU239 and agmatine. 2-BFI weakly diminished the rate of beating of atria; moxonidine and rilmenidine had no effect. In conclusion, imidazoline receptors of the I(1) subtype may be involved in inotropic reaction of the agents studied, but this effect depends mainly on the alpha(2)/alpha(1) adrenergic receptors. Engagement of I(2) imidazoline receptors, along with the alpha(2) adrenergic ones, in chronotropic activity of isolated right atria of rat has been demonstrated.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Synchronous pyomyositis and septic hip arthritis.
The authors report a rare concomitant pyogenic infection of the iliopsoas, iliacus and external obturator muscles and of the hip joint in a 68-year-old woman. Because the patient showed the classic symptomatic triad of limping, hip pain and fever, in addition to positive hip arthrocentesis, the diagnosis of septic hip arthritis was routine, but the simultaneous pyomyositis was almost overlooked. Unusual localised heat and swelling on the front of the proximal thigh prompted a CT scan that identified remarkable muscle abscesses in addition to the septic arthritis. Surgical debridement and antibiotics resolved the infection relatively rapidly without sequelae. We noted that reaching a definitive diagnosis of such a concomitant infection requires a suspicion of the presence of pyomyositis, which can be definitively determined using advanced imaging studies.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Jeb Stuart (writer)
Jeb Stuart (born January 21, 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer best known for writing blockbuster action films like Die Hard and The Fugitive.
Career
Stuart graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stuart's first screenplay was that of the 1988 action film Die Hard, which he co-wrote with Steven E. de Souza. Adapted from the Roderick Thorp novel Nothing Lasts Forever, the film was a massive financial and critical success, spawning four sequels and being considered one of the greatest and most influential action films of all time. He helped pen the science-fiction horror movie Leviathan and the Sylvester Stallone prison thriller Lock Up.
Stuart was heavily involved in the writing of The Fugitive (1993), reworking David Twohy's original draft while on set and working with director Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. He wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, entitled Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars, in 1995. In 1997, he made his directorial debut with Switchback, a thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Danny Glover. The film's negative critical reception led to Stuart semi-retiring from filmmaking for over a decade, before returning by writing, producing, and directing Blood Done Sign My Name, adapted from the autobiography of author and historian Timothy Tyson.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
Nominations
1988 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture: Die Hard (with Steven E. de Souza)
1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture: The Fugitive (with David Twohy)
1993 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: The Fugitive (with David Twohy)
References
External links
Category:1956 births
Category:Living people
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American film directors
Category:American film producers
Category:Writers from Little Rock, Arkansas
Category:Screenwriters from Arkansas
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
#pragma once
#include <ATen/ATen.h>
#include <ATen/cuda/CUDAContext.h>
#include <THC/THC.h>
#include <c10/util/Optional.h>
#include <nccl.h>
#include <cstddef>
#include <vector>
namespace torch {
namespace cuda {
namespace nccl {
// NOTE: this is exposed only so that python_nccl.cpp can some of these helpers.
// Don't use them outside of these files.
namespace detail {
void throw_nccl_error(ncclResult_t status);
static inline void NCCL_CHECK(ncclResult_t status) {
if (status != ncclSuccess) {
throw_nccl_error(status);
}
}
struct AutoNcclGroup {
AutoNcclGroup() {
#if defined(NCCL_MAJOR) && (NCCL_MAJOR >= 2)
NCCL_CHECK(ncclGroupStart());
#endif
}
~AutoNcclGroup() {
#if defined(NCCL_MAJOR) && (NCCL_MAJOR >= 2)
NCCL_CHECK(ncclGroupEnd());
#endif
}
};
at::ArrayRef<ncclComm_t> _get_communicators(at::TensorList inputs);
void _check_inputs(
at::TensorList inputs,
at::TensorList outputs,
int input_multiplier,
int output_multiplier);
ncclDataType_t _get_data_type(const at::Type& type);
} // namespace detail
using comm_list = std::vector<ncclComm_t>;
using stream_list = std::vector<c10::optional<at::cuda::CUDAStream>>;
std::uint64_t version();
bool is_available(at::TensorList tensors);
void broadcast(
at::TensorList tensors,
const stream_list& streams = {},
const comm_list& user_comms = {});
size_t get_max_count();
void reduce(
const std::vector<at::Tensor>& inputs,
std::vector<at::Tensor>& outputs,
int32_t root = 0,
int32_t op = ncclSum,
const stream_list& streams = {},
const comm_list& user_comms = {});
void reduce(
std::vector<at::Tensor>& inputs,
int32_t root = 0,
int32_t op = ncclSum,
const stream_list& streams = {},
const comm_list& user_comms = {});
} // namespace nccl
} // namespace cuda
} // namespace torch
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
Background {#Sec1}
==========
Our understanding of the genetic basis of Parkinson's disease (PD) has increased tremendously over the past 20 years. Mutations in the gene encoding alpha-synuclein (α-syn) were the first to be associated with genetic PD. Another monogenic causative factor in PD patients is *leucine-rich repeat kinase 2* (*LRRK2*), of which more than 100 variants have been identified \[[@CR1]\]. Asymptomatic carriers of *LRRK2* mutations constitute an ideal population for identifying predictive biomarkers of PD for several reasons: 1) a high risk of conversion to PD, 2) dopaminergic neuronal loss demonstrated by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, and 3) similarity of the clinical phenotype of LRRK2-associated PD to that of patients with sporadic PD (sPD). While the exact involvement of LRRK2 in PD pathogenesis remains only partially understood, converging evidence suggests a role for LRRK2 in modulating inflammation \[[@CR2], [@CR3]\]. As PD has been proposed to start as an inflammatory disease \[[@CR4], [@CR5]\], it is plausible to suggest that there may be a link between *LRRK2* mutations and inflammation.
Several research groups, including ours, have explored the potential of CSF alpha-synuclein (α-syn) forms as diagnostic or progression biomarkers for PD. Total α-syn (t-α-syn) levels were reported to be lower in PD, whereas oligomeric (o-α-syn) and phosphorylated Ser129-α-syn (pS129-α-syn) appear to be elevated \[[@CR6]--[@CR9]\]. CSF core biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology have also been widely explored in PD cases. While a drop in CSF Amyloid-beta (Aβ-42) levels have been reported in PD \[[@CR10]\], the biomarker profile of total tau (tTau), and phosphorylated threonine 181 tau (pTau) were variable \[[@CR11], [@CR12]\]. More importantly, the potential of the aforementioned proteins as markers for PD at preclinical stage remains largely unexplored. Carriers of *LRRK2* mutations have an elevated risk of developing PD and they therefore represent a useful population in which to identify biomarkers of prodromal PD \[[@CR13]\]. However, there is a paucity of data on different forms of α-syn, AD-related proteins and inflammatory biomarkers in *LRRK2* mutation carriers \[[@CR14]--[@CR16]\]. In the present study, our primary objective was to identify a panel of CSF biomarkers for the early detection of PD, preferably at the presymptomatic stage. A secondary objective was to study whether CSF levels of particular biomarkers were associated with severity of clinical symptoms of PD. Towards that end, we measured the levels of different α-syn species, AD-related proteins and 40 different inflammatory markers in CSF samples from a well-characterized Norwegian cohort of 74 subjects with *LRRK2* mutations: 23 symptomatic individuals and 51 asymptomatic mutation carriers. In parallel, we included 60 patients with sporadic (i.e. idiopathic) PD (sPD) and 43 healthy control subjects (first-degree relatives of *LRRK2* mutation carriers (Ctrl)).
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
Patient selection and CSF sampling {#Sec3}
----------------------------------
Patient selection criteria and the method of CSF collection were as described in previous publications \[[@CR16], [@CR17]\]. In total, 74 Norwegian individuals from 12 different families with *LRRK2* mutations were assessed in the current study. Twenty-three patients were clinically diagnosed with PD, whereas 51 patients were healthy, asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers when enrolled in the study. These families have been extensively described in previous reports \[[@CR17]--[@CR19]\]. In addition, 60 patients with sPD and 43 age-matched controls were recruited for this study from St. Olav's Hospital at the University Hospital of Trondheim in Norway. The control group was composed of first-degree relatives of *LRRK2* mutation carriers who were not carrying *LRRK2* mutations. PD clinical diagnoses were made by experienced senior clinicians based on guidelines described by Gelb and colleagues \[[@CR20]\] and disease stage was assessed according to the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scale. All patients with sPD were screened and confirmed to be negative for known *LRRK2* mutations. Patients with an age at onset of ≤50 years were confirmed to be negative for known pathogenic mutations in *Parkin* and *PINK1*. All family members of LRRK2 patients were examined for clinical features of PD by movement disorder specialists and found to be asymptomatic, although a few had mild premotor signs and an increased Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) score (three cases scored \> 10 on UPDRS-III) \[[@CR21]\]. The *LRRK2*-mutant PD patients were taking levodopa, and some were taking dopamine agonists and/or monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitors.
To collect CSF, lumbar punctures were performed in overnight fasted patients between 8 and 10 am. CSF samples were aliquoted in 1.2--1.5 ml low-binding tubes, and one vial was sent for routine laboratory analysis (i.e., white and red blood cell count, total protein and glucose levels, according to the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative \[PPMI\] protocol), whereas the majority of the vials were frozen fewer than 15 min after collection following centrifugation at 2000 g at 4 °C then sub-aliquoted and stored at − 80 °C until further analysis. All patients provided signed informed consent, and the study was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics.
Measurement of alpha-synuclein species {#Sec4}
--------------------------------------
All immunoassays used to measure the different species of α-syn were developed in-house and described in previous reports \[[@CR9], [@CR22], [@CR23]\] . Briefly, to capture t- or pS129-α-syn, a 384-well ELISA microplate was coated with 0.1 or 0.5 μg/ml Syn-140 (a sheep anti-α-syn polyclonal antibody) in 200 mM NaHCO~3~, pH 9.6 (50 μl/well) by overnight incubation at 4 °C, while 0.2 μg/ml of our mouse conformation-specific antibody, Syn-O2, was used to capture o-α-syn. After incubation with 100 μl/well of blocking buffer (PBS-T containing 2.25% gelatin) for 2 h at 37 °C, 50 μl/well of the CSF samples (diluted 1:2 in artificial CSF) along with serial dilutions of recombinant human t-, pS129-or o-α-syn (50 μl) were dispensed in each well, and the plate was incubated at 37 °C for 2.5 h. After washing with PBS-T, 50 μl/well of 11D12 (a mouse anti-α-syn monoclonal antibody) \[[@CR9]\], PS129 (a mouse anti-pS129-α-syn monoclonal antibody) \[[@CR9]\], or FL-140 (rabbit polyclonal antibody, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA), for measuring t-, pS129-α-syn, or o-, respectively, were added to the corresponding wells and incubated at 37 °C for 2 h. Next, the plates were washed and incubated for 2 h at 37 °C with 50 μl/well of species-appropriate secondary antibody (goat anti-rabbit IgG HRP or donkey anti-mouse IgG HRP, Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Inc., USA, 1:20,000 dilution). After washing, the plates were incubated with 50 μl/well of enhanced chemiluminescent substrate (Super Signal ELISA Femto, Pierce Biotechnology, USA). The chemiluminescence, expressed in relative light units, was immediately measured using a PerkinElmer Envision multi-label plate reader (PerkinElmer, Finland). CSF samples were measured in a blinded fashion and randomized for analysis, with all LRRK2 symptomatic/asymptomatic, PD and HC samples being tested together on the same ELISA microplates. A series of internal controls was also run to check for run-to-run variations. The concentrations of α-syn species in the samples were calculated using the corresponding standard curves.
Measurement of AD biomarkers {#Sec5}
----------------------------
CSF Aβ42, Aβ40, total tau (tTau), and phosphorylated threonine 181 tau (pTau) were measured using MILLIPLEX® MAP Human Amyloid Beta Tau Magnetic Bead Panel (Luminex xMAP) run on the Bio-Plex® 3D instrument (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA) according to manufacturer's instructions. The kit allows simultaneous quantification of Aβ40, Aβ42, tTau, and pTau.
Measurement of inflammatory markers {#Sec6}
-----------------------------------
A magnetic human chemokine bioplex assay (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA) was used to measure 40 chemokines from human CSF samples (6Ckine/CCL21, BCA-1/CXCL13, CTACK/CCL27, ENA-78/CXCL5, Eotaxin/CCL11, Eotaxin-2/CCL24, Eotaxin-3/CCL26, Fractalkine /CX3CL1, GCP-2/CXCL6,GM-CSF, Gro-α/CXCL1, Gro-β/CXCL2, I-309/CCL1, IFN-ϒ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8/CXCL8, IL-10, IL-16, IP-10/CXCL10, I-TAC/CXCL11, MCP-1/CCL2, MCP-2/CCL8, MCP-3/CCL7, MCP-4/CCL13, MDC/CCL22, MIF, MIG/CXCL9, MIP-1α/CCL3,MIP-1δ/CCL15, MIP-3α/CCL20,MIP-3β/CCL19, MPIF-1/CCL23, SCYB16/CXCL16, SDF-1α + β/CXCL12, TARC/CCL17, TECK/CCL25, TNF-α). Bioplex assays was run according to the manufacturer's instructions using the recommended 1 in 2 dilution of CSF. Plates were read using the Bio-Plex® 3D suspension array system; the next generation multiplexing platform based on xMAP technology. Enclosed standards were used to generate an 8-point standard curve to which a 5-parameter logistic curve was fitted and were used to quantify unknown concentrations using BioPlex manger software. The coefficient of variance between duplicates was mostly \< 10%, as was the variance between standard curves run on separate plates. Only chemokines with robust readings above background were considered for further analysis.
Statistical analysis {#Sec7}
--------------------
IBM SPSS software (version 24.0, Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the statistical analyses of the data, whereas R 3.6.1 was used for plotting the box and whisker plots.
Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between study groups using chi-square tests, analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni tests or Kruskal- Wallis tests followed by Mann-Whitney U tests, where appropriate. All datasets were tested for normality and the presence of outliers. As data were considered inappropriate for parametric analyses, Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations within the study group. For all CSF biomarkers that showed robust readings above background (i.e. α-syn species, AD markers and 18 inflammatory markers), differences between the diagnostic groups were assessed using general linear models (GLMs) corrected for age and gender with post-hoc Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. Only biomarkers that varied significantly among the study groups were included in the next Discriminant Function analyses. Since our main objective was to identify predictive markers for the early detection of PD, both symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and sPD groups were combined for discriminant function analysis. Discriminant function analysis evaluates canonical discriminant functions based on combinations of the selected markers which contribute maximally to group separation and assesses how well these canonical discriminant functions discriminate the diagnostic groups. CSF biomarker data were Z-transformed prior to discriminant function analysis.
We also performed multivariate logistic regression analyses with backward stepwise selection (separate analyses for each comparison). The control group was entered as a reference category and t-, o- and pSer129-α-syn, TNF-α and IL-16 were enrolled as predictors. For the resulting models, we report AUC, sensitivity, specificity and OR (95% CI) of the individual model.
Results {#Sec8}
=======
Patient population and demographics {#Sec9}
-----------------------------------
Demographics, clinical characteristics and CSF biomarkers levels of the study groups are summarized in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}. Twenty-three of the 74 subjects (30%) with *LRRK2* mutations analyzed had a manifest PD and were carrying either the most common *LRRK2* mutation, G2019S, or a different *LRRK2* mutation, N1437H. The symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers had a mean age of 60 ± 11 years. 51 subjects of the 74 subjects (70%) had no symptoms of PD at the time of CSF sample collection and these cases had a mean age of 57 ± 14 years. There was no significant difference in disease duration between the symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and the sPD patients. Moreover, no difference was found between groups with regard to the routine CSF levels of white-red cell count as well as the total protein, albumin, and glucose levels, including the plasma glucose level. Controlling for age and gender did not significantly alter the results. Table 1Demographics and CSF biomarkers by diagnostic groupCtrl (*n* = 43)sPD (*n* = 60)Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (*n* = 51)Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (*n* = 23)Age (y), mean ± SD^a^49 ± 1857 ± 1057 ± 1460 ± 11Gender (male), n(%)^a^19 (38.0%)36 (52.9%)26 (50%)6 (25%)Disease duration (y)^b^NA4 (1--6)NA7 (5--19)MoCA^c^27 (27--29)27 (25--28)27 (26--28)25 (23.7--27)H&YNA2 (2--2)0 (0--0)2 (2--3)UPDRS-III^d^NA24 (19--29)3 (0.25--5)24 (19.5--27)t-α-syn (pg/mL)^e^816 (596--1112)573 (466--710)^\*\*\*^617 (431--803)^\*\*^608 (432--740)^\*\*^o-α-syn (pg/mL)^e^161 (148--186)187.5 (170.5--219.8)^\*\*^183 (160--230)^\*\*^182 (146--196)pS129-α-syn (pg/mL)^e^116 (103--145)139 (114.25--163)121 (94--150)122 (106--145)tTau (pg/mL)^f^141.2 (89.6--201.3)134.7 (88.3--224.9)123.6 (86.7--236.4)113.5 (94.9--167.8)pTau (pg/mL)^f^12 (9--16)14.3 (9.6--21.7)14.7 (10.7--20.8)15.9 (10.5--22.4)Aβ-40 (pg/mL)^f^2506 (1967--3120)2595.7 (2193.7--3098.2)2776.2 (2287.6--4020.6)3048.9 (1959.3--3810.8)Aβ-42 (pg/mL)^f^517.9 (404.77--738)535.4 (405.11--662.6)580.3 (457.8--905.3)539.9 (410.9--880.9)IL-16^g^6.5 (4.9--8)5.1 (4--6.6)^\*^5.1 (3.9--6.8)4.3 (2.8--5.3)TNF-α^g^3.3 (2.6--5.5)4.2 (2.4--6.5)5.5 (4.2--7.4)^\*^5.5 (2.5--7.3)Data are expressed as mean ± SD, median (IQR), or n (%). Demographical differences between groups were analyzed using analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni tests (age), X2 tests (gender), and Kruskal-Wallis with post hoc Mann-Whitney U tests (MoCA, H&Y, UPDRS and disease duration). Differences in CSF biomarker levels between groups were assessed with a GLM adjusted for age and gender. T-, o-, and pS129-α-syn, IL-16, TNF-α, tTau, ptau, Aβ40 and Aβ-42 were log-transformed, yet presented as raw data (\* *p* \< 0.05, ^\*\*^*p* \< 0.01, ^\*\*\*^*p* \< 0.001 compared with Ctrl)Aβ1--42, amyloid β1--42; Ctrl, healthy controls; H&Y, Hoehn and Yahr scale; IL-16, interleukin-16; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment; NA, not applicable; o-α-syn, oligomeric α-synuclein; pSer129-α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein protein at serine 129; pTau, tau phosphorylated at threonine 181; sPD, sporadic PD; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; tTau, total tau protein; t-α-syn, total α-synuclein; UPDRS-III, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale^a^Ctrl, *n* = 43; sPD, *n* = 58; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 51, Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 23^b^ Ctrl, n = NA; sPD, *n* = 59; Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 21^c^ Ctrl, *n* = 15; sPD, *n* = 59; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 48, Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 22^d^ Ctrl, *n* = 15; sPD, *n* = 59; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 48, Symptomatic *LRRK2*mutation carriers, *n* = 21^e^ Ctrl, *n* = 43; sPD, *n* = 60; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 51, Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 23^f^ Ctrl, *n* = 28; sPD, *n* = 40; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 26, Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 11^g^ Ctrl, *n* = 28; sPD, *n* = 42; Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 24, Symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, *n* = 12
CSF biomarkers levels in diagnostic groups {#Sec10}
------------------------------------------
The levels of CSF t-, o- and pS129-α-syn in the different diagnostic groups are presented in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} and Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}. The GLM showed differences between diagnostic groups in CSF t-, o- and pS129-α-syn, TNF-α and IL-16 levels (*P* \< 0.01, adjusted for age and gender; Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Post-hoc tests revealed that in comparison to Ctrl (median and IQR = 816 (596--1112) pg/ml, *n* = 43), levels of CSF t-α-syn were significantly lower in sPD group (median and IQR = 573 (466.5--710.5), *n* = 60) (*P* \< 0.001, Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}a), asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (median and IQR = 617 (431--803) pg/ml, *n* = 51) (*P* \< 0.01, Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}a), and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (median and IQR = 608 (432--740) pg/ml, *n* = 23) (*P* \< 0.01, Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}a). There were no significant differences in the levels of CSF t-α-syn between the groups of sPD, symptomatic and asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers. On the other hand, and as shown in Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}b, both sPD (median and IQR = 187.5 (170.5--219.8) pg/ml, *n* = 60) (*P* \< 0.001, Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}b) and asymptomatic LRRK2 (median and IQR = 183 (160--230) pg/ml, *n* = 51) (*P* \< 0.01, Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}b) groups had CSF profile with higher levels of o-α-syn compared with Ctrl (median and IQR = 161 (148--186) pg/ml, *n* = 43). Examination of CSF levels of pS129-α-syn revealed a trend of an increase in sPD group (median and IQR = 139 (114.25--163) pg/ml, n = 60) compared to Ctrl (median and IQR = 116 (103--145) pg/ml, *n* = 43), however the difference did not reach statistical significance. (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}c). The ratios of o-α-syn/t-α-syn % and pSer129-α-syn/t-α-syn were both higher in sPD, symptomatic and asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers compared with Ctrl (*P* \< 0.01; Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}d, e). Fig. 1Box-and-whiskers plots of CSF levels of α-syn forms in sPD, symptomatic and asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, and Ctrl. Box-and-whiskers plots of CSF levels of α-syn species in sPD, asymptomatic LRRK2 carriers, symptomatic LRRK2 carriers and Ctrls. **a** CSF levels of t-α-syn, **b** CSF levels of o-α-syn, **c** CSF levels of pSer129-α-syn, **d** ratio of o-α-syn/ t-α-syn %, **e** ratio of pSer129-α-syn/ t-α-syn %. The line through the middle of the boxes corresponds to the median and the lower and the upper lines to the 25th and 75th percentiles, respectively. The whiskers extend from the 5th percentile on the bottom to the 95th percentile on top. Differences between groups were assessed with the GLM compared to Ctrl group and adjusted for age and gender. \**P* \< 0.05, \*\**P* \< 0.01, \*\*\**P* \< 0.001
The age- and gender-adjusted GLM revealed no significant differences in levels of AD biomarkers between the study groups.
To determine whether inflammatory biomarkers were altered among the different study groups, a panel of 40 proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were assessed in CSF samples from all study participants. Of the 40 markers measured, 18 showed robust readings above background and were further analyzed (6Ckine, IL-6, SDF-1 α + β, IL-16, MDC, MIF, TNF-α, MPIF-1, Eotaxin, IP-10, MCP-1, IL-8, MCP-2, SCYP16, MIP-1Delta, CTACK, MIP-3β, Fractalkine). GLM Bonferroni corrected analysis revealed that of the remaining 18, only IL-16 and TNF-α were significantly different. A univariate, post-hoc analysis corrected for age and gender as covariates demonstrated that IL-16 levels were significantly lower in sPD group (median and IQR = 5.1 (4--6.6) pg/ml, *n* = 42) (*P* \< 0.05) compared with Ctrl (median and IQR 6.5 = (4.94--8) pg/ml, *n* = 28). More interestingly, analysis showed a significant increase of TNF-α in asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (median and IQR = 5.5 (4.2--7.4) pg/ml (*P* \< 0.05), *n* = 24) compared to Ctrl (median and IQR = 3.3 (2.6--5.5) pg/ml (*P* \< 0.05), *n* = 28). The inflammatory profiles of symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and sPD cases were not significantly different (data not shown).
By use of Spearman correlations, we evaluated associations between different CSF α-syn forms and AD core biomarkers (Supplementary Table [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}). For the Ctrl group, but not for any of the other groups, we found a positive association between o-α-syn and pSer129-α-syn (*r* = 0.39, *P* \< 0.01). We also noted an inverse correlation between t-α-syn and o-α-syn (*r* = 0.31, *P* \< 0.05) that was only present in asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers. When we explored correlations between α-syn species and the AD biomarkers, we found that t-α-syn positively correlated with Aβ-40 and Aβ-42 in the asymptomatic LRRK2 group (*r* = 0.568, *P* \< 0.01, *r* = 0.485, *P* \< 0.05). No other correlations were noted.
Correlations between CSF alpha-synuclein levels and clinical parameters {#Sec11}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Correlational analyses of CSF levels of α-syn species with clinical parameters (age, disease duration, UPDRS-III, H&Y and MoCA) are shown in Supplementary Table [2](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. In summary, higher levels of CSF t-α-syn correlated with: worse cognitive function as assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score (*r* = − 0.44, *P* \< 0.01) in the sPD group. Similarly, a weak correlation of t-α-syn and age was noted in PD group (*r* = 0.29, *P* \< 0.01). While pS129-α-syn positively correlated with age in PD group (*r* = 0.384, *P* \< 0.01), aging was also associated with increased levels of CSF TNF-α in both PD and asymptomatic carriers groups (*r* = 0.362, *P* \< 0.01, *r* = 0.492, *P* \< 0.01, respectively).
Discriminant function analysis {#Sec12}
------------------------------
In an attempt to identify the optimal panel that can serve as predictive markers for PD at the prodromal stage, we performed a discriminant function analysis of biomarkers that were significantly different between the groups. Canonical discriminant function classification results are presented in Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}. In the analysis, both groups of sPD and symptomatic LRRK2 carriers were combined as one PD group. A panel of t-, o- and pS129-α-syn, TNF-α and IL-16 together correctly classified 60% of all cases in the asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, PD, and Ctrl groups (lambda = 0.644, *P* \< 0.001). The discrimination plot of the two canonical discriminant functions for discrimination of the three groups is presented in Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"} and the loadings of individual predictors on each discriminant function are shown in Supplementary Table [3](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. Canonical discriminant function 1 strongly correlated with t-α-syn (*r* = − 0.694^**\***^), o-α-syn (*r* = − 0.499\*) and pS129-α-syn (*r* = 0.390\*) and discriminated both asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and PD groups from Ctrl group; we will subsequently refer to this function as the *Disease* function. Canonical discriminant function 2 strongly correlated with TNF-α (*r* = 0.678\*) and IL-16 (*r* = − 0.554\*) and further discriminated asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers group from Ctrl group; we will subsequently refer to this function as the *Prodromal* function. Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers' centroid is located at the intersection of both the *Disease* axis and the *Prodromal* disorders axis. Table 2Canonical Discriminant functions classification results ^a^GroupPredicted Group MembershipTotalctrlPDAsymptomatic carriersOriginalCountCtrl203427PD7331454Asymptomatic carriers591024%Ctrl**74.1**11.114.8100.0PD13.0**61.1**25.9100.0Asymptomatic carriers20.837.5**41.7**100.0^a^ 60.0% of original grouped cases correctly classifiedFig. 2Discriminant function plot of canonical discriminant functions. CSF biomarkers were z-transformed before analyses. Discriminant function plot of canonical discriminant functions for discrimination of asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, PD and controls. Yellow dots indicate individual data of control subjects, green dots indicate individual data of Parkinson's disease patients (sporadic and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers) and red dots indicate individual data of LRRK2 asymptomatic carriers. The golden stars represent the group centroids
We employed backward-elimination multiple logistic regression analyses to identify optimal biomarker panels for bilateral comparisons between: \[[@CR1]\] asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and Ctrl, and \[[@CR2]\] PD patients and Ctrl, for which t-, o- and pS129-α-syn, TNF-α, and IL-16 were entered as predictors and the Ctrl group was used as the reference group in each comparison. A summary of the final models are shown in Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}. The combination of t-α-syn, o-α-syn, and TNF-α discriminated the asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers group from the Ctrl group: low levels of t-α-syn (OR, 0.997; 95% CI, 0.994--0.999), high levels of o-α-syn (OR, 1.029, 95% CI, 0.999--1.060), and high levels of TNF-α (OR, 1.418; 95% CI, 0.998--2.014) indicate that individuals are at higher risk developing PD. Examining PD and Ctrl groups only, we found that low levels of t-α-syn (OR, 0.996; 95% CI, 0.994--0.999), high levels of o-α-syn (OR, 1.031; 95% CI,1.005--1.056), high levels of pS129-α-syn (OR, 1.035; 95% CI, 1.010--1.059), low levels of IL-16 (OR, 0.785; 95% CI, 0.603--1.022) differentiates the PD group from the Ctrl group. Receiver operating characteristic curves for both models are illustrated in Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}. Each of the models generated an area under the curve (AUC) of \> 0.80. Table 3Logistic regression analysis of multiple CSF biomarkersCtrl GroupPredictorsOR (95% CI)Accuracy of model*P*Asymptomatic carrierst-α-syno-α-synTNF-α0.997 (0.994--0.999)1.029 (0.999--1.060)1.418 (0.998--2.014)AUC: 0.843 (0.724--0.961)Sens: 87.5%,Spec: 66.7%0.000PD (i.e. sPD & symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers)t-α-syno-α-synpS129-α-synIL-160.996 (0.994--0.999)1.031 (1.005--1.056)1.035 (1.010--1.059)0.785 (0.60--1.022)AUC: 0.896 (0.823--0.969)Sens: 87.0%Spec: 78.6%0.000*AUC* area under the curve, *HC* Healthy controls, *NPV* negative predictive value, *OR* odds ratio, *o-α-syn* oligomeric α-synuclein, *PD* sporadic and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation patients, *PPV* positive predictive value; pSer129-α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein protein at serine 129, *Sens* sensitivity, *Spec* specificity, *TNF-α* tumor necrosis factor-alpha, *t-α-syn* total α-synucleinFig. 3Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) showing the diagnostic accuracy of the final logistic regression models. Asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers vs Ctrl subjects, (B) PD patients vs Ctrl subjects
Discussion {#Sec13}
==========
*LRRK2* mutations are well-described as a cause of genetic familial parkinsonism, and drugs inhibiting LRRK2 kinase activity are already in clinical trials \[[@CR24]\]. However, as *LRRK2* mutation carriers are at high risk of developing PD, asymptomatic individuals with *LRRK2* mutations are an excellent group for discovery of biomarkers of prodromal PD based on the premise that they are highly likely to develop PD in future.
In the current study, we measured 47 different candidate biomarkers and found evidence that low levels of CSF t-α-syn, and high levels of CSF o-α-syn and TNF-α potentially differentiate asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers, i.e. PD subjects at the prodromal phase, from healthy controls. As these biomarkers in combination had greater discriminant power than those in isolation, these findings emphasize the value of combining multiple markers for early detection of PD.
In line with previous cross-sectional studies assessing the diagnostic power of CSF α-syn forms \[[@CR8], [@CR9]\], we report that sPD patients had significantly decreased levels of CSF t-α-syn and increased levels of CSF o- and pS129-α-syn compared to Ctrl group. Importantly, our results also show that asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers displayed significantly higher CSF o-α-syn than Ctrls. These findings support the hypothesis that α-syn oligomerization is an early event in the pathophysiology of PD and add further weight to evaluation of CSF o-α-syn as a candidate biomarker for detection of prodromal PD. A previous study showed a similar trend, although the results were not significant \[[@CR16]\]. One possible explanation for disparate results between both studies is that the use of conformation-specific antibodies and oligomeric-specific ELISA in the present study, minimized the overlap between groups and improved the discriminant power between the study groups.
Our results partially contradict with Vilas et al.*,* 2016 study, where CSF t-α-syn levels were lowered only in idiopathic (i.e. sporadic) PD group in contrast to other diagnostic groups; however, the differences in CSF tTau, pTau, Aβ-40 or Aβ-42 levels didn't reach statistical significance. Immunoassays employed to measure AD biomarkers in both studies used Luminex xMAP but employed different antibodies, which may underlie different results. If this is the case, this would have important implications for the design of future biomarkers studies.
Several biomarkers and brain tissue studies have shown that neuroinflammatory process precedes neurodegeneration in PD \[[@CR25]--[@CR27]\], whilst very few studies have evaluated inflammatory biomarkers in relation to α-syn forms \[[@CR15]\]. In the current study, we found CSF TNF-α to be significantly higher in asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers compared to Ctrls. In a recent 11-year study in over 4 million Norwegians, an inhaled asthma medication with anti-TNF activity, a brain-penetrant drug, was associated with lower levels of t-α-syn and decreased the risk of PD \[[@CR28], [@CR29]\]. While the authors of the study didn't claim a causative association, their findings correspond with our present findings, as asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers showed significantly lower CSF t-α-syn and higher TNF-α and o-α-syn. However, the control subjects in our study were significantly younger than sPD, symptomatic and asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (*p* \< 0.05), a notable finding given that previous studies have demonstrated an age-dependent increase in CSF TNF-α levels \[[@CR30]\], which we also observed (Supplementary Table [2](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}). However, CSF TNF-α levels were still significantly increased in asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers compared with Ctrl subjects when CSF TNF-α values were analyzed after age adjustment (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). We observed no effect of gender on biomarker levels in all study groups, and analysis was performed with and without gender adjustment with no difference in overall findings. Therefore, we concluded that gender bias did not affect the results in this study.
It is important to note that *LRRK2* mutations (G2019S, N1437H) have incomplete penetrance, meaning that not all of the asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers in our cohort would develop PD. This may explain the overlap between asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers and both Ctrl and sPD groups (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}), falling almost at the intersection in the discriminant function analysis (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}). In light of the incomplete penetrance of *LRRK2*, discriminant function analysis correctly classified 60.0% of original grouped cases, where 74.1% Ctrl, 61.1% PD and 41.7% cases of asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers were correctly classified (Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}). It is tempting to speculate that the lower discriminant function analysis levels for asymptomatic *LRRK2* cases reflects the incomplete penetrance of this mutation, and could suggest that the cases correctly discriminated are those most likely to develop PD. Future studies could further explore this question in *LRRK2* patients in large prospective studies, such as the ongoing Parkinson's progression markers initiative, to determine their diagnostic utility in predicting PD in *LRRK2* mutation carriers.
In a recent study by Halliday and colleagues, using CSF and serum samples from the Michael J. Fox Foundation LRRK2 cohort consortium \[[@CR15]\], 28 cytokines were measured in CSF and compared between Ctrl (*n* = 22) and asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers (*n* = 25). However, in this study, none of the markers, including TNF-α, distinguished between the two groups but CSF TNF-α levels combined with 5 other cytokines significantly differentiated these cases from sPD (*n* = 29) and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation (G2019S) carriers. The discrepancy seen in our results and the above mentioned study could be due to the differences in the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the subjects, and/or time difference in processing or storing the samples.
Admittedly, the size of our cohort is relatively small, particularly considering the number of subjects in which all the biomarkers' measurements were available. Furthermore, the only control group in this study was composed of first-degree relatives of *LRRK2* mutations carriers and, although they were confirmed negative for *LRRK2* mutations, including another standard control group shall be considered in further studies. Previous studies have described heterogeneous pathologies in *LRRK2* mutation carriers, where different brain areas and methods were studied and used \[[@CR31]--[@CR33]\]. Such differences in neuropathological changes elicited by *LRRK2* mutations necessitates the need for cohorts where neuropathological examination of *LRRK2* mutation carriers is conducted both to provide neuropathological confirmation of clinical diagnoses, and to better define and validate differential profiles of biomarkers.
Conclusions {#Sec14}
===========
Our study, by demonstrating lower CSF t-α-syn levels, higher o-α-syn and TNF-α in asymptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers highlights the power of those biomarkers at providing an early detection of PD. Future studies are necessary to confirm the potential sensitivity and specificity of combing α-syn species with inflammatory biomarkers as predictive and perhaps progression biomarkers of PD. Comparison of CSF and blood levels of the current biomarkers in larger cohorts with longitudinal follow-up of *LRRK2* mutation carriers, and other "at risk" groups, are of great importance. Such studies are crucial to select biomarkers that could identify individuals at high risk to convert to PD, who would then be the target group for the development of preventive treatments.
Supplementary information
=========================
{#Sec15}
**Additional file 1: Supplementary Table 1.** Associations between CSF biomarkers. No correlation between CSF biomarkers were present in symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers group alone. Both sPD and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers groups were combined as one PD group. Associations between CSF biomarkers were assessed with Spearman correlation coefficients. Data shown as r. Significance: \*\*\* *p* \< 0.001; \*\* *p* \< 0.01; \* *p* \< 0.05 Aβ1--42, amyloid β1--42; Ctrl, Healthy controls; o-α-syn, oligomeric α-synuclein; pSer129-α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein protein at serine 129; pTau, tau phosphorylated at threonine 181; PD, Parkinson's disease patients; tTau, total tau protein; and t-α-syn, total α-synuclein. **Supplementary Table 2.** Associations between CSF α-syn species and clinical parameters. Associations between CSF biomarkers were assessed with Spearman correlation coefficients. Data shown as r. Significance: \*\*\* *p* \< 0.001; \*\* *p* \< 0.01; \* *p* \< 0.05. Both sPD and symptomatic *LRRK2* mutation carriers groups were combined as one PD group. Aβ1--42, amyloid β1--42; Ctrl, healthy controls; H&Y, Hoehn and Yahr scale; MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment; NA, not applicable; o-α-syn, oligomeric α-synuclein; pSer129-α-synuclein, phosphorylated α-synuclein protein at serine 129; pTau, tau phosphorylated at threonine 181; sPD, sporadic PD; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-alpha; tTau, total tau protein; t-α-syn, total α-synuclein; UPDRS-III, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. **Supplementary Table 3.** Discriminant loadings for each individual predictor. The correlation coefficient represents the relative contribution for each predictor to group separation. IL-16, interlukin-16; o-α-syn, α-synuclein oligomers; pS129-α-syn, phosphorylated Ser 129 α-synuclein; t-α-syn, total α-synuclein; TNF- α, tumor necrosis factor- α.
PD
: Parkinson's disease
CSF
: Cerebrospinal fluid
TNF-α
: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha
AUC
: Area under the curve
PET
: Positron emission tomography
AD
: Alzheimer's disease
UPDRS
: Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale
MAO
: Monoamine oxidase inhibitor
PPMI
: Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative
ELISA
: Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay
PBS
: Phosphate-buffered saline
PBS-T
: Phosphate-buffered saline with tween-20
HRP
: Horseradish peroxidase
HC
: Healthy control
OR
: Odds ratio
CI
: Confidence interval
GLM
: General linear model
IL
: Interleukin
IQR
: Interquartile range
NPRP
: National Priorities Research Program
Supplementary information
=========================
**Supplementary information** accompanies this paper at 10.1186/s40035-020-00192-4.
The authors thank all patients and healthy subjects, lab manager Dr. Houari Abdesselem, funding agencies, Michael J Fox Foundation and Norwegian Parkinson Foundation This work would have not been possible without their valuable contribution.
Disclosures {#FPar1}
===========
The authors have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report.
Study design and supervision: N.M, O.E. Conduction of the experiments: N.M, M.T. and N.V. Clinical data collection: J.A. and E.H. Data analysis: N.M. and N.E. Writing the first draft of the manuscript and incorporating revisions from other authors: N.M. Data interpretation and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: N.M, J.A., W.B., T.T., B.M., H.B., and O.E. Final review of the draft and approval to submit for publication: O.E. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This study was supported by Strat-up Funding to OE from Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (SF 2007--007) and Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP No.: 8--517--3-112).
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
All patients provided signed informed consent, and the study was approved by the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics.
Not applicable.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
|
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Determination of serum cholinesterase activity and dibucaine numbers by an amperometric choline sensor.
Serum cholinesterase activity and the dibucaine numbers have been determined by using a hydrogen peroxide electrode and the enzyme choline oxidase immobilized on a nylon net. The analysis procedure is extremely simple and very fast allowing 30 cholinesterase determinations per hour. Both cholinesterase activity and dibucaine number measurements could be performed in 5 min and by using serum samples of only 10 microliters. When used in sera the probe showed no interference from electroactive compounds present in blood, and also showed good stability and reproducibility. These features make this sensor appropriate for continuous extracorporeal circuit blood monitoring of succinylcholine during surgery.
|
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"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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#
_To all people looking for simple solutions to everyday happiness—for yourself, for others and the environment_
#### CONTENTS
What makes you happy?
**Part 1: The Journey**
Take a peek at the big picture
Plan for a miracle
Visualise a happier and brighter future
Get a better life balance
Don't tough it out alone
Use past experience as a future resource
Make a clear plan
Do something you've been putting off
Develop five daily happiness habits
Develop healthy and happiness-making routines
Write a list
Do less
Get a clearer perspective
Know what motivates you
Flex your wings
**Part 2: Life Domains**
**_DOMAIN 1_** : **Being your own best friend**
Make today special
Name one thing you are grateful for each day
Build confidence one step at a time
Be kind to yourself
Take some 'me' time
Appreciate your strengths
Communicate clearly and confidently
Stress less
Be. Here. Now
Practise compassion
Use your moral compass
Believe in something bigger than yourself
**_DOMAIN 2_** : **Dressing and grooming**
Fake it until you make it
Sort out your wardrobe
Dress to make yourself feel good
Allow your personality to shine
Pamper yourself
**_DOMAIN 3_** : **Designing your living space**
De-clutter
Create a positive living space
Clean and tidy as you go
Involve the whole family in looking after your home
Create a garden that brings positivity to your life
Simplify your workspace
**_DOMAIN 4_** : **Promoting health and wellbeing**
Bounce back
Manage challenges
Eat well
Choose water as your drink
Switch off the screen and get active
Be active in as many ways as you can
Limit alcohol
Quit smoking for good
Be drug aware
Manage other addictive habits
Live a life less painful
Get a good night's sleep
Protect your health
**_DOMAIN 5_** : **Managing finances**
Rethink your relationship with money
Simplify your finances
The good life, simply
Give of yourself
Finish unfinished business
Make aware financial decisions
**_DOMAIN 6_** : **Engaging in work**
Do what you love
Visualise a day in your preferred job
Be inspired
Keep learning
Consider downsizing
Let your workmates know what you appreciate about them
Focus on strengths
Create a shared vision
**_DOMAIN 7_** : **Building relationships**
Develop respectful relationships
Keep romance alive
Spend time with people you enjoy
Celebrate your family and heritage
Show love and respect to children in small ways as often as possible
Practise positive parenting
Experience the unconditional love of a pet
Practise forgiveness
Treasure lost loves
**_DOMAIN 8_** : **Connecting with your community**
Take time to connect
Help others
Value traditional cultures
Get active to change the big picture
Help create a safe and caring community
Create enriching environments for all
**_DOMAIN 9_** : **Caring for the environment**
Cultivate your appreciation of nature
Walk and cycle whenever you can
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Reduce waste
Detox your home
Make environmentally friendly changes at work
**_DOMAIN 10_** : **Having fun**
Read a book
Listen to music
Get cultural
Create
Play a sport
Do one thing you've always wanted to do
Plan a holiday
Play with children
**Part 3: Keeping on Track**
Notice what's better
Celebrate your success
Manage setbacks
Keep looking for possibilities
Get help with the jobs you struggle with
Keep sight of the big picture
Reflect on the change process
My wish for you
Acknowledgements
References
Also by Exisle Publishing...
Back Cover Material
# What makes you happy?
_Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. Dr Seuss_
What do you want most in life? Most people would answer, 'I just want to be happy.' Sounds simple, but what does happiness look like? And is the life you now lead bringing you closer to happiness?
To find out what makes you happy, let's break the complicated question into manageable pieces: What are you passionate about? What helps you to maintain a sense of hope and optimism? What rejuvenates you? Answering questions like these will help you to consciously create a life you really want to live, rather than one that just happens by chance or is based on things you don't truly value.
Another way of thinking about what makes you happy is to pinpoint those things that add to your wellbeing and quality of life. Wellbeing is about moving beyond 'just getting by'—it's about thriving and flourishing. But how do you get from one place to the other? Where's the map for the journey to happiness?
Creating happiness doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. While some people may need to make big changes to create a healthier lifestyle or stress less, setting goals to be happier need not include climbing mountains (although along the way, you might find you enjoy mountain climbing!).
The good news is that many simple, positive, healthy choices and activities promote wellbeing. Some people find that taking the time to experience simple pleasures—patting a dog, reading to a child, cooking—brings great peace and enjoyment. For others, greater happiness involves simplifying their life: de-cluttering their home, developing healthy routines, making time to relax, and spending time with loved ones bring a sense of happiness that was missing.
Although each of us finds happiness in different ways and in different places, there are things we have in common: meaningful experiences, connections with friends and family, and practising gratitude and compassion bring value to our lives and increase our wellbeing and happiness.
If it's that simple, why aren't we happy yet? Many of us have adopted lifestyles that don't support happiness. We lead lives that are too rushed, too stressed and too focused on things that don't really matter. Our obsession with economic development is destroying the natural environment. And gaps between the haves and the have-nots are widening. We need to rethink our way of life because our unhealthy lifestyles are making us physically and mentally unwell. They're making us unhappier, not happier.
The solutions—doing things that support our wellbeing, finding opportunities to connect with others, and supporting the environment we live in—are intrinsically linked.
In your heart and mind you have very personal reasons for wanting to bring more happiness into your life. You might want to feel better in yourself or more optimistic and hopeful about the future. Perhaps you'd like to have a better appreciation of your skills, strengths and abilities. Or maybe you'd just like to find ways to stress less and simplify your life.
If we focus on the things that promote wellbeing for us, for others and the environment, we can stress less and live a calmer, happier life.
#### A path of possibilities
This book isn't just about a spring-clean for your life; it's also about starting a journey to sustainable, long-term wellbeing. A quick tidy-up never goes astray, but the key to real wellbeing is an everyday lifestyle filled with things that enhance happiness, such as caring for yourself and others.
My hope is that you will use this book to help you create extra happiness in your own time and on your own terms. It can help you to find space for extra happiness and explore the possibilities for bringing about positive change in your life. It will also help you appreciate what's already going well for you.
The ideas, information and activities in this book are designed to help you develop a vision of the life you want to lead. They will help you focus on your potential and the steps you need to take to make your vision a reality. Along the way, you'll see yourself in the context of your relationships, your community and the environment. See this book as a guide to help you be the best you can be, to allow new possibilities to emerge and blossom, and to make a contribution to improving the world around you.
There are questions throughout the book to help you develop your vision of a happier life. They are part of a solution-focused approach to counselling developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1980s. Solution-focused approaches help people create changes that will bring greater contentment and happiness to their lives.
The solution-focused approach to achieving happiness in your life is simple, though not always easy. It looks like this:
1. ** _Develop a vivid, richly detailed picture of what happiness will look like in your life._**
2. ** _Think about what you do in your life and:_**
** _i If it works, don't fix it_**
** _ii If it works, do more of it_**
** _iii If it doesn't work, do something different._**
3. ** _Give yourself a pat on the back for the things you already do that make you happy, and keep taking small steps to expand your happiness even more._**
Just as every person is different, so too is each person's pathway to happiness. In this book, rather than one-size-fits-all answers, you will find a range of questions and options to choose from. This gives you a real chance to explore what is right for _you._ This book does not tell you what to do or how to live your life; it provides you with a structure for planning and personal decision-making. You are developing your path of possibilities towards a unique, thoughtful, balanced and happy life. Ultimately, what makes you happy will be up to you: no one else can define happiness for you.
In Part 1 of this book, we start the journey by looking at your hopes and dreams, and the resources and plans you carry with you into each of the major areas of your life—your _life domains._ Thinking about our lives as having domains is a great way to help us zoom in on one aspect of life at a time, while remembering that all the domains are interrelated.
On this path, we are going to capture the best bits from the past and begin to create a vision of a brighter future. Let's start on the right foot by thinking about a few questions:
**When you have achieved all you want from this journey, what might be different?**
**How can this difference be of benefit to you? How might it increase your happiness?**
**When there is more happiness in your life, what will you be doing differently that others might notice?**
In Part 2, we delve into the ten primary domains of your life. In each domain you'll wander through questions to help you clarify ways you can stress less and simplify your life, and focus on positive and achievable things you can do today. As you move through each life domain, you have the chance to turn inspiration into action with a clear plan. At the end of each domain, you will find a commitment contract, which is an agreement with yourself. The contract helps you turn vague, fuzzy ideas into specific goals with strategies to bring them to life.
The last part of this book will help you develop plans to stay focused on your happiness. Planning for the changes you want to see will help you sustain progress and manage slip-ups. You might like to refer to this section as you make your way through the domains, especially if you meet challenges and obstacles on your path to change. This section also includes a 'big picture' template for reviewing your life across each of the life domains—I often use this template to get a broad snapshot of how I am travelling, to figure out where I might need to refocus my energy. This section takes you beyond that spring-clean we talked about to a lifestyle that supports your wellbeing and happiness.
#### Pacing yourself
On this journey, you may fly along merrily or pace yourself gently. Working to make changes in your life is not always an easy task, but it's not always hard either. Regardless of whether the changes you want to make are big or small, taking that first step (or even half-step) is what's important.
Often, small things can create dramatic changes. You might have heard of the butterfly effect. Edward Lorenz, the founder of chaos theory, said that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere, which could ultimately alter the path of, accelerate or even prevent a tornado. The butterfly's wings represent a small change in your life, which causes a chain of events creating big changes. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, who knows what might have happened?
How you make your journey is your choice. Perhaps work on one life domain at a time, at your own pace. You could work steadily through them one by one, or cycle through them as suits your life. You may wish to consider one domain each month. It depends on what you are trying to achieve and how much of a sense of urgency you feel.
The sections on being your own best friend, dressing and grooming, promoting health and wellbeing, and designing your living space, are right near the beginning of this book. That's because if you feel good, you are more likely to be motivated to try new things. Increasing your physical energy and early enthusiasm will see you through the more difficult bits. Changes in these self-focused areas can quickly lift your confidence to tackle the bits that involve the outside world and other people, such as work and relationships. Start with something that matters to you, seems like it might be easy to try, and is something that you can see yourself succeeding at.
**If there was one thing you could change in your life that would make the greatest impact on your overall happiness, what would it be? And what might be the first small step towards creating this change?**
**How will you best pace yourself to achieve your goals?**
**What order will work best for you?**
**Do you want to cover all the life domains in this book, or just some of them?**
#### Answering the questions
Each topic in this book concludes with questions for you to consider. It would be easy to read the questions and not take the time to fully answer them. It would be easy to put them on your 'to do' list. Right now, take the first step and challenge the voice in your head that says, 'One day, I'll do all those things I've always wanted to do in my life' and make that 'one day' now. Have a go at answering the questions in rich detail, and not just thinking vaguely about them in your head.
There is a big difference between thinking, 'Hmm, that's a good question' and really trying to answer it. The process of puzzling together a response helps you build certainty in what you know and believe. Working through the questions will bring a clearer sense of what matters to you and a stronger conviction to make it a priority. Finding the answers helps you to create a clearer vision of your future and decide just how that picture will look. This is important!
You don't need to answer every question: just those that are right for you. If the questions don't seem to be the right ones at that time, ask yourself:
**What do I need to consider most?**
**What is the right question for me, where the answer will bring about the changes I need?**
**Or simply ask yourself: What will bring about the greatest amount of happiness for me?**
Pay close attention to the wording of the questions. Listen to what they are asking. If the question says, 'What would you like to see differently?', try to describe how things would be different in a positive sense. Avoid getting bogged down in endless lists of what you don't want. If you feel you need to go down this track then try to bring yourself to a point where your answer says, '...and what I _do_ want instead is...'
How you answer the questions is up to you, depending on whether you are a words person or a visual person; whether you work better on your own or prefer working with others.
**Would you prefer to answer the questions verbally or on paper?**
**If you are verbal, how could you record your answers?**
**If you choose to write your answers, would you prefer to keep a journal, use an online blog or write yourself letters? Do you prefer writing by hand or typing?**
**Is there another way you'd like to keep track of your progress?**
#### Be creative
Throughout this book you'll find 'creative challenges' where I ask you to make an artwork or to try some other creative activity, like writing a story, to help you envisage the life you want to make. You might not have drawn since you were at school, but that's okay—they can be simple pictures. You don't need to be artistic to have a go: think of stick figures, abstract shapes or symbols (like a clock to symbolise time). I've included these activities to help you draw on much more of your brain's amazing capacity than you would using only words and logic.
You only need simple art materials to create a drawing, painting or collage. For a drawing, you need no more than pencils. For a collage, you need a range of magazines, scissors and glue. If you prefer to get messy, you can use oil or chalk pastels, paint, charcoal or even clay. You could also use photography or any other media.
Making art can be a good way to fill in the details of your imagined picture of the future. It's the story of your picture that's important, the process of making it and what it means, not how good a piece of art it is. This is not about making art to frame and put on the walls (unless you want to do that).
I completed the exercises using a scrapbook, but you could use a plain paper journal. I drew a picture for each of the life domains in this book. In this way, I was visualising how I would like my future to be.
#### A word of encouragement
I am happy that you're willing to experiment with answering the questions in this book to bring greater happiness to your life. I hope you find the structure useful and that this will be a positive experience for you to plan and bring about a happier life. I also hope you find the journey itself rewarding and that you're surprised by what you are able to achieve. Perhaps you're already feeling more optimistic and hopeful?
This book was developed by reviewing research on happiness, listed in the references at the end. It was also influenced by my studies: four Masters degrees, in psychology, art therapy, public health and management. The questions in this book have come from my experience working as a psychologist with people who wanted to improve their lives. I found that they love the positive forward-looking style of the solution-focused approach.
You might also like to know that I got a lot out of writing this book. I've tried and tested the questions and creative activities in this book, and have chosen to share with you those that most helped me create happiness and meaning in my life.
While much of this book is about identifying goals and making deliberate choices to bring about a life based on meaning, it's important to remember it's the process, not the product, that is most important. Happiness is not so much a goal as a consequence of how we live from moment to moment. Happiness is not found so much in reaching your goal as in striving for it. It is more about your journey than your destination.
**What are the signs your life is getting happier already?**
## Take a peek at the big picture
_Happiness is a form of courage. Holbrook Jackson_
Have you ever imagined your life from a bird's-eye view? Swoop back and take a peek at the big picture. Birds get to see things from a great perspective. I have always loved flying for this reason; when I am up in the clouds I can mentally float above my life, look down and think: Am I heading in the right direction? Am I doing what I really want to be doing? And most importantly, what makes me happy?
Don't wait until life becomes tougher than you can handle to realise that it's time to act in some way. Be brave and tackle the big questions—now!
**What do you like about your life?**
**When are you happiest?**
**What gives you a sense of purpose?**
**What compliment would you most like to receive?**
**If you saw a shooting star what would you wish for?**
#
## Plan for a miracle
_Some people see things the way they are and ask why? I dream things that never were and ask why not? George Bernard Shaw_
Before you can do something, you need to be able to imagine it. One of the best ways to begin anything is to start with the end in mind. The Miracle Question is a tool that helps you construct a concrete vision of a preferred future so that you can begin to work towards it. Insoo Kim Berg developed the Miracle Question along with her colleagues, including Steve de Shazer, in the early 1980s. Commonly used by solution-focused counsellors, it's a great way to visualise your preferred future.
#### The Miracle Question
Suppose you finish your day in the usual way, doing the things you usually do, and there comes a time when the day is done—or you're just too tired to do anymore. And you go to bed, and while you are sleeping and the house is quiet ... a miracle happens. And the miracle is that all of the challenges you were facing before you went to sleep have been resolved, just like that! However, because you are sleeping you can't know that the miracle has happened. So...
When you wake up, you notice that you simply feel much happier. What is it that will tell you that a miracle has happened and that all your challenges have been resolved?
**How will you discover that this miracle has happened to you?**
**How will your best friend discover that this miracle happened to you?**
**Has there been a time you can remember when things felt a bit like the miracle had happened?**
#
## Visualise a happier and brighter future
_Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein_
It's never too late to make small changes in your life towards a happier and brighter future—life is too short to take for granted.
Part of moving forward is knowing where you are heading. The pictures we create in our mind of our future provide us with goals. And once we can see a happier and brighter future, we can make good choices about how to get there because we only need to consider one question: Is this choice moving me towards happiness?
Our goals don't need to be set in stone—you can always change your goals if, along the way, you find there's something more important you want to focus on.
Sometimes your goals may seem beyond your grasp; perhaps you worry that you're dreaming too big. What's surprising is that often, when we look back from our place on the journey, we find that the challenges we thought were insurmountable or the goals that seemed too far away were more easily achieved than we ever dreamed. Sometimes we surprise ourselves in what we are able to achieve.
**Was there a time in the past when you would have been surprised about where you are now?**
**Suppose a similar change were possible in the future, what might be possible?**
**What will you be doing differently?**
**What might a cherished friend wish for you?**
**What are you looking forward to?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Here's the first of our creative challenges. I hope you find these challenges inspiring and motivating and that they help you to see your life from a different perspective. Remember, there's no right or wrong, good or bad.
Make an artwork (draw, paint, make a collage or whatever feels right for you) or write a 50-word story about all the things you want to keep in your present life. While thinking about what you want to change, think about what you like about yourself and your life right now, and what you might want more of.
**• What do you notice about how you feel while you are busy with this creative challenge?**
**• What do you notice about what already pleases you about yourself and your life?**
**• What can you build into your daily routines to support these good parts of your life?**
**• What activities can you practise to encourage these aspects of your life to become stronger?**
#
## Get a better life balance
_As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it. Antoine de Saint-Exupery_
Sometimes keeping your life in balance feels like walking a tightrope—it's not easy when your life is overstuffed. As soon as we focus on balancing one area, we neglect another and things start to fall over. And while choosing to put more energy into one area of your life for a while may be okay, ultimately you will still find yourself asking: Have I got the balance right?
Think about all the different parts of your life, all the roles you play, and all the things you do. You might like to consider the life domains as they are divided up in this book. How much time do you spend on each life domain or activity in an average day?
Let's get a clear picture of where our time goes. Take a piece of paper and draw two circles—just like the ones opposite. These circles are your daily-life pie charts. The whole pie chart represents 24 hours.
How you spend your time is an expression of what is important in your life. In the first circle, draw slices of the pie to represent how much time you spend each day on particular aspects of your life, right now (your old life balance). Sleep is important to your overall wellbeing, so include it. If you are not sure how you spend your time or want to really get it right, consider keeping a diary for a day or two.
Now, think about how you would like the second circle (your new life balance) to look. What aspects of your life would you like to give more energy and attention (e.g. family, community, exercise, leisure) and where would you like to free up time and energy (e.g. work, TV viewing etc.)? You don't need to make large shifts—you might just want to put more emphasis on the small things that are important to you and that you enjoy. Draw the slices of the pie to show a new life balance that will help contribute to your wellbeing and happiness.
**How is your time currently divided between the activities of your day?**
**How can you free up time to create more of what you want in your life?**
**What do you want to increase your focus on?**
**How can you simplify your life?**
#
## Don't tough it out alone
_Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller_
Sometimes, the easiest way to get something done is to tackle it on our own. It can be more difficult taking into account other people's ways of doing things and their preferences. But often, when we work with others, we can achieve something so much richer and greater than we could alone.
Ubuntu is an African philosophy that, at its heart, says, 'I am because you are and we are.' It reminds us that we create and maintain our sense of who we are through our relationships with others. We get our strength from our connection to those around us and to humankind as a whole.
Seek out people who will support you on your journey to make changes. One of the nicest things about partnering with others is that they can delight with you in your achievements. When others notice change, their feedback and encouragement help us consolidate our changing view of ourselves.
Also think about how you will maintain relationships with important people as you make changes. Making changes in your life can alter the way you relate to other people. While you are determined to make a change, what if the thing you want to change most is the thing they want to keep the same? Ideally, try to surround yourself with people who want you to be everything you can be, and who will joyfully welcome the person you are becoming.
**Who encourages you to be at your best?**
**Who helps you to stand up to whatever problems you face?**
**When have others given you the confidence to do something you have otherwise felt unable to do?**
**What resources in the community could be useful to you?**
**How do you ask for help?**
#
## Use past experience as a future resource
_Research your own experiences, absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own._ _Bruce Lee_
We all experience challenges. When faced with any life situation or challenge, the most useful thing you can do is to stop and think about what has worked (or not) in the past. That way you can build on past experience by remembering how you overcame past challenges and find the skills you can take with you into the future. We learn valuable lessons from reflecting on what has worked in the past so we can do it again. Of course, when you discover that something doesn't work, trying something different next time is wiser!
**Think about some of the challenges you have faced. How have you dealt with challenges so far?**
**What's different about you when things are going better?**
**What supports and resources have helped you to manage?**
**What will you do differently in the future?**
**How are you already doing those things?**
#
## Make a clear plan
_True life is lived when tiny changes occur._ _Leo Tolstoy_
For many, achieving a dream or goal can be elusive. Don't let this be the case with you. Pin down your dreams by developing a clear plan.
Goals don't have to be grand. Your goal might be to sort out your wardrobe, begin a new exercise program or learn a new skill.
First be clear about what you want to accomplish. Why is this important now? What will the benefits be if you do it? Who will benefit from this project? How will you and they know you've been successful?
You're much more likely to reach your goal if it's SMART:
**Specific—What will you do exactly? In what order will you do it?**
**Measurable—How will you measure your success? How will you know you have achieved your goal?**
**Achievable—How will you achieve the goal? Who will work with you? What resources do you need to meet your goal?**
**Realistic—What tells you this goal is do-able? What could go wrong? How will you cope if that happens?**
**Time-limited—When do you want to have achieved the goal by?**
When you're clear about what you want to achieve, decide on your course of action. Plan the sequence in which things will be done: if you're working with others, decide who will do what; work out how long each step will take; work out what resources you need (new running shoes? art supplies? packing boxes?); and calculate how much will it cost. Include tactics and logistics in your planning. Think about risks to meeting your goals (what could stand in your way?) and how you might manage these risks.
Next, put the plan into action. As you work towards your goal, you'll need to keep an eye on your progress. Along the way, you might hit hurdles or roadblocks you didn't anticipate. Your challenge then is to work out what you can do to get the plan back on track. Change your plan if you need to—it's not set in concrete. If you're working with a group, keep talking to each other and offer support and encouragement.
When you've achieved your goal, celebrate! Take some time to enjoy your accomplishment. And by reflecting on your achievements, you can learn from any mistakes and know what works best for next time. What did you learn that was unexpected?
**Think about a project that went well from start to finish. What did you and others do to make it a success?**
**How did you respond to the challenges that came along?**
**What do you think is worth taking forward to guide you in future projects?**
#
## Do something you've been putting off
_Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase,_ _just take the first step._ _Martin Luther King Jr_
Is procrastination stopping you from achieving your dreams? Procrastination is very common. Instead of doing what we really want to do, we spend time doing something else. But it is never too late to start out on your journey.
Today, more than ever, there are countless distractions to grab our attention and give us instant gratification. In our society, it's very easy to find things to watch, listen to or do, any time of the day or night. But perhaps something else is getting in the way: a fear that things will not go well, that it will be too hard, that we might not see it through. Stress builds up when we put things off.
Challenge your excuses and justifications. Focus on what excites you about the task and why it is important to you. Visualise what you want to achieve and how good it is to tick things off your to-do list. And if you find one of the reasons you've been putting off a task is that it's not really important, don't feel guilty about scrapping it from your list.
Break the task down into manageable parts and decide how long you will spend on each. Remove potential distractions and get started. Focus. Take the first step (or half-step) and then the next. Keep focused on the piece you are working on right now, not the entire task.
Ultimately nothing gets done if you don't start. So if there's something to do, do it. If not, relax and have fun!
**What are the excuses that get in the way of what you want to achieve?**
**How can you overcome the things that get in the way of achieving your goals?**
**How do you challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone?**
**What is the one thing you would like to achieve this year?**
#
## Develop five daily happiness habits
_We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit._ _Aristotle_
How many happiness-making activities do you do on a daily basis? There are many simple and enjoyable activities we can build into daily life that bring fulfilment, enjoyment and energy.
Plan five daily habits you would like to establish as part of your routine. You might include virtuous things (like doing 30 minutes of exercise, or drinking green tea), nurturing activities (like doing something kind for someone), relaxing activities (like reading a book), or activities that are just plain fun (like a long chat on the telephone or eating with your fingers). Choose things that will build your health, wellbeing and happiness.
The challenge many people face is embedding these happiness-making activities in their daily routine. Use the checklist below to monitor your progress by placing a tick in the box when you have practised your delicious daily habit. Choose a day when you think you can get off to a good start (some people find Monday too stressful to start new habits) and record the days of the week in the top row. See if you can keep it up for a whole week; chances are if you do, some delicious daily habits will already be built into your routine.
**What activities, large or small, would enhance your everyday happiness?**
**What are five delicious daily habits you would like to have as part of your routine?**
#
## Develop healthy and happiness-making routines
_Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh_
Have you ever thought to yourself: If I could just do less of this and more of that, I'd be a whole lot happier? Perhaps there is something you would like to leave behind, or that you give yourself a hard time for doing? One of the best ways to reduce an unwanted activity is to regularly do things you'd prefer to be doing instead.
Routines can be a good way to get into the habit of doing something regularly, especially if you are taking on something new. Routines also remove decision-making opportunities: in each moment of indecision, there is the risk you will not choose the better option. So, by reducing the number of times a day we have to make a choice, we can increase the likelihood of doing things that we know will make us healthier and happier.
I like to use a calendar like the one on the following page to plan those things I want to spend more time doing regularly. By scheduling time for those things I want to do—making an appointment with myself—I'm more likely to do them. An electronic diary and reminder system works well for some people. Think about ways you can be creative with your time: travelling to work, or your lunch break, might be the ideal time to learn a new skill or exercise.
If you find set routines a bit boring, begin to think of them as patterns that free up energy and time. Anything that is part of your routine is less of a drain on your energy and can usually be done more quickly than if it were a one-off event. If you are seriously boring-phobic, try developing a new plan at the beginning of each week. Or you could set targets for the week like 'walking 30 minutes each day' and mark down when you walk to keep track of how you are meeting your goals. Challenge your need for flexibility, if it gets in the way of achieving your goals.
**What would a realistic yet balanced, healthy and happy lifestyle look like as a weekly routine?**
**If you felt more organised and in control of your life, what would your daily routine look like?**
**What can you do in the next week that will bring about extra happiness?**
#
## Write a list
_If you want to be fast, go slow. Lao Tzu_
Do you ever feel stressed thinking about all the things you need to do? Life seems to get busier and busier and we seem to have less and less time. Lists offer us a great way to free up time and energy. They help you keep track of priorities and free your brain from having to remember so many things. You might also like to think of a to-do list as an 'accomplishment list'—have a celebratory moment as you tick things off your list.
Write down everything you want to achieve—big or small—and prioritise each one as high, medium or low. High priority means it needs to be done within the next day. Decide for yourself the right timeframes for medium – and low-priority items. Balance importance with urgency—those things that are the most urgent are not necessarily the most important. Make time for things that are important but not urgent.
If a goal seems too overwhelming or complex, try thinking about the first step or half-step and about what supports or resources might help. Start with the thing that is most do-able and likely to bring beneficial change.
Challenge procrastination if putting things off just makes you more frustrated. Allocate time for achieving tasks on your list. Be as efficient and effective as possible, and then take time off. Make sure you have list-free time as well.
**How can you do more of what will bring you greater happiness?**
**How can you increase the time you spend on important things even if there is no urgency to complete them?**
**How can you decrease the time you spend on unimportant things?**
**What is one small thing you can do that will help you change the balance of how you spend your time?**
#
## Do less
_Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu_
Do more of what makes you happy by doing less. Researchers have found that people who always feel rushed are less likely to be happy than people who almost never feel rushed.
One way of doing less is to get better at saying 'no'. Many people find it a challenge to say 'no' to others. Try using these three steps: first, acknowledge the request; second, explain your reason for declining the request (if you need to give a reason); and third, say 'no'—and mean it!
Sometimes people get in the habit of letting others make decisions for them. Instead, take responsibility for your own decisions. You do not need to apologise for saying 'no'.
A great way to say 'no' is to use the slightly old-fashioned, 'Thank you, but I prefer not to.' This allows everyone to withdraw while saving face.
You can do less in many ways—it's not just about saying no to requests. Choose to walk instead of driving in rush-hour traffic. Talk less and listen more. Work smarter, not harder. Wherever you can, cut down on meetings and have more time for your most important tasks. Buy less, be in less debt, have less clutter and more space. Plan less. Worry less. Do less.
The choice is yours. By slowing down you will have more time to appreciate the beauty around you. Live a calmer and more peaceful life by simply doing less.
**How can you do less?**
**What steps do you need to take to make your life flow more effortlessly and easily?**
#
## Get a clearer perspective
_Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated._ _Confucius_
Change can seem complicated. We visualise the benefits of making changes in our life, but even as we dream, we are aware of the downsides of change. Staying where we are can be attractive because it's easy—nothing is required of us and we can just keep doing what we are doing. Change looks scary and a lot like hard work.
But there are also downsides to keeping things the same. It may not be supporting us on our journey to happiness. Weighing up the benefits and risks of change can be useful if you are ambivalent or finding it hard to commit to change. Counsellors working with people who want to make all sorts of changes in their lives commonly use the questions in the exercise below to help clarify things.
The purpose of this exercise is to have an honest and open look at the ways your current behaviour might meet your needs and hold you back at the same time. It acknowledges that change is rarely straightforward, and that change requires us to lose something that we once found useful. Sometimes, acknowledging that change is not simple in fact makes change easier.
**How can you encourage yourself to take steps to increase happiness in your life?**
#
## Know what motivates you
_If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning. Mahatma Gandhi_
When you try something new, what motivates you to keep going? We can draw motivation from many sources and in a number of ways. And the more sources of motivation you draw on, the better.
Some people are more motivated to participate in activities where they can socialise and have fun with others, whereas some prefer to try new things on their own. Does receiving positive comments from others help keep you motivated? Are you more motivated if other people are relying on you? If you wanted to increase your physical activity, for example, would you be more committed to a team sport or would you prefer a solitary walk or jog?
When it comes to change, different approaches keep different people engaged too. Some people need clear instructions on how to achieve change, whereas others prefer to dive in and work things out as they go. Do you like to gather lots of information and plan your approach before making any changes to your lifestyle? Would developing new skills help you to succeed? If so, enrolling in a course, enlisting the support of a coach, or joining a class may be the key to sustained change.
Some people thrive on routine as a way of sustaining a new activity, such as exercise, while others loathe it. Do you prefer to work at your own pace to achieve your goals? Or do you get bored and need a range of activities and strategies to keep you motivated? Knowing what works for you will help you find the right sources of motivation.
**What motivates you?**
**What builds your determination to achieve your goals?**
**What helps you persist until you achieve what you set out to do?**
#
## Flex your wings
_What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. Richard Bach_
Struggle is part of the transformation process. Helpful struggle has a purpose—think about a butterfly struggling to leave its cocoon. The butterfly flexes its wings against the cocoon's constraints, pushing and working its wings, getting them ready for flight. A man, who feels sorry for the struggling butterfly, opens the cocoon to let it out more easily. But the butterfly's wings did not stretch and dry and so now it cannot fly, and instead remains on the ground, vulnerable.
Visualising your preferred future can help you to stay positive and keep your motivation alive, but it's not enough by itself. Change is about actively working through and engaging with challenges to build a happier and brighter future.
Reaching a state of wellbeing and happiness doesn't mean that your life will be trouble-free. The goal is to have the confidence you need to find a way to overcome adversity, and to find the support you need to do this. We need challenges so we can practise coping in tough situations. They make us stronger and better equipped to deal with other hurdles in the future. Every challenge brings opportunities, so learn to look for them.
**What have past challenges taught you about what is important?**
**How do these past experiences make the future seem more possible?**
**Which of your strengths do you call on to get you through difficult times?**
**How will these skills and qualities show themselves in the future?**
**What might you come to appreciate about the challenges in your life?**
DOMAIN 1
## Being your own best friend
_This above all; to thine own self be true. William Shakespeare_
How many people treat themselves with as much care and kindness as they treat their best friend? The relationship you have with yourself—how you think about yourself and what you say to yourself—is essential to your self-esteem.
Make time, aside from the business of the day, to care for yourself. Meditate or practise relaxation to reduce stress. You might have your own relaxation space at home, or you could sit in a park, or use your 'thinking time' on public transport, while fishing, surfing or going for a walk.
Take time to appreciate what is going well in your life and look with hope towards a brighter future. Use this reflection time to get to know yourself better. Spend time thinking about your values and the things that bring meaning to your life, as well as what you are grateful for. Think about and appreciate your strengths and identify ways you can use them to their full potential.
You can use this time to plan how you will manage your priorities, determining those things that you need to invest energy in and those that are not worth worrying too much about. It might also be a time when you reflect on the questions in this book and plan how to create extra happiness in your life.
Caring for yourself is not selfish. In fact, it's only when we refill our own cups that we can give to others. You've heard people say that you have to love yourself before you can truly love others. Well, this is what they are talking about. It's the same reason we're told on planes to fit our own oxygen mask before helping others: we're no use to anyone if we're not breathing ourselves! When we're okay, we can connect fully with others. And caring for other people can help us feel even better about ourselves.
**If you had a personal motto or song what would it be?**
**When are you at your best?**
**What are you proud of?**
**What do your friends like about you?**
**What helps you to feel strong?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Can you remember a time recently when you were feeling content, strong, safe and relaxed? Try to recall the details about the place and how you were feeling in your body.
Make an artwork that represents you and how you feel when you are calm and relaxed. You might like to make a collage so you can use texture as well as colour and shape to express yourself.
If you're musical, you might like to compose a piece of music that expresses your calm and relaxed way of being. You could try humming this to yourself when you next need to draw on your calm and relaxed self.
#
## Make today special
_Attitude is a little thing that makes a_ _big difference._ _Winston Churchill_
Look for ways to make each day special. Children are great at reminding us that playfulness and humour make life fun. We should all be instructed to 'go outside and play' more often. Be a kid, sing loudly, run, pull faces and do silly walks.
Humour is a great way to connect with others and to see things with a different perspective. Laughter releases endorphins and is infectious—it radiates energy to others. Surround yourself with people and things that make you laugh: see films, read books, go to a comedy show ... do anything that is likely to make you smile.
Plan to have fun despite your circumstances and don't wait for fun to happen to you. Find that thing that makes you laugh. When you can make fun out of visiting the accountant, or waiting in traffic, you know that you can make fun anywhere.
We all face choices about how we view our lives, the people around us, and our future. Adopting a positive approach to life and our future involves prioritising happiness in our life, making plans to be happy, and doing things that promote wellbeing and happiness as often as possible.
Imagine at the end of the day you said, 'I had a really enjoyable day, even though it was just an ordinary day'. What would you have done?
**When does it help to not take life too seriously?**
**What helps you to get yourself out of a bad mood?**
**What helps you to see the funny side of life?**
**How do you bring play and enjoyment into your daily life?**
**What makes you laugh?**
#
## Name one thing you are grateful for each day
_We must find time to stop and thank the people_ _who make a difference in our lives._ _Dan Zandra_
Instead of focusing on everything you don't like about your life and that you want to change, consider all the things you do like about your life. Taking the time to really appreciate what is going well and what feels good about you and your life can help you strengthen these aspects further.
People who perceive a large gap between what they have and what they want (whether it's money, a job, friends, health) are unhappier than those who perceive the gap is smaller. Feeling gratitude and appreciation for the qualities, relationships and things we do have—especially the simple pleasures—can bring great happiness.
In our house, we reflect on our day by sharing a good thing that happened over dinner. Our kids often find this easy, whereas the grown-ups can struggle at times. One evening, my partner rattled off four bad things that had happened to him that day. The youngest, six years old at the time, quickly said, 'Dad, now you're going to have to have five good things to balance out the bad things.' My partner thought of one good thing and then got stuck. The rest of the family helped him find more good things.
At the end of each day, it can be a lovely routine to name something that has given you happiness. Be grateful for what is already going well and the things you are looking forward to. As some people say, 'Happiness is wanting what we have, rather than having what we want.'
**What are you thankful for?**
**What are everyday things that you enjoy doing?**
**What small things make your days happier?**
**What and who do you want to acknowledge for creating happiness in your life?**
**What is currently going well? What difference has this made?**
**How have you contributed towards those things you appreciate? And what does that tell you about yourself?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
I was delighted to learn some friends have created a happy-thoughts jar. Everyone gets involved by contributing happy thoughts—things they are grateful for or enjoy doing together. The youngest draws pictures instead of writing her ideas. If anyone in the family is grumpy or feeling down, they get out the happy-thoughts jar. What a happy thought!
#
## Build confidence one step at a time
_Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement._ _Nothing can be done without hope and confidence._ _Helen Keller_
Often we are most limited by our own lack of faith. If we don't believe in ourselves, we are not confident in what we can offer others—and our relationships suffer.
Having confidence means being hopeful for a positive outcome and visualising success. Confidence is key to achieving our happiness goals. For many, feeling confident is also an aspect of being happy.
Confidence helps us to engage in relationships, take risks and try new things. And, when we feel confident, we start to realise that we can often achieve much more than we think we can.
Since confidence is so important to achieving our goals, let's take a closer look at our confidence levels. The following exercise uses scaling. Scaling is a tool you can use to make abstract and vague ideas more concrete. It brings ideas alive and turns them into something you can work with and change. Scaling your confidence helps you to look at what small changes would bring about an increase in confidence.
Draw a line across a page, and write the numbers 1 to 10 beneath the line. Place a cross on the line at the number you think represents how confident you are that you're on the right track to meet your happiness goals. On the scale, 1 means you're not confident at all and 10 means you thoroughly believe you are on the right track. Repeat the exercise every now and then as you begin to make changes and see how your success affects your confidence.
**What tells you that you are at this level?**
**What is different about being at this level compared to being at a lower level?**
**How have you been able to maintain this level of confidence?**
**What would it take for you to move one point higher on the scale?**
**Suppose you move one point higher on the scale, how will you know? What will you be doing differently?**
#
## Be kind to yourself
_Be wise. Treat yourself, your mind, sympathetically, with loving kindness. If you are gentle with yourself, you will become gentle with others. Lama Thubten Yeshe_
How we talk to ourselves in our head directly influences our happiness. Over the course of our life, we can fill our heads with negative self-statements like, 'I never do anything right' or 'I'm too fat for people to like me.' These statements repeat automatically in our heads whenever we experience something that makes us doubt ourselves or our abilities. These statements may have stuck with us from something someone once said, or we may have picked them up from the media. Or maybe they are just something we have come to believe about ourselves based on a range of experiences.
People with low self-esteem often say negative things to themselves. Self-esteem is based on the picture we have of ourselves (our self-concept) and our beliefs about what we should be like (our ideal self). A person with low self-esteem has only a few of the characteristics they believe they should have, while a person with high self-esteem believes they have most of the characteristics they regard as ideal. So while we have goals about becoming a better person, our self-concept and picture of our ideal self may not fully overlap, and this is fine.
Ways to improve self-esteem include being kind to yourself, having confidence in your potential, and drawing on your strengths. Choose to avoid negative people and actively ignore pessimists, including your own internal critic—who is often the harshest. Try not to compare yourself with others and accept that not everyone will always like the things you like.
Listen to the automatic thoughts that run through your head, and if you catch yourself saying something negative, try to add 'until now' at the end: 'I never do anything right, until now.' 'I'm too fat for people to like me, until now.'
Examine the evidence for your self-statements. Ask yourself, 'Is this really true?' and if so, 'Is it true all of the time?' How would a good friend answer these questions? Develop some positive statements that you can use to replace the negative ones each time you catch that voice starting its criticisms.
Surround yourself with people who view you positively. Free your mind of negative self-talk and give yourself permission to feel good about _you._
**What ideas or experiences influence the way you see yourself? Are they helpful or unhelpful or a bit of both?**
**If you were to see yourself through the eyes of significant people in your life, what do you think they most appreciate about you?**
**When do you feel special?**
**How do you encourage yourself?**
**What enriches you?**
**What is something positive you could do for yourself in the next week?**
#
## Take some 'me' time
_Wherever you go, go with all your heart._ _Confucius_
Spending time alone, just being with yourself, is loathed by some and cherished by others. If you're in the first group, try to think about why you find 'me' time uncomfortable. There's great value in taking a little time out from others and from hectic activity. Time alone may become part of a reflective process. Time alone may also be used for a personal project or a favourite pastime.
Sitting on a porch of an evening may be a time for listening to yourself and remembering what is important in your life. Time for self-reflection can allow us to learn from our own experience. It can also help us to assess our potential and our future possibilities. What you focus on grows; acknowledging positive qualities, achievements and skills fertilises their growth. Only when we give time to ourselves are we then available to give to others.
One way to develop your skill of self-reflection is to keep a journal. Sei Shōnagon's _The Pillow Book,_ written around 1000 AD, is a collection of personal thoughts and lists centred around anecdotes and character sketches of the early Japanese court and its religious ceremonies. Why not create your own 'pillow book' and write lists of whatever takes your fancy: complimentary things; elegant things or 'things that make the heart beat faster'; inspiring things, things that bring about a state of wonderment; disagreeable things, things that bring inconvenience; or things that bring a simple comfort.
There are so many ways of looking at the world, taking a different angle for a moment can help put things into perspective.
You can also try keeping a journal to reflect on daily events. You might use it to record the positive or happy things that happened to you over the day or to list the things you are feeling particularly grateful for. You can use it to capture your hopes and dreams. One of my friends keeps a diary in which she documents what her children mean to her and what they have contributed to her life.
A journal can also act as a 'worry box', a place where you can list your concerns so you can put them aside. Some people like to explore writing poetry or short stories. Others may use a journal to express their feelings or puzzle through difficulties.
Your journal should be as individual as you are. You can keep a scrapbook, make a video diary, write a blog, or keep a written or photographic journal. However you choose to do it, make it uniquely yours.
**How much time do you set aside to be with yourself? What do you usually do?**
**How could you use time alone to bring extra happiness to your life?**
**What might you learn about yourself, your values, and what's important to you in this time?**
**What is the best way for you to reflect on your own experiences and make positive changes in your life?**
#
## Appreciate your strengths
_We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognising_ _and appreciating what we do have._ _Friedrich Koenig_
Strengths help people manage the things that go wrong—and strengths can be cultivated. While we can always try to reduce our weaknesses, we can also work on using and building our strengths, our positive qualities and attributes. It's probably best to aim for both, but making the best use of our strengths is likely to be easier and more enjoyable. So, in the spirit of doing enjoyable things, let's take some time to think about our positive qualities.
Read through the list of strengths overleaf. Think carefully about what the words mean to you, then choose your top five strengths. It can be difficult to choose, but try to whittle down the list until you have just five strengths that you believe are your most positive attributes. Remember, no person would tick everything on this list, nor should you give yourself a hard time for not having selected some of the strengths listed.
Knowing what you are good at is important in appreciating and using your strengths. Then, develop your skills, talents and abilities so you can use them more in your life. This is your gift to yourself and the world.
Accepting | Fair | Open-minded
---|---|---
Adventurous | Forgiving | Optimistic
Appreciative | Generous | Passionate
Assertive | Gracious | Patient
Authentic | Thankful | Peaceful
Calm | Honest | Perseverant
Careful | Hopeful | Playful
Committed | Humorous | Purposeful
Confident | Independent | Reflective
Content | Insightful | Resilient
Cooperative | Inspiring | Self-controlled
Courageous | Intimate | Supportive
Creative | Joyful | Tolerant
Curious | Kind | Trusting
Empathic | Loving | Visionary
Energetic | Loyal | Wise
Enthusiastic | Mature |
**What are your top qualities, skills and attributes?**
**What have others noticed you are good at? How do you project your qualities?**
**How do these strengths help you in your daily life? When are they most useful?**
**What strengths do you appreciate in your friends, family and workmates?**
**How do you let your friends, family and workmates know that you notice their strengths and appreciate these qualities in them?**
#
## Communicate clearly and confidently
_Happiness depends upon ourselves._ _Aristotle_
How good are you at keeping calm when things heat up? It can be difficult to hold our tongue when we're upset or offended, but for the sake of our happiness, it's important. Next time you are offended by something or someone, stop and think.
Aim to respond rather than to react. Give yourself time before responding because often, in the heat of the moment, we say things we live to regret. If you are angry, it's most likely that people will see only your anger and not hear what is important to you. Think through the possibilities and different ways of seeing a situation. It might be helpful to take some time out to think about what has happened, in order to reflect and take some deep breaths. This will help you frame a positive response rather than a hasty reaction.
When you've thought about what you want to achieve by responding, and are ready to confront the issue, speak calmly and clearly and check your body language and tone of voice. Practise assertiveness.
Assertiveness means communicating your needs, wants, feelings, beliefs and opinions to other people in a clear and direct manner, while still respecting other perspectives. A good way to understand assertiveness is to differentiate it from being passive or aggressive.
A passive response is to avoid conflict and to not speak up when you're offended, angered or your needs aren't being considered. The trouble with passivity is that others have no idea about your views, and therefore won't value your needs. You end up feeling helpless. If you find yourself saying, 'It doesn't matter to me' or using unconfident body language, assess whether you really do not mind or if you are just responding passively.
At the other extreme are people who always push for their needs to be met without compromise. This includes people who bully or push others around, possibly even using threats or yelling, and who use aggressive body language like waving a fist or banging tables.
The middle ground—being assertive—involves using direct and clear communication, speaking clearly and with confidence, while respecting others. Using statements like, 'What I would like is...', having confident body language, and listening to other people's points of view demonstrates assertiveness.
Being assertive means that you can manage your anger better, have your needs heard (and make it more likely they will be met), minimise conflict, and have better relationships.
**How can you manage challenging situations in a more positive way?**
**What helps you to communicate more clearly and confidently?**
#
## Stress less
_Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself._ _Hermann Hesse_
Believe it or not, stress can be good for us: it helps us to try new things and step outside our comfort zone. Big events such as getting married or having a party can be stressful, but the stress is not enough to stop us going through with them. How you experience stress depends on how demanding you perceive a situation to be and whether you have the resources to deal with those demands.
Whatever the cause of your stress, it does have physical and mental effects, so the best way to reduce or counteract these effects is to relax. Deliberate relaxation can help you to wind down when things are a bit hectic, and promote sleep. Going to sleep in a state of calmness rather than tension allows you to awake refreshed and ready to face the world anew.
One of my favourite exercises to help me relax is to focus on a favourite place. Lie on your back on a comfortable surface, close your eyes, and take a few slow, slightly deeper breaths. Imagine yourself in a beautiful place: one where you feel safe, relaxed and calm. Notice the surroundings. What kind of weather is it? What can you feel around you? What can you see? Are there any sounds? Concentrate on the images for a few minutes. If you imagine relaxing at the beach, for instance, think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of tumbling waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. How does your body feel in this place?
To enhance your mood and reduce your stress you could also try drinking chamomile or other herbal teas; taking a luxurious footbath with rosemary and cinnamon oil; trying a relaxation massage; or yoga classes. If these methods work, keep using them. If they don't leave you feeling calmer and more in control, ask other people what they do to stress less and try any idea that appeals to you. Experiment until you find something that works for you.
**Imagine a place where you feel relaxed, calm and strong. What does it look like?**
**What do you do to relax? What rejuvenates you?**
**What helps you to feel calm, clear and spacious within yourself?**
**How do you find inner calm in the face of outer chaos?**
**What will be different if there is less stress in your life?**
#
## Be. Here. Now
_Smile, breathe and go slowly._ _Thich Nhat Hanh_
Have you ever met someone who has struck you as being completely in tune with their surroundings? Often, they're described as being present or 'in the moment'. Being present—in the here and now—can have a dramatic effect on your happiness and contentment. It's called mindfulness, and meditation is one of the best ways to practise it.
Mindfulness is about being in the moment and becoming fully aware of what surrounds us and what goes on for us in our decision-making and actions. There's a simple exercise that can help you start exploring mindfulness. This activity will take about three minutes. I'm going to suggest you use a sultana, but you can use any other piece of fruit you like. First, hold the sultana. Feel its texture and look at the colour. Smell the sultana. Try not to think about it too much, just focus on being present and fully aware of the sultana. Next, put the sultana in your mouth, roll your tongue around the sultana, feeling the texture. Close your eyes and experience the taste of the sultana as you bite into it, focusing only on the sultana, remaining mindfully present.
How did you find the experience? Was it difficult for you to remain in the moment?
Now try this next meditation exercise. Close your eyes and pay close attention to your breathing. Focus on the sensation of your breath as it flows through your nostrils, into your lungs and then out again. Continue this for five or ten minutes, staying focused only on your breath. Whenever your mind wanders, bring your attention gently back to your breath. Thoughts will come; notice them, but don't latch onto them. Let them float away and return your attention to your breath. By practising meditation many people find they develop a clearer state of mind and better awareness of the world.
You might like to join a meditation group or class to help you make the most of your practice. Alternatively, there are CDs and podcasts you can use to guide your practice at home.
After practising meditation for a while, you might notice that it becomes easier to slow down your mind and that the chatter in your head (some practitioners call it 'monkey mind') quietens more quickly.
Try being mindfully present during boring activities, such as when you are cleaning your home, practising being fully aware and present in each moment. Explore the stillness, simplicity and contentment of being in the moment.
**What helps you to stay focused on the present?**
**What would support you to make meditation part of your daily routine?**
**How might being more aware and present make a difference in your life?**
#
## Practise compassion
_If you want others to be happy, practise compassion._ _If you want to be happy, practise compassion._ _Dalai Lama_
We all need to feel loved and to know we belong. For many of us, though, there are times we doubt that people care and we wonder where we fit in. Our lives are so busy we find others (and ourselves) slipping down the priority list. We become focused on keeping up and getting ahead and we forget that, without love and a place where we can be ourselves, our lives lose meaning.
The Dalai Lama says that because we have become so focused on material wealth, we are neglecting to foster the attributes of kindness, compassion, cooperation and caring. He says that for our own and others' happiness, we need to care about each other's wellbeing.
Some people would say the single best thing you can do to be happy is to practise compassion. Compassion means feeling deep sympathy and real sorrow for those who are suffering. Love and compassion are strongly associated with our happiness. Compassion gives us energy, determination and kindness, which all lead to forgiveness, inner strength and the confidence to overcome fear and adversity.
The good news is that we can increase our compassion for others. A common way to do this is through a meditation exercise that involves spreading compassion or 'loving kindness'.
To start, find a comfortable place to sit or lie. Once you are settled, focus on sending loving kindness to yourself; wish that you are well and happy. Stay with these thoughts for a few moments. Now, call to mind a friend, perhaps a very close friend. Imagine them sitting next to you and that you are wishing for them to be well and happy. When you are ready, think about someone you know only a little—perhaps a shopkeeper or someone you only just met. Wish that they, too, are well and happy. Now, bring to mind a person you have difficulty with. Many would say that this is the tricky bit. Consider that they, too, are a person who wants to be well and happy. Consider that they may be doing their best at this time, with the resources available to them, to be happy. Send them the wish to do well in their journey to happiness. Finally, broaden your well-wishing to include the whole planet: 'All people and animals in the world, may they be well and happy.'
**How do you feel after this meditation?**
**After practising this meditation, how has the way you relate to others changed?**
**How do you show kindness and compassion?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
**Each morning, when you wake up, say to yourself, 'May all beings be well and happy.'**
#
## Use your moral compass
_Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. Mahatma Gandhi_
Your values give you a framework for your thinking about the world and help you to decide what is important. They provide a moral compass and, in large part, determine your actions. Knowing your values makes it easier to make decisions. Having a clear sense of what matters enables us to know what to do and to have the resolve to do it. Values give us both conviction and commitment.
Often, there is a tension between our lifestyle and our values. Society's focus on a lifestyle characterised by owning the latest technological innovation, moving up in the world and achieving financial success doesn't sit well with our sense of what really matters. We know that being able to spend more time with family and friends, and having less stress and pressure in life, are more important to our happiness than having money to buy things. But the tension itself can cause unhappiness.
Regularly taking the time to check your moral compass can help keep you on the path to happiness. When you feel the pressure to conform to external pressures or expectations about what is important, take the time to reflect how well these external pressures align with your internal values. Thinking carefully about your values and acting on them can help bring about a stronger sense of wellbeing and happiness.
Be determined to live by your values.
Below is a list of values. Not all of them will be important to you, and some of them you may even perceive as undesirable! Remember, everyone has different values. From the list, choose ten values that resonate strongly for you. Now comes the hard part: gradually refine the list until you have the five values that are most important to you.
Achievement | Fame | Mindfulness
---|---|---
Authenticity | Fortune | Peace
Autonomy | Friendship | Personal choice
Beauty | Generosity | Pride
Being admired | Greed | Prudence
Belonging | Having nice things | Public interest
Clear-headedness | Having power | Putting others first
Collaboration | High quality | Putting yourself first
Compassion | Honesty | Quality relationships
Competence | Hope | Reliability
Competition | Humility | Respect
Connecting with others | Humour | Restraint
Cooperation | Individuality | Social connectedness
Creativity | Indulgence | Social justice
Efficiency | Interdependency | Status
Equality | Intimacy | Sustainable living
Excellence | Kindness | Trustworthiness
Faith | Mateship | Truthfulness
**What are you deeply passionate about?**
**What values does your family hold that you want to pass onto your children and significant others?**
#
## Believe in something bigger than yourself
_The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have. Norman Vincent Peale_
Many people believe in a higher power. Some people call their relationship with this higher power or being, faith, some call it religion, while others call it spirituality. Whatever people call this aspect of their lives, it is closely related to their values.
We've already explored how our values provide us with guidance about how to be in the world and how to treat others. Many people find their spirituality plays a guiding role in determining their actions.
A 2012 Gallup poll of more than 150 countries found that half of the world's population had visited a place of worship in the week prior to the survey and studies have found that people who are spiritual or religious are happier and more satisfied with their lives. Researchers exploring happiness have also found that people who are religious tend to have high on their priority list their family, helping others and voluntary work—and these things all increase our happiness.
Spirituality has both personal and social aspects. People who practise their faith or spirituality tend to have a greater sense of meaning in their life and feel more respected. The spiritual or religious community can also offer a source of support and a sense of belonging, although sadly some religious organisations have not always welcomed all groups of people equally.
A belief in something more important than one's self also helps us to be more resilient during tough times. Those who embrace spirituality have less depression and greater wellbeing, especially in times of loss, such as the death of a loved one. Having a belief in something bigger than yourself can help you feel purposeful in your life.
**What does spirituality mean to you? How do you cultivate spirituality in your life?**
**If spirituality is not part of your life, what do you draw comfort from? What helps you to maintain a sense of hope and optimism? What helps you to keep going through troubled times?**
**What has helped you form your values?**
**What helps create a sense of wonder?**
### My commitment to being my own best friend
What I like about how I currently spend my time alone is:
My goals for how I can be a better friend to myself are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 2
## Dressing and grooming
_And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud_ _was more painful than the risk it took to blossom._ _Anaïs Nin_
For both men and women, dressing and grooming is one of the life domains that can help give you a kick-start to feeling better about yourself. While there may be a temptation to see things such as fashion and hairstyles as superficial or only skin deep, it's a reality that self-confidence is linked with how we present ourselves to the world. And researchers have found that people rate their wellbeing higher when they feel well presented.
Feeling confident about how you look can significantly enhance your happiness. It's one of those lovely reciprocal kinds of relationships where improvements in one area lead to enhancements in the other. But by the same token, neglecting one can undermine the other.
How we project ourselves to the world influences how we are in the world. Our appearance is important, not because we need to conform to someone else's idea of how people _should look,_ but because our appearance projects our energy to the world. And when we want to let others know that we are making changes, a new haircut or colour or a new pair of glasses is a very noticeable statement of change.
We all have our individual personality—we are all different. Our appearance should be an expression of the self we most want to be. We don't need to wear the latest fashion, or spend huge amounts of money on someone else's idea of what looks good. We also don't need to spend hours in front of the mirror. It's about honouring our inner beauty by taking the time to consider and plan how we project ourselves to the people around us.
**How could you improve the way you dress?**
**Although you may not ask them directly, what would your friends, partner, family or workmates say about your clothes?**
**Imagine you are leaving your house and feeling fabulous about how you are dressed. What would you be wearing that would make you feel good?**
**How do you look for beauty in yourself and others?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Take yourself to a café and people watch for a while. Look at the people on the street and notice how they reflect their self to the world, paying close attention to the colours and shapes they are wearing. Sketch the outfits you like the most or write a list of the styles you want to explore.
**• What do you think are their best features?**
**• What do you see that reminds you of your own best features?**
**• How do you see others holding themselves, projecting themselves to the world, telling their own stories through their appearance?**
**• What can you learn from this?**
Consider how you might choose to present yourself to the world, and what best suits your body and lifestyle. Write down your ideas about the look and feel you want to create.
**• What message do you want to give others about you from the way you dress?**
#
## Fake it until you make it
_If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent_ _them from growing._ _Coco Chanel_
So you don't feel confident, empowered or sexy today? One of the easiest ways to bring on these feelings is to dress as though you already feel it.
While it's normal and natural to compare ourselves to the media images we are surrounded by every day, remember that these are unrealistic, uncommon and often retouched. These images serve the economy and advertisers well but do not reflect reality or help us feel good about ourselves. Try to suspend all comparisons. Imagine seeing yourself the way someone who loves you deeply would see you. Appreciate your body and notice what you like about it. No matter how you feel, dress up and show up—you may surprise yourself.
Dress as though you feel successful, strong, attractive and, believe it or not, you _will_ start to feel it. It's difficult to feel frumpy in a kick-arse suit or fabulous frock. And when people respond to you _as though_ you are successful, confident and strong, your self-image is reinforced and the outcome can only be great.
Keeping yourself well groomed and looking after yourself is a great confidence-booster because it's a way of saying, 'I'm important.' Even before you put on a thread of clothing, treat yourself with feel-good body pampering treatments—see the tips for a day spa at home later in this section. Once you are feeling good underneath, dress for success and notice how energised you feel. Hold your head up and give your clothes a chance to sit on your body well. Pulling your shoulders back does wonders for making yourself look well groomed. Focus on your good bits and keep enhancing them. Get better at graciously accepting those compliments—there'll be many more to come!
**What do you notice about yourself when you feel confident? What might others notice?**
**When you feel confident, how do you dress?**
**What kind of make-up could help you increase your confidence?**
**What outfits do you wear that attract compliments?**
**How would you feel about receiving more compliments in the future? What difference would it make? How would your posture and body language change?**
**If you dressed for the job you want, rather than the job you have, what would be different?**
#
## Sort out your wardrobe
_I have always believed that fashion was not made only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence._ _Yves Saint Laurent_
In a busy lifestyle people can often get stuck wearing the same old thing. Maybe it's the old 'better the devil you know' attitude or a fear of experimenting with change. Fashion magazines make looking good seem terribly complicated and risky; it's much easier to stick with what is familiar. But how we project ourselves to the world has a strong reciprocal relationship with our self-confidence and happiness.
Just opening the wardrobe with the intention of sorting it out is a challenge for most of us! This is one of those activities where support and encouragement can really help. Is there a friend who could help you make decisions about those clothes that suit you and help you feel good, and those that should really be passed on to charity? Choose someone whose style you admire and who you can trust to be unashamedly honest with you.
You'll probably want someone whose style is compatible with how you would like to look (but not necessarily the same). A punk rocker might not be equipped to give the best input on your corporate wardrobe. Blokes may wish to ask a female friend to help them, or a stylish gay friend always comes in handy.
If you're doing it alone, be kind to yourself, but be brave and bold: be prepared to challenge yourself and the mirror to achieve your best results. You know when you look and feel great. Listen to yourself and value your own opinions.
Begin by culling everything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. This means anything that is worn out, doesn't fit, or doesn't suit your shape or lifestyle. If you haven't worn it in more than a year, take that as a sign. Make sure you have a good full-length mirror; it's amazing how different some outfits look when you can completely see them. And when you look at yourself in the mirror, beware that negative self-talk.
Make piles of clothes: those to be mended, those to go to charity, those for the rubbish bin, and those too hard to get rid of (pack these away). Do the same with your underwear: make sure it fits properly and toss everything that is worn out. Only keep the clothes that make you look good and feel great. Go through your shoes, coats and accessories. You may discover that the quality of what remains lifts remarkably.
Consider the clothing you need for your lifestyle. Experiment with new combinations. Grab your journal or a notebook and write down these new combinations. You could also take a quick digital picture. Make some notes about things that you could update or that might add a finishing touch to your wardrobe.
Finally, store your clothes in a way that will help you in your daily routine and arrange them so they are easy to see and access, such as by colour or type. When clothes are organised, it's easier to choose an outfit and your mornings will become instantly less frantic and stressful.
Now that you have sorted out your wardrobe, consider what will help maintain it. Is it regularly doing your washing and ironing or keeping your accessories well organised and in good condition with a regular clean? Perhaps it is knowing good combinations in advance, or having your clothes stored in a way that makes them easier to access. Whatever it is, set yourself up to make the most of what you've got.
**What could you do to spend less and have more to wear?**
**What is it that you can never find in your wardrobe that you need?**
**What would most help your mornings go more smoothly?**
**How can you organise your clothes so it makes dressing easier?**
#
## Dress to make yourself feel good
_The best colour in the whole world is the one that looks good on you._ _Coco Chanel_
The next time you see someone walking along the street who looks fabulous, look carefully. Is it really because they're slim? Or is it that they dress well for their shape, in colours and styles that make the most of what they've got?
Do yourself a real favour by focusing more on your shape than your size when you dress. By honestly and accurately assessing your body shape, you'll come to understand how you can emphasise the good bits and disguise the not-so-good bits.
Length is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding what suits your figure. Compare short-, medium-and longer-length tops and bottoms. Fitted is more flattering than either loose or tight, both of which can make you look bigger than you are. If the shape doesn't suit you, don't buy something just because it's fashionable.
Colours can dramatically affect the way we see the world and how we feel about it. Colours both reflect and generate feelings and sensations. And how you respond to colours is also an entirely subjective experience: what suits you is highly individual. You can work out which colours suit you by holding different hues near your face. Some colours will make you look healthy and vibrant, while others will make you look like you are at the wrong end of a big night out. Fashionable colours come and go, so it is important to know what core colours work for you. It makes shopping that much easier, too.
Black may be safe, but it's not always slimming—it can make some bodies look heavier because there is less opportunity to break up the whole into different shapes.
As you grow in confidence and try new options and colour combinations, new favourites will emerge. They'll be colours that make you feel happier, more optimistic and better about yourself. Try wearing something bolder than you usually do and see how it affects your day.
As we get older, another challenge emerges: what sorts of clothes look best at our age? If you're young, you can get away with wearing a wide variety of styles. It's a period of fun and experimentation, so you might as well enjoy it.
Most people in their thirties and forties have started responding less to the whims of fashion and more to their own sense of style. By the time salespeople start referring to you as 'mature', you might find that comfort and practicality are new priorities. There's an emphasis on tailoring and better quality, but also for looking at ways to keep the classic styles interesting, especially through colour and accessories.
Young, middle aged or older—be proud of the stage of life you are in by dressing to celebrate it.
**What do you wear that makes you feel good about yourself and happy about your life?**
**Which styles best suit your shape?**
**What colours match your personality? Which tones make your face light up and eyes sparkle? Which colours suit your skin tone?**
**What clothes best suit someone in your age group?**
#
## Allow your personality to shine
_Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough._ _Emily Dickinson_
Accessories are a fantastic way to update your wardrobe. A feature piece of jewellery can lift a whole outfit. Add a stylish scarf, cute hat, quirky antique brooch or bright handbag to an old outfit and suddenly it's new again. Well-placed accessories can also distract attention from the bits you are not feeling so happy with.
Accessories help you create an individual look and, because they don't have to be expensive, they make it easier to follow some trends without being a slave to fashion. Animal prints are in? Forget the pants and buy a scarf instead. Go for cheap and cheerful when it comes to the latest trends, otherwise invest in quality pieces. A plastic bangle (perhaps a vintage one) may not cost the earth but will give your outfit a lift. Coco Chanel combined real and costume pieces, so you can too.
Eyeglasses come in all shapes, sizes and colours and they make a statement about who you are. Are you wearing the same frames you've worn for the past fifteen years? A new pair of stylish glasses can instantly transform your look. Choose a style that suits your colouring and facial features. Sunglasses can give an outfit an instant fashion lift and are a good way to camouflage age lines. Of course, they also protect your eyes from sun damage.
For men, simple touches such as a good watch, funky hat or sunglasses can individualise an outfit and make you stand out from the crowd. Choose accessories that say something about your personality. A great watch or tie is an investment that cannot be overvalued. Old-style hats, both winter and summer, can be very dashing. A special scent can be uplifting, but when it comes to men's cologne buy quality and wear it sparingly. Cufflinks, scarves and beanies can all allow your personality to shine.
People often notice accessories and comment on them. Choose pieces that are meaningful or that symbolise something important to you: they become a talking point. Aim for the wow factor and have fun.
**How can you update your wardrobe?**
**What accessories work best for you?**
**What kind of look do you want to create?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Try dressing like your favourite movie star or styling your look to suit a certain era in fashion. Making a new look is also about combining different styles and traditions and putting them together differently.
#
## Pamper yourself
_And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet_ _and the winds long to play with your hair._ _Khalil Gibran_
Most people are at their best when rested, relaxed and feeling good. Lavish day spas are many people's idea of a day of happiness. Although this happiness may be short-term, a day-spa experience can be a great way to pamper and re-energise your body, slow down your mind, and make some space for quiet contemplation. You emerge glowing and feeling healthy.
Create your own day-spa experience at home. There is something wonderfully restorative about treating yourself to a soothing hot bath. At the end of the week, or when you feel you need some pampering, a hot bath can be a wonderful way to spend time alone or with your partner (assuming you can both fit, given modern-day baths seem to be shrinking!).
Ideally, you'll have the house to yourself but that's not always possible. Work with what you've got. First, set the mood with relaxing music, candles or essential oils in an oil burner. Fill the bath, adding bath salts or oil. Exfoliate using a body scrub with a beautiful vanilla, rose or frangipani fragrance, rubbing it over the skin using circular movements. You can use exfoliating gloves to invigorate the skin. A deep-conditioning hair treatment can add extra softness, especially for dry hair.
Sip herbal tea throughout your day-spa experience to keep hydrated—make a refreshing tea by adding a few mint leaves and fresh lemongrass to a pot of hot water. Or you could indulge in a glass of champagne.
To complete your day-spa experience, apply some luscious moisturising cream to keep your skin hydrated and feeling wonderful.
**How can you create your own indulgent pampering experience?**
**What routines help your skin, hair and nails feel well cared for and rejuvenated?**
### My commitment to dressing and grooming
What I like about the way I currently present myself is:
My goals for improving how I present myself are:
These things have worked for me in the past:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 3
## Designing your living space
_Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful,_ _or believe to be beautiful._ _William Morris_
Many people's favourite space is their home. It's the place where you can be yourself with those closest to you. A home can also be an expression of who you are.
Recently some friends prepared their home for sale. They got rid of the clutter, and fixed what was damaged, then painted and styled their home. The transformation was so amazing they did not want to leave. Another thing they noticed was how much easier it was to keep the house clean. They said, 'If only we had done this earlier we could have enjoyed it so much more.'
Whether you prefer the simplicity of uncluttered spaces or the richness of plentiful ones, an overhaul of your living space, garden or workspace can help you refocus. Consider what inspires you about your surroundings and what might enrich your life. Enhance your day-to-day happiness by filling your home with items that have special meaning for you, such as travel mementos or photographs.
Take a slow stroll through your home, listening carefully to your inner promptings. Stop in each room and notice ... where do you feel most comfortable?
**What helps you feel comfortable?**
**Where do you feel a sense of happiness?**
**What exactly is it about each of those spots that helps happiness flow in you?**
**What does this tell you about the styles and themes that you like?**
**Who else lives in this space and what are their preferences?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Collect pictures of houses you like, take photographs of colour schemes that catch your eye, collect pictures of accessories that appeal. Paste them into a visual journal as a collection of ideas about the look and feel you want to create in your home.
What do you notice about the themes or patterns that run through the pictures you collected?
**• How can you use these ideas to improve your current home?**
#
## De-clutter
_Live simply so that others may simply live._ _Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton_
Many people find that clutter detracts from the look of a home while clear space enhances it. A less cluttered room appears more spacious and is easier to clean, making housework less onerous.
Start with clearing out your storage areas (cupboards, sheds, garages) and keep only the things you use regularly. Chances are you will have forgotten much of what you keep in there. Once you have more space in your storage area you can use it to de-clutter other areas.
Take an hour or so to de-clutter a room. Look for all the things that are not really needed or noticed. Remove the item or find a better place for it. When getting rid of clutter, ask yourself: Do I really need this? If I didn't have it anymore when would I be inconvenienced? When was the last time I used this? Could someone else benefit from this more than me? Does this stuff take me closer to the life I want?
If you find it hard to part with things, or you and someone else disagree about getting rid of something, try putting items in storage for a while (chances are you will realise you don't miss any of them).
Baskets and boxes can be a great way to hide mess. Consider modern styles from homeware shops or go retro and pick up an old hat box or suitcase from an opportunity shop or antique store. Baskets and boxes create a contained and tidy look and help you keep track of things. It's very easy to do this with children's toys: storage buckets create order where once there was chaos. Mess is not really mess once it is in a box with a lid.
Another strategy can be to decide to reduce the amount of stuff in a room, a bag or a box by, say, half. Then if this is not enough, you could perhaps halve again. Simply sort the stuff into two piles: 'good' and 'less good'.
What do you do with the things you don't want anymore? Give the stuff away to friends or a charity shop. Giving something you really don't need to someone who does need it is not only generous, it's good for the environment. Hold a garage sale or sell valuable things online. The money you make can help finance other changes.
Lastly, avoid buying things you don't need. When shopping, ask yourself: 'Does this help me create the atmosphere I want in my home or will it just create more clutter?' and 'Can I save money and consume less?'
**What spaces in your home can you simplify and make more spacious?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Try not buying anything except food and essentials for the next month. Pay attention to how much you save and also to what you truly feel deprived of.
#
## Create a positive living space
_Your house is your larger body. It grows in the sun and sleeps in the_ _stillness of the night; and is not dreamless._ _Khalil Gibran_
Imagine a home that supports and nurtures your happiness. Picture it in detail: what kind of furniture, fixtures, textiles and colours does it have?
What changes can you make, however small, to the home you have right now to bring your ideal home into being right now? It's time to begin to create a home in which your happiness can flourish.
Start with a corner, a few shelves, one artwork, or a wall painted a colour that brings a smile to your face each time you see it. Look carefully at the flow of your home (how you move between spaces) and how the furniture is arranged. Making spaces special might initially include some cleaning, de-cluttering and rearranging.
Accessories such as a ceramic bowl, lamp, an antique, unusual artefacts or beautiful cushions can help you create your signature look. Pillows, rugs or textiles can help add texture and create an ambience that makes you feel happy. Art, especially a feature piece, can transform a room. A painting from a local artist need not cost the earth, and investing in art can also be a way of supporting artists in your community. Consider framing children's artworks or family photographs in modern or antique frames and hanging them together in a group.
Think about what anchors the room: where is the focal point? A feature piece creates interest, especially in the areas people see first, including the front yard, front steps, entrance door and hallway. Consider the best place in your home for a signature feature.
Next consider light and space. The right lighting can enhance darker rooms. Mirrors can create a sense of space by reflecting the available light. Let the sunshine in by raising the blinds. Open the windows and experience the flow of fresh air.
Aim for a coordinated, rather than matching, look. Personalise the space. Matching the style of your home to its era of architecture is not necessary. A mismatch of styles, such as modern furniture in an older style house, can create interest.
Create a home in which you can be authentically you and you will help create your own happiness.
**What five words describe the space you'd like to live in?**
**What are the possibilities for transforming your current home to highlight some of the things that bring happiness into your life?**
**Which spaces in your home could you put to better use?**
**How can you improve your living situation without necessarily spending a lot of money?**
**What is your vision for the spaces you have?**
#
## Clean and tidy as you go
_Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication._ _Leonardo da Vinci_
Being able to relax in a clean house is many people's idea of pleasure. Keeping a stress-free, clean house can be achieved by getting into the habit of cleaning and tidying as you go.
How much extra effort is it to put your plates in the dishwasher, rather than the sink? It saves time to just put your laundry straight into the basket, rather than having to pick it up later off the floor. Fold jumpers and hang jackets as soon as you take them off. Use a valet stand for clothes you can get another wear out of. Make your bed as you get ready in the morning. Don't let clutter pile up—use storage boxes for things like kids' toys and shoes that are commonly strewn all over the floor. Better still, teach children to put their things away. Try to tidy before you go to bed or before you leave the house. Doing these things along the way helps to save a lot of time later.
Find a strategy that works with the people you live with. Have an agreed idea about where things belong so everyone knows where to return them after use and where to find them again later.
Apply the 'clean and tidy as you go' approach to larger jobs. My mother gives the house a general clean each week and focuses on one room each month for a more thorough clean. It's a plan that helps her manage 'spring cleaning' throughout the year, so it doesn't build up and become an enormous job.
**How can you keep on top of small tasks so they don't build up to become large jobs?**
#
## Involve the whole family in looking after your home
_Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success._ _Anon._
Have you ever thought to yourself: 'I just want a clean home without arguments'? You don't need to be neurotic about cleaning, but developing a cleaning plan can help get you and your family into a routine and ensure an equitable workload.
Make use of the power of the collective. Decide on a few 15-to 20-minute time slots across the week (or one longer time slot for bigger tasks) when everyone does some of the household jobs. It is amazing what can be accomplished in a small space of time, and how equitable the workload feels when everyone is doing the chores at the same time. And consider re-distributing who does what once a month or once a quarter, so everyone gets skilled at all tasks, and nobody ends up doing a hated task without any respite.
With an agreed plan or routine, you can just get on with the job without having to think about it too much. And everyone knows what is expected of them, avoiding potential arguments. Giving children household chores gives them an opportunity to learn household-management skills. Perhaps incentives can be built in to keep everyone motivated. Remember, praise is one of the best rewards; nagging rarely provides an incentive.
**Who enjoys doing which tasks?**
**Which are the tasks that no one wants to do? How might these be fairly distributed and cycled between people?**
**What does a cooperative household mean to you? How can it be achieved in practice?**
**How can you work together more effectively?**
#
## Create a garden that brings positivity to your life
_It is not the language of painters but the language of nature_ _which one should listen to._ _Vincent van Gogh_
A garden can be a positive space in which you find peace and comfort. Some like their garden with nooks and paths that offer adventure, while others want a designer look with lots of open space. One of my friends gains much pleasure from gardening. Tending to her garden is a daily source of joy and relaxation. For others, gardening is one more chore on the list. What kind of garden will meet your needs?
Before you set out to improve your garden, first clean out the garden space. Prune and mow the lawn including trimming the edges. Remove the weeds and get rid of the rubbish. If you can, create a compost heap to add valuable nutrients to your garden soil.
Do you want natives, an edible garden, flowers or something low maintenance, such as succulents? Does your garden need to withstand a boisterous puppy or an energetic and curious toddler? Do you want to be able to entertain or are you just keen for some green?
How much time will you spend maintaining your garden? This will influence your choice of plants and the design of your space. Visit a local garden centre and take note of the plants you like or think would be suitable.
Community gardens can be great options for people with no backyard. People love the opportunity to get their hands into the soil and be 'earthy'. A community garden not only connects you with the environment, but is also a great way to get to know local people.
If you need extra help, consult a landscape designer or horticulture expert who has knowledge of design principles, plants and environmental management. They can help you make the best use of your land, creating a beautiful, practical and happy space to nurture your wellbeing.
**What kind of garden will bring you and your family the most pleasure?**
**What features does your garden need to make it a happy place?**
**If you live in a home without a garden, how important is it to you to create an indoor garden?**
#
## Simplify your workspace
_Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; in the middle of difficulty_ _lies opportunity._ _Albert Einstein_
Our workspace says a lot about how we approach work and how organised we are. Being organised can help you cope better with stress in the workplace. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, the first step I take is to tidy my desk. It helps me to calmly focus on figuring out the most important things I need to do.
How our workspace is organised also sends messages about us to our colleagues and clients about how we go about our work.
Is the space where you work energising and motivating? Imagine yourself in your preferred workspace and how it might feel to work there. Create the kind of atmosphere that makes your workspace a pleasant place to be by adding plants, a fruit bowl, pictures, flowers, or items that have meaning for you. A teapot, coffee machine or plunger, and a selection of special teas can make having a break more special. Perhaps even rearrange the furniture.
As we spend more of our working lives online, think about how your work is organised in cyberspace. Have strategies to stay on top of email and for sorting files that make staying in control of your work easier and less stressful.
**What would help to create the kind of atmosphere you prefer at work?**
**How can you cut down on clutter?**
**What systems do you need to keep you organised at work?**
**What would help to reduce stress or worry?**
**How do you use technology to help things flow more smoothly?**
### My commitment for improving my living space
The things I currently like about my living spaces are:
My goals for improving my living spaces are:
I created living spaces I liked in the past by:
Sources of support and encouragement are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 4
## Promoting health and wellbeing
_If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found_ _the safest way to health._ _Hippocrates_
Health is not just avoiding sickness. In positive terms, health is the capacity to grow to our full mental, physical and emotional potential—and to flourish. Being healthy is about feeling good and functioning well.
While many of us enjoy good health, there is also cause for concern. Our lifestyles need improving and our communities need strengthening. Many people do not eat enough vegetables or fruit, nor get enough physical activity. There are increasing numbers of people who are overweight, while eating disorders are also on the rise.
Being healthy includes having a mind and spirit that is nourished and resilient. Yet more and more members of our community experience depression, anxiety or problems from drugs and alcohol. Mental-health issues affect one-third of families. And, every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies of suicide.
Most adults with mental-health problems first experienced issues as a teenager. Young people with a mental-health issue are also more likely to have low incomes, be in trouble with the law, be a parent, experience physical illness and have poor educational outcomes. Tragically, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young people.
Yet there is much reason for hope: conditions including anxiety and depression are treatable (although only a quarter of people affected seek help). Our understanding of mental illness is growing all the time. Suicide is preventable. And, even better news, we can promote good mental health to prevent problems.
Our health is largely influenced by our lifestyle and the environment we live in. If we are to focus on wellbeing rather than only treating illness, we must take responsibility for our own health rather than expecting doctors to pick up the pieces of our unhealthy lifestyles. It also means helping to make our community a healthier place in which to live.
The causes of chronic illness such as heart disease and cancer are mostly related to alcohol use, smoking, being overweight, not eating enough fruit and vegetables and physical inactivity.
Don't wait for a wake-up call. Our lifestyle is in our control: many of the illnesses we experience are preventable. We need to build the strength of our minds and bodies so we are more resilient, making it less likely that problems will occur. And when we are in touch with our health and we know our bodies and minds well, we can catch problems early.
The healthier we are in body and mind, the happier we can be because, not only do we feel good, we're also more able to do the things that increase wellbeing. Researchers have also confirmed that there is a connection between happiness, health and life expectancy. Put simply, healthiness affects happiness and happiness affects health.
**What healthy habits do you already have in your life?**
**What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you?**
**How can you build healthy activities into a routine?**
**What would your partner or family wish for you in how you care for yourself?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Make an artwork describing what a healthy lifestyle would look like for you. Think about what being healthy means to you, what you are currently doing well, and what you need to do more of.
#
## Bounce back
_Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times._ _Aeschylus_
No one is 100 per cent happy—if they were, there'd probably be a psychiatric diagnosis for it! George Bernard Shaw said, 'A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth.'
Negative emotions are not bad in themselves; it's what we do with them and how we think about them that are important. Happiness is about living an authentic life, which includes a range of emotions. Carl Jung said, 'The word "happiness" would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.' The key is creating a lifestyle that promotes being generally happier, not being on a continuous high.
Feeling sad or blue happens to everyone, but fortunately the feelings don't stick around. It's natural and normal to feel sad about things now and then. Within a few hours or days, the clouds lift and life looks more balanced again.
Depression, however, can hang around longer. Feelings of depression can come out of nowhere or they may be triggered by an event. The death of a loved one, for example, can have a huge emotional impact that lasts for some time. It's important not to feel ashamed or guilty about your emotions. Depression is not caused by weakness or failure. Know that when these feelings threaten to stick around and outstay their welcome, there are ways to show depression the door.
If you are depressed try to focus on small things you can do to move towards being healthier, even if you are not sure they will work. Build a walk into your day, talk to others, make sure you get out of bed early and into the morning light to keep a good sleep–wake routine. Plan your day, including some things you enjoy, reflecting on what makes them enjoyable. Mindfulness and being in the moment can be very helpful. Focus on the positive, no matter how small.
Most importantly, know that it's okay to ask for help. Talking to a health professional can make a difference. Try to keep your connection with friends, family and the community. Remember that these feelings will pass.
**What have you learned from your friends and family about what's important when you're coping with a tough time?**
**Who supports you? Who helps you feel that you're not alone?**
**What daily activities help to bring some enjoyment to your day?**
**What helps you to bounce back?**
#
## Manage challenges
_You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,_ _and smarter than you think._ _AA Milne in_ Winnie-the-Pooh
People's resilience never ceases to amaze me. The way people are able to reach out to others, how they laugh at themselves, and how they find the ability to put their lives together again after experiencing a tough time is resilience.
Resilience comes from within and gives us a sense of control over our lives, the ability to solve problems and to persevere. It also allows us to continue to build connections with others. Our resilience is also built by external forces, through our social supports and our sense of belonging within the community. Resilience is something we all have and use day-to-day, not just something we use to help us bounce back from life's knocks.
Coping with life's challenges can be especially tough when things do not go as we had hoped. Everyone experiences challenges—our feelings of happiness fluctuate. Difficult life events can happen to anyone—being retrenched, having an accident, losing a loved one—and we need to respond to adversity as best we can.
Think about a difficulty or life experience, big or small, that was a challenge. How did you manage? What helped you cope?
When we come up against something unexpected, one of the most effective management strategies is to create a picture of the future without this challenge. Take some time to imagine: what will be different? How will you know when the problem has gone? How will you feel about yourself? Then, identify the first step to making that picture real. Remember to think about what you are most looking forward to about getting through this challenge. How will you celebrate when it's resolved?
Sometimes, you may not be able to change your circumstances. There's great wisdom in accepting that there are some things you cannot change. Even so, if you can't change the circumstances, you can change how you think about them. Try to find opportunities in life's challenges. Many people have become more grounded, centred, connected to others—and happier people in the process—despite tragedy.
**What tells you that you are coping well?**
**What strengths and resources do you have that will help you?**
**When have there been times that these challenges did not affect you as much?**
**What's different when things are going better? What do other people see you doing?**
**How would you explain your ability to do things differently then?**
#
## Eat well
_When you do things from your soul, you feel a river_ _moving in you, a joy._ _Rumi_
If 'we are what we eat', then let's aspire to be healthy, moderately sized, colourful, fresh, diverse and tasty.
Enjoy the feeling of being good to your body. Relish the feelings of health, strength and positivity when you eat well rather than resentfully chomping on mournful celery. We can start making conscious choices about what we really enjoy eating, rather than using food as punishment or a means of rebellion. How often have you rebelled by eating something 'naughty' then realised you didn't enjoy it? When we start listening to what our bodies really want and enjoy, we find that our diet becomes an integral part of our self-respect.
Know what you are eating by reading the labels on food packaging, paying close attention to the total energy, fat and salt content. The World Health Organization recommends that we limit the consumption of unhealthy fats (shifting away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and eliminating trans-fatty acids); limit sugars and salt; and increase our intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains and nuts.
Sometimes the most enjoyable part of the food is not in the eating, but the sense of achievement you get from cooking and preparing something delicious that is appreciated by others. Trying new foods and dishes, especially freshly prepared meals, can bring enormous pleasure. Explore new flavours such as fresh herbs, chillies, garlic and balsamic vinegar, and adapt old recipes to make them healthier.
Have a good breakfast to kick-start your metabolism for the day. Eat the recommended serves of vegetables and fruit per day (this usually means eating more not less!). Having a vegetable soup for dinner can be a great winter warmer and is an easy way to increase your veggie intake. A refreshing salad in summer can serve the same purpose—take a lesson from the Europeans who have a salad as their first course.
Remove temptation and don't have junk food in the house. We all have moments of weakness; no one is perfect, so limit the potential damage. Choose healthy snacks, such as fruit, low-fat soups, a small handful of nuts, wholegrain crackers or air-popped popcorn, and have them nearby both at home and at work.
Aim to eat only moderately sized meals. One way to manage portion size is to plate your food before sitting at the table rather than having a buffet-style meal in front of you, ready for easy picking. Avoid reading or watching TV while you eat and instead, eat slowly and notice the flavours.
Look for healthier alternatives when eating out or buying takeaway. If in doubt, ask how the food is cooked—how many times have you imagined a lean grill and received an oily, fried dish instead? Choose an entree and a side dish instead of a main if the main course options don't suit. And share dessert—it's more fun and only half the kilojoules.
**How does food bring happiness into your life?**
**How do you most enjoy sharing food with others?**
**What do you need to change about your daily eating preferences to improve your health?**
**What is important for you to remember when shopping for food?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Prepare a meal that stimulates all your senses and increases your enjoyment of food. Who will you invite to share this meal? What kinds of foods will you serve? What else would make the event special?
#
## Choose water as your drink
_If there is magic on this planet, it is contained_ _in water._ _Loren Eiseley_
When models are asked for their top beauty tip, many of them say, 'Drink plenty of water.' Keeping hydrated not only helps you to manage your weight, but it also keeps your skin soft and supple.
Adults should drink 2 litres of water per day—that's eight glasses. Children should drink 1 litre—four glasses. Vary the quantity with the season and climate and remember, drinks with caffeine or alcohol don't count.
One of the biggest contributors to weight problems in children is sugary drinks. Many people don't realise a can of soft drink has 10 (or more) teaspoons of sugar—and no other nutrients! Would you put 10 teaspoons of sugar in your tea or coffee?
If you are a parent, set an example by drinking water yourself. Make water easily available by keeping cold water in the fridge, serve water with your meals and pack a drink bottle filled with water for school. Water can be made more interesting by adding ice cubes, using a straw or adding a slice of orange or lemon. Get into the habit of taking a bottle of water from home when you go out.
For children, milk is an important drink because it provides valuable nutrients, including calcium and protein. Older children should drink reduced-fat milk. Children under two can drink full-fat milk because they have higher energy needs than older children.
Most fruit juices provide nutrients but contain little fibre, so, unfortunately, they don't give the same benefit as eating fresh fruit. Many fruit juices are also high in kilojoules and sugar, so like soft drinks they should only be consumed occasionally.
Drinking water regularly will not only set a good example to your children, it will help you manage your weight and boost your complexion too. If you struggle to drink eight glasses of water each day, try to drink a glass every time you start a new activity. Every time you walk past the sink, drink a glass of water. Every time you go to the toilet, drink a glass of water ... You'll quickly find you're up to eight glasses without even trying.
**Do you need to increase the amount of water you drink? If so, what will encourage you to increase your daily water intake? How will you keep track?**
#
## Switch off the screen and get active
_Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement_ _and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it._ _Plato_
Plato knew it more than 2000 years ago and researchers today have confirmed it: people who exercise regularly are happier. While exercise can boost your mood and increase happiness, around 40 per cent of people worldwide do not get enough physical activity.
As well as promoting psychological wellbeing, regular physical activity can help prevent lots of health problems. The World Health Organization says physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes. It can also improve musculoskeletal health, control body weight and reduce symptoms of depression.
Time spent in front of the TV or at the computer contributes to weight problems, particularly in children. Children and young people should spend less than two hours a day sitting in front of a screen. Plan a range of indoor and outdoor activities with your kids as an alternative to watching TV or playing on the computer.
How much exercise do we need? Thirty minutes of moderate activity most days will do it. You can also combine a few shorter sessions of activity of around 15 minutes each. Moderate activity means you can still comfortably talk (but perhaps not sing) while doing the exercise. If you want to take it to the next level, schedule some regular, vigorous activity for extra health and fitness.
Plan your exercise by adding it to your diary. Decide how many times each week you want to swim, go to the gym, take a yoga class, play tennis, or do whatever activity feels good for you. Then, schedule it just like you would a meeting or doctor's appointment. Use the healthy and happiness-making plan in Part 1 of this book to make a weekly exercise routine.
**What kind of physical activity would fit well in your current routine?**
**What has worked in the past?**
**How does exercise boost your happiness?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Go for a walk in your neighbourhood and find a path that increases your sense of happiness. While walking, think about what things make you happy and your journey to create greater happiness in your life.
#
## Be active in as many ways as you can
_Wholesome exercise in the free air, under the wide sky, is the best_ _medicine for body and spirit._ _Sarah Louise Arnold_
You are more likely to maintain regular activity in your daily life if you include exercise that is purposeful and part of what you do every day. Look for opportunities to exercise by walking instead of driving short distances. This is especially important if you already feel that life is jam-packed or if the thought of finding time for exercise is overwhelming.
Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work or go for a walk at lunchtime—it's a great way to de-stress from the office and spend time with a friend.
Your travel time is also a great way to build exercise into your routine. Try walking or cycling if that's something that appeals to you. You could get off the train or bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way. How about a walk before or after work? You could use it as a chance to catch up with your partner or children before or after a busy day.
Walking children to school helps them learn about 'normal' physical activity. It can help prevent weight problems and to connect with the community around them. The journey gives opportunities to meet others along the way and it's a good time to talk to your kids and keep communication pathways open.
Playing sport can be a fun way to exercise no matter your age or ability. Team sports are also an excellent way of meeting people with similar interests and broadening your circle of friends. Most sporting clubs arrange social events throughout the season. There are often opportunities to help with the running of the club.
Yoga and Pilates are associated with increased flexibility, strength and clarity or peace of mind. They can be a terrific adjunct to other sports or more vigorous activities. Many yoga devotees swear by it as a way of dealing with stress and calming their minds. Pilates uses coordinated breath and movement to strengthen and stretch the body, working on balance, posture and core strength. It's similar to yoga, but there's more emphasis on movement as each exercise is repeated. Pilates focuses on the deep abdominal muscles, buttocks, hips and lower back strength. It also improves balance, posture and flexibility.
Know what motivates you. Is it having a routine, exercising with a friend or group, or having a personal trainer? Having a routine involving friends or family members also makes it difficult to give up or back out. Maximise your success by using what keeps you motivated, interested and enjoying your workouts. If you're goal-oriented, set yourself a challenge: a local fun run can be something to work towards and help you maintain focus. Perhaps a dance or Zumba class is just what you need to bring a smile to your face and enliven your body? Whatever you choose, just keep moving!
**What keeps you motivated when exercising?**
**What kinds of sports and physical activities do you enjoy?**
**Which ones would you like to try?**
#
## Limit alcohol
_One martini is all right. Two are too many,_ _and three are not enough._ _James Thurber_
An alcoholic beverage can be one of life's great pleasures. A glass of wine or a beer with friends can be a nice way to end the workday or to celebrate a big event. However, many of us also know how it feels to have had one (or three) too many. The key to enjoying alcohol is to keep the amount you consume to a level that doesn't impinge on your health and happiness.
Some people think, 'Well, I'm not an alcoholic, so I'm okay.' The truth is, drinking at harmful levels causes many health issues other than alcoholism: alcohol use contributes to cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis of the liver and various cancers. Alcohol weakens the immune system so often has a role in infectious diseases. Alcohol also plays a part in many injuries, both unintentional and intentional, including road traffic accidents, violence and suicide.
Regular heavy drinking and binge drinking are dangerous to our health and happiness. Limit your drinking to two standard drinks per day for women (a standard drink is 100 millilitres) and four for men, with at least one to two alcohol-free days each week. At a party or night out, aim to have no more than five standard drinks in one sitting.
Knowing how to count your drinks is important, especially when driving. Your size, weight, fitness, liver function and whether you are male or female will all affect the alcohol level in your blood and the rate at which alcohol is eliminated from your system. Another thing to remember is that some medications can increase the effects of alcohol.
Before an event, plan how much you are going to drink. Choose drinks that have less alcohol or dilute your drinks using mixers such as soda water. Experiment with creating luscious fruit cocktail combinations with little or no alcohol. Always start with a non-alcoholic drink and make every second drink a non-alcoholic one. I have a friend who, when out, makes sure everyone is armed with a glass of water. Have you ever noticed that people will often drink a glass of water given to them, even when they did not specifically request a glass?
If you are drinking a little too much or if drinking is causing problems in your life, it's time to act. Decide if you will go alcohol-free or limit your drinking to safe levels. Which approach is most likely to achieve a positive result for you? You can always change your mind anytime you think a different choice will increase the likelihood of a good outcome. See a drug and alcohol counsellor, psychologist or social worker, or talk to your doctor or a telephone support service.
**What would a relative, friend, doctor, health worker or coworker recommend about your drinking?**
**Do you want to reduce the amount you drink or do you feel you would be better not drinking at all? If you want to reduce your drinking, what are your specific goals?**
**What strategies will you use to help you stay motivated? How can you encourage yourself?**
**If you are using alcohol as a way of increasing your sense of happiness, what else can you use to create this same feeling without the risks involved with alcohol?**
#
## Quit smoking for good
_To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did. I ought to know_ _because I've done it a thousand times._ _Mark Twain_
One of the best things you can do for your health is to stop smoking. One cigarette reduces your life by eleven minutes. Because people are having children later in life, and because we know smoking cuts about ten years from your life, choosing not to smoke can mean the difference between knowing your grandchildren or not.
Quitting smoking can be challenging, so be sure to get all the help you need. The first step is to be clear about the reason you're quitting. The strongest motivation lies in focusing on what you'll gain by quitting, rather than only focusing on the harm of continuing. Perhaps you want to quit because of the health risks, to find a new partner, or because you want to know your grandchildren.
It's very common to start the process of quitting while still wanting to smoke. This is normal. Don't put off quitting because you feel this way—there is lots of help to get you through. If you've tried to quit before, you can use what you learned about what worked last time—and what didn't help—to make your plan to quit stronger.
Next, explore options to help you quit smoking such as patches and quit-line services. Look for other supports such as friends who have quit or who also want to quit. Most importantly, set a date to quit and stick to it.
Now, put the plan into action. It's normal to get cravings in situations where you used to smoke. Resisting cravings is a necessary step in making them go away. Each time you exercise your willpower, your willpower grows stronger. If you do have a cigarette, you don't need to see it as a one-way-ticket back to full-time smoking. Be aware of risky times or situations and prepare a plan to help you manage.
The next stage is learning to enjoy and value your new smoke-free lifestyle. Start to think of yourself as a non-smoker. Give yourself a huge pat on the back!
**How will you benefit from being a non-smoker? How will you remind yourself of your reasons for quitting?**
**What will be the signs that you are keeping your commitment to quitting?**
**What situations do you need to prepare for to make it less likely you will slip? How will you respond to urges to 'just have one quick one'? What strategies have worked best in the past?**
**Think of a time when you did something that was difficult and you nevertheless succeeded. How did you do that? Is there anything you did then that could help you now?**
**How will you congratulate yourself every time you beat the urge for a cigarette?**
#
## Be drug aware
_Keep your head clear. It doesn't matter how bright the path is_ _if your head is always cloudy._ _Unknown_
There is a complex link between drug use and happiness. Many people initially try drugs because of some of the pleasurable effects: increased alertness and sociability, and reduced anxiety or worry. Initially, they may think that drug use is an easy way to increase happiness.
For many young people, experimenting with recreational drugs is just part of the exploration and risk-taking that goes along with youth. The problem is that many experiment with drugs without knowing the potentially harmful effects and dangers—and these have a negative impact on their happiness. For example, taking cannabis can lead to dependency, an increased risk of motor-vehicle accidents, impaired respiratory function, cardiovascular disease and mental-health problems.
Drugs can also cause relationship problems, money and legal problems and affect a person's ability to work and keep a job. There are also clear links between using drugs and mental-health problems: if you have a history of mental illness in your family, taking drugs may increase your risk of developing a mental illness.
For those who choose to use drugs, minimising harm is the key. Encourage young people to keep everyone as safe as possible. Teach them to look after friends who have been taking drugs. It's important that they keep hydrated and stay with their friend until the effects of the drug have completely worn off. If someone who has been taking drugs passes out or needs help, call an ambulance immediately. The paramedics are not required to notify police in the case of an overdose.
It is also wise to research the effects of different drugs and know what they do, physically and mentally. Be aware that mixing drugs, especially with alcohol, can be lethal. If you decide to use drugs, don't mix them. Take one drug at a time, use smaller amounts and don't forget that some drugs have a delayed effect. Consider whom you want to be with and where, in case you have a bad or unexpected reaction. Find someone to look after children so they are safe and are receiving the attention they need. Be aware of the potential dangers at parties and clubs, such as drink spiking—hold onto your drink and don't drink anything that's been out of your sight. Pre-plan how you will get home safely.
Parents of young people can help reduce the risks by educating them about how they can best manage risks and make a plan to stay safe. Most importantly, teach by example.
If you are worried or concerned about your drug use (recreational drugs and/or prescription medication) or about how drugs are affecting someone in your family, get help. Talk to your doctor or a drug information line and get the support you need to make changes in your life.
**How can you protect and support those close to you who may be taking drugs?**
**What is the effect of your drug use and that of your friends and family on your relationships?**
**How does your and others' drug use affect your ability to care for others?**
#
## Manage other addictive habits
_You cannot beat a roulette table unless_ _you steal money from it._ _Albert Einstein_
There are many other addictive habits that don't involve drugs—some damaging, and some not so damaging. Believe it or not, you can become addicted to exercise: not usually a problem, unless it begins to be harmful. Playing computer games or being online for long periods may also begin to interfere with your life if it replaces other activities that would make you ultimately happier, particularly as they are sedentary activities.
Gambling is another addictive activity that can cause significant problems for individuals and families. People often feel depressed, anxious or guilty after gambling—it's called a gambling hangover. They may hide their gambling and try desperately to win back losses or win money to pay their debts. Tips for controlling your urge to gamble include being honest with yourself about how much you are losing (keep a record) and only gambling if you can afford to lose the money. Do not have your credit card with you if you gamble.
Eating, shopping and sex addictions are other known non-drug addictions that can greatly affect people's lives. For all kinds of addictions, it can help to tell someone who cares about you—or telephone a counsellor.
**Do you have any habits you would like to change?**
**How would you prefer things to be?**
**What knowledge and resources will help you?**
#
## Live a life less painful
_The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we_ _exist, even in pain._ _Lord Byron_
Although people experience pain differently, it commonly causes much worry and distress.
Acute pain is associated with an injury. The reason for the pain is clear (such as a broken arm) and it has a predicable duration and outcome. Acute pain can often be resolved by treating the underlying cause and managing the pain symptoms. It's okay to take drugs for acute pain for a short period; the risk of becoming dependent is low.
Chronic pain continues after the injury has healed. Pain that persists can have a significant impact on wellbeing, affecting relationships, work and mental health. The mechanism for most forms of chronic pain is unknown, unless it stems from a condition such as arthritis or diabetes. Drug treatments may only partially relieve the symptoms of chronic pain, so use them carefully. Many people find that therapies that focus on daily living, including how people think about their pain, are helpful. Health-care professionals often recommend exercise, psychological strategies and lifestyle changes rather than drugs or surgery to improve chronic pain and the ability to manage it.
Both acute and chronic pain can make daily living a challenge. Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle, managing your physical fitness, eating healthy foods and ensuring you get all the rest you need. For some people, getting sufficient exercise is made more challenging by pain. In this case, find a type of exercise that takes your condition into account.
You may need to deal with flare-ups: it is best to have a plan worked out that you can use during these times. Take steps to prevent or ease depression by knowing what works for you, including talking to friends or professionals. Avoid using other drugs or alcohol to manage persistent pain. Don't allow the pain to curtail your life more than necessary. Instead focus on finding fun and rewarding activities.
**How do you practise being happy even when you are experiencing pain?**
**How can you maintain a sense of hopefulness while also managing pain?**
#
## Get a good night's sleep
_Sometimes the most urgent and vital thing you can_ _possibly do is take a complete rest._ _Ashleigh Brilliant_
Having a regular sleep pattern is important for your overall functioning and wellbeing. Most adults require seven to eight hours' sleep every night. Teenagers and children require even longer—nine to ten hours. Many people do not get enough sleep, disrupting their ability to function well and make good decisions throughout the day.
Get into good sleep habits by establishing a soothing bedtime routine and go to bed at the same time each night. Don't engage in stimulating activities before bed, such as playing a competitive game. Similarly, stay clear of the computer just before bed—an activity such as reading is more relaxing.
Disturbed sleep is common, especially during times when you feel stressed or emotionally overwhelmed. Anxiety, restless replaying of the day's events and heightened emotions may significantly interfere with sleep. Shift work and having small children often causes sleep disturbances. And we live in a digital world and our evening activities often involve some kind of screen or mobile technology—a great disrupter of sleep.
Eliminate all foods or drinks that contain caffeine six hours before bedtime. Limit your use of alcohol and tobacco and don't go to bed too hungry or too full. You can try drinking a warm drink such as chamomile tea, a natural herb that aids relaxation, before sleep.
Make your environment conducive to sleep by reducing noise and light in the bedroom. Keep the temperature in the bedroom at a comfortable level. Cover your alarm clock so you don't keep looking at the time. Restrict activities in bed to those that help to induce sleep, such as reading a book or having sex.
If you are unable to go to sleep (or back to sleep) after fifteen minutes, get out of bed. Do something that is not too stimulating but changes your focus, like listening to music, reading, relaxation exercises or meditation. My favourite cure for insomnia is to look out the window at the stars. If you are worrying about things at bedtime, write them down so you can put them aside until the morning. They often appear different in the light of a new day.
Sleep problems often respond to a change in context. Try sleeping in another room, sleeping wrapped up in a blanket as if in a cocoon, or going to sleep with soothing music. It may sound unusual but try sleeping with your head at the foot of the bed to see if it helps—I've found that it does.
A regular sleep pattern is important. Practise going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, to keep a good sleep–wake routine. Exercise daily, preferably in the morning, and avoid exercise in the hours before bedtime. Increase your exposure to natural and bright light during the day and turn off electrical devices at night. Avoid daytime naps and try not to sleep in on the weekends for more than two to three hours later than your usual wake-up time because it upsets your body clock. No wonder we are at our worst on Monday mornings!
We all know we feel much better after a good night's sleep and that burning the midnight oil affects our alertness, concentration and memory, so prioritise sleep in your daily routine.
**Are you getting the sleep you need?**
**What helps you to get a good night's sleep?**
#
## Protect your health
_The greatest wealth is health._ _Virgil_
Some people take better care of their car than their own body. You only have one body so protect yours by preventing health problems from developing.
Protect your skin and eyes from the sun with a hat, preferably with a wide brim that shades the face, neck and ears. Wear clothing that covers as much of the skin as possible, including the back of the neck, and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Avoid the sun between 10a.m. and 3p.m.—use the shade from trees, umbrellas, buildings or any type of canopy. Use sunscreen on parts of the body that cannot be protected easily, such as the back of the hands.
Stay sexually healthy and avoid being caught out in the heat of the moment. Get your contraception organised ahead of time. Condoms are the only contraceptive that protects you against infections. If you use a condom and a water-based lubricant every time you have sex you will have less chance of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. Keep condoms in your purse or wallet (because you never know...).
Look after your smile—it's one of your best assets! Eat well, enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods and limit sugary foods and drinks. Drink plenty of water. Clean your teeth at least twice a day after meals and floss daily. See your dentist each year for a check-up.
Immunisation can protect you against harmful infections that can cause serious complications, including death. Immunisation uses the body's natural defence mechanism—the immune response—to build resistance to specific infections. If you have children, keep to the recommended immunisation schedule. And if you're travelling overseas, leave plenty of time for vaccinations before you go (some need to be administered well before your planned travel).
Another way to stay healthy is to identify the early signs of problems. By identifying little things that seem unusual, you could prevent an illness from occurring altogether or enable a complete cure.
Health checks can literally save your life. Women need to check their breasts every month. Familiarise yourself with the normal look and feel of your breasts and see a doctor immediately if you notice any unusual breast changes. Men need to get familiar with the usual level of lumpiness in their testes and see a doctor if they notice a change.
Check your skin every three months for changes. The more often you examine your skin, the more you will learn about it—what is normal for you and what has changed since the last time you looked.
By preventing health problems—or detecting them early—you can take proactive steps to protect your health and wellbeing and avoid illness.
**What steps do you take to protect your health?**
**Are you accessing the health care you need?**
**How can you remember to have your dental and other check-ups?**
### My commitment for promoting my health and wellbeing
I am currently doing well in looking after my health and wellbeing by:
My goals for my health and wellbeing are:
These things have worked for me in the past:
Sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 5
## Managing finances
_Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay_ _for its counterfeit._ _Hosea Ballou_
How important is money for happiness? When money buys a way out of homelessness, or you no longer have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, it's very important. For the world's poor, and those poor on our doorstep, a small income is of tremendous value. For wealthy people, a little extra money doesn't make a lot of difference.
Many countries have, in real terms, become richer and on average people live longer. Despite these gains, we are not getting any happier overall. High living standards in many countries have meant most of us have ready access to healthy food, health care, clean water and stable housing. But beyond a certain point, increasing a country's wealth does not bring greater happiness.
The 2012 United Nations' _World Happiness Report_ says that although a strong Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a valuable goal in achieving high standards of living, other things matter greatly. It advises that a strong GDP should not be pursued to the loss of economic stability, where the poor and socially excluded suffer, ethical standards are compromised, or the environment is put at risk. The vibrancy of communities and the mental health of people are more important. Economic growth needs to be environmentally and socially sustainable.
So, should we pursue economic development when economic growth does little to increase our wellbeing and happiness? Certainly, the happiest countries in the world have high incomes, but they also have high social equality, trust and high-quality governance and these are the significant differences between those countries and countries that are less happy.
While GDP is the top priority of governments, polls consistently suggest individuals value other things more highly, such as family and security. Some governments have taken on the challenge of improving national happiness by boosting social systems, supporting cultural activities, and protecting the environment. Perhaps we should look as carefully at our levels of happiness as we do our levels of national debt. We could learn something from the country of Bhutan, which measures Gross National Happiness as an indicator of its wellbeing.
How would we measure Gross National Happiness? Gallup polls measure people's assessment of their quality of life in more than 150 countries. In the polls from 2005 to 2011, people from Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland rated their quality of life highest. Some of the features of those countries that scored highly include good social support systems (enabled by high taxation levels), comparatively evenly distributed incomes and low crime rates.
Most people who live in developed countries can afford to have access to the basic things that we all need: education, a bed at night, nourishing food, safe transport and health care. By distributing our wealth more fairly we can achieve these things for all people.
There's a growing consensus that, on the whole, we place too much emphasis on economic growth at a cost to our quality of life. Modern Western culture equates happiness with pleasure, gratification and indulgence, but we know that quick fixes of pleasure distract us from the things that bring long-lasting happiness. Connecting with others, having goals that use our strengths and abilities, and committing ourselves to the wellbeing of ourselves and others are more important. Ultimately, fulfilling relationships and not the accumulation of assets, are the key to happiness and wellbeing.
Look for ways to find enjoyment without spending money and manage your finances so they are not a source of stress—for most families this will promote happiness more than a few extra dollars in the kitty.
**What role does money play in your sense of happiness?**
**What role would you like money to play in your sense of overall wellbeing and security?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Make a collage of the best life you can create for yourself while staying within your current income. Pay attention to the simple low-cost pleasures that you currently enjoy, and think about how you can create even more space for these happiness-making activities in your daily life.
#
## Rethink your relationship with money
_If you realise that you have enough, you are truly rich._ _Lao Tzu_
Think about all the things you really want to do. Now think about all the things that make you happy when you are doing them. How do your answers differ?
Most people are surprised to discover that there is a difference between what they desire (what they think will make them happy) and the things that actually bring them happiness. Consumerism promises happiness but, for two reasons, it can never deliver. First, we adapt to what we have and we always want more. Second, we experience the problem of comparison: when we compare ourselves to others we feel worse off. People who have won the lottery have been known to become happier, but only for a limited period.
Many studies have found that our need to purchase and acquire things is not associated with increased happiness, but with more negative emotions such as dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety and anger. And those who make comparisons between their own income and that of others are less happy than those who don't see their relative income as particularly important.
If we want to bring happiness into our lives, we would be better off to focus more on our feelings of competence and self-worth, our relationships with others and safety in the community. Quite simply, people who care less about money are happier.
That's not to say we shouldn't manage our money carefully. Responsible spending and money management are a source of good living and can help us feel secure. Not managing your finances well can bring about stress and worry. Consider your spending and saving patterns, your needs and wants, and work out realistic priorities and longer-term goals. Making active choices about our finances is connected to what we prioritise as important in our lives.
Recently a friend's five-year-old daughter was shopping with her grandmother. Her grandmother asked her, 'What do you need at the shops?' Skipping along and holding her grandmother's hand, she replied, 'I don't _need_ anything, Grandma, I just want lots of things.' Children can have such simple wisdom.
**If you had to choose between earning more money and cutting back on work, which option would make you and your family happier?**
**When you picture a healthy and happy lifestyle, what kind of job and income do you need to support that lifestyle?**
**How much do you spend on 'wants' as opposed to 'needs'?**
**How much money do you really need to live on?**
**Which 'wants' are you prepared to cut back on?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Start a loose-change jar or a savings account in which you bank the savings from reducing your impulse buying or by finding a cheaper alternative. If you're giving up smoking or reducing your alcohol intake, think about putting aside the money you save by not buying cigarettes or alcohol. See the positive impact your changes have financially.
#
## Simplify your finances
_After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that_ _we live in a material world._ _Pam Shaw_
Money may not bring happiness, but it can be stressful if your finances are not managed well. Wondering which bill you can pay this week and which can wait, struggling to find enough money for unexpected car repairs, or having to sell belongings to finance daily life can cause immense stress and unhappiness. Work out a plan to simplify and get on top of your finances, once and for all.
Develop a realistic budget to cover your expenses, including some rewards. Plan for large annual expenses, such as car registration, by setting aside money each month to cover that cost. That way, when the expense comes due, you won't find yourself living on baked beans for a month to cover it.
Look for ways to organise your living based on relationships rather than cash. Borrow or rent equipment you might not need longer term or re-sell items you have bought but no longer need.
Don't let bills weigh you down. Develop a filing system with at least two files: one for papers that need attending to and another for those you want to store. Set up as many automatic payments and direct debits as you can; that way you can avoid late-payment fees and save yourself a lot of time, energy and stress running around paying bills.
Plan, too, for unexpected events. Many a person has been knocked around financially because of sudden unemployment or illness. Having a few months' salary tucked away can give you flexibility and a sense of reassurance that the unexpected will be a hiccup rather than a disaster. If you have an emergency savings account then you will never really have any emergencies.
If you want to save for a specific purpose (such as a holiday), plan for it. You might like to look back at the section on setting SMART goals to help you. Open a specific account that is just for that goal. On payday, transfer the amount you want to save into that account before you do anything else. It's much harder to save money if you try to save what's left at the end of the pay period.
Take charge of any debt you hold. Pay off the loan with the highest interest rate first and try to pay off your credit cards in full each month. It also pays to shop around: use websites to compare the costs and conditions for credit cards, loans, car and health insurance to find the best deal and make informed decisions.
If one of your goals is to own a home, you'll need some careful financial planning and a long-term vision. Don't rush in. You need to carefully research the housing market and your finance options. Don't over-extend yourself; consider your circumstances given the possibility of future interest rate rises or a change in personal circumstances. Once you have a mortgage, look at making payments fortnightly rather than monthly—and if your loan is flexible, pay a little more than you need to. Over the term of your loan it can save you a significant amount of interest.
If that all sounds a bit restrictive, remember to not skimp on fun. Many cultural events and activities are free. Visit your local library, where books, movies and music are free to borrow and even the internet is free to use. Botanic gardens are also beautiful places to visit for little or no cost. Galleries, museums, beaches and parks are great options for low-cost entertainment.
Explore different holiday ideas: think about camping, self-catering accommodation, house-swapping or visiting friends. Check out websites that offer last-minute deals, especially for classy hotels. Instead of an overseas holiday, think about somewhere closer to home: take time to discover the gems in your own backyard.
**How can you simplify your finances?**
**How much money do you set aside for the things you, your children and your family need?**
**Are there ways you can free up some finances without causing hardship or more stress?**
#
## The good life, simply
_Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes_ _our abundance._ _Epicurus_
So many pleasurable everyday activities, such as reading a good book, walking the dog, having a nap, making a pot of soup, having a cup of tea, gardening, doing a puzzle or crossword, or listening to music, are low-cost.
Some of the most enjoyable and relaxing activities are simple things such as a log fire, a hot bath, burning scented oils, clean sheets on the bed and warm towels in winter, listening to a cat purr, or eating a boiled egg and toast on a rainy morning. Julie Andrews in _The Sound of Music_ sang, 'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens; brown paper packages tied up with strings; these are a few of my favourite things.'
Acts of warmth and kindness are free yet mean so much: an unexpected hug, sending a thank-you note, making a casserole for a friend, picking flowers as a gift, telling someone you love them, sending a special message, making a birthday or Valentine's Day card, visiting a neighbour or telephoning a friend deliver joy to both you and the recipient.
There are also little moments of joy in life's experiences during which we reflect on the absurd, like when we smile at a cartoon. Or we might find ourselves observing life's magic: stargazing, people-watching from a distance, watching the sunset or leaves fall, or a spider at work.
Some activities bring back fond memories of childhood: eating watermelon on a hot summer's day, building sandcastles, eating pancakes, the smell of hot cinnamon cake. It's never too late to be a kid again. Pillow fights, skipping stones across a river, blowing bubbles and riding a bicycle are childhood delights that can be enjoyed at any age.
Being in nature, walking along the beach, swimming in the ocean, watching butterflies, lying on the grass and looking for shapes in the clouds, can all enrich the soul. Or you can get out into the bush, drive through mountains, bushwalk, tell stories, make tea and damper, and stare into the embers of a dwindling campfire.
Children bring many opportunities for low-cost fun: a picnic, playing games in the park, organising a treasure hunt, eating ice cream, watching planes at the airport, baking, or reading books.
Free activities might include going to the local library, a community event such as a music performance, visiting a gallery or watching a sporting match. Happiness-making experiences are often found just around the corner, without the need to open your wallet.
**What things do you enjoy doing that don't cost a lot of money?**
**How can you include more of these in your life?**
**Which simple low-cost pleasures appeal to you?**
#
## Give of yourself
_You give but little when you give of your possessions._ _It is when you give of yourself that you truly give._ _Khalil Gibran_
Giving brings more happiness than receiving. In a study in which one group was given money to spend on themselves and another group was asked to spend it on others, which group do you think was happier at the end of the day?
So many things we can give—a compliment, a smile and a friendly hello—are free yet highly valued. Presents, too, don't need to cost a great deal—a thoughtful gift is more meaningful. Some people just seem to have the knack of being able to choose the right gift without spending a lot of money. The key is to find a gift that has meaning—take note of the small things people say and be imaginative. For example, you could replace a cherished object that was lost or broken, give something to help your friend achieve a personal goal, or give something you can enjoy together (Scrabble, anyone?).
A handmade card or drawing can be a fabulous gift, particularly when it has been made by a child. A poem or song can be a gift whose value cannot be measured.
Small children often love simple presents such as a decorated cake, a ball, puppet, book, costume, chalk or a special outing. You could give the teenager in your life a handmade pass that says you'll pick them up from any place, anytime, no questions asked. An adult might appreciate an IOU note for a favour, a glass of champagne together watching the sunset, a personally chosen mixed-song list, homemade jam or pickles, chocolates, or a framed photograph.
Ethical gifts can include things such as donating livestock or equipment to a family or school from a developing country.
When it comes to romance, little things create meaning and make a moment more special, and they needn't cost much. Walk along a beach together, go for a moonlit walk, or drive to a scenic lookout at sunset. Hold hands. Have dinner at home with candles, napkins and the good china and glasses. Buy special chocolates to top off a great home-cooked meal. Play cards, read aloud, pretend there's a blackout. Play 'your song' and dance. Or for a relaxed night in, watch a movie you both like, drink hot cocoa and have a pillow fight in your pyjamas. Then make your partner breakfast in bed or get up early with them even when you don't have to. Go to a park, play on the swings and feed the ducks. Go roller-skating. Share a candlelit bath together.
**How can you bring more romance into your life without increasing your spending?**
**What message do you want your gifts to convey?**
**What would that person really love to receive?**
**If you are on a tight budget, what can you give that does not involve buying something? Your time? Your skills? Your company?**
#
## Finish unfinished business
_It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves._ _William Shakespeare_
Imagine you knew you had just a few weeks left to live. What would be your priorities? What things would you need to set right?
I recently sat in a doctor's waiting room holding my file with my blood-test results attached to the front—a mistake made by the receptionist, who should have handed these directly to the doctor. For a whole fifteen minutes, I was convinced the results indicated I had a life-threatening illness. Thankfully, they didn't, but the experience did make me think about my priorities.
Tidying up unfinished business can bring a sense of peace. You might want to get in touch with an old friend, return something you've borrowed or finish an uncompleted project. Perhaps you really need to sort out your tax affairs or get some legal papers in order.
For many, making a will is an important step in creating peace of mind, particularly if you need to plan for the future of people you care about. You can choose who will handle your affairs after you die: this person is your estate's executor. Let them know where your will is. If you've had your will drawn up by a solicitor, they will usually hold it at no charge for you. If you've used a do-it-yourself-kit, make sure your will is somewhere safe but easily accessible.
Remember that if your circumstances change significantly (you get married or divorced, have children, buy a house) you'll need to update your will. Review your will annually.
Another thing you might like to do is to talk with someone close to you about what should happen if you are seriously ill or incapacitated. Discuss organ donation and how you feel about medical treatment in the event of a serious accident or illness. While these things are not easy to discuss, they can make future decisions and discussions much easier.
Once unresolved things are set right and loose ends tied up, we can relax and be more at peace.
**What arrangements have you made for your affairs to be dealt with after your death?**
**What arrangements would you like people to carry out on your behalf if you are seriously ill or injured?**
**What changes in your circumstances do you need to include in your update of your arrangements?**
#
## Make aware financial decisions
_There are those who give with joy, and that joy_ _is their reward._ _Khalil Gibran_
If we are to redress some of the inequalities that many people experience, both globally and locally, we need to be more mindful of how we earn and spend our money.
The products we buy and use locally have an impact on people in other countries. Many of the goods we use are made or grown in developing countries. Sometimes, they've been made by workers who receive little pay or work in dangerous conditions. Sometimes, the producers use child labourers. Farmers who grow products such as coffee or cocoa may not have received a fair price for their products. The manufacturing processes used may have been environmentally damaging.
Today, we're in the fortunate position of being able to make good choices and use our knowledge to choose products that are produced ethically. We can support companies that use ethical labour, pay producers fair prices, and adhere to environmental standards. Help businesses across the world by buying fair-trade goods.
You can also consider making sustainable and ethical investments. Many financial groups offer investment options that avoid making money from harmful activities. Socially responsible businesses consider the full range of costs and benefits of their activities, not just profit. Choose a superannuation fund that specialises in sustainable and ethical investments, or select this as an investment option if available. And if it isn't available, lobby your fund to provide that option.
Tread lightly on the earth. Become more environmentally aware and reduce your carbon footprint. Consider where items are made and how far they have been transported. Try to buy locally produced products wherever possible.
Given that extra income is much more valuable to the poor than the wealthy, consider making a regular donation from your income to organisations that support the disadvantaged or advocate for sustainable development. Or donate that unexpected tax refund or small windfall.
There are also many creative ways for making giving more social, such as pooling funds with a group of friends and jointly deciding how to donate it, donating a prize (perhaps becoming a 'patron of the arts'), or sponsoring a local sporting group.
**How can you become a more responsible consumer?**
**What do you want to teach your children about how to manage money? How do you do that?**
### My commitment to managing my finances
What's currently going well with my finances is:
My goals for improving my finances are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence and financial competence by:
Financial resources I could consult when I need them are:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 6
## Engaging in work
_Work is love made visible._ _Khalil Gibran_
You may have heard the expression, 'True happiness comes when you do what you're most passionate about.' It seems to be true that when we do what we love, we feel happier and more content. Do you love what you do?
Many factors influence how much we value our work. Researchers have found that people most value high income, flexible working hours, promotional opportunities, job security, interesting work, being able to work independently, helping others, and being useful to society. The underlying values that affect people at work include pride, generosity, caring and honesty.
Although high income featured on that list, it's interesting to note that research has also found that increased pay can, in fact, decrease our performance at work, because the money becomes more important than things such as security, autonomy, workplace trust and independence. Satisfied workers are more likely to stay in their jobs and are more likely to be productive.
Take some time to reflect on your skills, interests and priorities. How well do they align with what you do for a living? Thinking carefully about these things and how aligning work and your passions can increase your happiness might inspire you to change careers, change workplaces, downsize or undertake further study.
A friend was feeling unfulfilled in her work. She wanted to use her skills in a way that was more meaningful. She was struggling to find an answer when a job came up that called on her skills in marketing to do meaningful research with multicultural and indigenous people. She's now worked happily in the field for more than twenty years.
Don't be afraid to dream. Find your passion and create your life based on it. Promise yourself that you'll follow your dream.
**What are you passionate about? When are you most alive and happy?**
**What's most important about work to you?**
**What maintains your interest in work?**
**What have you done that you feel proud of?**
**What is the work you'd like to be remembered for?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Take a step into the future. Imagine you are coming to the end of your working life. What would you like to be remembered for? What was your greatest contribution over the course of your working life? What skills, qualities and abilities did you use well in your work?
Perhaps create a final CV or a speech that someone might give at your retirement function.
**• What do you discover while doing this creative challenge?**
**• What do you want to include in your work so you can create the working life you've depicted?**
Do not be too worried about what you think may or may not be possible. Stick with developing a picture rather than figuring out how to get there—that comes later!
#
## Do what you love
_If you love what you do, there are no difficult tasks,_ _only interesting ones._ _Vadim Kotelnikov_
It's often said, 'Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!' What kind of work would bring about the most satisfaction, regardless of how much you were paid?
What are you good at? What do you most look forward to doing? Think about the sort of activities that suit your skills and interests. Knowing these things, you can start to think about what job might best match your skills, interests and talents.
How does your work fit with your goals, your family needs and the bigger picture of the life you want to create? When you start looking at your career options, keep an eye out for positions that match your most important values, interests, personality style, skills and strengths.
Many people change careers throughout their lifetime. Sometimes interests change; priorities shift or the work market requires different skills. Faced with the decision of what is the best job for you right now, what would people who want the best for you and your family advise you to do?
Your work can help you achieve a sense of purpose if it involves activities that you enjoy and that help others at the same time. Doing what you love, and what helps you to connect positively with others, is ultimately more fulfilling than earning more. How could you contribute to making the world a better place?
**What qualities, skills and attributes do you appreciate about yourself?**
**How does your work give you a sense of meaning?**
**If you knew you had only twelve months to live, what would you regret not having done?**
**What is your life's mission? What job best suits your goals?**
**What do you love doing?**
#
## Visualise a day in your preferred job
_Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and_ _something to hope for._ _Joseph Addison_
Trying to imagine your ideal job—one that is meaningful and satisfying—can be tricky. Usually, the picture is vague and fuzzy around the edges. One way to bring the picture into focus is to visualise a day in your ideal job.
Let's begin by imagining how your day begins. What time do you wake? What do you wear? Are the clothes similar or different to your current work wardrobe?
Now it's time to get going. How do you get to work? How long does it take and how do you travel?
You arrive at work. What kind of organisation is it? What is valued most in this profession and why is this job important to you? What's your physical working environment like? Where will you have lunch?
Imagine how you spend your day: What kinds of tasks are you doing? How do you spend most of your time? Do you spend a lot of time with other people or do you work by yourself? What skills do you need? What are the working conditions like? Do you earn enough to live on and support those you care for? What are the hours like? And the leave benefits?
It's the end of the day. What time do you go home? How do you feel when you get home?
This exercise can help generate the enthusiasm and energy you need to make the shift. It might also help you decide if you really do want it. You might decide, instead, to improve your current work situation so it is more like your preferred job. There are ways to do that: could you drop to four days instead of five? Would a day a fortnight working from home help you feel happier or achieve your goals? Perhaps you could organise a secondment to a different area if you're looking to learn new skills.
**What aspects of this imagined job make you feel most happy?**
**What inspires you about this job?**
**What would be the next step to working in your preferred job?**
**How can you create some of this in your current job?**
#
## Be inspired
_How far that little candle throws his beams!_ _So shines a good deed in a weary world._ _William Shakespeare_
Who inspires you at work? Who notices the good in you and how do they encourage you to be the best person you can be?
Mentors or coaches can have a significant impact on us and give us the support we need to grow. The person who inspires you the most might not be your boss. It could be a colleague whose effectiveness you admire; a more senior person who shows interest in your career development; or a person who has achieved something you want to achieve in your career—and done it with style. Great mentors and leaders have the ability to connect with others, are genuinely caring, and inspire people to change for the better.
When I look back over my working life, the people who have influenced and supported me most strongly were consistently positive and optimistic. They urged me to undertake extra study and apply for new opportunities—to dare to 'step up'. They were excited for me and proud of my achievements. And they taught by both words and actions.
**Who inspires you at work?**
**What have they taught you about what is most important?**
**Who encourages you at work?**
**What attributes and qualities do your workmates notice in you?**
**What gives you confidence in yourself?**
#
## Keep learning
_The more you know, the less you understand._ _Lao Tzu in_ Tao Te Ching
The funny thing about study is that the more we learn, the more we realise there is much to know. And although this gives us a greater appreciation of our own ignorance, hopefully it also makes us more open-minded and humble. Learning keeps you young and the mind alert. It can also be the source of inspiration and happiness. And an added benefit: the more you learn, the easier life is.
Have you done all the study you want to do? What would you like to learn more about? How would further study take you to where you want to go?
The concept of lifelong learning means staying engaged, moving forward, and doing things better beyond childhood and school. Learning is a way to polish your skills and learn new ones, to engage with others and get involved, and to make the most of what the world has to offer. Higher education also leads to more highly paid jobs and better job security. And studying 'just for the fun of it' can be an enriching experience, broadening your outlook on life.
Many workplaces encourage people to self-direct and take personal responsibility for their own leaning. This helps people keep up with the innovations and developments in their professional field. But it also means being proactive in identifying the new skills you need to develop and the new areas you want to explore in your professional life.
We learn every day from experience and mistakes, asking questions, observing life and reflecting, through reading, talking with other people and through formal training programs. A mentor or coach may also be a useful way to support your development.
It is wonderful to see people excited about learning, who seek opportunities beyond their comfort zone, who are inspired to take up life's challenges, set goals, get started and move forward. And once you understand the theory, put your knowledge into action. As Morpheus tells Neo in _The Matrix,_ 'There's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.'
**Has there been something you have always wanted to learn about but never got around to? How will you know when it's time to begin? What will help you to get going with it?**
**What is your motivation for improving what you do? How will improving benefit you and others?**
**What are the skills or qualifications you would need for your ideal job? How would you go about gaining these?**
**What choices now will help you be where you want to be in five years' time?**
**What can you do that will increase the likelihood of you getting the job you want?**
#
## Consider downsizing
_It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy,_ _that makes happiness._ _Charles Spurgeon_
Have you ever thought to yourself, 'I feel stressed and overwhelmed. I really need to get my priorities straight'? Research shows that once you get to a certain level of income, extra money won't make you happier. Sadly, many people sacrifice family for income and personal success. But we know that people who set goals relating to their family or helping others are happier than those who prioritise career and material success.
Downsizing is a deliberate choice made by people who are well into their career and can afford to sacrifice some of their financial position in order to gain a better quality of life. You may know people who've taken a sea change or a tree change.
It's becoming more and more common these days. People are choosing to downsize even though it means they earn less money. They may want to spend more time with family, live a healthier lifestyle, find a better balance or more fulfilment in how they spend their day, or lead a less materialistic and more environmentally friendly life.
You could think about working part-time, job sharing or starting your own business. What about early retirement, volunteering or working in the not-for-profit sector? Your version of downsizing might be about going back to university, taking over the child-rearing and housekeeping duties so your spouse can go back to work, following your dream of writing a book or travelling, or simply taking time off to reevaluate your life.
**Can you afford to work less?**
**Do you prefer the lifestyle that city or country life brings?**
**How does city happiness differ from country happiness for you?**
**If you were to change where you live, what might be the benefits?**
**Most change involves hard work. What hard work would such a lifestyle change require from you?**
#
## Let your workmates know what you appreciate about them
_Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much._ _Blaise Pascal_
How well does your workplace promote happiness and wellbeing? Take a moment to consider the relationship you have with your colleagues, and if you are a manager, those you support. Do your relationships at work support your happiness and that of others?
Often, it's everyday interactions that are the most meaningful at work. Positive workplaces welcome new employees and show respect, regardless of position. They are spaces where you can hear laughter. Workmates can have a good time together and people feel they can be themselves. Each person is valued for what they bring to the team.
Good relationships with the people you work with can ease your way through tough times. Humour strengthens positive relationships and can be a good way to cope with anxiety and stress at work. It also helps us make light of some of the problems we face.
It's important to have fun every now and again. Make regular activities such as meetings, positive and productive and, whenever possible, try to make your workplace fun. One workplace I know of celebrates Chinese New Year each year with paper lanterns throughout the office and a yum-cha lunch.
Happy teams support and express their appreciation of each other. Try this: find a way to compliment every person you speak to—it will not only brighten their day, it will lift your spirits too.
**How do you show appreciation to one another at work?**
**How do you survive in the tough times?**
**How do you show your workmates you care for their wellbeing?**
**How can you improve your relationships at work? How will you know when your relationships have improved? What difference will this make?**
#
## Focus on strengths
_The human person has intrinsic value._ _Father Biestek_
What would your manager or colleagues say that you do well at work? What are the signs that you are doing good work? How will they keep track of these? What will reassure them?
Good managers help the team identify goals for improvement. They then allow the team members to get on with the job while acting as a source of support, appreciation and feedback.
Some of the best managers I've worked with kept their focus on what's working well and expressed appreciation of the team's efforts. They particularly resisted pointing out what a person was doing wrong. Pointing out a problem to someone doesn't mean they'll be able to figure out what they should do differently.
If you're part of a team, instead of focusing on what is going wrong in your workplace, appreciate what your colleagues do well. If you are a manager, it's certainly important to help the team focus on what can be done better, but by drawing on strengths rather than highlighting weaknesses, a manager can inspire their team to achieve great things. And everyone will be happier in the process.
**What are the strengths of your team in achieving your vision?**
**What good systems and practices do you have in place that keep you working well?**
**How is your workplace unique? What distinguishes it from others?**
**What is your organisation best at?**
**How do you draw on the specific skills and strengths of each person?**
#
## Create a shared vision
_Some look at things that are, and ask why? I dream things_ _that never were, and ask why not?_ _George Bernard Shaw_
Goals give us direction and purpose. Developing a future vision for how your workplace can develop will help you to move towards that vision. Goals help promote optimism.
What does it take to make your vision a reality? Certainly it takes hard work and dedication, but it also takes the commitment of every member of a team to move closer to the goal. Think about a relay team. If only one member of the team is truly aiming to win that gold medal, what are the team's chances of success? What if just one runner is wishing he'd been a swimmer instead?
Set your goals with determination and with care. Your workplace goals should take into account the needs, abilities, skills and motivation of all the individuals you are asking to jump on board with your vision.
If you are a manager, draw on the experience and ideas of everyone in the workplace to form your vision. Sometimes, the most amazing ideas can come from the quietest team member. If you are a team member, this is a great chance to contribute to something that is bigger than you. Help to shape your workplace and the things your team spends its time and energy on.
**How do you continue to innovate?**
**What sign would tell you that your team is growing stronger? What difference might it make?**
**What are the possibilities for improving your work?**
**How can you help others achieve their best?**
**What is your top priority?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Draft an article for a magazine about your workplace, projecting five years into the future. In the article, talk about the following: How is the organisation different? What do your colleagues say about you? What are your employees, clients or the public saying? Be concrete and include real quotes from people, actual numbers, and a clear description of a new product, service or process.
### My commitment to engaging in work
My work situation is currently going well in these ways:
My goals for improving my working life are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 7
## Building relationships
_And then he gave a very long sigh and said, 'I wish Pooh were here._ _It's so much more friendly with two.'_ _AA Milne in_ Winnie-the-Pooh
Take a moment to describe your three happiest moments that don't involve other people. Not easy, is it?
Good relationships are so essential to our wellbeing and happiness. Researchers have found that people who regularly see friends, relatives or neighbours are happier than those who don't. They also found that people who have meaningful conversations are happier than those who make small talk. Humans are social creatures—we need to love and be loved.
For many, getting married is a life event that results in much happiness. Life satisfaction often peaks in the years before and just after marriage, and the happiness levels of most people remain higher than before marriage. People who are married have better financial security, and the cost of living reduces through shared expenses. Married couples also have better physical and mental health, use drugs and/or alcohol less and live longer. Because marriage involves connection, trust and companionship, the happiness of spouses is often interdependent. If one partner is happy, the other is likely to be happy too. And the equality of happiness in a marriage is important for stability.
But married people are only happier if they perceive their relationship to be a good one. People in poor-quality marriages are generally happier once separated. And single people are much happier than unhappily married people.
Whether you're married or single, the more engaged you are socially, the happier you're likely to be. You might attend social and cultural events, participate in sport or undertake volunteer activities. It doesn't matter what you do, but the more you interact and care for the wellbeing of others, the stronger your own sense of wellbeing will become. While building positive relationships takes effort, engaging with others enhances our lives.
The Dalai Lama reminds us that we are all dependent on each other. Babies and children are dependent on their parents' and caregivers' love for their self-confidence and development. Children are more likely to stay connected to school when they feel that teachers care about them. We have more confidence in health professionals who are warm and caring in their approach. In everyday life, people who take an interest and delight in being with us become our friends.
Love and compassion are at the core of our happiness. Invest in your relationships and take time to connect with others. Greet people with a smile. Trust in others and see the best in them.
**How do relationships play a role in creating and maintaining happiness in your life?**
**What can you do to enhance the quality of your relationships?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Make an artwork symbolising you and your relationships. Draw a circle, about the size of a 20-cent piece, representing yourself, in the centre of a large piece of paper. Now start creating even larger circles around you. Place the important people in your life in each of the circles. The closer you feel to someone, the closer they will be to you. Notice which people you place in which circle.
**• How would you describe each person in each circle in terms of the relationship between you and this person?**
**• How does each person in each circle influence your sense of happiness?**
**• What does your artwork tell you about what is important to you in close relationships?**
#
## Develop respectful relationships
_A warm smile is the universal language of kindness._ _William Arthur Ward_
Respect is the foundation of a healthy relationship. In respectful relationships you are able to be yourself and have fun together. It's okay to have different opinions and interests and you don't have to spend all your spare time together. Respectful relationships allow you to say 'no' to things you don't want to do, to see friends and family when you want to, to express your opinions and beliefs, and to make your own decisions. If someone treats you with respect, you feel safe with them.
In respectful relationships, communication is open and truthful and decisions are made together. Love, like life, isn't without conflict. But if conflict occurs in a respectful relationship, try to resolve it so both people feel okay, even if your ideas differ. You can listen to each other, compromise, say sorry, and talk issues through. Both people should be able to admit being wrong and take responsibility for what they think, feel and do.
Couples show their love for each other by working to be more caring and considerate in the future. They take their partner's feelings into account and look for the best in them. And when they say, 'I love you,' it is backed up by loving behaviour.
Most importantly, in a respectful relationship, you feel good about yourself. If you find yourself in a relationship where your partner doesn't treat you with respect, for example, they put down your ideas or blame you for things not going their way—look for strengths in yourself and support from others to feel better about yourself. Then ask yourself if you would be happier and safer without the relationship. And this is important: What would you advise a good friend to do in your situation? Everyone deserves to be safe and respected.
**How do your relationships contribute to feeling good about yourself?**
**What do you want from a relationship? What don't you want?**
**How do people show respect towards you? How do you show respect for others?**
#
## Keep romance alive
_It is a fine seasoning for joy to think of those we love._ _Molière_
Romantic relationships can provide some of our greatest joys and our steepest challenges. To love means to risk being hurt. But if we seek only to avoid rejection, we miss out on love. Many agree that love is worth the risk of being let down. To live a rich and full life, love as much as you can.
Take time to notice what keeps your relationship strong and what you value in a relationship. What do you appreciate and admire about your partner? What does your partner love and admire about you?
Consider how you show your love to each other: do you give compliments, do things for each other, or show your affection through gifts, touch or spending time together? Are the ways you show affection the same as or different to your partner? How can you meet your partner's needs as well as your own?
Look for different ways to connect: send a text message, phone, email or leave little notes. Or be romantically old-fashioned and send letters—keep those you receive tied with a ribbon in a special place: they can become keepsakes. Buy flowers or a delicious treat for your partner for no reason other than to make them happy.
Spend time together doing things you enjoy. Hang out, cook a special meal, or go for a walk. Doing new and exciting things as often as possible can help the relationship feel fresh.
Intimate and sexual relationships are especially important to many people, and are a major part of the enjoyment of life. This is particularly so for people whose preferred way of expressing their affection is via touch.
Look for ways to keep romance alive. Telling your partner what you appreciate about them can never be underestimated. Keep your language positive—point out what you like about your partner. Look into each other's eyes. Hold hands. What keeps the spark alive in your relationship?
**What builds happiness in your relationship? What do you enjoy doing together?**
**What first attracted you to each other?**
**What helps you to get through the tough times together?**
**What do you need to keep remembering is important to keep your relationship strong?**
**How can you enhance your intimacy?**
#
## Spend time with people you enjoy
_Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming_ _gardeners who make our souls blossom._ _Marcel Proust_
Our connections with friends can bring us great happiness. Good friendships provide a sense of belonging, fun, support and inspiration. Sometimes, we connect because we share interests, values, likes and dislikes with our friends and sometimes friends are quite unalike, but have a synergy that is powerful. For some, friends are as important as (or even more important than) family.
Research into social networks shows happiness can spread from person to person, and niches of happiness form within social networks. People surrounded by happy people are more likely to be happy themselves. So our happiness depends on the happiness of the people with whom we are connected.
Spending time with people you enjoy, catching up for coffee, having dinner with friends, playing cards and telling stories are some simple ways to grow joy in your life. Consider different ways to spend time together, perhaps by building in healthy routines such as a walk if you are trying to increase your activity levels. You could also volunteer together, or try a new sport or hobby. Sometimes, trying something new is less scary with a good friend.
If you're trying to make changes in your life, such as quitting smoking or losing weight, it's interesting to know that researchers have found that people who are overweight tend to be connected with others who are overweight, and the same applies for smokers. It makes sense that people close to you have similar lifestyles but it can make behaviour change even more challenging. Hanging out in new networks and making new friends might prove to be an important part of implementing lifestyle changes. Otherwise, try to enlist the support of your friends even if they are not ready to make the same changes themselves.
Friendships do need attention. Value your friends and see them as often as possible. Find small ways to let them know you appreciate them and how important they are. Is there someone you'd like to get back in touch with?
**What do you value about your closest friends?**
**How do you show that you value them?**
**What difference has it made to your life to have these connections?**
**What do your friends value about you?**
**How do you support your friends and how do they support you?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
At the end of every year make amends to all those you are worried you may have wronged and let people know how much you appreciate them.
#
## Celebrate your family and heritage
_Keep love in your heart ... The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing_ _else can bring._ _Oscar Wilde_
Family matters. Our family members are often the people we are most connected to throughout our life. They've known us the longest and, in many cases, know us the best. This sense of connectedness and belonging can be an important part of people's lives. For many, their greatest compliment is that their family are proud of them.
But it's not always the case. For some, happiness depends on keeping their family members at a safe distance. Practising compassion, forgiveness, tolerance and understanding is the key to living well. Many people whose birth families are not safe create their own families of friends: these are families of choice and relationships within them can be richly rewarding, supportive and nurturing.
Being part of a family can give people a stronger sense of where they've come from. Families have shared experiences and a shared history and heritage is retold as family stories. Families share rituals, habits and a common understanding of 'how things are done'. Families often also hold similar values and common skills and talents. Many people find they can pick up with family where they left off, even after long periods of separation.
But families are not always easy. You may not be able to choose your family, but you can choose what relationship you have with them. Ultimately, whether your family is a source of pleasure or pain is influenced by how you choose to relate with them. Where it's possible, make peace with your family and, if you can, find ways to celebrate both your family and heritage.
**What do you value most about your family? In what way do you create your own values?**
**What things do you enjoy doing with your family?**
**What are some of your family's cherished stories and memories?**
**What important things about your cultural background shape who you are? In what ways do you celebrate and value your cultural origins?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Begin a compliments box at home that each family member can contribute to. At the end of every week read out the compliments and give the slip of paper to that person to keep.
#
## Show love and respect to children in small ways as often as possible
_Who, being loved, is poor?_ _Oscar Wilde_
Caring for kids can be demanding—perhaps that's why it is not highly rated in activities that contribute to happiness. This is more so for parents of babies, toddlers and teenagers. Having children does not guarantee higher happiness levels; the extent to which you find happiness in raising your kids can be heavily influenced by the age and temperament of the children, the quality of the parenting couple, and the amount of time parents have available to enjoyably spend with their children.
Parents are incredibly strong influences on their children's wellbeing and happiness. Children develop confidence through the way they interact with others. Children who are praised feel confident and loved. Perhaps happiness, as a parent, comes from being proud of the positive contribution we make by giving our children a good start in life.
Involving children in daily tasks teaches them skills for life. It also gives you lovely opportunities to talk and spend time with your child while you do your daily activities. Parenting children involves both following their lead when you play together and knowing how to lead them when you are teaching them things.
Get your kids excited about cooking and food (a good thing for fussy eaters). Make it fun: draw on your pre-schooler's skills in stirring, stacking and building. Children can pluck herbs from their stems or tear basil leaves, exploring the different smells. They can wash fruit and vegetables (and learn about saving water), measure and mix ingredients (learning about numbers), arrange ingredients on pizza (patterns), or play word games eating alphabet soup (literacy). Children can help to mash vegetables (developing coordination) and make a snowman out of mashed potatoes, using other vegetables to make the arms, hat and face (fun!). Who knows ... when they become teenagers they might even take turns to cook meals!
In the middle of the night, a screaming child who will not sleep may not seem like a source of happiness, but in just a moment that cute smile will make your heart melt and all will be right with the world.
**What's the best thing about being a parent?**
**What aspects of your children make you feel like a great parent?**
**What are your hopes for your children?**
**What do you look forward to with your children?**
#
## Practise positive parenting
_It is not a bad thing that children should occasionally,_ _and politely, put parents in their place._ _Colette_
Self-confidence is one of the most valuable traits a parent can nurture in their child. Children develop confidence when adults treat them respectfully, and when they feel valued for who they are. When you encourage your child to express their opinions, contribute ideas and make choices about things that matter to them, you instil in your child a sense of their intrinsic value. This builds their self-esteem and confidence. Self-esteem comes from how much they feel they matter to the people around them.
But encouraging your child to develop a healthy self-esteem also means providing boundaries and discipline to encourage positive growth. It's not about punishment: effective discipline involves working with your children, not against them, and is characterised by effective listening, clear and consistent communication, and modelling good behaviour. Children learn by example. They learn right from wrong by copying their parents. So, in all you do, think about what you want your children to learn: if you hit, then they may learn that it's okay to hit people when they do something they don't like.
Parents of teenagers say their young people can bring energy, excitement and fun into their life. Young people can be great company and watching them grow into adults can bring a sense of pride. Few people would disagree that teens are also a challenge!
Parents of adolescents say their greatest challenge is dealing with feeling unappreciated. There are also times that you, as a parent, need to do what is right despite the resentment that comes back at you from your teen.
Positive parenting in the teenage years involves respecting your adolescent's need for space and keeping communication lines open. If your teen is open to it, have a regular catch-up time—perhaps over dinner on the weekend, or on the drive to sport or drama. It's important that your teen knows they can speak to you if they need to ... but remember, they may choose not to.
Teenage years don't have to be characterised by conflict. Pick your battles and choose the important issues to be firm about. Most parents love their teenage child, but not the challenging behaviours. It helps to remember that it's all part of the developmental process—the hormones are just doing their job!
Most importantly, keep cool and take time out for yourself.
**What do you do well as a parent?**
**When you think of being happy with your children what does that look like to you?**
**Describe the relationship you want with your children. How do you prefer to treat them and how do you prefer them to treat you?**
**What helps you most in your role of being a parent? Who supports you? Who could you call on for support?**
#
## Experience the unconditional love of a pet
_An animal's eyes have the power to speak_ _a great language._ _Martin Buber_
Owning a pet (or being owned by one!) can be deeply rewarding. Having a dog leap up and welcome you home or a cat who curls around your legs can make you feel needed and valued. Owning a pet can lead to opportunities for social interactions with other people and lessen loneliness and isolation. But for many people it is the ongoing unconditional love they receive from their pet that is the most fulfilling.
Our pets help us get through tough times. Having a companion and keeping up with daily routines can be important ways to promote wellbeing and reduce stress. The joy and sense of responsibility of caring for another being also brings fulfilment.
Many families have pets so children can experience the joy of growing up with an animal and learning to care for another being. Before you seek out a new pet, especially when choosing a pet for your children, think carefully about how the pet you're considering will fit with your family's lifestyle. Some dogs need long daily runs, while others are really indoor dogs. Some cats are particularly fond of stalking birds and wildlife, which you and your kids may find upsetting.
Pets are an important part of many families—and can be a lot easier than people to get along with! Pets don't answer back, at least not directly, but they might eat your shoes. If you adopt a pet from a pound or shelter you not only gain a new friend, you may save an animal from death row.
**How would having a pet enrich your life?**
**What is the best thing about caring for a pet?**
#
## Practise forgiveness
_Forgiveness does not change the past,_ _but it does enlarge the future._ _Paul Boese_
Sometimes increasing happiness involves making peace with the past. You might need to mend a rift in a relationship or repair past hurts by forgiving someone who has behaved badly towards you.
Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting, but it does mean no longer being a victim. When you choose to forgive someone, you choose to not be held back by disappointment, hatred, hurt and resentment. It means choosing to let go of these things. You don't need to confront someone who has wronged you or even have direct contact with them. You can simply decide to forgive within yourself. Sometimes, writing a letter (which you can send or not send) can help you set the past free.
We can't change the past, nor can we make others take responsibility for things they refuse to. But we can change how we think about ourselves in relation to these events. Forgiveness releases us from the past and makes us a survivor, not a victim.
**What would enable you to address your feelings about past events in order to live a happier future?**
**Are there people with whom you want to address a past event? What would enable you to do this? How might it make a difference?**
**How might making peace with the past liberate you? How might you become stronger as a result?**
#
## Treasure lost loves
_I love my past, I love my present. I am not ashamed of what I have had, and I am not sad because_ _I no longer have it._ _Colette_
Friendships and relationships teach us about many things, including loss. Thinking about those who have died, or lost loves, can stir strong emotions, but it can also rekindle feelings of warmth and caring.
We can have ongoing close relationships with people who have died: they live on in our memories. What things and events remind you of them? When did you laugh together and enjoy each other's company? When memories feel alive, you're not living in the past: some moments never fade or die, so treasure your special memories together.
**How do you honour those close to you who have died?**
**What did that person teach you that remains important in your life?**
**If you could, what would you say to them now?**
**How do you treasure their memory and cherish what they have contributed to your life?**
### My commitment to building my relationships
I am happy with my current family and other relationships in these ways:
My goals for improving my family and other relationships are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 8
## Connecting with your community
_Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward._ _Your life will never be the same again._ _Og Mandino_
For us to flourish as individuals, we must have freedom. Autonomy, or being able to act according to our values and desires uncontrolled by outside influences, is important for our wellbeing. But while happiness is linked to being free to shape your own future, we also need a sense of belonging and intimacy. Research has found that people who are connected to others have better supports and are happier. And solitude, or not needing to relate to others, is associated with increased isolation and depression.
Many people do not get a fair go in life. Every night, too many people experience some form of homelessness. People are victims of robbery, physical or sexual assault, or threats of violence. Some groups of people have poorer health, lower life expectancy and are more likely to be victims of crime compared to others, even when they put in a great deal of effort individually.
Inequalities in wealth have been increasing. Worldwide, it is estimated that the richest 2 per cent of the population own more than half of total global wealth. Equity promotes a sense of fairness and more trust—and overall people are happier. The reverse is also true: happiness declines when inequalities increase.
Many people have regular contact with family and friends and feel they can rely on others in times of need. Most also feel that they can ask people not living with them for small favours or help in a time of crisis, and thankfully, people contribute to the wider community through volunteering or by donating to charities.
Be a part of your community. Take time to connect with others. Volunteer and support others. Be inspired and inspire others, encouraging them to join in. Participate in making our world a better place so people can connect, feel safe and be valued. Respect all living creatures and celebrate our common humanity as well as our individual differences.
**In what ways do you notice society's values are changing? What is your response to this?**
**What are the values you subscribe to?**
**How do you show respect for all people, including yourself?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Make a picture reflecting how you would like the world to be. Highlight the signs that some of these things are already happening as part of the world you live in.
**• What contribution can you start making that will help make the world a better place?**
#
## Take time to connect
_A person with 'Ubuntu' is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or_ _she belongs in a greater whole._ _Archbishop Desmond Tutu_
Feeling connected to people in your local community creates a sense of belonging, which enhances happiness and wellbeing.
One way to connect with your local community is to simply spend time on the street and in communal areas such as parks. Walk your dog in the local area, take your kids to the park, or go for a picnic in a popular spot. Perhaps set yourself the challenge of talking to one person you don't know each day.
Local councils and associations are a good source of information about community events, activities and resources. Find out what's happening and take part in street parties, festivals and community arts events. Create a chess competition at a picnic table near the local shopping centre. Visit a local library, gallery or museum. Go for a swim at your local beach or swimming pool.
Another way to meet locals is to belong to a community organisation, club or interest group. Attend sporting events or participate in sports. Get involved in local classes and community colleges. Do some gardening and meet new people at your local community garden.
Get to know your neighbours: chat to shopkeepers or talk with people waiting for the bus. Invite your neighbours to bring a plate and meet at your place, or if your place is too small, perhaps meet at your local park for a picnic.
Would it surprise you to learn that research has found that people who watch more television are less happy? When television was first introduced in Canada, one town received it significantly later than the others. Researchers were able to demonstrate that, when TV was introduced, social life reduced and aggression increased.
One night there was a blackout in our street. Everyone came out of their apartments with candles, met in the street and spoke to neighbours they did not know. Later we played the guitar and told stories by candlelight. People connecting, in a way they did not usually do, made it a fun evening. Adversity can bring opportunity.
Be a change-maker. Look for ways to make your community better, not just complain about it. Attend community events and forums. Listen to community radio and become a subscriber. Read local papers and talk with people—know what's happing in your community. Consider sending a photo, story or letter to a local newsletter, magazine or newspaper. Join the local branch of a political party and be politically active.
Celebrate our diverse community by getting involved with cultural events, exploring different foods, music, stories and customs. Take time to connect and enjoy being with people in your community.
**What brings your local community together?**
**How do you connect with your local community?**
**Which locally based activities do you currently do? Which ones would you like to do?**
**What do you know about your neighbours?**
**In what way do you connect with people from other cultures?**
#
## Help others
_The place to be happy is here. The time to be happy is now._ _The way to be happy is to make others so._ _Robert Ingersoll_
Doing something for someone else is good for both you and them. Research has found that people who performed three acts of kindness per day became happier. And happier people are also more likely to help others. The more we help, the more likely we are to keep helping—because it feels good.
One great way to give while connecting with others in your local community is to volunteer or do some _pro bono_ (unpaid) work. People who volunteer often say they get more out of it than they put in. Research says volunteering can be a great way to create happiness because it generates a stronger sense of life satisfaction, greater self-esteem, a sense of control over life, better physical health, and less depression.
If you are time poor, you can still give. Consider donating to a charity. And, if you have more time on your hands, think about using some of it to volunteer. Support your local school or sporting group or become an overseas volunteer. Think about being on the committee or board of a local organisation, helping the elderly with jobs such as gardening, delivering food to people in need or helping with reading at a primary school. You can find volunteer opportunities in local newspapers, community notice-boards, websites or volunteering centres.
It can be of great value to notice and acknowledge local acts of kindness: positive things people do for others. A character who lives in my suburb often calls out to passers-by, 'You're beautiful,' bringing a smile to their faces. I am always struck by his cheery disposition, despite physical and intellectual difficulties. He frequently walks neighbours' dogs and cleans a nearby beach. When we call out, 'You're doing a great job,' he replies, 'Thank you. I appreciate being appreciated.'
By sharing and caring for each other we help to create a more tolerant and inclusive society. And for the people we help, we show them they are loved, not forgotten, and that someone cares. Helping others to be happy also makes us happy.
**Who are the people that you support? How does supporting them add value to your life?**
**What have you discovered about your qualities, abilities, skills, knowledge and attitudes from supporting others?**
**What would the people you have supported say about the kind of person you are and what you can be proud of?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Practise simple, deliberate and thoughtful acts of kindness throughout your day.
#
## Value traditional cultures
_If you listen to your heart, you can create_ _something really big._ _Jessica Mauboy_
So many countries are in the unique position of being able to draw on the rich and long history of their indigenous people, recognising and respecting their special place, culture and contribution as the first inhabitants. The oldest civilisations have a strong connection to land and country. Remote communities are often part of a nation's heritage, preserving traditional languages and ways of life.
However, many indigenous communities are home to some of the poorest people in a country. Indigenous people tend to have lower life expectancies than non-indigenous people, and often have higher rates of illness and disease. Some communities still don't have access to clean water or secure housing.
If we are to truly value indigenous culture, we need to start valuing indigenous happiness. What can you do to start bettering the lives of indigenous people? How can you contribute?
Around the globe there is a growing appreciation of the value of understanding the history of the land; the rich tradition of indigenous culture; and the importance of connecting with indigenous people. One way to better appreciate traditional culture is to attend cultural events. Talk with indigenous people about their history, their lives and the challenges they face. You will deepen your insight and understanding of their perspectives, challenges and strength.
**What do you appreciate about indigenous culture?**
**How can you learn more about indigenous culture?**
**What increases your confidence that there can be better connections between non-indigenous and indigenous people?**
**How can you participate in events that celebrate indigenous culture?**
**How can you become involved in promoting the rights of indigenous peoples?**
#
## Get active to change the big picture
_You must be the change you wish to_ _see in the world._ _Mahatma Gandhi_
There's so much room for improvement in our society. There's no point in a person wanting to eat better if they can't afford fruit and vegetables. It's hard to choose an environmentally sound washing machine if all the cheap ones have poor energy ratings. It's a challenge to cut down your driving if there is no public transport in your suburb. How do we spend more time with family if affording a house means a two-hour commute? How do we get fit and get involved in the community if it's not safe to walk or cycle around the local streets?
The list can feel overwhelming. But people can make a difference. There are many examples of community initiatives where people have made great improvements in their local areas: cycleways, footpaths and good lighting make physical exercise easier; food co-ops and farmers' markets increase the availability of fresh and affordable food; community celebrations get people together and help to celebrate our diverse cultures and increase social connections. Next time you vote, think about whether you are voting in the community's best interest or your own.
On the global scale, think about how you engage with social issues and take action for social change. You can join groups who are trying to make changes or make your own connections using social networking websites. The internet can be a useful resource to connect with others who want to get active to change the world for the better. Join an online community to campaign for peaceful solutions to the world's problems. Join a group that campaigns for human rights or an environmental lobby group. Stand up for what you believe in.
**How can you make a difference in making our world a better place?**
**What can you do to get involved with tackling social issues?**
**How do you connect with others to share your vision?**
**What possibilities do you get excited about?**
**What collaboration and partnerships make change seem more achievable?**
#
## Help create a safe and caring community
_The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times_ _of challenge and controversy._ _Martin Luther King Jr._
When society is working well, there are high levels of trust. Social connection and trust are important to life satisfaction. Although we might find it easier to connect with people who are similar to us, we also want to trust people we perceive as being different to us. Trust between people goes beyond social groupings, such as whether people are young or old, male or female, gay or straight, or from different cultural backgrounds. In order to feel trust, people need to feel safe. If we feel safe, we have confidence and freedom. And, of course, happiness follows.
Unfortunately, violence is all too common in our communities. Every day, men and women experience violence in our homes, our workplaces and our communities. This violence includes physical and sexual assault, domestic violence and threatening behaviour.
Many victims of violence know their attacker. Most women who have been sexually assaulted knew the perpetrator. Most perpetrators of child sexual assault are known to the family. And domestic or family violence, by its nature, occurs between people who are in a relationship.
For a range of reasons, many victims of violence do not report the incident to police or seek professional help. They may not even perceive the violence as a crime. We know that victims of crime frequently experience mental-health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, drug or alcohol abuse, and suicide.
Some communities have worked together to improve the safety of their locality as a whole, and to send the message that violence will not be tolerated. These movements draw both women and men who feel passionately that we must change community attitudes to improve the safety of all members of society. Some groups work with police to increase safety through changes such as improved lighting, fixing public telephones and improving public transport. Creating safer local environments helps people in the community to feel safer.
Another way to stand up to violence is to get to know the people in your community. If you know of situations of violence, whatever it might be, think about how you can reach out in support. Often, victims feel very isolated and powerless to change their situation, but the help of a friend or neighbour can make a huge difference. Don't be afraid to contact the police, even if you do it anonymously.
**How can you help make your community safer?**
**How do you make a stand against violence and discrimination in your community?**
#
## Create enriching environments for all
_It takes a whole village to raise a child._ _African proverb_
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.' An inclusive society where everyone can participate as fully and equally as possible is important.
The concept of 'social inclusion' is concerned with how well people can participate in daily life. We have a responsibility to help shape a world in which all are freely able to participate, particularly the more vulnerable members of our community, such as children, young people, the elderly and those with disabilities.
Children thrive in enriching environments. A child-friendly community is one in which children are valued, supported, respected, provided for and actively included. Children who can play safely and who feel valued have the best opportunities to develop and grow. Children who feel that justice is upheld at school feel safe and more positive about being at school. Support from teachers significantly increases a student's happiness.
Young people with a long-term illness or disability say they achieve a sense of wellbeing when they feel supported, have opportunities for personal growth, and can live a normal life integrated in society.
There are many ways we can change things for people with disabilities: providing opportunities for participation in sports and leisure activities, education and work, regardless of physical or intellectual ability or disability. In a study of patients with locked-in syndrome, a condition where despite being conscious their only movement is via eye movements, about one-third were unhappy. Their unhappiness was linked to dissatisfaction with mobility in the community and access to recreational activities.
An elder-friendly community is one in which the strengths and capabilities of older people are valued and encouraged. Our population is getting older, and older people are increasingly involved in the care of grandchildren, participating in parenting and teaching values in children and young people. Many grandparents have more time to play with children, take them to interesting places and teach them about the world. Elders have valuable knowledge that can be handed down to younger generations, such as family history, family recipes, stories and jokes.
Many older people volunteer or work part-time as well as participate in community activities. In turn, many elderly people benefit from the support of a friendly neighbour or family member driving them to the shops or calling to say hello. With a little support, elderly people can often stay living at home longer.
By understanding the needs of all the groups in our community we can help everyone fully participate in living a rich and fulfilling life.
**How do you involve children and young people in planning for the future?**
**How do you draw on the experience and wisdom elderly people offer your community?**
**What can you do to enable others to participate more fully?**
### My commitment to connecting with my community
I currently connect with the broader community by:
My goals for improving connection with the broader community are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 9
## Caring for the environment
_We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success. We must therefore act together as a united people. Nelson Mandela_
Unless we make some significant changes to the way we live, eat, travel and do business, the prospects for our environment appear bleak. In particular, our current pattern of economic growth is simply not environmentally sustainable. Sitting with this reality can trigger a strong sense of vulnerability, and that vulnerability seems to prompt a lot of people to stick their fingers in their ears, close their eyes and hope it will all just go away.
On the upside, we have a wealth of information now about real changes we can make. If we can ease our anxiety long enough to act on our awareness, we can regain a sense of control by making changes in our daily lives.
Importantly, people are becoming disillusioned with the idea that economic advancement is the key to a better world and are looking for a new set of values. We can make real and sustainable changes when we are more thoughtful of the planet's needs and the needs of future generations.
The quest for happiness is intimately linked to the quest for sustainable development. The United Nations' _World Happiness Report_ says:
If we continue mindlessly along the current economic trajectory, we risk undermining the Earth's life support systems—food supplies, clean water, and stable climate—necessary for human health and even survival in some places. On the other hand, if we act wisely, we can protect the Earth while raising quality of life broadly around the world. We can do this by adopting lifestyles and technologies that improve happiness (or life satisfaction) while reducing human damage to the environment.
Changing our lifestyle to become more environmentally friendly is not just about caring for the future; it may help us to live healthier and happier lives right now. By refusing to deny what we know to be true, we live more authentically in ourselves and our communities. By reducing the pollutants we contribute to the world, we make choices that are also healthier for us as individuals.
Many people go beyond changing their own behaviour to getting active within their communities. They talk to friends and workmates, attend community events, or volunteer to support an environmental action group to lobby for change. Joining a group can be a great way to connect with others. There are lots of environmental groups and climate-change organisations, as well as groups active in cleaning up local parks and rivers. Investigate the groups in your area and how you can become part of them.
**What is more important to you: sustainable development or material progress?**
**How have your values shaped your views about sustainability?**
**How can you become more involved with tackling environmental issues?**
**Apart from being better for the environment, what other benefits would come from reducing consumption and recycling more?**
**How can you get involved to promote awareness of environmental issues to the broader community?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Think of a seemingly unsolvable problem like climate change. What would be an outrageous solution to the problem? Write, draw or paint the solution.
**• What is your wildest idea for solving the problem?**
**• Is there one part of this idea that might be modified to make it more do-able?**
**• Does it suggest a direction that can be followed?**
**• Are there any other ideas that are possibilities?**
#
## Cultivate your appreciation of nature
_Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein_
Childhood experiences of nature—the family camping trip, holidays at the beach, playing in the park—can sow the seeds of environmental passion. It's so important that our children and teens are exposed as often as possible to natural experiences.
Adults, too, need time with nature to appreciate its inherent beauty, otherwise caring for the environment becomes an academic self-preservation exercise. Nature's smallest gifts, like birdsong in the morning, can bring great joy to the day.
As an urban or suburban sanity-saving measure, if you can't get into nature at its best, get out to a local park as often as you can. Devote space to a garden that contains at least a corner somewhere with a wild, dense, diverse green canopy where you can sit and think. Try an outdoor room, such as a deck or seating area surrounded by wildly luscious plants. Or you may like to get involved with your local community garden.
A great volunteering opportunity and way to cultivate your appreciation for nature is to join a team to restore walking tracks though bush areas or along beaches. Other ways to connect with nature include bush or coastal walks, walking in the rain, swimming in the ocean, and visiting an aquarium or zoo.
**In what ways do you get in touch with nature?**
**How can you simplify your life and enjoy natural spaces more?**
**How do you teach children about being environmentally friendly?**
#
## Walk and cycle whenever you can
_Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates_
Obesity rates are increasing, oil prices are skyrocketing—making holes in our weekly finances—and time wasted in traffic is increasing by the day. And these are just some of the personal impacts of daily travel. But we also know that carbon and pollutant emissions from motorised transport are a huge problem for the environment. Travel, by any means other than your feet or bicycle, leaves both a personal and an environmental footprint.
When we walk or cycle we experience the pleasures (and challenges) that being outdoors offers. When I rediscovered cycling as an adult, I loved the joy of feeling like a kid riding a bicycle again. There's something just plain fun about riding a bike. And when most of us struggle to fit in exercise as part of our daily routine, commuting by walking or riding a bicycle makes good sense—even if it takes a little longer than our usual method.
If you drive to work, are there alternatives? As the costs of running a car rise, and as bus and train facilities improve, public transport becomes a more relaxing option. Public transport can be a great time to meditate, learn something new, listen to music or read a book. Bring a camera with you and take snaps of the things that catch your eye. If you really do need to drive to work, think about forming a car pool. This way you can avoid being yet another single-occupant car in the overcrowded lanes of other single-occupant cars.
On weekends or when you're out, coordinate car trips so everything possible is done at once rather than making multiple trips. Try to buy in bulk.
When you fly, think about carbon offsetting. A small fee helps mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon offsets. When flying is unavoidable, at least you're reducing your overall emissions.
**What are some ways you can improve your lifestyle and be more environmentally friendly at the same time?**
**Are there more opportunities for you to leave the car at home?**
**When can you walk or cycle more often?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Negotiate with your boss to work from home to save on travel to work while reducing your carbon footprint. Otherwise, do some of your work while travelling on public transport.
#
## Reduce, reuse, recycle
_To enjoy life, we must touch much of it lightly. Voltaire_
Many people are becoming increasingly passionate about sustainable living as the key to the future. We know that we can't solve environmental problems by simply buying and using 'green products'. Green consumption and recycling helps, but we desperately need to reduce our consumption.
Stay focused on what you can do to use less. Set yourself specific goals that are achievable in your everyday life. Talk with the people you live with and keep encouraging yourself and each other. Be mindful that you will not only be helping the planet, but you may be improving your health and saving money as well.
Save water by choosing appliances with a high water-efficiency rating, and use your washing machine and dishwasher only when you have a full load. You can also reduce water wastage by washing fruit and vegetables or rinsing dishes in a plugged sink or bowl instead of under running water. Turn off the tap while cleaning your teeth and (here's a challenging one) limit your time in the shower to three minutes. Cut hotwater usage by installing a water-efficient showerhead and use cold water for washing clothes. If you can, install a solar hot-water system. Using the sun to dry clothes is the best way to reduce your electricity bill naturally.
In the garden, add mulch to garden beds and potted plants to reduce the amount of water they need. Reduce evaporation by covering your pool, use a trigger nozzle on your hose and water the garden during the cooler parts of the day. Wash vehicles, outdoor furniture and the family pet on the grass. Install a rainwater tank or other collection-and-diversion devices and choose native plants and grasses that require less water than exotic species. Use a broom to clear and clean hard surfaces.
Keep your home comfortable with external shading such as eaves, awnings, shutters or trees to reduce heat. Install good insulation that will keep your home warmer in winter. Manage home heating and cooling by setting thermostats appropriately. Put on more or take off clothing before turning on the air conditioning. In fact, do you really need an air conditioner?
Switch off lights, appliances and equipment when they're not needed. Think seriously about whether you need a second fridge—they're a huge drain on electricity. Install energy-efficient lighting such as compact fluorescent bulbs. Choose appliances with a high energy star rating and use the energy-saving settings on your appliances. One of the easiest things you can do is to switch your energy to a green power source—contact your energy provider.
Consider your lifestyle and what you can do to care for the environment. There may be many things you are doing already, some that you can make a good effort to begin doing from now on, and others that may be just not possible right now but could be reconsidered again in the future.
**How do you care for the environment? What do you do well?**
**What can you improve? What are some easy ways you can make a difference?**
#
## Reduce waste
_Don't use a whole lot when a little will do. Proverb_
Recently I heard waste referred to as a form of greed. Although it seemed a strong statement, when I thought about it more it made sense because waste denies resources to people in need who can make good use of them. And waste depletes energy and resources, which we don't have to spare.
Every day, restaurants waste large amounts of good uneaten food, supermarkets discard large quantities of close-to-date products, and growers discard perfectly edible produce that is not the right size or shape for the market. Unused food goes straight into the bin from the refrigerator in many households. Fishermen throw unfashionable fish back into the sea—dead—even though they are equally as good as popular market fish.
But there are also good examples of programs and individuals challenging our wasteful practices. Charities collect unused food from restaurants and deliver it to services that support the homeless. Artists collect 'found objects' and use them to create art. The increasing popularity of recycled fashion, clothing swap parties and secondhand websites are evidence that we're increasingly looking to make the most of things that others no longer need. Perhaps we could see a return to past practices where gleaners combed crops, foraging for produce left behind so it would not be wasted.
There are many ways to release yourself from the stuff you don't use—from advertising it on a website, to offering it to a neighbour or friend, or leaving it on the nature strip with a note attached. Garage sales are a fabulous way to de-clutter, meet neighbours, save landfill and make money.
Shop smartly to avoid waste. Look for products that aren't over-packaged and choose products that have recycled content. Be mindful of purchasing stuff you don't really need. If I see something I like, but am not sure I really need, my tactic is to simply keep it in mind—and come back later if I decide to buy it. While I might have missed out on a few things I've gone back for, I've also saved myself from many unnecessary impulse purchases.
Shop critically, by asking questions: 'Do I really need this?', 'Can I afford this?' and 'Will buying this thing take me in the direction I want to go?' Answering these three questions will help you make good decisions. Shop with a list so that you're not tempted to buy things you don't need.
I have a friend who made a New Year's resolution to wear all of the clothes in her wardrobe and to buy less. Everyone, including the environment, benefits from wardrobe experiments!
**How can you actively reduce waste?**
**How can you be the change that the world needs?**
#
## Detox your home
_Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. William James_
Advertising companies get paid huge sums to convince us that every inch of our home should be bleached, sanitised, disinfected and kept free of germs—for our own safety. What they don't say is that hospitals stopped using bleach years ago because it is toxic to inhale. Many people are allergic to chemical products and fragrances too. Using fewer chemicals is not only cheaper and better for the environment, it is healthier too.
Green cleaning products include soap and water, bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, and environmentally friendly products readily available at supermarkets. Orange oil is a great cleaner, but make sure that the one you choose isn't just orange-scented chemicals in disguise. Older family members and people in your neighbourhood might have recipes for very effective, natural cleaners.
For health reasons, many people find they are better off without carpet and enjoy natural floorboards much more. Use beeswax polish to protect and rejuvenate wood and furniture. Use water-based and natural plant-based paints.
Try not to rely on chemicals to control pests. Prevent access to your home with flyscreens and make sure you fix leaks and seal cracks and crevices. Don't leave food around to act as an attractant. And, as a last line of defence, choose low-toxic ways to repel pests. Plant-based insect repellents include eucalyptus, tea tree, lemongrass and citronella oil.
Composting and companion planting can reduce the need for pesticides and herbicides in the garden. And by buying organic produce, you can consume fewer chemicals and support local businesses too.
Like so many green choices, the alternatives to our usual way of life are healthier, cheaper, and better for the environment too. They just make us feel better—and therefore happier.
**How can you change the way you clean to promote better health and protect the environment?**
**In what ways would you be able to make use of the benefits of organic gardening?**
#
## Make environmentally friendly changes at work
_We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. Albert Einstein_
Are you environmentally conscious at home, but less so at work? Many of the ideas we've already explored are equally important and effective in your workplace.
Technology is making it easier to cut down on paper use. Think before you print, and when you do, make it double-sided. Buy recycled products and reuse whenever possible. You can get another use (or three) out of envelopes and manila folders by using adhesive labels. Use unwanted printed paper for children's drawings.
Use video conferencing or Skype instead of driving or flying to meetings and buy carbon credits to offset your flights. Laptops use less energy than regular computers. Change to energy-efficient light globes and switch to green power. Turn off the air conditioning whenever possible and turn off lights and computers at night.
We formed a group to support environmental changes in our workplace and it's not only been effective (with significant savings in cost and waste), it's also been great fun. Communal litter-less lunches, where we share a dish made from locally produced food that is then stored in reusable containers, helps keep enthusiasm high. Regular quizzes increase people's knowledge and help us measure improvements. Being green not only brings people together and helps us feel better about our workplaces, we can promote our efforts proudly and encourage others to try the same things. How can you reduce, reuse and recycle at your workplace?
**What can you do to make your workplace more environmentally friendly?**
### My commitment to caring for the environment
Things I am currently doing well when it comes to living sustainably are:
My goals for improving how I care for the environment are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
#
DOMAIN 10
## Having fun
_Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful. Thich Nhat Hanh_
Sometimes having fun is about relaxing and switching off. Making time for just having fun is one of the easiest steps you can take to happiness. Leisure time can also be about doing something that engages you so deeply that time passes and you don't even notice it. Sometimes your leisure activities coincide with the idea of a personal challenge, or perhaps something that might be closer to a calling or a vocation.
Psychologist Martin Seligman describes three kinds of happiness: The Pleasant Life, the Good Life and the Meaningful Life. The Pleasant Life involves positive emotions and things we like doing. The Good Life involves using your strengths and drawing on resources to make a difference to improve a situation. The Meaningful Life is about using your strengths and virtues in the service of something else to bring a wider meaning to your life. Living a meaningful life brings about the highest level of sustained happiness.
Consider your balance between passive and active leisure. If watching TV is your main means of relaxation, perhaps think about the amount of time you spend doing it and what other kinds of things might also bring enjoyment. Being engaged in active, creative hobbies can create extra happiness in your day. Think about what kinds of leisure activities also enrich your relationships and are positive for the people you live with.
Ideally, your relaxation and leisure time consists of a mix of different types of activities: things you enjoy just for fun, a pastime that uses your skills or something that challenges you even more. Having fun helps us feel that life is worth living.
**What leisure activities do you enjoy most?**
**What do you find to be restorative and relaxing?**
**How can you make the most of your leisure time?**
**What kinds of leisure activities do you find enriching for you and the people you live with?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Make an artwork describing yourself doing something you enjoy. What makes it special for you and others?
Perhaps do this activity with your children using play dough or plasticine. Make sculptures representing the things that you enjoy doing or make people shapes and act out scenes of fun times together. Talk with your children and plan other fun things to do together.
#
## Read a book
_Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live. Gustave Flaubert_
For many, simply curling up on the couch on a Sunday reading a book and having nowhere else to go is blissful. For others, this seems like the height of laziness. But reading is so much more than taking time out to 'do nothing'. Reading can be incredibly rewarding because it can introduce you to new ideas and expand your awareness of the world.
Broaden your reading horizons. Read book reviews online or in weekend newspapers and magazines. Ask friends, the local librarian or your bookseller for recommendations. Consider starting a book club or reading group. Try reading something completely new then strike up a conversation about it—share your ideas and passions. If you are pressed for time, why not consider shorter pieces, such as poetry or short stories.
Or you might like to put pen to paper and write something yourself—a poem, short (or long) story, memoir or even a play. Being cultured means to respond to culture, and the best way to do this is to create your own.
**What do you enjoy reading?**
**When are the best times for you to read?**
**What is your favourite book and why?**
#
## Listen to music
_Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. Ludwig van Beethoven_
Hands up if you love music and couldn't live without it! Playing a musical instrument, dancing, singing, listening—there are so many ways in which music brings happiness.
It is not surprising that neuroscientists have found that music activates the pleasure zones of the brain in a similar way to other pleasures such as sexual orgasm, drugs and chocolate. One of my favourite ways to enjoy music is to put on some rhythms that make me feel good and dance around the lounge room. This can be a great activity for kids too.
It can be a great pleasure to listen to music alone, especially when delving into your collection brings back moods and memories. Music is also a great way to connect with others if you join a band or choir. Learning to dance, playing an instrument or seeing a live band can be great ways to meet people.
Beethoven continued to create masterpieces even after he went deaf, composing some of his best works at this time. His passion was not only for music, but also for life. The sheer volume of his work is incredible, given the struggles in his life—health issues (including pain, deafness and mental-health problems) and being a carer for his two younger brothers.
Music can bring meaning to your life or even a whole new self-identity. Some people's experience of music has been profound, to the extent that it has changed their lives: think of 1960s folk, 1970s disco or punk, '80s pop, '90s drum and bass.
Whether you are into classical, folk, rock, hip-hop, jazz, pop, world music or a mixture of styles, try broadening your musical horizons by discovering new songs on the radio or online.
**What kinds of music do you enjoy?**
**What opportunities are there for you to listen to music?**
**Do you have a song that inspires you?**
#
## Get cultural
_When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live. Samuel Johnson_
Fascinating, rewarding and absorbing cultural activities such as film, art and theatre enrich our lives. The arts are also a way we can share our stories and explore the meaning of our experiences.
Norwegian research has found that people who participated in cultural activities were more satisfied with their lives, although men preferred to be spectators, whereas woman liked to participate actively.
Many people enjoy films and talking about them. From hosting a _Star Wars_ movie day to watching _Gone With the Wind_ with your grandmother, watching films is a fun thing to do. Going to the cinema is a great option for a date. Consider starting a movie club—enjoy and explore cinema with a group of friends. Avid moviegoers love to spend time analysing a movie, looking at the camera angles, the script, the lighting, the direction and the acting. They pore over every detail of the film to find out what it's saying to them or if it is saying anything at all.
But you don't need to interpret a film to enjoy it. Watching films can simply be a great way to see or experience something you wouldn't in daily life. Foreign films offer a peek into other cultures. Try exploring different periods and genres: think early Hollywood, spaghetti Westerns, French comedies, or Chinese sword-and-sandal epics—so much variety, so little time.
Like cinema, viewing art can also make us feel more engaged and alive. Taking hold of our imagination, art helps us see things in a different way. All of a sudden, we feel present in the moment, and this awareness helps us to live mindfully. Visiting an art gallery is often a wonderful experience; art openings can be especially fun. And, of course, there is a wealth of material online. Many people enjoy collecting original artworks (local and emerging artists can be more affordable). A striking or unique print, painting or sculpture can define a whole room and uplift your spirit each time you see it.
There is something very immediate about theatre that can be quite confronting, but also uniquely engaging. Being right there with the actors, sensing their emotions and watching the story unfold while also being aware of you as the viewer in the audience, can be an experience like no other.
**What role does the arts play in your life?**
**What opportunities do you have for going to cultural events?**
**How can you make the most of these opportunities?**
#
## Create
_Creativity takes courage. Henri Matisse_
Creative activities are often some of our more inspired moments. While there are many opportunities to be creative in our lives, our leisure time is where we have the greatest opportunity to express ourselves. Creative activities can help you develop perspective and insight and discover more about yourself.
Have you ever been so absorbed or engrossed in an activity that you lost track of time? This is known as 'being in the zone' or 'flow'. Your full attention is focused on the activity and there is an experience of intensity that is also effortless. Problems are forgotten, yet you also become more self-aware. You are not distracted by other thoughts and you want it to go on forever. Researchers have found that flow states that come from being engaged in self-directed, goal-oriented, meaningful activity can produce a high level of happiness.
Why not get out your paintbrushes and create some art—or forget the brushes and finger paint instead. There are so many different kinds of art forms to try: sculpture, photography, ceramics, printmaking, life drawing, making installations and digital media. Consider getting a painting group together and make an occasion of it.
Crafts offer another great opportunity to explore your creativity. Many involve skills handed down through generations. Check out your local community college or craft shop for ideas. You might like to get handy with a set of tools by learning woodwork or restoring an old piece of furniture, making mosaics or leadlight windows. Or it could be home crafts that warm your soul such as knitting, hand spinning, weaving or patchwork quilting. You can also paint T-shirts for your own unique look. Try silk screen-printing or jewellery making.
What would you love to try if you had the chance? Take the chance now.
**How do you express creativity in your life?**
**Which creative activities inspire you? What gets you excited, enthusiastic and in a state of wonder?**
**What activities do you get lost in and lose track of time doing?**
**In what ways are these activities satisfying?**
#
## Play a sport
_Happiness seems made to be shared. Pierre Corneille_
Sport can be one of the great pleasures in life, both to play and to watch. Investing time and energy in a sport is an excellent release from the rest of life. Being in the zone, or experiencing flow, is also part of the sport experience—the feeling that nothing else matters. The diversity and range of sports available means almost everyone can find something interesting to play or watch.
There are few better feelings than the thrill of competition. Whether it is as part of a team or climbing a mountain, the natural high you get from sport makes you feel great. The benefits from exercising regularly are well known. Even a short early-morning run will boost your energy, while the simple pleasure of teeing off as the sun rises with dew on the ground can last the whole day.
Watching kids give their best to a game, while having fun doing it, can be a joy for you and an excellent learning experience for children too. Sport promotes friendship, teaches children about teamwork, and gives them the coping skills to meet challenges.
Watching your favourite team go round after winning a game is like seeing your favourite movie for the first time every weekend. Riding every bump, cheering, yelling, investing your emotional energy in the ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat is all part of the package.
When you follow a team, you are part of a family. Some even describe their sport as a religion, or a code of ethics. The sense of belonging is a wonderful thing to see as strangers exchange stories and high fives as the team scores, or a packed stadium comes together as one to sing the national anthem before a big game. And if you are a long-term supporter, to see your team finally triumph after years in the wilderness is an amazing feeling.
**What sports do you enjoy playing?**
**Which sports bring excitement to your life?**
#
## Do one thing you've always wanted to do
_If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves. Thomas A. Edison_
Do you have a personal challenge, a skill you want to develop or a long-held dream? It may be that you long for an adventure: to travel overseas, take a road trip, climb a mountain, go boating, skiing, hiking or camping. Perhaps your challenge is to create an artwork, write a book, make a film, hold an exhibition or form a band.
Apart from gaining a sense of fulfilment and achievement from day-to-day activities and pursuits, many people find themselves wanting to take on a personal challenge. This may be learning a new skill, a creative project or achieving a personal goal. This could be something newly discovered or an old dream, even completing an unfinished project.
Have you ever travelled to a country where they don't speak English and felt like a goose because other travellers, usually from Europe, speak six languages? Learning a language can be a lot of fun, and can expand the mind. Why not study the language of a country you want to holiday in? It will help build your excitement as you learn more about the language, people and culture. And if you keep at it, new worlds will open up.
Your dream might be closer to home. You might want to create a collection, a wonderful garden or restore a piece of furniture. It might involve learning a dance or a musical instrument, to play chess or even to make home brew. Attending a class at your local community college could be a great first step towards becoming a better cook, learning to sew or knit, taking better photographs, mastering public speaking or becoming knowledgeable about wines.
Some challenges might lead you to train towards achieving a goal such as participating in a long distance race. It's never too late to do that one thing you've always wanted to do.
**What do you dream of doing? What personal challenge would you like to achieve?**
**What have you done that you feel proud of? What would you like to be proud of in the future?**
**What qualities do you have that will help you?**
### INSPIRING IDEA
Write a letter from your future self with your dream fulfilled. Describe your future self, five or ten years from now, having realised your wishes, hopes and dreams, describing how things are different and how you got there.
#
## Plan a holiday
_We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls. Anaïs Nin_
Most people love to travel. Travel is a great way to experience something new, break away from the everyday and to expand your horizons. Exploring new cultures, foods and languages broadens our understanding of the world and stimulates new interests.
Research has found vacationers and those about to go on holiday are happier than other people. And the more relaxing the holiday, the more lasting the effect. Eventually, though, all holidaymakers return to pre-holiday happiness levels.
Travel appeals to people for different reasons. You may be passionate about the architecture or passionate about the beer. You might like immersing yourself in culture or getting away from it all for solitude and to unwind. You may take a whirlwind trip from site to site or country to country or simply plonk yourself in the one spot and take in the subtleties of daily life.
What gives you itchy feet? Is it a slow crossing of the desert to Varanasi in India, trekking in Nepal, or taking the Trans-Siberian Express Railway through Russia, Mongolia and China? A fast-paced visit to New York or the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro? From the exotic old Moroccan city of Marrakech with its snake charmers, to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the world is your oyster. Hike to Machu Picchu or be awestruck by the Taj Mahal and the palaces of Rajasthan. Imagine seeing the ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, watching sumo wrestling in Tokyo, or taking tango lessons in Buenos Aires.
You might be after pure relaxation and a space for self-reflection: experience the peacefulness of Buddhist temples in Luang Prabang, Laos; laze on a Thai beach on Koh Phangan island, or soak in Japanese hot springs in Hokkaido.
If you long for nature take a boat trip around Halong Bay in Vietnam; go snorkel-ling in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji; hike in New Zealand; or gape at the Grand Canyon National Park and Colorado River in Arizona, USA.
Part of the journey is not knowing what you might see, but you're going to see something! And if things don't turn out as expected, sometimes what happens instead is better. Travel teaches us about being flexible, to be open to opportunities and different experiences.
But we don't have to travel halfway around the world to find new experiences: an adventure could be nearby, possibly even close to home. How often have you seen images of places right at home and thought about the beauty of your own country?
Travel can be a good time to reflect and think about life's priorities. In the film _Lost in Translation,_ Bob (played by Bill Murray), a fading movie star who travels to Japan to make whiskey commercials, says, 'I'm just completely lost ... I don't know. I just want to ... get healthy. I would like to start taking better care of myself. I'd like to start eating healthier—I don't want all that pasta. I would like to start eating, like, Japanese food.' Like Bob, you might find that a period of reflection away from daily life provides the inspiration you need to make some positive lifestyle changes.
**What is your favourite kind of holiday?**
**What are your top ten travel destinations?**
**What kinds of things do you do on holiday, where you say to yourself, 'I'd like to continue this when I'm back at home'?**
#
## Play with children
_Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought. Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks. Samuel Johnson_
Playing with your children can be one of the most wonderful things about being a parent. But it's more than just having fun, it's also a vital part of the way babies and children grow and learn. The time you spend having fun together helps your child to learn, to trust and to rely on others. It makes them feel loved and secure and helps them to make sense of the world.
Research tells us that a child's environment and experiences—especially during the first three years of life—strongly influence their development. Play is important for your child's developing self-esteem and social skills; playing with others increases your child's social competence and play helps children to develop an understanding of themselves and their identity.
Children's play ideas can include physically active ball games, using a skipping rope, dancing to music or bike riding. It can also involve quiet time reading or doing arts and crafts. Try collage using old magazines, scissors and glue. Egg cartons and pipe cleaners make spiders, caterpillars and cat's faces with whiskers. Take it outside and paint with sponges, toothbrushes, hands and feet. Explore how colours mix using cellophane or paint. Trace the hands and feet of everyone in the family.
Keep an eye out for useful craft things. Cardboard boxes make excellent cubby houses. Make a pirate's hat out of newspaper. Make play dough from scratch rather than buying it—you only need flour, water, salt and a little food colouring (add a drop or two of essential oil to give your play dough a fun scent). Make musical instruments from glasses filled with water to different heights—tap them with a spoon—or a mini 'guitar' from elastic bands and a lunchbox. Fill jars with rice to make shakers.
Go camping in the backyard, do some gardening together (especially digging and watering), play backyard cricket or football, and let your kids help with washing the car. Go for a walk to the park and listen to the different sounds, blow bubbles, take chalk and draw on the footpath. Have a picnic, play balloon volleyball, or hide and seek.
Singing, storytelling and making shadow puppets can be creative and fun activities. Make a sock puppet with an old sock and two buttons, or dress up in old clothes and make a theatre—let the child decide who will play which role and develop the story together.
Let children take the lead in play. Listen to them and ask questions: 'Wow, that bear is amazing; what's he going to do next?' Of course, you need to make sure the game is safe and doesn't get out of control. Allow plenty of time for experimenting and expect mistakes. Don't compete with young children; this can discourage them from wanting to play with you. Appreciate and encourage your children's effort, tell them you love them and let them know what they did well.
**What games do you most enjoy playing with your children?**
**How have your children made you laugh recently?**
**If you could increase the time you spend playing with your children or working more, which would you choose?**
### My commitment to having fun
The things I currently do that are a good way to spend my relaxation and leisure time include:
My goals for improving my relaxation and leisure time are:
What has worked for me in the past is to:
Other sources of support and encouragement I can use are:
I can boost my confidence by:
My next step is to:
## Notice what's better
_The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity. Ayn Rand_
Every now and then, it's helpful to pause and reflect on how things are going. In particular, notice what is better. Think back to how things were when you first opened this book and ask: 'What is better now?'
Scaling can be a useful way to review where you are at and help you visualise the next step towards achieving your goals. Often we have come further on the journey than we had realised.
On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst things can be and 10 is how you want things to be, where would you say you are?
**What will be different when you get to 1 point higher?**
**When was the last time you were 1 point higher?**
**What's the highest you've ever been? What was happening then? How were you able to do that?**
**What are you doing to stop slipping further down the scale?**
**If nothing is better: How did you manage to stop things from getting worse?**
### CREATIVE CHALLENGE
Draw yourself on a journey. Where are you heading? What resources do you need to get you there?
#
## Celebrate your success
_Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. Muhammad Ali_
Once you've made changes to your life, notice the difference they make. Look at just how far you've come. Take time to make sure you are keeping on track with what is important and meaningful to you. And most importantly, don't forget to celebrate your successes. Like they say, 'Nothing breeds success like success,' so why not celebrate it? From a pat on the back to popping a bottle of champagne, life is too short to not celebrate.
**What has improved on your road towards creating more happiness in your life?**
**What have you been doing to make that happen?**
**What other things have you noticed? What have others noticed?**
**How has this made things different for you?**
**What does that tell you about yourself?**
**What are your favourite ways to celebrate your success?**
#
## Manage setbacks
_I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison_
Change is rarely a straightforward process; we go forward, slip back, find our feet, then get re-energised and motivated to have another go. Try to hang in there—allow yourself to take risks and to mess up occasionally. Look for ways to feel more confident about your ability to reach your destination.
Our world is always presenting new opportunities. The great thing about this is that no problem happens all the time or lasts forever. Accept that life has its ups and downs. When things go wrong, you may feel upset, uncertain, even devastated, but only for a short time. Remember this: there are always options.
If you make a slip, think about what has helped you to get back on track in the past. Reflect on the things that have prevented you from slipping further back. What can you learn from this to avoid slips in the future? Consider any other lessons you've learned from these setbacks. Forgive yourself and decide to use the experience as a future resource.
**What is getting in the way of you achieving your goals? What could help you to overcome these barriers?**
**Without the current challenges what would become possible? What would be different?**
**What are you most looking forward to when the current challenges are gone?**
#
## Keep looking for possibilities
_We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde_
Although we all have our habits and ways we like to do things, one thing we can be certain of is that change is constant and inevitable.
Rather than creating big changes, sometimes it's more important to focus on small opportunities when doing something different. Changes are possible with each choice we make. We are continually making decisions to move in one direction or another. Look for clues about what is likely to take you towards more happiness and experiment with doing some of these things.
Problems and solutions are not always directly related—don't go looking for the answer by defining the problem. Rather, describe what the solution will look like. Also, consider the possibility that there may be many different solutions, each of which brings positive change, rather than assuming you need to find only one right solution.
Once you have a rich picture of your goal, practise small steps that are part of the desired outcome: small solutions can lead to big changes. Then make a small yet deliberate positive change: interrupt your usual patterns to explore a path of possibilities towards greater happiness.
Do more of what works. Be open to inviting more happiness into your life. Show up and do your best—nothing else matters.
**How do you keep a sense of possibility alive?**
**What are you getting better at?**
**How can you sustain the progress you are making?**
**What new or creative ideas do you have about what could bring extra happiness into your life?**
#
## Get help with the jobs you struggle with
_It is not so much our friends' help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. Epicurus_
When challenges emerge it helps to have a range of resources to draw on. It helps you tackle the problem from different perspectives, and makes success more likely. Friends and family are often great sources of help and support.
There's also a range of professional people who can offer assistance and guidance with resolving whatever problem you face. Doctors, counsellors, financial planners, personal trainers ... think about who might help you get on the track to happiness.
Life coaches assist people, organisations or teams to achieve the goal or outcome they want. They work with their client to establish better goals, inspire them to achieve more, empower them with the practical and philosophical tools to do so, motivate them to sustain focus, and steer them towards success. Coaches help people to develop a plan to bridge the gap between where they are now and where they would like to be.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we get stuck. We know what we want to be, or do, or create but we need help to get there. Know when to ask for help, and don't feel embarrassed. Offer to help others in return. We can all benefit from the help of others.
**Are you accessing the help you need?**
**What are the key areas of life where some extra help would be useful?**
**Who could best be of help?**
**In what ways could they be of help?**
**What might get in the way of you seeking help? How might you overcome this?**
#
## Keep sight of the big picture
_A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step._ _Lao Tzu_
Step back and look at the big picture again. I use this tool to regularly check on each of my life domains. I particularly like to do this while on holiday, when I have the space and energy to really pay attention to my life. This exercise helps me to reflect, to check if I'm still on track, to celebrate my successes and to think about where I need to focus my energy. It's a way to assess if I have the balance right and to remember what's important.
#
## Reflect on the change process
_Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems. René Descartes_
Consider what has been the most helpful in your change process. What resources did you draw on? What strengths did you use and what mattered most? What commitment can you make to yourself to help sustain the changes you value and want to see continuing in your life?
**What have you found useful about this book?**
**How did the questions enable you to achieve what you have?**
**What else has been helpful?**
**Were there times when you were able to keep yourself on track? How did you do that?**
**What is your next step towards sustaining your efforts?**
### My commitment to living a happier life
The changes I can celebrate and would like to sustain are:
The fact I have created these changes tells me the following about myself:
I would like to celebrate these changes by:
I am appreciative of the following sources of support and encouragement:
I would like to communicate my appreciation in the following ways:
My next step is to:
#
## My wish for you
_You will see wonders. William Shakespeare_
I hope you are now walking your path towards greater wellbeing and long-term happiness.
I appreciate the time you have taken to experiment, think, question and challenge yourself. I am wondering whether you've created your own processes to keep yourself motivated and moving towards happiness. What do these say about what you value? I also wonder if you have surprised yourself in what you have been able to achieve.
I wish you a wonderful, fulfilling journey.
May you be well and happy.
#### Acknowledgements
Many people shared their wisdom and insight, and provided useful reality checks, while I wrote this book. I know that their contributions have helped bring the book alive for readers from different backgrounds, lifestyles and perspectives.
Thank you Rhianon Vichta, Dave Monck, Jill Robards, Penelope Robards, Sekneh Beckett, Melita Smilovic, William Fenton-Smith, Maree Fenton-Smith, Margaret Fenton-Smith, Heidi Fenton-Smith, Nick Radford, Harry Perlich, Trish Corcoran, Adrienne Margarian, Helen Ledingham, Suzie Gibson, David Bennett, Wui Ken Yap, Melissa Kang, Anne Redman, Kareem Tawansi, Claire Grady, Ann Lehmann-Kuit, Alison Winn, Justine Iesu, Karen Weeks, Kristy Lane, Lorrae Carr, Osama Moustafa and John Watson.
Thank you to psychologist Dr Svea van der Hoorn for allowing me to draw on her solution-focused expertise and for reminding me that 'small changes can lead to big improvements'.
Thank you to Siobhan Pope for her sensitive editing, demonstrating the strength of simplicity.
#### References
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18. Hardy, LL, Denney-Wilson, E, Thrift, AP, Okely, AD & Baur, LA 2010, 'Screen time and metabolic risk factors among adolescents', _Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,_ 164(7), pp.643–9.
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21. Shaw, M, Mitchell, R & Dorling, D 2000, 'Time for a smoke? One cigarette reduces your life by 11 minutes', _British Medical Journal,_ 320(7226), p.53.
22. Doll, R, Peto, R, Boreham, J & Sutherland, I 2004, 'Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years' observation on male British doctors', _British Medical Journal,_ 328(7455), p.1519.
23. United Nations, _World Drug Report 2010,_<http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2010/World_Drug_Report_2010_lo-res.pdf>, accessed 21 May 2012.
24. Bogduk, N 2004, 'Management of chronic low back pain', _Medical Journal Australia,_ 180(2), pp.79–83.
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26. Easterlin, RA, McVey, LA, Switek, M, Sawangfa, O & Zweig, JS 2010, 'The happiness– income paradox revisited', _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United State of America,_ 107(52), pp.22463–8. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1015962107
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28. Warna, C, Lindholm, L & Eriksson, K 2007, 'Virtue and health—finding meaning and joy in working life', _Scandinavian Journal of Caring Science,_ 21(2), pp.191–8.
29. Mehl, MR, Vazire, S, Holleran, SE & Clark, S 2010, 'Eavesdropping on happiness: Wellbeing is related to having less small talk and more substantive conversations', _Psychological Science,_ 21(4), pp.539–41.
30. Chapman, G 1992, _Five Love Languages: How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate,_ San Val, Missouri.
31. Fowler, JH, Christakis, NA 2008, 'Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: Longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study', _British Medical Journal,_ 337(a2338).
32. Christakis, NA, Fowler, JH 2007, 'The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years', _N Engl JMed,_ 357(4), pp.370–9.
33. Christakis, NA & Fowler JH 2008, 'The collective dynamics of smoking in a large social network', _New England Journal of Medicine,_ 358, pp.2249–58.
34. Rowe, L & Bennett, D 2005, _You can't make me: Seven simple rules for parenting teenagers,_ Random House, Sydney.
35. Steptoe, A, O'Donnell, K, Marmot, M & Wardle, J 2008, 'Positive affect and psychosocial processes related to health', _British Journal of Psychology,_ 99, pp.211–27.
36. Davies, JB (ed), _Personal Wealth from a Global Perspective,_ UNU-WIDER Studies in Development Economics, Oxford University Press, October 2008.
37. Thoits, PA & Hewitt, LN 2001, 'Volunteer work and well-being', _Journal of Health and Social Behavior,_ 42(2), pp.115–31.
38. United Nations, _Universal Declaration of Human Rights,_<http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/>, accessed 21 May 2012.
39. Samdal, O, Nutbeam, D, Wold, B & Kannas, L 1998, 'Achieving health and educational goals through schools: A study of the importance of the school climate and the students' satisfaction with school', _Health Education Research,_ 13(3), pp.383–97.
40. Natvig, GK, Albrektsen, G & Qvarnstrøm, U 2003, 'Associations between psychosocial factors and happiness among school adolescents', _International Journal of Nursing Practice,_ 9(3), pp.166–75.
41. Berntsson, L, Berg, M, Brydolf, M & Hellstrom, AL 2007, 'Adolescents' experience of wellbeing when living with a long-term illness or disability', _Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences,_ 21(4), pp.419–25.
42. Bruno, MA, Bernheim, JL, Ledoux, D et al.2011, 'A survey on self-assessed well-being in a cohort of chronic locked-in syndrome patients: Happy majority, miserable minority', _BMJ Open,_ 1(1), 1:e000039.
43. Seligman, M 2002, _Authentic Happiness,_ Random House, Sydney.
44. Kringelbach, ML & Berridge, KC 2010, 'The neuroscience of happiness and pleasure', _Social Research,_ 77(2), pp.569–678.
45. Cuypers, K, Krokstad, S, Holmen, TL, Knudtsen, MS, Bygren, LO & Holmen, J 2012, 'Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults: the HUNT study, Norway', _Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,_ 66(8), pp.698–703.
46. Csikszentmihalyi, M 1991, _Flow: The psychology of optimal experience,_ Harper Perennial, San Francisco.
47. Nawijn, J, Marchand, MA, Veenhoven, R & Vingerhoets, AJ 2010, 'Vacationers happier, but most not happier after a holiday', _Applied Research in Quality of Life,_ 5(1), pp.35–47.
#
**Fiona Robards** is a psychologist with four Masters degrees—in Psychology, Art Therapy, Management and Public Health—who teaches Medical and Public Health students at the University of Sydney and UNSW Medical Schools. She regularly presents at conferences and contributes to a wide range of academic publications. Passionate about solution-focused approaches, Fiona researched _What Makes You Happy?_ over a period of five years, synthesising ideas from her studies, counselling and management practice. You can follow Fiona on Twitter @whtmakesuhappy.
First published 2014
Exisle Publishing Pty Ltd
'Moonrising', Narone Creek Road, Wollombi, NSW 2325, Australia
P.O. Box 60–490, Titirangi, Auckland 0642, New Zealand
www.exislepublishing.com
Copyright © 2014 in text: Fiona Robards
Fiona Robards asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. Except for short extracts for the purpose of review, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
A CiP record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.
Print ISBN 978 1 921966 31 6
ePub ISBN 978 1 77559 176 4 r
Version 1.0
Design and typesetting by Big Cat Design
**Disclaimer**
While this book is intended as a general information resource and all care has been taken in compiling the contents, this book does not take account of individual circumstances and is not in any way a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner or therapist. Neither the author nor the publisher and their distributors can be held responsible for any loss, claim or action that may arise from reliance on the information contained in this book.
### Also by Exisle Publishing...
### THE CREATIVE SEED
**_How to enrich your life through creativity_**
**Lilian Wissink BA GradDipCounselling**
Creativity is open to us all. Each one of us can discover and nurture a new, exciting dimension in our life!
Whether you are already involved in some form of creative expression, a raw beginner or well established, this book provides a host of strategies to keep you inspired and on track in living your creative dream. Through a combination of case histories, questions and exercises, _The Creative SEED_ will:
**_• help you to identify the creative interest you would like to explore_**
** _• enable you to discover your creative strengths_**
** _• guide you through the creative process using the 'SEED' approach of skills, experimentation, evaluation and discovery, and_**
** _• help you to overcome common obstacles such as anxiety, stress, low self-confidence and procrastination._**
Whatever your creative pursuit, whether you write, sing, play music, knit, paint or sculpt, turn wood or make pots— _The Creative SEED_ will guide you through the everyday ups and downs of the creative process so that you can achieve your goals and more.
### INTUITION
**_Unlock the power!_**
**Dr Cate Howell**
Intuition is something most of us would have experienced at one time or another; it's that gut-feeling or inner voice or 'sixth sense'. It's instinctive by nature, independent of rational analysis or deductive thinking. But can we actively develop our intuition and learn how to better utilise it? Author Dr Cate Howell believes we can, and shows us how in _Intuition._
In this fascinating book, Dr Howell explores how intuition has been a part of philosophy, psychology, religion and spirituality, from ancient times right up to the present. She also looks at the science behind intuition, and how our experience of it can be described in terms of our brain function. Finally, she sets out a practical seven-step program for developing intuition and using it to enhance everyday life so that we experience an increased sense of peace, purpose and joy.
Practical exercises and meditations are included throughout the book, inviting us to unlock the door to our own intuition garden and encourage it to flourish.
### Back Cover Material
**What do you want most in life? Most people would answer: 'I just want to be happy.' Sounds simple, but what does happiness look like? And is the life you lead now bringing you closer to happiness?**
Many of us lead lives that are too rushed, too stressed and too focused on things that don't really matter. Our lifestyles are making us physically and mentally unwell—they're making us unhappier, not happier.
In _What Makes You Happy?_ psychologist Fiona Robards has created a powerful tool for transforming your life. By focusing on ten life domains—ranging from finances to relationships, personal style to caring for the environment—and making use of practical exercises and searching questions, it guides you down the path to finding your own simple solutions to everyday happiness.
**Whether dipped into throughout the year or read as part of your daily routine,** ** _What Makes You Happy?_** **will enable you to:**
* appreciate what's already going well in your life
* discover those areas where you can create greater wellbeing and happiness
* draw on your strengths and values
* tap into your creativity
* create change in a way that suits your individual circumstances
* set out on a journey to sustainable, long-term wellbeing as you stress less and simplify your life.
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Israelis call for the release of Jonathan Pollard in 2013 | Getty Opinion American traitor, Israeli hero The Pollard case shows that the interests of Israel and America are often sharply at odds.
The U.S. government’s announcement that Jonathan Pollard will soon gain his release from prison is cause for celebration in Israel, and understandably so. There, Pollard is considered a patriot and hero. By engaging in espionage on Israel’s behalf, he placed himself at great risk. Once caught, he endured considerable punishment — 30 years in a federal penitentiary. Pollard has more than earned the gala welcome that will no doubt be his, if and when he arrives at Ben Gurion Airport.
Americans have equal reason to classify Pollard as a despicable traitor, who in spending all those years behind bars got precisely what he deserved. Pollard betrayed the country of his birth and is no more worthy of sympathy than convicted spies like Aldrich Ames or Robert Hanssen or John Anthony Walker. Whether Pollard acted out of love for Israel or from greed — both motives were seemingly in play — hardly matters. And although his legions of defenders contend that he caused no actual harm to the United States, senior U.S. defense and intelligence officials, past and present, vehemently disagree.
This difference of opinion regarding the about-to-be-sprung Pollard presents Americans with a teachable moment. Sadly, we can count on American politicians of both parties to close their eyes to what that moment has to offer. Here is an opportunity sure to go to waste.
Israelis have no problem grasping why their take on Pollard and ours should differ. They fully understand that on many occasions U.S. and Israeli security interests are at odds. And when that occurs they do not doubt what comes first. It’s Americans, insisting that “no daylight” exists between the United States and Israel, who perpetuate a false understanding of this relationship — a pretense that may benefit Israel, but certainly does not benefit the United States.
Their hero is simultaneously our traitor because the prerequisites of Israeli safety and well-being differ from the prerequisites of American safety and well-being.
That the government of Israel paid an employee of the United States government to provide it with exceedingly sensitive intelligence is but one example of Israeli actions that should puncture that pretense. Israeli officials make no bones about the fact that they will do anything necessary to ensure the security of the Jewish state. The Pollard case reminds us that they mean what they say, even to the point of compromising the security of their principal (and perhaps only) ally.
Their hero is simultaneously our traitor because the prerequisites of Israeli safety and well-being differ from the prerequisites of American safety and well-being. Those differences, on matters ranging from nuclear weapons to settlement expansion to the creation of a Palestinian state, are anything but trivial or cosmetic. They are, in fact, fundamental, comparable to Washington’s differences with Moscow over Ukraine or with Beijing over the South China Sea.
State security
On all matters touching on security, Israel plays hardball. It does not view itself as beholden to the United States or bound by American concerns, a reality that Israeli governments regularly affirm in word and deed. That seriousness ought to command respect. It should also elicit an equally serious American response. That response should take the form of a candid acknowledgment that where U.S. and Israeli security interests diverge, the United States need not be bound by Israeli concerns.
In negotiating a nuclear accord with Iran, of course, the Obama administration has done just that, which is what makes the deal such a startling departure from standard American practice. Obama has refused to defer to the demands of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he just might get away with it.
Opponents of that deal have responded with a torrent of criticism. What’s so striking about their objections is that they consist largely of talking points that Netanyahu himself might have drafted. Obama’s American critics fail even to make any effort to distinguish between the U.S. interests and Israeli interests involved, preferring to sustain the fiction that those interests align.
Indeed, the critics seem less interested in evaluating the pros and cons of the agreement than in affirming their own “passionate attachment” to Israel. That phrase, coined by George Washington, warns of the dangers that result from indulging in misplaced affection for another country.
In what has become one of the most bizarre rituals of American politics, those aspiring to high office seek to establish the legitimacy of their candidacy by proclaiming to the heavens their depthless regard for Israel. Any U.S. politician out on the stump publically professing undying love for Canada or Mexico, America’s nearest neighbors, would be considered a whack job. A candidate declaring his or her love for Israel evokes bipartisan applause.
To their credit, Israelis profess no comparable passionate attachment to the U.S. Their fealty is to the state of Israel and rightly so. They reserve their admiration and gratitude for the likes of Jonathan Pollard, the American traitor.
In doing so, they make an important point, which Americans would do well to contemplate. Israelis understand that we and they are two different nations and two different peoples. The Pollard case and the Israeli response to news of Pollard’s impending release testify to the enduring nature of that separation.
Andrew J. Bacevich is writing a military history of America’s war for the greater Middle East.
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primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchAddrOp3 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchValueOp3 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchByteArrayOp2 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchMutableByteArrayOp2 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchAddrOp2 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchValueOp2 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchByteArrayOp1 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchMutableByteArrayOp1 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchAddrOp1 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchValueOp1 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchByteArrayOp0 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchMutableByteArrayOp0 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchAddrOp0 = True
primOpHasSideEffects PrefetchValueOp0 = True
primOpHasSideEffects _ = False
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
<h2><%= I18n.t('title', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %></h2>
<%= google_authenticator_qrcode(resource) %>
<%= form_for(resource, :as => resource_name, :url => [:refresh, resource_name, :displayqr], :html => {:method => :post}) do |f|%>
<p><%= f.submit I18n.t('newtoken', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %></p>
<% end %>
<%= form_for(resource, :as => resource_name, :url => [resource_name, :displayqr], :html => { :method => :put }) do |f| %>
<%= devise_error_messages! %>
<h3><%= I18n.t('nice_request', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %></h3>
<p><%= f.label :gauth_enabled, I18n.t('qrstatus', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %><br />
<%= f.check_box :gauth_enabled %></p>
<%= f.hidden_field :tmpid, value: @tmpid %>
<p><%= f.label :gauth_token, I18n.t('enter_token', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %><br />
<%= f.number_field :gauth_token, :autocomplete => :off %>
<p><%= f.submit I18n.t('submit', {:scope => 'devise.registration'}) %></p>
<% end %>
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
// Copyright (c) Sandeep Mistry. All rights reserved.
// Licensed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file in the project root for full license information.
#ifndef _BLE_DEVICE_H_
#define _BLE_DEVICE_H_
#include "BLEBondStore.h"
#include "BLECharacteristic.h"
#include "BLELocalAttribute.h"
#include "BLERemoteAttribute.h"
#include "BLERemoteCharacteristic.h"
#include "BLERemoteService.h"
struct BLEEirData
{
unsigned char length;
unsigned char type;
unsigned char data[BLE_EIR_DATA_MAX_VALUE_LENGTH];
};
class BLEDevice;
class BLEDeviceEventListener
{
public:
virtual void BLEDeviceConnected(BLEDevice& /*device*/, const unsigned char* /*address*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceDisconnected(BLEDevice& /*device*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceBonded(BLEDevice& /*device*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceRemoteServicesDiscovered(BLEDevice& /*device*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceCharacteristicValueChanged(BLEDevice& /*device*/, BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/, const unsigned char* /*value*/, unsigned char /*valueLength*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceCharacteristicSubscribedChanged(BLEDevice& /*device*/, BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/, bool /*subscribed*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceRemoteCharacteristicValueChanged(BLEDevice& /*device*/, BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/, const unsigned char* /*value*/, unsigned char /*valueLength*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceAddressReceived(BLEDevice& /*device*/, const unsigned char* /*address*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceTemperatureReceived(BLEDevice& /*device*/, float /*temperature*/) { }
virtual void BLEDeviceBatteryLevelReceived(BLEDevice& /*device*/, float /*batteryLevel*/) { }
};
class BLEDevice
{
friend class BLEPeripheral;
protected:
BLEDevice();
virtual ~BLEDevice();
void setEventListener(BLEDeviceEventListener* eventListener);
void setAdvertisingInterval(unsigned short advertisingInterval);
void setConnectionInterval(unsigned short minimumConnectionInterval, unsigned short maximumConnectionInterval);
void setConnectable(bool connectable);
void setBondStore(BLEBondStore& bondStore);
virtual void begin(unsigned char /*advertisementDataSize*/,
BLEEirData * /*advertisementData*/,
unsigned char /*scanDataSize*/,
BLEEirData * /*scanData*/,
BLELocalAttribute** /*localAttributes*/,
unsigned char /*numLocalAttributes*/,
BLERemoteAttribute** /*remoteAttributes*/,
unsigned char /*numRemoteAttributes*/) { }
virtual void poll() { }
virtual void end() { }
virtual bool setTxPower(int /*txPower*/) { return false; }
virtual void startAdvertising() { }
virtual void disconnect() { }
virtual bool updateCharacteristicValue(BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool broadcastCharacteristic(BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canNotifyCharacteristic(BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canIndicateCharacteristic(BLECharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canReadRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool readRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canWriteRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool writeRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/, const unsigned char /*value*/[], unsigned char /*length*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canSubscribeRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool subscribeRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool canUnsubscribeRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual bool unsubcribeRemoteCharacteristic(BLERemoteCharacteristic& /*characteristic*/) { return false; }
virtual void requestAddress() { }
virtual void requestTemperature() { }
virtual void requestBatteryLevel() { }
protected:
unsigned short _advertisingInterval;
unsigned short _minimumConnectionInterval;
unsigned short _maximumConnectionInterval;
bool _connectable;
BLEBondStore* _bondStore;
BLEDeviceEventListener* _eventListener;
};
#endif
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
The Bay Area Rock Art Research Association is a group co-founded by Paul Freeman and Leigh Marymor in 1982 to study, explore, preserve and protect the fragile rock art resources in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Rock-Art refers to human made markings found on stone in natural landscape settings in a wide variety of contexts that extend from earliest human symbol making to pre-modern times. In the San Francisco Bay Area the study of Rock-Art is primarily concerned with cultural sites whose authorship is attributed to Native American inhabitants, from the early habitation of our region to the time of European contact. Historic Rock-Art sites of indigenous and non-indigenous manufacture also attract attention within the broad scope of Rock-Art studies.
Rock-Art in the Bay Area was created with a variety of techniques. Pecking, abrading, incising, and scratching into stone are all reductive in nature as they involve a physical process that removes part of the rock surface to leave a mark or design. There are also sites where markings were added to the rock surface by painting and/or drawing on the stone; these are less frequently found - possibly due to the more rapid abrasive effects of wind and rain on exposed painted surfaces. A third type of Rock-Art feature found in the Bay Area is constructed structures: stone walls, stone circles, and other stone enclosures.
Rock Art Studies is an umbrella term that encompasses an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Rock-Art and includes contributions by both professional and amateur investigators.
Rock Art Science refers to the testing of hypotheses about Rock-Art through experimentation that leads to conclusions about the nature and meaning of rock-art that is replicable and falsifiable. For example, a hypothesis about the age of a particular rock painting might be tested by way of chemical analysis of remnant organics that were used to create a binder for a mineral- based pigment. Any conclusion about the age of the painting could potentially be confirmed, or falsified, by other researchers using the same or complimentary techniques.
Rock-Art Interpretation is an endeavor carried out by many researchers in an attempt to arrive at the original meaning or intent of the person(s) who created the rock-art. Often interpretive theories are not falsifiable, that is, there is no factual way to either prove or disprove their conclusions. In this respect, Rock-Art interpretation is an endeavor that often falls outside the scope of Rock-Art science. Interpretations are often interesting in their own right and may be informed by empirical observation, ethnography, archaeology, art history, archaeoastronomy, and numerous other disciplines.
Rock-Art Aesthetics, another area of Rock-Art study, involves the consideration of the universal artistic qualities and values that appear to be inherent in the art and its landscape setting. Perhaps there is a universal appeal of the simple beauty of the created expressions, and the landscapes in which these expressions are found that unites the creator of the rock-art with ourselves, observers from another time and culture, who have been touched in some way across the expanse of years, and pause to wonder.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
The changes of red blood cell viscoelasticity and sports anemia in male 24-hr ultra-marathoners.
In endurance sports, stress, dehydration and release of chemical factors have been associated with red blood cell (RBC) alterations of structure and function, which may contribute to sports anemia, a well-observed phenomenon during long-distance running. Until now, the investigation of the changes of viscoelastic properties of RBC membrane, a decisive factor of RBC deformability to avoid hemolysis, is lacking, especially in an Oriental population. nineteen runners were prospectively recruited into our study. Hematological parameters were analyzed before and immediately after the 2015 Taipei 24H Ultra-Marathon Festival, Taiwan. Video particle tracking microrheology was used to determine viscoelastic properties of each RBC sample by calculating the dynamic elastic modulus G'(f) and the viscous modulus G″(f) at frequency f = 20 Hz. Haptoglobin, RBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell hemoglobin, plasma free hemoglobin and unsaturated iron-binding capacity values of the recruited runners showed a statistically significant drop in the post-race values. Blood concentration of reticulocyte and ferritin were significantly higher at post-race compared with pre-race. 15 out of the 19 runners had a concurrent change in the elastic and the viscous moduli of their RBCs. Changes in the elastic and the viscous moduli were correlated with changes in the RBC count, hemoglobin and hematocrit. Viscoelasticity properties, the elastic modulus G'(f) and the viscous modulus G″(f) of RBCs are associated with endurance exercise-induced anemia.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Alpha Packaging Plans New Bottle Options
Alpha Packaging (www.alphap.com) has continued its growth track with the purchase of Progressive Plastics (Cleveland, OH) a manufacturer of PET, HDPE, PP, and PVC containers.
Acquired in September 2010 by Irving Place Capital, Alpha has quadrupled in size over the past decade through acquisitions and organic growth to a $138 million company with seven plants.
Progressive manufactures bottles using four basic blow molding techniques, and injection blow molds preforms that support its re-heat blow molding operations or are sold to end users.
“Progressive has developed a variety of new packaging options for healthcare customers. We are currently analyzing opportunities to utilize some of the PET preforms we acquired for new stock lines for pharmaceutical and health care applications as well as custom bottles,” says Marny Bielefeldt, marketing manager, Alpha Packaging.
“In addition to purchasing all of Progressive’s machines, we have also bought several additional machines from a different source that will be installed at our existing plants for using the PET performs,” Bielefeldt adds.
Alpha manufactures continuous-thread stock and custom PET, HDPE, and PLA bottles and jars for pharma and personal care as well as niche food and beverage markets. Alpha’s new sister company Mold-Rite Plastics (www.mrpcap.com), acquired by Irving Place Capital last month, supplies Alpha customers with closures.
“Mold-Rite can provide closures for meeting widely varying pharma customer needs, including lined, unlined, or custom made, with features including child resistance, tamper evidence, and in mold desiccant,” Bielefeldt says.
Alpha has stepped up deployment of vision inspection systems and sensors for monitoring bottle color quality, building on systems developed using internal resources. “Recently we have gone outside to purchase commercially-available vision systems to address the increasing complexity of customer requirements,” Bielefeldt says.
“A very small shift in color can dramatically change the look of a bottle. Inspection helps ensure we are using the correct let down ratio—the percent of colorant in the mix versus package weight. We are checking even white bottles to ensure the correct shade of white,” she adds.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Vishal Jagota
News for Vishal Jagota
An Indian man, who had been convicted of sexually abusing his wife and treating her like a slave, will not go to prison for his crimes but has been sentenced to three years' probation and ordered......
A US court has convicted three members of an Indian family in New York on charges of sexually abusing their daughter-in-law who came to America after an arranged marriage and was threatened to work......
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Gervaise, a 1956 film set in 19th century Paris is based on the Zola masterpiece L’Assommoir. The film’s main character is Gervaise Macquart (Maria Schell), a beautiful, blonde laundress whose wholesome youth and beauty is marred by a slight limp. When the film begins, Gervaise lives in a dingy room with her lover Lantier (Armand Mestral) and their two young sons. Even though they are not married, Gervaise calls herself Lantier’s wife unaware of the ridicule that this brings her behind her back.
Lantier, it seems, is in the throes of an affair with a neighbour. Everyone in the Parisian slum knows about it, and the news forms a sort of gossipy thrill which explodes into titillating entertainment one day when Gerviase fights with the other woman’s sister, Virginie (Suzy Delair). This incident has long-term ramifications for Gervaise. Eventually Gervaise moves on from her grief at losing Lantier and she meets and marries affable roofer Coupeau (Francois Perier).
At first Gervaise thrives in her marriage to Coupeau. They have a child together, Nana (Françoise Hery) and Gervaise has a goal of managing her own laundry. This dream is put on hold temporarily when Coupeau has an accident that takes away his ability to earn a living, but long-term, devoted friend Goujet (Jacques Harden) lends Gervaise the money, and she goes into business for herself. Gervaise’s troubles begin, although it takes her a long time to realize it, when Coupeau has his accident. Then the arrival of Virginie and the parasitic Lantier seals Gervaise’s fate.
The film, while good entertainment, unfortunately, falls short of Zola’s marvelous novel, L’Assommoir. In all fairness, I don’t think a film format (just under two hours) is the right setting for the novel. This needs to be a miniseries. Before watching the film, I was curious to see just how a film in the 50s would cope with some of the more salacious details of the novel–Gervaise’s peculiar domestic arrangement with Lantier and Coupeau, for example. The film chooses to gloss over much of this savage degradation and only lightly touches on the subject. Interestingly the film glosses over most of the book’s savagery: the viciousness of Gervaise’s former friends and neighbours, Gervaise’s slide into alcoholism (it’s touched on in the film) and her eventual wish for the oblivion of death. The film simplifies while avoiding the highly detailed feeding frenzy that takes place over Gervaise’s body and her ability to work–whereas the novel is wrenching in parts as it describes Gervaise’s gradual slide into degradation and oblivion.
The film from director Rene Clement tries to maintain a sense of faithfulness to the novel–it includes the wedding scene, for example, and Gervaise’s grand dinner for her ungrateful neighbours. But when it comes to showing the details of the viciousness of life among the working class, the film falls short. Perhaps it was considered too depressing to create a film that went into some much detail of the moral depravity and cruelty of its subjects–although the film does show in a couple of scenes how naughty Nana became while still just a wee tot. The film rather interestingly also accentuates the way that Lantier and Coupeau are somewhat similar types, but by glossing over the more sordid, savage aspects of the novel, the story loses its grandeur and becomes more of an average love story. What we need is a BBC miniseries or a French television miniseries to do Zola’s masterpiece justice.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Determination of barbiturates by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and ion trap gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in conjunction with quadrupole ion trap GC-MS was applied to the determination of a series of barbiturates. A 65 microns Carbowax-divinylbenzene (DVB) SPME fiber was used to successfully extract a series of eight barbiturates from aqueous solution. Absorption kinetics and distribution coefficients for the 65 microns Carbowax-DVB SPME fiber were determined for the compounds. In addition the method was evaluated with respect to linearity, limit of detection, precision, desorption time, and the effect of salt. Limits of detection reached 1 ng/ml for the barbiturates. Linearity was established for the barbiturates over a concentration range of 10-1000 ng/ml, with coefficients of correlation 0.99. Overall, the precision of the method fell between 2.2%-6.5%, depending on the barbiturate. SPME was applied to the identification and quantitation of the barbiturates in a urine matrix. The method was validated by analyzing a reference standard pentobarbital-spiked urine sample. Both standard addition and internal standard with [2H5]-pentobarbital techniques were evaluated, with recoveries found to be 93% and 104%, respectively SPME was then used to rapidly screen a urine specimen tested positive for barbiturates, and butalbital was detected and quantified.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Roman Catholic Diocese of Leribe
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leribe () is a diocese located in the city of Leribe in the Ecclesiastical province of Maseru in Lesotho.
History
December 11, 1952: Established as Diocese of Leribe from the Diocese of Maseru
Leadership
Bishops of Leribe (Roman rite)
Bishop Augustine Tumaole Bane (since 2009.09.19)
Bishop Paul Khoarai (1970.03.07 – 2009.06.30)
Bishop Ignatius Phakoe, O.M.I. (1961.01.03 – 1968.06.18)
Archbishop Emanuel Mabathoana, O.M.I. (1952.12.11 – 1961.01.03)
Sources
GCatholic.org
Catholic Hierarchy
Leribe
Category:Christian organizations established in 1952
Category:Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
Q:
Format fails to copy text properties from the format-string for adjacent %-sequences
Take a look at this example:
(format (concat "%s" (propertize "%s" 'face 'error)) "foo" "bar")
"foobar"
(format (concat "%s " (propertize "%s" 'face 'error)) "foo" "bar")
#("foo bar" 4 7 (face error))
And the documentation of format explicitly states:
Text properties, if any, are copied from the format-string to the produced text.
Why is that?
I know I can work around this with:
(format "%s%s" "foo" (propertize "bar" 'face 'error))
#("foobar" 3 6 (face error))
Or even:
(concat "foo" (propertize "bar" 'face 'error))
#("foobar" 3 6 (face error))
But my original use case is a bit more complex than this.
Edit
A probably more general example is the following:
(format (concat (propertize "%s" 'face 'bold)
"" ; any non-empty string works
(propertize "%s" 'face 'error))
"foo" "bar")
#("foobar" 0 6 (face bold))
A:
So it was a bug which has now been fixed in this commit.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
If selling, sure loss. Buying it, you may with ease retain your credit.
For a young woman to see or handle coffee she will be made a by-word if she is not discreet in her actions.
To dream of roasting coffee, for a young woman it denotes escape from evil by luckily marrying a stranger.
To see ground coffee, foretells successful struggles with adversity. Parched coffee, warns you of the evil attentions of strangers. Green coffee, denotes you have bold enemies who will show you no quarter, but will fight for your overthrow. ... Ten Thousand Dream Interpretation
The need to be more alert (e.g., “wake up and smell the coffee”)- In Arabia, this beverage is revered because it allows people to stay awake during long prayers. It is often served to guests with toasts honoring the name of God.
Something important that’s currently brewing in your life, which must also be watched so that it doesn’t boil over.... The Language of Dreams
“Wake up and smell the coffee!” A relationship or some other sort of situation is not what it seems. Try to see it as it really is. Other symbols in the dream may reveal the truth and/or shed light on what you should do.
Hot, delicious coffee implies surprising good news on the way, but if the coffee was bitter, it symbolizes disappointment in a friendship.
If you were grinding the coffee, success in love and domestic happiness are on the way. Spilt coffee implies setbacks.... Dream Explanations of Astro Center
To see or visit a coffee house in your dreams, foretells that you will unwisely entertain friendly relations with persons known to be your enemies. Designing women may intrigue against your morality and possessions. ... Ten Thousand Dream Interpretation
To see a coffee maker in your dream represents hospitality and sharing of knowledge, hopes, concerns and/or ideas. It may also represent friendliness to new people (in the neighborhood or at school), comfort, and companionship.... My Dream Interpretation
Vision: Sitting in a coffee shop: you are looking for a relationship with the opposite sex. Eating a lot of food in a coffee shop: all you will get is a stomachache! Serving someone in a coffee shop means losing your independence. See Cake, Coffee, Waiter.... Dreamers Dictionary
Vision: Watching others drink coffee: people are gossiping about you. Drinking coffee by yourself: get ready for a great vacation; or you will have a pleasant conversation. Grinding coffee: your family life is harmonious. Making coffee: pleasant guests are coming to your house. Looking at coffee grounds: worry about material things; or your happy life may be interrupted by an illness. Looking at a coffee grinder: a warning to avoid any and all gossip by changing your behavior; people around you can’t wait for you to make a mistake. See Tea.... Dreamers Dictionary
A coffeepot may comment on a conversation with friends in which you are pouring out something that may be viewed as stimulating, or it may signify that you desire more social interaction.... Ariadne's Book of Dream
(Laboring; Livelihood; Millstone; Travel) A hand mill in a dream means overcoming distress, pain, or satisfying one’s needs. It could also mean richness after poverty, marriage, a servant, or moving into a new house.
If someone sees a hand mill in a house that is not accustomed to grinding its own grain or spices in a dream, it means adversities, defeat, or arguments. Ifone then grinds bread, or meat or honey with in the dream, it denotes a despicable character of the people of that house, their falsehood, affectation, lesbian or pervert nature.
If one sees a hand mill grinding stones in a dream, it means that he will be seized by terror. Ifone grinds barley or grains for food in a dream, it means solving the family’s problems, prosperity, recovering from illness, or refurbishing one’s business. Ifone sees a huge hand mill in the center of a town in a dream, it means war and destruction and especially if he sees it grinding rocks or emitting fire or sparks. Otherwise, it means a plague if the hand mill is grinding spoiled and moldy grains, mud, or spoiled meat.
If one sees the millstone tilted in a dream, it means rising prices.
If the hand mill is turning with nothing to grind in the dream, it means toiling aimlessly.
If the hand mill turns using a wheel in the dream, it means prosperity.
If one sees the hand mill turning and not grinding in a dream, it means travels.
If it turns for no useful purpose in a dream, it denotes the nearing of one’s death.
A pair of small hand grinders in a dream represent two loathsome partners that no one can correct or guide.
If one sees himself operating a millstone by hand in a dream, it means that he earns his livelihood following the required religious conduct, and earns his money from his own sweat.
A millstone in a dream also may denote loathsome actions.
If a prisoner sees a broken millstone in a dream, it means that he will be soon released, and if he is under a death sentence, it means that the judgment will be rescinded, or that he may die before the judgment is carried out. As far as the question of livelihood, the better looking and effective is the hand mill, the better are one’s earnings and vice-versa.
If one buys a hand mill in a dream, it means that he will get married, or that he will marry off his daughter, or that he will travel on business.
If the millstone is interpreted to mean a husband or a wife, then it represents respectful people.
1- A mill extracts what is useful from the crude material it is fed. It is this quality that is symbolised in dreams. We are able to extract from our experiences in life what is useful to us and can convert it into nourishment.
2- There is a transformation which occurs when a material is ground, and any dream containing a mill will signify that transformation.
The two stones arc said to signify will and intellect, the tools we use in transformation.
(Grinder; Press) In a dream, a mill represents a school, a courthouse, a balance, justice, righteousness, benefits, blessings, money, food, charity, or marriage.
The millstone in a dream represents a wife and a husband.
The flour that issues from between the two grinding stones represents sperms or children.
A mill in a dream also means distress and adversities, uptightness, headache, a rivulet, or a windmill.
If one sees a mill grinding human beings in a dream, it means loss of lives and adversities.
If one sees a mill grinding something that is not edible in a dream, it means drought and rising prices.
If the amount of flour coming from the mill is plentiful in the dream, it means lowering of prices, or recovering from an illness. Grinding lupine seeds, henna seeds, potash, saltwort, salsola kali, jojobe seeds or any seeds from the marsh mallow tree in a dream means washing oneself from sin, overcoming difficulties, paying one’s debts and recovering from an illness. (Also see Oil press; Press; Sugar mill)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
Process of extracting what is useful from one’s gathered expenence. Can be painful, as it needs intense self awareness, crushing or painful experiences of life. ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
Dreams of a mill represent that you are processing feelings and thoughts; adversity becomes a blessing in disguise when you funnel your experience toward your path of learning and growing, as in grist for the mill.... Strangest Dream Explanations
Material aspects: A mill extracts what is useful from the crude material it is fed. It is this quality that is symbolized in dreams. We are able to extract from our experiences in life what is useful to us and what we can convert into nourishment.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
Vision: Dreaming about a mill: your income will improve, your projects are making good progress, and vour future will be a happy one. Watching the wheel turning at a mill: you will win something.
If the wheel is not moving: a specific project is coming to a stand-still.
A broken wheel stands for old problems. illnesses, or the death of a person close to you. Having a mill stone around vour neck: trv to resolve a difficult situation as soon as possible. See Burden, Log, Luggage.
Depth Psychology: The mill is a symbol of your need for safety and your fear of not accomplishing your goals, or—even worse—of being ground into dust by the “wheel of the mill.” The dream might also suggest dealing with old attitudes and convictions (grind them up), or that emotional conflicts are turning around and around in you head like the wheel of the mill.... Dreamers Dictionary
(Flour; Moving around in a circle) In a dream, a miller represents a selfish person who is particularly interested in acquiring worldly gains and at whatever price it may cost. Ifone sees an old man being a miller in a dream, the old man here represents his grandfather, or one’s bosom friend and consequently one will prosper and become extremely wealthy from his business.
If the miller is a young and a strong man in the dream, then he represents a strong helper.
A bakery miller in a dream means that one will attain his own goals through hard work.
If one sees himself grinding a sufficient quantity of wheat for two, three, or four people in a dream, it means that he labors for his own need and can barely provide for his family. Ifthe miller is a young man who has gray hair in the dream, then he represents both prosperity and strength. Seeing a miller in a dream also means adversities, fights, a spendthrift, usury, or a hard working guardian. Grinding other grains in a dream means dispelling distress and bitterness from one’s heart. (Also see Saffron)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
To see a miller in your dreams, signifies your surroundings will grow more hopeful.
For a woman to dream of a miller failing in an attempt to start his mill, foretells she will be disappointed in her lover’s wealth, as she will think him in comfortable circumstances. ... Ten Thousand Dream Interpretation
Vision: Looking at a million dollars: someone is about to disappoint or deceive you. Dreaming about being a millionaire means social isolation and loss of money. See Money, Wealth.... Dreamers Dictionary
(Mill) A sugar mill in a dream represents success in the world, sufferings, burial, money, usury, the release of prisoners, a bathhouse, a lavatory, discarding what is shameful, waters, spinning, breathing, a college, or a fellowship house. In general, all types of mills represent good news and guidance. (Also see Oil Press)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
Dreams of a treadmill signify frustration with the circular nature of your life, repetition, and feeling like you are getting nowhere quickly. Your dream may be giving you the message to stop what you are doing, break the pattern, await clarity and divine direction before re-engaging your energy.... Strangest Dream Explanations
(Manager; Rich man; Treasurer) A water mill in a dream represents a person who handles large amounts of cash, or who is an extremely wealthy person. Ifone seeks him, his needs will be satisfied and he will not return empty handed. Ifone sees a water mill in operation in a dream, it means coming profits, or benefits for one’s life and his family through the person operating it.
A water mill in a dream also represents one’s helpers, clan, easing of one’s difficulties, 470 or it could mean rain. (Also see Hand mill)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
Vision: Feeling a warm, soft wind: let go of the daily grind for now and indulge in the softer side of life.
A sharp, strong wind: find strength within you and the hurdles can be taken! Pieces of paper twirling in the wind: expect to receive news soon. See Paper. Having the wind at your back: projects at work are going well. Looking at a windmill: don’t be selfish—only hard work and patience will get you through.
To see a windmill in operation in your dreams, foretells abundant accumulation of fortune and marked contentment To see one broken or idle, signifies adversity coming unawares. ... Ten Thousand Dream Interpretation
In a dream, a windmill represents a harsh fight between two people, or and end of a major dispute between two people. Awindmill in a dream also could represent one’s helpers, or representatives, or it could mean rain. (Also see Fan; Mill)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
1- The image of a windmill in dreams can often suggest the correct use of resources. Because wind often suggests intellect, it is therefore the use of intellectual assets.
2- A windmill has significance as an image of the harvesting of our efforts in this ease, of material resources available to us. As a storehouse of fertility, in dreams it can sometimes represent the feminine or the mother.
3- The windmill is symbolic of the many facets of the Spiritual Intellect, which in turn is stimulated by our own spiritual powers and abilities.... Ten Thousand Dream Dictionary
Dreaming of a windmill is a good omen of contentment and modest financial security. However, if the windmill was damaged or you were endangered by it, this is a symbol of wasted energy and suggests that you should rethink the direction of your efforts.... My Dream Interpretation
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Significance of plasma osteopontin in diagnosis of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.
Alfa fetoprotein (AFP) is widely used as a surveillance test for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). However, the clinical use of AFP has been shown to present some important limitations in sensitivity and specificity. Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted matrix glycoprotein that is emerging as a significant protein in the biology of HCC. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of plasma OPN compared with that of AFP in the diagnosis of HCC among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related LC. Plasma levels of OPN and AFP were measured in 69 Egyptian patients with HCV-related LC (35 with HCC and 34 without HCC) and 20 healthy controls. Both median AFP and OPN levels were significantly higher in the HCC group compared to LC and healthy control groups (p<0.001 in each) and in LC compared to the control group (p<0.001). In the HCC group, both OPN and AFP levels were significantly higher in patients with Child-Pugh class C and B compared to class A (p<0.05 in each). There was no correlation between OPN and AFP levels. The OPN level was significantly higher in patients with multiple focal lesions than in those with single lesions (p<0.05) and in patients with portal vein invasion compared to patients without portal vein invasion (p<0.05). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for OPN and AFP was 0.824 and 0.730, respectively. OPN is a promising tumour marker which could be used as a screening test for the diagnosis of HCC in patients with LC and, hence, improves the prognosis and survival rate of these patients. The association of OPN with the multiplicity of focal lesions and portal vein invasion suggests an additional prognostic value.
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I have spent a good portion of the last week rehearsing and performing Handel’s Messiah with the Duke University Chapel Choir, so it’s on my mind for obvious reasons. During one rehearsal, our director was encouraging us to emphasize the word “glory” and made the assertion that glory is the most frequently used word in Messiah. Given that my library science studies — and more specifically, a digital humanities class — exposed me to the existence of software programs that facilitate word frequency counts, I decided to verify this assertion. So I scanned the libretto into Adobe Acrobat Pro, cleaned up the text that came through its OCR process, and plugged it into the Character and Word Counter with Frequency Statistics Calculator. Below is a link to the results in a PDF file, along with a word cloud generated at Word Cloud Generator. (NOTE: a libretto is printed to help an audience follow the words that are being sung, but it does not generally include every occurrence of a sung word, as the text might differ slightly from one voice part to another)
In addition to being an interesting exercise for a performance week, doing a word frequency count on the text of Messiah made me stop to think about the various ways that data can be reused. Obviously, those creating the program for the concert did not anticipate my doing this exercise, but with a clear copy of a program that could be scanned, I was able to complete this task with relatively little effort. But what about the items that are housed in archives of various sorts — do archivists have a responsibility to make these items available for reuse? And is it sufficient for archives to react to requests for use, such as those from the digital humanities community, or should archives be proactive in anticipating and/or suggesting other uses for the records which they house? (For an example of how digital humanists have presented online items that were originally analog records in an archives, see the William Blake Archive.) Given that most archives have excessive backlogs that they can’t afford to process, I don’t imagine that archivists will be devoting a lot of time to brainstorming different ways to utilize their records. But I think it warrants a look by special collections archivists to what scientists and social scientists are doing to preserve and share datasets in data repositories like the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the Odum Institute Dataverse Network, and the Dryad Digital Repository, to name a few. Encouraging scholarship has always been at the heart of the work of special collections archives, so it’s time to embrace the possibility of new ways to facilitate that scholarship.
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Russia adds Mandarin to college entrance exam
Test of character: teenagers awaiting a Chinese language lesson at the Linguist-M secondary school in the Russian capital Moscow on 14 December 2017Credit:
VCG
28 March 2018 • 3:30pm
China Daily
The number of Mandarin learners in Russia has grown hugely in the past 10 years, from 17,000 in 2007 to 56,000 in 2017
Russia’s national college entrance exam will include Mandarin as an elective foreign language, according to an announcement by Sergey Kravtsov, Russian deputy minister of education and science, Sputnik News reported.
The three-year preparation work was completed in 2017, including technologies for written and oral tests, reference materials and talent reserves, according to the deputy minister.
Mandarin will soon become the fifth elective test item for the Russian college entrance exam in addition to English, German, French and Spanish.
The Russian Education Supervision Bureau was aiming to include Mandarin in the final exam for ninth-graders by 2018, and for 11th-graders in their college entrance exam by 2020.
The study of Mandarin has grown in tandem with increasing co-operation in trade and economics between China and Russia.
The number of Mandarin learners in Russia has grown hugely in the past 10 years, from 17,000 in 2007 to 56,000 in 2017, according to a survey of a regional linguistics research centre in Russia.
Insiders from the Russia education industry confirmed students with both relevant professional background and Mandarin proficiency are more competitive in job applications.
Guancha.cn contributed to this story.
This article was originally produced and published by China Daily. View the original article at www.chinadaily.com
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Dose-related increase of HDL-cholesterol levels after N-acetylcysteine in man.
Changes in plasma lipid-lipoprotein levels were evaluated in 10 hyperlipidemic patients during treatment with progressive doses (from 1200 mg day-1 to 3600 mg day-1) of N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as those of lipoprotein (a) did not change to an appreciable extent, even with the highest dosage. However, the HDL-cholesterol levels showed a significant, dose-related rise, the mean absolute increase, with the highest NAC dose, being of approximately 10 mg dl-1 (16.2%). The rise of HDL-cholesterol was independent of changes in other lipid-lipoprotein parameters, suggesting a possible direct effect of NAC on the HDL system.
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While the rest of Hollywood was at the Dolby Theater attending the Oscars last night, Charlie Sheen was at home mocking the ceremony in a series of bizarre Twitpics!
In one snapshot, the Anger Management actor posed with an iPad down his pants and a packet of vegetables and captioned it, "I'd like to thank Bikram my Yoga teacher. and "Argo" for finally spelling my name right. c #BenIsSmart #Ware'sMatt?"
We're not sure we get where he's going with that!
Another photo shows him clutching a trash can while smoking a cigarette on the floor with the caption, "I'd like to thank Pfizer for all things being PERFECT!!! c #hashgag911 #gashSlag119 smashFlag... mom?"
That sounds like a shout out to the pharmaceutical company, but is he also implying prescription drugs were being consumed? We're so confused!
Whatever was going at Casa de Sheen last night seemed like one wild time!
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Condo shopping essentials
If you’ve ever rented a condominium during a vacation, you’ve experienced living briefly in a high-rise “home” with common areas from pools to parking lots to exercise facilities. But could you be truly happy with this as your full-time home sweet home?
Living in a vertical ownership community can be very different from occupying a single-family residence or apartment. And preparing to make that commitment, from financial considerations to lifestyle factors, should involve due diligence and serious thought from the buyer who’s making the investment.
Financing
Stricter standards enacted due to the economic and credit crises of the last decade have made it more difficult to obtain a mortgage on a condominium unit. Plus, loan costs may be higher than for other types of real estate. Some lenders even make a point of rejecting condo loans completely, due to previous high losses from that real estate sector.
The first step is to qualify for a loan, which requires excellent credit and steady income. Some buyers may be required to make as much as a 25 percent down payment; lenders prefer lower loan-to-value, or LTV, ratios, on condo loans. For example, if the buyer makes a 25 percent down payment, the LTV would be 75 percent.
In addition, the condo association must qualify for the mortgage to be approved, and the buyer has no control over these factors. For example, Fannie Mae requires that more than 50 percent of the units be owner occupied, no one investor can own more than 10 percent of the units, 30 percent or fewer of the units secure FHA loans, and 15 percent or fewer of the owners may be late on monthly dues. All lenders will look for signs of good financial health for the condo association and will verify the presence of adequate insurance and budget reserves, pending litigation and future assessments.
Conventional financing or up-front cash purchase may be the simplest road to take for the upscale condo purchaser. Experts advise working with a Realtor who is knowledgeable about the area’s condo market, lenders and their requirements.
Investigate the neighborhood
Visit the area at times around the clock, if possible, and ask the same questions you would if you were purchasing a single-family home or moving into an apartment. Will early-morning garbage pickup disturb your sleep? Is traffic noise a detriment? Is the street one that’s used for the marathon in your city, and will the crowds that gather be a source of entertainment or aggravation for you? If you’re downsizing from a detached dwelling, will the lack of privacy cramp your lifestyle or create a more sociable space for you?
Various websites can provide data on security concerns; some are neighborhoodscout.com, crimereports.com and familywatchdog.us. The local police precinct can also provide detailed information about the location you’re considering. Talk with some of your potential neighbors to learn if they have specific concerns as well.
Additional due diligence
After you’ve narrowed your search to a specific condominium unit, looking further into the property itself can save headaches when you approach the time for closing.
Pull the tax records for the unit. Your local county’s tax assessor’s website most likely has this information readily available. The tax record will indicate if the current owner is delinquent on their taxes, which can create a problem for the purchaser. You’ll be able to see a trend in the property valuation and determine when the property was last appraised; you can use this information to predict if you might have a future increase or decrease in property tax.
Look for past litigation through the county Recorder of Deeds or probate office website; search by the property identification number, the condo association name and the name of the current owner. If your offer to purchase is accepted, the title company will do a similar search, and the condo association will be required to notify you of current or pending litigation.
Determine if the building or unit has had building permits and violations issued. This could indicate that the structure of your unit has been changed. Make sure that any changes were inspected after completion and that the building and unit comply with building codes.
As always, looking ahead before leaping into an investment in a home will reap the greatest rewards for you in the long run! HLM
Sources: myfirstcondo.com, moneyunder30.com and realtor.com.
Young professionals and retirees alike consider condo communities ideal for their lifestyles. If you’re thinking about making one your home, ask yourself the following questions.
• What amenities are attractive to you?• What do you expect from the homeowners’ association? Are you willing to pay for these services?• Are any additional assessments on the horizon?• Does the property have adequate reserve funds?• If your life circumstances change, is your home more or less marketable?• Will you need additional storage or parking space in the future?• Are you a good fit for the community’s lifestyle, and can you comply with its rules, from pets to visitors?
DEPARTMENTS
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Discoloration of dental carious lesions (a review).
The discoloration of dental carious lesions is a marked feature which has received relatively little attention from dental researchers. In this short review, possible causes are considered: the formation of Maillard pigments, melanins, and lipofuscins, and the uptake of food dyes, metals, and bacterial pigments. It is concluded that the Maillard reaction between proteins and small aldehydes produced by bacteria probably accounts for the discoloration.
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Q:
Newtonsoft.JSON Serialization Array, Object, or Null
I have some JSON that can be a List or null. How do I create a POCO for this JSON?
Here is an example array:
http://pastebin.com/qAZF2Ug9
Here is my POCO:
http://pastebin.com/hUtgyytc
How can I tell Newtonsoft.JSON to ignore the SalesLine object, if it is null?
A:
You can specify the settings:
var settings = new Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializerSettings {
NullValueHandling = Newtonsoft.Json.NullValueHandling.Ignore};
and use that in various serializer constructors and serialize calls.
Alternatively, IIRC it supports conditional serialization, i.e.
public bool ShouldSerializeFoo() { return Foo != null; }
// pairs to property Foo
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GITR ligand-costimulation activates effector and regulatory functions of CD4+ T cells.
Engagement of glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein (GITR) enables the costimulation of both CD25(-)CD4(+) effector (Teff) and CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory (Treg) cells; however, the effects of GITR-costimulation on Treg function remain controversial. In this study, we examined the effects of GITR ligand (GITRL) binding on the respective functions of CD4(+) T cells. GITRL-P815 transfectants efficiently augmented anti-CD3-induced proliferation and cytokine production by Teff cells. Proliferation and IL-10 production in Treg were also enhanced by GITRL transfectants when exogenous IL-2 and stronger CD3 stimulation was provided. Concomitant GITRL-costimulation of Teff and Treg converted the anergic state of Treg into a proliferating state, maintaining and augmenting their function. Thus, GITRL-costimulation augments both effector and regulatory functions of CD4(+) T cells. Our results suggest that highly activated and increased ratios of Treg reverse the immune-enhancing effects of GITRL-costimulation in Teff, which may be problematic for therapeutic applications using strong GITR agonists.
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This is a blog where people can explore and become engrossed in awesome books and ebooks to read. I have a nookcolor and love reading off of it. I will be reviewing the books, ebooks, movies, and etc... that I feel like reviewing. lol. =] I like reading all sorts of genres from YA to Mystery to Fantasy. I hope you enjoy it and keep coming back. =]
Pages
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Review: I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Nine’s Legacy by Pittacus Lore
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 2/28/2012
Format: eBook
Pages: 144
Synopsis:
Number Nine—when John frees him from his cell in the power of six, he’s ferocious, reckless, and ready to fight back. But being held captive changes a person—even a Lorien. See what Nine was like before his capture, and read about his dramatic escape from his point of view.
In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Nine’s Legacy, discover the story behind Nine. Before meeting John Smith, aka Number Four, before being held prisoner, Nine was hunting down Mogadorians in Chicago with his CÊpan, Sandor. What happened there would change Nine forever...
My Thoughts/Review:
I really love these in between books for this series. Authors should really learn to write these short stories more often. I love learning much more details about the characters and the whole series as a whole then if I didn't read these short in between books. This story gives you so much more detail about each member of the Garde then you would get from just reading the book.
Number Nine's story is really interesting and getting to know him as a character was awesome. You get to learn exactly how he ended up in the situation he was in with the previous book and it sets up the next book really nicely, which I now can't wait to read You learn all about his journey from when they landed on earth and what they have been doing all this time. The story of how he got his legacies is another reason why you should read this book. It would be awesome to have the Garde's legacies in real life.
His cepan, Sandor was really interesting as well and I loved learning about both of their backgrounds and how they stayed hidden for many years. Also, I really like how Number Nine aka Stanley is really different from the other members of the Garde and how he changes over time, given what has happened to him. It really gives more depth to his character than what was shown in The Power of Six. All of the details that make this whole series so awesome you never would find out unless you read these short stories. That is why I love them so much. If you haven't read both the two in between books yet you definitely should because they are really informative with plently of backstory. Go read them now, they are both really awesome.
Overall, I give this book:
Spectacular, adventurous and magical is what sums up this awesome book. I am so happy that I got the chance to read this book before it comes out in April. Hippocampus really takes you on an adventure that you don't want to leave once the book ends. As you read you learn about Trey Atlas and what happens to him thoughout his journey. You get to learn all about the lost city of Atlantis and all the wonders it has to hold. The one negative about this book was that I wish it was longe
Awesome read, jam-packed with detail that you just can't miss. =]5 out of 5 Stars
The Army of Ten
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Review Policy
If you want me to review or promote your book or something along that lines on my blog. I would be happy to do so. I like to read a lot of genres. So just send me an email at thebookshelfreview@gmail.com.
I will get back to you as soon as possible if I am able to review it. I can't guarantee I will read and review the book, if you send it to me. I will try my best though. =]
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[Reoperations for recurrent atrial septal defect].
The authors discuss seven cases of recurrent atrial septal defect (ASD) without an inferior border which were treated by surgery. A typical clinical picture of the anomaly with arterial hypoxemia being the leading symptom was encountered in all cases. The main cause of the complications was overestimation of the indications for Lewis' operation, i.e. ASD suturation. A good clinical result was produced in all cases of a repeated intervention with ASD repair with a graft.
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Online dating good or bad
If you answered 'yes' to either question', then I'm afraid there's no way we'll get along, sorry!
Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, let me introduce myself...
I can honestly say that I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to connect with people on a daily basis. I play a mean game of rock-paper-scissors (was the national champion for 2 years straight), and love the smell of pop tarts in the morning (part of a complete breakfast!
Ultimately, I'd like to be known for serving the most delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on this side of the Mississippi... On my days off, you'll either find me playing hockey or belting out show-tunes with my 6-month-old nephew Jason.
He says we should take our act on the road, but I think he needs to brush up on his harmonies first.
I make an effort to eat raw foods as much as possible, but I've been known to indulge in a Big Mac on occasion.
(I must admit, there's no better cure for a hangover than two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun!
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ASIMO Robot Costume Suit
If you’re a fan of Honda’s iconic mini robot ASIMO then you’re gonna love this full size ASIMO Costume Suit, which allows you to “become” the robot! Learn how to walk like ASIMO and even fall over like him. Playing the world’s most famous working robot will no doubt prove addictive and you may even find yourself unable to return to “normal” life!
Whether it’s a blind date, costume party or you’re just looking to try out a new style, we reckon this complete ASIMO suit is surprisingly realistic and is possibly the most sophisticated piece of cosplay we have ever seen. It really is no exaggeration to say that this suit will change your life!
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Kastellet ferry
The Kastellet ferry (), also known as the Vaxholmen ferry, is a passenger cable ferry in Sweden's Stockholm archipelago. It connects the town of Vaxholm to Vaxholm Castle, situated on an islet in the middle of the strait between the town and the island of . At its town terminus, the ferry berths next to the quay used by the Waxholmsbolaget passenger ferries that link Vaxholm to central Stockholm and many other islands of the archipelago.
The crossing is some in length and takes about 2 minutes. There are between two and four return crossings an hour, each of which conveys a maximum of 130 passengers. The service only operates from the start of May to the end of September.
The vessel used on the crossing is named Vaxholmen and is electrically powered, using a supply cable attached to the shore at the Vaxholm end and paid out on a drum on the vessel. The power cable is lowered to the bottom of the channel when the vessel is docked at Vaxholm Castle, as are the guidance cables when the ferry is docked at either terminal, thus allowing shipping to transit the channel. The Vaxholmen was built in 1967, but reconstructed and converted to electrical power in 2015, in time for the opening of the new service in 2016. She is in length, in width, and has a draught of .
The ferry is run by Trafikverket under contract to the Vaxholm Municipality. The municipality is responsible for defining timetables, ticket prices and ferry conditions, while Trafikverket is responsible for operating the ferry.
References
External links
Pages on the Kastelletleden from Trafikverket web site (includes link to timetable)
Category:Ferries of Sweden
Category:Transport in Stockholm County
Category:Cable ferries
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wedding Fun
Mark and I have impeccable manners...especially at formal events like weddings. We always let each other know if we have boogers hanging out of our noses. And, if we do have a dangler, we are quick to pick it out of each other's noses. Isn't that just the nicest?
We went to two different weddings in about a month. I will let you in on a secret...we both wore the exact same outfits...to both weddings. We are classy like that. Can you guess which pictures were from Sarah & Brenton's or Tyler and Cassidy's?
AND, guess what? I got my dress on clearance at Target for six bucks. SIX!
Sara, Mark's sister, and her husband Jarrod are in the bigger picture with us. We love them. They are fun wedding buddies.
Well, that's all she wrote, folks.
To wrap it up, the moral of this story (or post) is that we, Mark and Liza DeYounge, are classy, thrifty AND polite, and we have awesome family. :)
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(AP) Emotions flow as Calif. police acquitted in death
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
SANTA ANA, Calif.
By the time all four verdicts were read clearing two California officers of killing a homeless man, people on both sides of the gallery were sobbing.
In the audience, the mother of Kelly Thomas wept into a tissue as someone shouted, “No!” A collective gasp went up from the gallery. Former police Cpl. Jay Cicinelli’s attorney pounded twice on the defense table, grabbing his client in a bear hug, as former Officer Manuel Ramos’ family clutched hands and cried.
Thomas, 37, died five days after a violent confrontation with six officers in July 2011. A surveillance camera at the busy transit center where the incident unfolded captured him screaming for his father again and again and begging for air as the police kneed him, jolted him with an electric stun gun and used the blunt end to strike him around the face and head.
It was a rare case in which police officers were charged in a death involving actions on duty. Jurors took less than two days to reach their verdicts.
Ramos, 39, was acquitted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter on Monday. Cicinelli, 41, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckus, who tried the case himself, said after the verdicts that charges will be dropped against Joseph Wolfe, a third officer awaiting trial.
The FBI said that it will review the evidence to determine whether federal action is justified.
Outside court, Thomas’ parents condemned the verdicts.
Ron Thomas said the verdict gave police “carte blanche” to brutalize people.
Ramos’ attorney, John Barnett, said jurors did their duty.
The defense said Thomas started the confrontation by refusing to heed police orders and was fighting officers so much that they called for backup multiple times. At one point, the lawyers said, Thomas tried to reach for Cicinelli’s stun gun.
Ron Thomas has countered that his son suffered from schizophrenia and didn’t understand the officers.
The video began with Ramos stopping Thomas on July 5, 2011, after the officer answered a call about a disheveled man jiggling the handles of car doors in a busy transit center parking lot.
Ramos grew frustrated with Thomas, who wasn’t following orders to sit on a curb with his hands on his knees.
Just before the altercation began, Ramos snapped on plastic gloves, made two fists and then held them in front of Thomas’ face as he said, “Now see these fists? They’re going to (expletive) you up.”
Cicinelli, who arrived a few moments later, jolted Thomas several times with an electric stun gun and used the butt end to hit Thomas in the head and face, breaking bones.
Thomas was taken off life support five days later.
A county pathologist concluded that Thomas died, in part, from asphyxiation caused by injuries he received during the confrontation.
Defense attorneys said Thomas suffered from an enlarged heart from drug abuse, and his exertions during the struggle were too much for him.
Thomas’ death led to days of protests in Fullerton, a Southern California college town, forced the recall of three City Council members and led the police chief to step down.
After the verdicts, Fullerton Police Chief Dan Hughes issued a statement urging people to express their feelings “respectfully.”
Several dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse after the verdict waving signs, and a similar size crowd gathered at the transit center where the struggle occurred later Monday night, but both demonstrations were peaceful and there were no reported arrests. A memorial with flowers and candles was set up at the transit center, and people wrote messages to Thomas in a guest book.
During the trial, the defense told jurors that Thomas was not a peaceful, helpless man. They said he had a history of drug use and was homeless because he had attacked members of his own family.
Cathy Thomas testified that he choked her for several minutes during an argument, and Thomas’ grandfather said Thomas attacked him with a fireplace poker in 1995.
He did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system the night of the incident.
Only a handful of police officers nationwide have been charged with murder for actions taken while on duty, and convictions in those cases are rare, said Lawrence Rosenthal, a law professor at Chapman University School of Law and a former federal prosecutor.
Unless the prosecution can prove the officers falsified reports or covered up evidence, jurors are usually willing to acquit, he said.
Jurors are willing to forgive lapses in judgment rather than put an officer “in the cage with the same people that officer has spent his life arresting,” he said.
___
Associated Press writers Amy Taxin, Raquel Maria Dillon and Robert Jablon contributed to this report.
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Chronic meningococcaemia: a case report.
Chronic meningococcaemia (CM), caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis is reported in a 27-year-old Indonesian man. The main symptoms were intermittent fever, skin rash and arthralgia. The pathogenesis, symptoms, differential diagnoses and treatment of CM are discussed.
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business
Updated: Dec 25, 2013 23:26 IST
There is a phony ring to this whole story.
The telephone advisory committee (TAC) seems to have been reduced to a platform for doling out free telephone connections and free call quotas to members of parliament and political party affiliates.
The two public sector telecom companies — Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd — pick up the tab for the largesse so bestowed.
Telephone connections to members of TAC are issued with a two-year tenure, free of cost, along with a quota of 500 free calls per month. The TAC is supposed to consist of members of parliament and other prominent members of society, but in the absence of a transparent screening committee to select the members of the committee, it gets filled up by friends of MPs and party workers.
A single free fixed line phone connection and the free calls cost about Rs 2,500 per month. With more than 8,000 TAC members in 359 telecom districts, the facility is estimated to cost the exchequer about Rs 2 crore every month.
The tenure for the current batch of TAC members set up in 2011 expired on Monday, December 22. But just a few days earlier, on December 11, the department of telecommunications issued an order to extend the tenure of TACs in 342 telecom districts — with all facilities — till July 1, 2014.
And BSNL and MTNL have been asked to renew all the free telephone connections as well.
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1.. Introduction {#s1}
================
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of metabolic disorders such as hyperglycemia, insuline resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia which cause obesity and cardiovascular diseases [@b1]. Diet quality is a strong predictor of this syndrome [@b1],[@b2]. A diet, which is high-carbohydrate and low fibre, increases directly postprandial levels of blood glucose and insuline, which leads to insuline resistance [@b3]. Insuline resistance is the cause of type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases [@b4]. Therefore, eating well-quality diets would be well-advised for controlling metabolic syndrome [@b5]. White rice is the most commonly starchy food staple, especially in developing countries of Asia and Africa [@b6]. However, its high glycemic index leads to white rice could not be frequent consumption food for diabetes patients [@b7]. Pre-germinated brown rice (PGBR) may be more benefits than white rice. PGBR, a newly developed type of rice, was made by soaking brown rice kernels in water to slightly germinated them [@b8]. There are few studies proved the effects of PGBR on the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome [@b9]--[@b11]. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PGBR used to treat metabolic syndrome patients.
2.. Materials and methods {#s2}
=========================
2.1.. Settings and subjects study {#s2a}
---------------------------------
The protocol of this study was approved by the ethics committee of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hanoi, Vietnam (number 1656/QĐ-VDD) and also approval from all participants, before recruiting subjects. 80 subjects with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were recruited in the intervention. All of them live in Bac Ninh City. Bac Ninh City is in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam, approximately 40 km from the capital, Hanoi. All subjects were fully informed concerning the process of the study, and the study was designed in with the Helsinki Declaration on Human Studies. Eligibility criteria were: age from 55 to 70 years old, live in Bac Ninh City, and were diagnosed having MetS. A subject was defined as having MetS if he/she was any three of the following six factors: waist circumference \> 90 cm for men and \> 80 cm for women; blood triglyceride level ≥ 1.69 mmol/L; serum HDL-cholesterol concentration \< 1.04 mmol/L for men and \< 1.3 mmol/L for women; fasting plasma glucose \> 6.1 mmol/L; systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmHg. Exclusion criteria included the following: subjects who were taking medicines that controlled blood glucose or lipid metabolic; subjects who were suffering from serious heart diseases, brain diseases, kidney diseases, liver diseases, or gastrointestinal diseases; subjects who were consuming PGBR daily; subjects who had body mass index (BMI) under 18.5; subjects who were not feeling well after starting the intervention. After screening, 86 subjects met the requirements. During 3 months of the intervention, 3 subjects in each group were excluded because of the individual health status.
The subjects were divided randomly into two groups: a PGBR group (n = 43) and a placebo group (n = 43). The subjects in PGBR group received 1 PGBR capsule (2.0 kg) containing 200 g PGBR/day for 10 days/time, and subjects in the placebo group took 1 capsule (2.0 kg) containing 200 g white rice/day for 10 days/time. The amount of energy, lipid, and protein is almost equivalent to the placebo and PGBR capsules. All subjects were advised to avoid change in their lifestyle, and no subjects were taking any medicines that affected cholesterol levels or body fat reduction during the time of the study.
We measured blood samples at the laboratory of NIN, Hanoi. Blood samples were taken an over-night fast. The PGBR and placebo groups were measured on the same day.
2.2.. Anthropometric measurements {#s2b}
---------------------------------
Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured two times. Bodyweight and height were measured in light clothing and without shoes. BMI was calculated as body weight per height squared (kg/m^2^). Waist circumference was measured mid-way between the lower rib margin and the iliac crest, while hip circumference was measured at the broadest circumference around the buttocks.
2.3.. Nutrition survey {#s2c}
----------------------
We used the Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for a nutrition survey at baseline and completion. Energy and nutrient intake were measured based on the Vietnamese Food Composition Table 2007 [@b12].
2.4.. Physical activity survey {#s2d}
------------------------------
We used the structured questionnaire for a physical activity survey at baseline and completion. The levels of physical activity were built based on the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health [@b13].
2.5.. Blood sample collection {#s2e}
-----------------------------
Blood samples were taken in the morning and after an overnight fast and were measured two times. Fasting glucose was measured by Accu-Chek glucometer. Venous blood samples were kept frozen at 8 °C for analysis: serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, concentrations of insuline, fasting triglyceride.
2.6.. Blood pressured {#s2f}
---------------------
Blood pressure was measured by using the mercury sphygmomanometer. All subjects were measured in a quiet, air-conditioned room (the room temperature at 25 °C). The participants had to rest before and during measurements for about 20 min.
2.7.. Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insuline Resistance (HOMA-IR) {#s2g}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
HOMA-IR was calculated using the following formula: fasting insuline (mU/l) × fasting glucose (mmol/l)/22.5. Fasting glucose and insuline were measured using an enzymatic method and chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively.
2.8.. Statistical analysis {#s2h}
--------------------------
Data were analyzed by using SPSS for windows 16.0. We calculated the change in percentage for each variable at completion and baseline. All variables of the PGBR and placebo groups were compared using an unpaired *t*-test, and data at baseline and completion were compared using a paired *t*-test. Varibales with confirmed homoscedasticity were compared by Student\'s *t*-test. *p* values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant for all analyses. Mann-Whitney test and Wilconxon test were used in non-normal distribution. Mc Nemar test -- non parametrict test -- was used on paired nominal data.
3.. Results {#s3}
===========
3.1.. Subjects {#s3a}
--------------
Eighty subjects completed the intervention; 3 subjects from the placebo group and 3 subjects from the PGBR group withdrew from the study, due to personal reasons. All subjects completed over 90% of the study process. No subjects in either group had any symptoms related to the intake of test substances.
3.2.. Nutrition facts for PGBR and placebo capsules {#s3b}
---------------------------------------------------
[Table 1](#publichealth-07-01-005-t01){ref-type="table"} shows the amount of energy, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash, sodium, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) per 100 g GPBR and per 100 g white rice.
###### Nutrition facts per 100 g of PGBR and white rice.
Nutrition facts per 100 g PGBR White rice
--------------------------- -------- ------------
Energy (kcal) 357 345
Protein (g) ≥ 7 ≥ 5
Lipid (g) ≥ 2 ≥ 0.1
Carbohydrate (g) ≥ 60 ≥ 75
Fibre (g) 3--4 0.5--0.9
Inositol (mg) ≥ 10 \-
GABA (mg) 12--20 1--3
3.3.. Baseline characteristic {#s3c}
-----------------------------
[Table 2](#publichealth-07-01-005-t02){ref-type="table"} shows the baseline parameters of both groups. There were no significant differences in parameters for age, sex, education levels, height, weight, BMI, abdominal circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, insuline, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, percentage of constipation, physical activity levels, diet incides between the PGBR and the placebo groups.
###### Baseline characteristics of PGBR and placebo groups.
Total sample PGBR group Placebo group
--------------------------------- ------------------------------------- -------------- --------------- ------------
Age(y) 65.1 ± 3.81 65.2 ± 3.78 65.0 ± 3.85
Sex
Male 16 (20%) 8 (20%) 8 (20%)
Female 72 (80%) 36 (80%) 36 (80%)
Education
Primary and secondary 38 (47.5%) 18 (45.0%) 20 (50.0%)
High school 31 (38.7%) 16 (40.0%) 15 (38.0%)
Colleges/University/Graduate School 11 (13.8%) 6 (15.0%) 5 (12.0%%)
Occupation
Workers/Employees 14 (17.5%) 8 (20%) 6 (15.0%)
Retirement 46 (57.5%) 20 (50.0%) 26 (65.0%)
Business 12 (15.0%) 7 (17.5%) 5 (12.5%)
Housewife 8 (10.0%) 5 (12.5%) 3 (7.5%)
Height (cm) 156.7 ± 5.3 156.5 ± 5.6 156.9 ± 6.3
BMI (kg/m^2^) 25.7 ± 2.2 25.9 ± 2.4 25.5 ± 2.3
Abdominal circumference (cm)
Male 92.9 ± 2.4 93.2 ± 3.1 92.6 ± 2.3
Female 87.6 ± 3.1 88.1 ± 4.6 87.1 ± 3.2
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) 124.8 ± 15.4 125.0 ± 15.7 124.7 ± 16.5
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) 81.9 ± 12.4 82.4 ± 12.2 81.7 ± 13.6
Fasting glucose (mmol/l) 6.4 ± 0.8 6.4 ± 1.2 6.3 ± 0.9
Insuline (mU/l) 9.5 ± 5.4 9.6 ± 6.0 9.4 ± 5.6
HOMA-IR 2.7 ± 1.7 2.7 ± 1.9 2.6 ± 1.8
Total cholesterol (mmol/l) 5.5 ± 0.8 5.5 ± 1.0 5.6 ± 0.9
Triglyceride (mmol/l) 2.4 ± 1.4 2.4 ± 1.6 2.3 ± 1.3
LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) 3.0 ± 0.8 3.0 ± 1.2 3.0 ± 0.6
HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) 1.12 ± 0.2 1.11 ± 0.2 1.12 ± 0.3
Constipation status (%) 22 (27.5%) 12 (30.0%) 10 (25.0%)
Physical activity levels
Moderate 56 (70.0%) 28 (70.0%) 27 (67.5%)
Vigorous 9 (11.3%) 4 (10.0%) 5 (12.5%)
Intensity 38 (47.5%) 18 (45.0%) 20 (50.0%)
3.4.. Physical characteristics {#s3d}
------------------------------
In [Table 3](#publichealth-07-01-005-t03){ref-type="table"}, we indicate the anthropometrics and blood pressures at all intervention times. No significant difference was observed between the placebo and PGBR groups in weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure or diastolic blood pressure. There were significant reductions in abdominal circumferences of both sexes of the PGBR group between baseline and completion (p \< 0.05).
###### Physical characteristics throughout the intervention.
Baseline End
---------------------------------------- --------- -------------- ------------------
Weight (kg)
PGBR 63.5 ± 8.2 61.8 ± 8.6
Placebo 62.1 ± 7.9 62.6 ± 8.4
BMI (kg/m^2^)
PGBR 25.9 ± 2.4 25.0 ± 2.3
Placebo 25.5 ± 2.3 25.8 ± 2.6
Abdominal circumference in male (cm)
PGBR 93.2 ± 3.1 92.1 ± 3.7 *^a^*
Placebo 92.6 ± 2.3 92.7 ± 2.6
Abdominal circumference in female (cm)
PGBR 88.1 ± 4.6 86.2 ± 5.8 *^a^*
Placebo 87.1 ± 3.2 86.2 ± 4.0 *^a^*
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)
PGBR 125.0 ± 15.7 120.1 ± 16.4
Placebo 124.7 ± 16.5 121.9 ± 13.2
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)
PGBR 82.4 ± 12.2 74.6 ± 11.1
Placebo 81.7 ± 13.6 77.3 ± 15.3
^*a*^ *p \< 0.05, compare to baseline, paired t-test*.
3.5.. Blood biochemical parameters {#s3e}
----------------------------------
[Table 4](#publichealth-07-01-005-t04){ref-type="table"} shows the results of blood tests at month 3 of the intervention. No significant difference was observed between the placebo and PGBR groups in fasting glucose, insuline, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride. HDL cholesterol, and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio were significantly different between the placebo and PGBR groups. Both groups were significantly different in insuline when comparing baseline and completion. Fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, of the PGBR group showed a significant reduction from baseline to completion.
3.6.. Energy and nutrient intakes and effects on patients with MetS {#s3f}
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[Table 5](#publichealth-07-01-005-t05){ref-type="table"} shows the amount of energy and nutrient intake of both groups at baseline and completion; there were no significant differences in energy, protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and fiber between the PGBR and placebo groups at baseline or completion. Fibre was significantly different between the placebo and PGBR groups. Fibre of the PGBR group also showed a significant increase from baseline to completion. No significant difference was observed between placebo and PGBR groups in the physical activity level. At the end of the intervention, there were significant differences in the percentage of patients with MetS between placebo and PGBR group.
###### Blood test results throughout the intervention.
Baseline End
---------------------------- --------- ------------ ---------------------
Fasting glucose (mmol/l)
PGBR 6.4 ± 1.2 5.7 ± 0.6 *^a^*
Placebo 6.3 ± 0.9 6.2 ± 0.9
Insulin (mU/l)
PGBR 9.6 ± 6.0 8.3 ± 4.6 *^a^*
Placebo 9.4 ± 5.6 8.9 ± 4.1 *^a^*
HOMA-IR
PGBR 2.7 ± 1.9 1.5 ± 0.9 *^a^*
Placebo 2.6 ± 1.8 2.4 ± 1.5
Total cholesterol (mmol/l)
PGBR 5.5 ± 1.0 5.2 ± 0.9
Placebo 5.6 ± 0.9 5.5 ± 0.9
HDL cholesterol (mmol/l)
PGBR 1.11 ± 0.2 1.44 ± 0.4^¥,\ *t*^
Placebo 1.12 ± 0.3 1.11 ± 0.3
LDL cholesterol (mmol/l)
PGBR 3.0 ± 1.2 2.9 ± 0.8
Placebo 3.0 ± 0.6 3.0 ± 0.9
LDL-C/HDL-C ratio
PGBR 2.9 ± 1.1 2.3 ± 0.6^¥,\ *t*^
Placebo 2.8 ± 0.9 2.9 ± 0.9
Triglyceride (mmol/l)
PGBR 2.4 ± 1.6 2.0 ± 1.4
Placebo 2.3 ± 1.3 2.2 ± 0.9
^*a*^ *p \< 0.05, compare to baseline, paired t-test;* *^¥^ p \< 0.05, compared with the control group, Mann-Whitney test; ^t^ p \< 0.05, compare to baseline, Wilconxon test*.
###### Energy and nutrient intakes.
Baseline End
----------------------------------- ---------- ---------------- ---------------------
Energy (kcal)
PGBR 1260.4 ± 387.7 1263.1 ± 401.0
Placebo 1264.0 ± 337.9 1271.8 ± 331.0
Carbohydrate (g)
PGBR 220.4 ± 79.9 221.3 ± 72.1
Placebo 225.6 ± 78.2 227.6 ± 78.2
Protein (g)
PGBR 51.0 ± 18.6 51.3 ± 14.9
Placebo 50.1 ± 12.8 50.0 ± 13.4
Lipid (g)
PGBR 25.0 ± 10.7 24.9 ± 9.0
Placebo 24.5 ± 12.7 25.4 ± 13.8
Dietary Fibre (g)
PGBR 5.3 ± 2.0 9.6 ± 1.8\*^,\ *a*^
Placebo 5.2 ± 1.8 5.4 ± 1.9
Percentages of MetS reduction (%)
PGBR 0 30 (12)^Φ,\ γ^
Placebo 0 10 (4)
*\* p \< 0.05, compared with the control group, t-test; ^a^ p \< 0.05, compare to baseline, paired t-test; ^Φ^ p \< 0.05, compared with the control group, χ2 test; ^γ^ p \< 0.05, compare to baseline, χ2 Mc Nemar test*.
4.. Discussion {#s4}
==============
The study examined the effects of PGBR on patients with MetS in 3-month-intervention in Vietnam. The effects of PGBR on MetS patients were shown in the reduction significantly of MetS percentages in the PGBR group compared to the placebo group. Another intervention in Japanese males also showed that the increases significantly in glucose were lower after the ingestion of brown rice than after the ingestion of white rice [@b14]. In the present study, abdominal circumferences in the PGBR group was significantly reduced after the 3-month intervention, while those in the placebo group were unchanged with no differences in physical activity levels. Similar to our results, waist circumference (90.3 ± 10.3 cm) and systolic blood pressure (134 ± 13 mmHg) of Japanese males were also lower at the end of the 8-week brown rice diet period [@b14]. It might prove to be the case that PGBR reduces waist circumference over longer periods of time. Improvement in lipid metabolism and reduction of the abdominal circumference were observed in some studies that have been conducted with Taiwanese [@b8] and Vietnamese [@b9] subjects by replacing white rice with PGBR in two of the subjects\' meals per day. However, the effect of PGBR on body weight and BMI are also not clear in present intervention.
In the present intervention, MetS definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program Treatment Panel III -- Adults: 3^rd^ Report (NECP ATP III) was used to define patients. MetS was diagnosed when patients have ≥ 3 of 5 following criteria which are about waist-line, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure. Thus, although only HDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly increased from 1.11 (mmol/l) to 1.44 (mmol/l) compared to the placebo group, the number of patient with MetS was reduced from 40 patients to 28 patients. Then the percentages of this reduction were higher significantly compared to the reduction of the placebo group (from 40 patients to 36 patients). Moreover, for triglyceride and blood pressure, significant differences between groups were not observed at endpoint. However, in PGBR group, abdominal circumference in both male and female, and fasting glucose decreased significantly compared to its baseline. Future research with longer time intervention is needed.
Our main findings were that PGBR is correlated with HDL cholesterol during comparison between the PGBR and placebo group. Several interventions showed LDL cholesterol in the PGBR group was significantly reduced after the 6-month intervention[@b11] and after 12-week intervention [@b15] while non-significant finding was showed in our study. Meanwhile, HDL cholesterol in the PGBR group was significantly increased after the 3-month intervention compared to placebo group and baseline. Fish -- Rich diet should be a reason. Omega 3 from fish meat including α-Linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been suggested to be similar to that of fibric acids. EPA and DHA, as well as fibric acids, stimulate the β-oxidation of themselves or of other fatty acid substrates, by this mechanism, also elicit peroxisomal proliferation. Thus, polyunsaturated fatty acids may lead to an increase in the HDL cholesterol concentrations. Further researches need to be discovered this different result.
Although the difference of BMI was not significant, reductions significantly of fasting glucose and insuline compared to baseline showed that white rice may be a major cause of diabetes mellitus [@b16],[@b17], especially for East Asians, such as Vietnamese who take about 70% of their energy from rice [@b18]. In previous study, effects of PGBR on fasting glucose was proved by bioactives (γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), acylated steryl glycoside, oryzanol, and phenolics) involve in PGBR\'s downregulation gluconeogenic genes (*Fbp1* and *Pck1*) [@b19].
In this study, the fibre concentration of PGBR group was significantly different from placebo group and baseline while energy, carbohydrate, protein, and lipid were no differences. Fiber slows carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption. In another intervention (2014), PGBR contains a higher amount of fiber help control blood glucose and lipid concentration in Vietnamese women with Impaired Glucose Tolerance [@b9]. Effects of fiber to prevent and treatment MetS and diabetes mellitus were also proved in several interventions [@b20],[@b21]. However, during the 3-month intervention, percentages of constipation among participants were decreased (the data not shown). This situation may cause a reduction in vegetable consumption\'s subjects. Thus, the decrease of vegetable intake in PGBR group should be a confounder.
5.. Conclusion {#s5}
==============
The results of the present study suggest that PGBR benefits of MetS patients, and may provide long-term benefits of diabetes mellitus. Further studies with longer durations of intervention are warranted to examine the effects of substituting PGBR with white rice on MetS for future cardiovascular and blood glucose diseases.
Thanks for the support from Loc Troi Company who provided the PGBR samples. This study was financially supported by the National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnam.
**Conflict of interests:** The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
|
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"pile_set_name": "PubMed Central"
}
|
Crossroads Mall (Omaha)
Crossroads Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, at the intersection of 72nd and Dodge Streets. Originally opened in 1960 by Omaha's Brandeis department store, the mall has been home to several major chains, including Sears, Target and Dillard's before the store closed in 2008. Most of the mall is expected to be demolished in the near future and replaced with a new mixed-use development.
History
Beginnings
In the late 1950s, Brandeis Investment Co., the real estate division of the local Brandeis department store, obtained a 96-year lease on land at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge streets for a new shopping center. Construction started in September 1959., and the mall opened in September 1960 as "Crossroads Shopping Center", a single-story straight shot connector between the two anchor stores: Sears at the west and Brandeis at the east. Both Sears and Brandeis were 3 stories: the first floor of each is actually the basement level of the mall, but had exterior access for the anchors; the second floor (originally called the "Arcade Level") opens into the mall; there was no mall or exterior access to the third floor of either anchor store.
Renovation
Melvin Simon & Associates purchased the mall in 1984. A $35 million renovation project began in 1986 and was completed in 1988. The renovation created a new 2-story center court with a unique white membrane "tent" roof extending far above the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor of the center court housed the food court. A new wing running perpendicular to the original corridor to the north added 2 floors of retail space with Dillard's as a new anchor at the north end. William Dillard, the founder and president of the Dillard's chain was present at the opening of the store at Crossroads. A new single-story wing extends south from the center court and ends at a large glass-enclosed main entrance. The renovation also added a 6-story parking structure on the northeast corner of the property, which connects to the 2nd floor of the new north wing, to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the new Dillard's store, and originally connected to the 3rd floor of the existing Younkers store, all via enclosed skywalks. Unlike the original anchors, the first and second floors of Dillard's match up with the first and second floors of the mall. The entire mall was refurbished during the renovation, updated with a bold new red, blue, and gray color scheme and new neon lighting. Also around the same time as this renovation, Sears added a passenger elevator, where previously only escalators had been available to customers.
Second Renovation
In 1998, the mall underwent a smaller, mostly cosmetic remodel in which the color scheme and furnishings were updated to more neutral colors. New directional signage was added in the mall and the parking garage, and a large lighted "FOOD COURT" sign was added over the escalator leading up to the food court. Spaces of two former food court tenants were combined and remodeled to provide additional seating, small children's rides, and a family restroom. The main south entrance was also updated with a new "compass" logo, new logotype, and faux windows above the existing windows.
2005-2013
In early 2005, Younkers closed its store, and the building was demolished to make way for a new Target store which opened in July, 2006. Despite speculation that the new Target would be two floors like some of its other urban locations (such as downtown Minneapolis), the new store has one level of retail space with entrances to the south surface parking lot and into the mall. The receiving and storage areas for the store are on a separate level below the retail space and not accessible to customers. Unlike the former Younkers space, the Target store is not connected to the parking garage. Instead, the skywalk that used to open into Younkers now leads to a new stairway down to the mall level in an expanded entrance north of Target's mall entrance.
In December, 2007, Dillard's announced that its Crossroads store would become a Dillard's Clearance Center, selling clearance merchandise from area Dillard's stores and other lower-priced items.
The Dillard's anchor was closed in August 2008. By the spring of 2009, the entire second level, including the food court, had become completely vacant.
Currently, the mall is struggling. The larger Westroads (less than three miles (5 km) away) and Oak View Malls, as well as the "lifestyle centers" Village Pointe and Shadow Lake are drawing customers away from Crossroads. Nearly 50 percent of the mall is vacant. In mid-June 2009, Simon Malls announced that Crossroads was for sale. Simon did not say the price of the property, however in 2002, the mall was appraised at approximately $57 million. Ideas for redevelopment of Crossroads include a complex for residential and commercial.
Having received several bids for the mall that were deemed too low, Simon Property Group defaulted on their mortgage payments, sending the mall into foreclosure. A foreclosure sale by the lender was scheduled on March 4, 2010.
The mall changed hands that March, going to CW Capital for $40.6 million, who turned around and sold it in June 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Century Development is the current owner, who displayed a strong concern for taking the mall in the right direction for Omaha.
Two of the malls bays on the East wing next to Target have been occupied by Restoration Church. Crossroads Mall also houses many small unique businesses like Sissy's Bags Boutique, ReJenerations, Stella's, Dragon Storm Kempo Karate, Pro Nails, Battle Bears, D&B Auction House, Diverse Cutz Barber Shop, Fairytail Costumes, and Wireless Solutions. It also has a few chain stores like Barnes & Noble, .
Present
As of February 2016, both Foot Locker and Finish Line, Inc. have closed, with Restoration Church having moved to the latter's bay. Other bays around the mall have since become occupied by new tenants, including: Fairytail Costumes and Rental, Diverse Cutz, Cinderella's Closet, 1/2 of 1/2 Name Brand Clothing, Om Eyebrow Threading, The Czech and Slovak Educational Center and Museum, The Great Plains Black History Museum, PART (Performing Artists Repertory Theatre), and Pishon Boutique. The Mall also hosts semi-annual events like "Nebraska's Largest Indoor Garage Sale," Take 2 Kids Consignment, and AARP Tax Services. The third level of the Sears store has been closed off. In 2016, Target permanently sealed off their mall entrance.
Century Development has stated it wants to begin demolition on the mall—except for Target and a parking garage, but including a parcel to the west of the mall most recently occupied by Best Buy to make way for a mixed-use development to be called Crossroads Village. The developers planned to seek tax incentives though the Nebraska Legislature; however, as of 2018, none of this has come to fruition.
On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing in March 2019 as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide which left Target as the only anchor left.
Design
Crossroads is an enclosed mall with 2 levels of retail space. A third level (basement) houses the mall management office. The mall features a 2nd level food court that overlooks the center court and is housed under a unique large white membrane "tent" with 2 peaks. However, the food court is closed and no stores are open on the second floor, so this floor has been closed. The north wing has large skylights running the entire length of the corridor, while the east, west, and south wings do not have natural lighting.
References
External links
Vintage Crossroads Mall postcard @ Malls of America
Omaha City Weekly article 'At a Crossroads'
"Lincoln Journal Star" article 'Crossroads Mall in Omaha sold to Century Development'
Omaha by Design vision for Crossroads area
Category:Shopping malls in Omaha, Nebraska
Category:Shopping malls established in 1960
|
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"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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|
// Copyright 2017 Google LLC
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
package main
import (
"fmt"
"log"
"net/http"
"os"
"strings"
compute "google.golang.org/api/compute/v1"
"google.golang.org/api/googleapi"
)
func init() {
scopes := strings.Join([]string{
compute.DevstorageFullControlScope,
compute.ComputeScope,
}, " ")
registerDemo("compute", scopes, computeMain)
}
func computeMain(client *http.Client, argv []string) {
if len(argv) != 2 {
fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "Usage: compute project_id instance_name (to start an instance)")
return
}
service, err := compute.New(client)
if err != nil {
log.Fatalf("Unable to create Compute service: %v", err)
}
projectId := argv[0]
instanceName := argv[1]
prefix := "https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/" + projectId
imageURL := "https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/debian-cloud/global/images/debian-7-wheezy-v20140606"
zone := "us-central1-a"
// Show the current images that are available.
res, err := service.Images.List(projectId).Do()
log.Printf("Got compute.Images.List, err: %#v, %v", res, err)
instance := &compute.Instance{
Name: instanceName,
Description: "compute sample instance",
MachineType: prefix + "/zones/" + zone + "/machineTypes/n1-standard-1",
Disks: []*compute.AttachedDisk{
{
AutoDelete: true,
Boot: true,
Type: "PERSISTENT",
InitializeParams: &compute.AttachedDiskInitializeParams{
DiskName: "my-root-pd",
SourceImage: imageURL,
},
},
},
NetworkInterfaces: []*compute.NetworkInterface{
&compute.NetworkInterface{
AccessConfigs: []*compute.AccessConfig{
&compute.AccessConfig{
Type: "ONE_TO_ONE_NAT",
Name: "External NAT",
},
},
Network: prefix + "/global/networks/default",
},
},
ServiceAccounts: []*compute.ServiceAccount{
{
Email: "default",
Scopes: []string{
compute.DevstorageFullControlScope,
compute.ComputeScope,
},
},
},
}
op, err := service.Instances.Insert(projectId, zone, instance).Do()
log.Printf("Got compute.Operation, err: %#v, %v", op, err)
etag := op.Header.Get("Etag")
log.Printf("Etag=%v", etag)
inst, err := service.Instances.Get(projectId, zone, instanceName).IfNoneMatch(etag).Do()
log.Printf("Got compute.Instance, err: %#v, %v", inst, err)
if googleapi.IsNotModified(err) {
log.Printf("Instance not modified since insert.")
} else {
log.Printf("Instance modified since insert.")
}
}
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{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
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---
abstract: '[The formation of singularities on a free surface of a conducting ideal fluid in a strong electric field is considered. It is found that the nonlinear equations of two-dimensional fluid motion can be solved in the small-angle approximation. This enables us to show that for almost arbitrary initial conditions the surface curvature becomes infinite in a finite time. ]{}'
---
[**Formation of Root Singularities on the Free Surface\
of a Conducting Fluid in an Electric Field**]{}
[**N. M. Zubarev**]{}
Electrohydrodynamic instability of a free surface of a conducting fluid in an external electric field \[1,2\] plays an essential role in a general problem of the electric strength. The interaction of strong electric field with induced charges at the surface of the fluid (liquid metal for applications) leads to the avalanche-like growth of surface perturbations and, as a consequence, to the formation of regions with high energy concentration which destruction can be accompanied by intensive emissive processes.
In this Letter we will show that the nonlinear equations of motion of a conducting fluid can be effectively solved in the approximation of small perturbations of the boundary. This allows us to study the nonlinear dynamics of the electrohydrodynamic instability and, in particular, the most physically meaningful singular solutions.
Let us consider an irrotational motion of a conducting ideal fluid with a free surface, $z=\eta(x,y,t)$, that occupies the region $-\infty<z\leq\eta(x,y,t)$, in an external uniform electric field $E$. We will assume the influence of gravitational and capillary forces to be negligibly small, which corresponds to the condition $$E^2\gg 8\pi\sqrt{g\alpha\rho},$$ where $g$ is the acceleration of gravity, $\alpha$ is the surface tension coefficient, and $\rho$ is the mass density.
The potential of the electric field $\varphi$ satisfies the Laplace equation, $$\Delta\varphi=0,$$ with the following boundary conditions, $$\varphi\to -Ez, \qquad z\to\infty,$$ $$\varphi=0, \qquad z=\eta.$$ The velocity potential $\Phi$ satisfies the incompressibility equation $$\Delta\Phi=0,$$ which one should solve together with the dynamic and kinematic relations on the free surface, $$\frac{\partial\Phi}{\partial t}+\frac{(\nabla\Phi)^2}{2}=
\frac{(\nabla\varphi)^2}{8\pi\rho}+F(t), \qquad z=\eta,$$ $$\frac{\partial\eta}{\partial t}=\frac{\partial\Phi}{\partial z}
-\nabla\eta\cdot\nabla\Phi,
\qquad z=\eta,$$ where $F$ is some function of variable $t$, and the boundary condition $$\Phi\to 0, \qquad z\to-\infty.$$ The quantities $\eta(x,y,t)$ É $\psi(x,y,t)=\Phi|_{z=\eta}$ are canonically conjugated, so that the equations of motion take the Hamiltonian form \[3\], $$\frac{\partial\psi}{\partial t}=-\frac{\delta H}{\delta\eta},
\qquad
\frac{\partial\eta}{\partial t}=\frac{\delta H}{\delta\psi},$$ where the Hamiltonian $$H=\int\limits_{z\leq\eta}\frac{(\nabla\Phi)^2}{2} d^3 r
-\int\limits_{z\geq\eta}\frac{(\nabla\varphi)^2}{8\pi\rho} d^3 r$$ coincides with the total energy of a system. With the help of the Green formula it can be rewritten as the surface integral, $$H=\int\limits_{s}\left[\frac{\psi}{2}\,\frac{\partial\Phi}{\partial n}+
\frac{E\eta}{8\pi\rho}\,\frac{\partial\tilde\varphi}{\partial n}\right]ds,$$ where $\tilde\varphi=\varphi+Ez$ is the perturbation of the electric field potential; $ds$ is the surface differential.
Let us assume $|\nabla\eta|\ll 1$, which corresponds to the approximation of small surface angles. In such a case we can expand the integrand in a power series of canonical variables $\eta$ and $\psi$. Restricting ourselves to quadratic and cubic terms we find after scale transformations $$t\to t E^{-1}(4\pi\rho)^{1/2},
\quad
\psi\to\psi E/(4\pi\rho)^{1/2},
\quad
H\to HE^2/(4\pi\rho)$$ the following expression for the Hamiltonian, $$H=\frac{1}{2}\int\left[\psi\hat k\psi+
\eta\left((\nabla\psi)^2-(\hat k\psi)^2\right)\right] d^2 r$$ $$-\frac{1}{2}\int\left[\eta\hat k\eta-\eta\left((\nabla\eta)^2-
(\hat k\eta)^2\right)\right] d^2 r.$$ Here $\hat k$ is the integral operator with the difference kernel, whose Fourier transform is the modulus of the wave vector, $$\hat{k}f=-\frac{1}{2\pi}\!\int\limits_{-\infty}^{+\infty}
\int\limits_{-\infty}^{+\infty}
\frac{f(x',y')}{\left[(x'-x)^2+(y'-y)^2\right]^{3/2}}\,dx'dy'.$$ The equations of motion, corresponding to this Hamiltonian, take the following form, $$\psi_t-\hat k\eta=\frac{1}{2}\left[(\hat k\psi)^2-(\nabla\psi)^2+
(\hat k\eta)^2-(\nabla\eta)^2\right]+
\hat k(\eta\hat k\eta)+\nabla(\eta\nabla\eta),$$ $$\eta_t-\hat k\psi=-\hat k(\eta\hat k\psi)-\nabla(\eta\nabla\psi).$$ Subtraction of Eqs. (2) and (1) gives in the linear approximation the relaxation equation $$(\psi-\eta)_t=-\hat k(\psi-\eta),$$ whence it follows that we can set $\psi=\eta$ in the nonlinear terms of Eqs. (1) and (2), which allows us to simplify the equations of motion. Actually, adding Eqs. (1) and (2) we obtain an equation for a new function $f=(\psi+\eta)/2$, $$f_t-\hat k f=\frac{1}{2}\,(\hat k f)^2-\frac{1}{2}\,(\nabla f)^2,$$ which corresponds to the consideration of the growing branch of the solutions. As $f=\eta$ in the linear approximation, Eq. (3) governs the behavior of the elevation $\eta$.
First we consider the one-dimensional case when function $f$ depends only on $x$ (and $t$) and the integral operator $\hat k$ can be expressed in terms of the Hilbert transform $\hat H$, $$\hat k=-\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\,\hat H,
\qquad
\hat{H}f=\frac{1}{\pi}\,\mbox{P}\!\!\int\limits_{-\infty}^{+\infty}
\frac{f(x')}{x'-x}\,dx',$$ where P denotes the principal value of the integral. As a result, Eq. (3) can be rewritten as $$f_t+\hat H f_x=\frac{1}{2}\,(\hat H f_x)^2-\frac{1}{2}\,(f_x)^2.$$ It should be noted that if one introduces a new function $\tilde f=\hat H f$, then Eq. (4) transforms into the equation proposed in Ref. \[4\] for the description of the nonlinear stages of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.
For further consideration it is convenient to introduce a function, analytically extendable into the upper half-plane of the complex variable $x$, $$v=\frac{1}{2}\,(1-i\hat H)f_x.$$ Then Eq. (4) takes the form $$\mbox{Re}\left(v_t+iv_x+2vv_x\right)=0,$$ that is, the investigation of integro-differential equation (4) amounts to the analysis of the partial differential equation $$v_t+iv_x+2vv_x=0,$$ which describes the wave breaking in the complex plane. Let us study this process in analogy with \[5,6\], where a similar problem was considered. Eq. (5) can be solved by the standard method of characteristics, $$v=Q(x'),$$ $$x=x'+it+2Q(x')t.$$ where the function $Q$ is defined from initial conditions. It is clear that in order to obtain an explicit form of the solution we must resolve Eq. (7) with respect to $x'$. A mapping $x\to x'$, defined by Eq. (7), will be ambiguous if $\partial x/\partial x'=0$ in some point, i.e. $$1+2Q_{x'}t=0.$$ Solution of (8) gives a trajectory $x'=x'(t)$ on the complex plane $x'$. Then the motion of the branch points of the function $v$ is defined by an expression $$x(t)=x'(t)+it+2Q(x'(t))t.$$ At some moment $t_0$ when the branch point touches the real axis, the analiticity of $v(x,t)$ at the upper half-plane of variable $x$ breaks, and a singularity appears in the solution of Eq. (4).
Let us consider the solution behavior close to the singularity. Expansion of (6) and (7) at a small vicinity of $x=x(t_0)$ up to the leading orders gives $$v=Q_0-\delta x'/(2t_0),$$ $$\delta x=i\delta t+2Q_0\delta t+Q''t_0(\delta x')^2,$$ where $Q_0=Q(x'(t_0))$, $Q''=Q_{x'x'}(x'(t_0))$, $\delta x\!=\!x\!-\!x(t_0)$, $\delta x'\!=\!x'\!-\!x'(t_0)$, and $\delta t\!=\!t\!-\!t_0$. Eliminating $\delta x'$ from these equations, we find that close to singularity $v_x$ can be represented in the self-similar form ($\delta x\sim\delta t$), $$v_x=-\left[16Q''t_0^3
(\delta x-i\delta t-2Q_0\delta t)\right]^{-1/2}.$$ As $\mbox{Re}(v)=\eta/2$ in the linear approximation, we have at $t=t_0$ $$\eta_{xx}\sim|\delta x|^{-1/2},$$ that is the surface curvature becomes infinite in a finite time. It should be mentioned that such a behavior of the charged surface is similar to the behavior of a free surface of an ideal fluid in the absence of external forces \[5,6\], though the singularities are of a different nature (in the latter case the singularity formation is connected with inertial forces).
Let us show that the solutions corresponding to the root singularity regime are consistent with the applicability condition of the truncated equation (3). Let $Q(x')$ be a rational function with one pole in the lower half-plane, $$Q(x')=-\frac{is}{2(x'+iA)^2},$$ which corresponds to the spatially localized one-dimensional perturbation of the surface ($s>0$ and $A>0$). The characteristic surface angles are thought to be small, $\gamma\approx s/A^2\ll 1$.
It is clear from the symmetries of (9) that the most rapid branch point touches the real axis at $x=0$. Then the critical moment $t_0$ can be found directly from Eqs. (7) and (8). Expansion of $t_0$ with respect to the small parameter $\gamma$ gives $$t_0\approx A\left[1-3(\gamma/4)^{1/3}\right].$$ Taking into account that the evolution of the surface perturbation can be described by an approximate formula $$\eta(x,t)=\frac{s(A-t)}{(A-t)^2+x^2},$$ we have for the dynamics of the characteristic angles $$\gamma(t)\approx\frac{s}{(A-t)^2}.$$ Then, substituting the expression for $t_0$ (10) into this formula, we find that at the moment of the singularity formation with the required accuracy $$\gamma(t_0)\sim\gamma^{1/3},$$ that is, the angles remain small and the root singularities are consistent with our assumption about small surface angles.
In conclusion, we would like to consider the more general case where the weak dependence of all quantities from the spatial variable $y$ is taken into account. One can find that if the condition $|k_x|\ll|k_y|$ holds for the characteristic wave numbers, then the evolution of the fluid surface is described by an equation $$\left[v_t+iv_x+2vv_x\right]_x=-iv_{yy}/2,$$ which extends Eq. (5) to the two-dimensional case.
An interesting group of particular solutions of this equation can be found with the help of substitution $v(x,y,t)=w(z,t)$, where $$z=x-\frac{i}{2}\,\frac{(y-y_0)^2}{t}.$$ The equation for $w$ looks like $$w_t+iw_z+2ww_z=-w/(2t).$$ It is integrable by the method of characteristics, so that we can study the analyticity violation similarly to the one-dimensional case. Considering a motion of branch points in the complex plane of the variable $z$ we find that a singularity arises at some moment $t_0<0$ at the point $y_0$ along the $y$-axis. Close to the singular point at the critical moment $t=t_0$ we get $$\left.\eta_{xx}\right|_{\delta y=0}\sim|\delta x|^{-1/2},
\qquad
\left.\eta_{xx}\right|_{\delta x=0}\sim|\delta y|^{-1}.$$ This means that in the examined quasi-two-dimensional case the second derivative of the surface profile becomes infinite at a single isolated point.
Thus, the consideration of the behavior of a conducting fluid surface in a strong electric field shows that the nonlinearity determines the tendency for the formation of singularities of the root character, corresponding to the surface points with infinite curvature. We can assume that such weak singularities serve as the origin of the more powerful singularities observed in the experiments \[7,8\].
I would like to thank A.M. Iskoldsky and N.B. Volkov for helpful discussions, and E.A. Kuznetsov for attracting my attention to Refs. \[5,6\]. This work was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Grant No. 97–02–16177.
[**References**]{}
1. L. Tonks, Phys. Rev. 48 (1935) 562.
2. Ya.I. Frenkel, Zh. Teh. Fiz. 6 (1936) 347.
3. V.E. Zakharov, J. Appl. Mech. Tech. Phys. 2 (1968) 190.
4. S.K. Zhdanov and B.A. Trubnikov, Sov. Phys. JETP 67 (1988) 1575.
5. E.A. Kuznetsov, M.D. Spector, and V.E. Zakharov, Phys. Lett. A 182 (1993) 387.
6. E.A. Kuznetsov, M.D. Spector, and V.E. Zakharov, Phys. Rev. E 49 (1994) 1283.
7. M.D. Gabovich and V.Ya. Poritsky, JETP Lett. 33, (1981) 304.
8. A.V. Batrakov, S.A. Popov, and D.I. Proskurovsky, Tech. Phys. Lett. 19 (1993) 627.
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Q:
¿Se puede transformar esta fecha por PHP o MySQL?
tengo la siguiente fecha: Sat, 30 May 2020 07:25:30 +0000
¿Se puede transformar usando PHP o MySQL al siguiente formato?
Como esta:
Sat, 30 May 2020 07:25:30 +0000
Como debería estar:
2020-05-30 07:25:30
Gracias.
A:
En PHP podrías primero leer el string inicial para convertirlo a tipo fecha:
$fecha = date_create_from_format('D, d M Y h:i:s O', 'Sat, 30 May 2020 07:25:30 +0000');
y luego:
$fechaFormateada = date ( 'Y-m-d h:i:s', date_timestamp_get($fecha))
En el manual de PHP están todos los formatos posibles: https://www.php.net/manual/es/datetime.createfromformat.php
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"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
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JOHN Lewis has banned a customer from all of its UK stores after he returned 12 "faulty" televisions.
Paul Chambers, 54, from Solihull, West Midlands, suffers from epilepsy and needed the goods to be "visually perfect".
4 Paul Chambers has been banned from all John Lewis stores and websites, including Waitrose Credit: BPM Media
Mr Chambers had spent £900 for the Samsung and Panasonic televisions he bought from the store over a three year period.
But he recalls experiencing a number of problems with all of them, including "ghosting, calibrating and pixelating".
John Lewis told Mr Chambers they were ending their business relationship with him because they were "unable to meet [his] service needs" and "could not meet [his] expectations", BirminghamLive reported.
Mr Chambers said: "Every time I have taken them back the staff have been very friendly so I was shocked to receive this letter.
4 In a letter, John Lewis said they were 'unable to meet his service needs' Credit: BPM Media
4 Paul will no longer be able to use his myJohn Lewis card after spending up to £900 on televisions from the store Credit: BPM Media
"They have banned me from every John Lewis in the country and I can't buy anything off them online."
The letter read: "In light of your recent enquiries we now feel it necessary, and prudent, to terminate our business relationship with you.
"This decision applies to all John Lewis Department stores, JohnLewis.com and Waitrose. This will take immediate effect.
4 John Lewis said they hope he will not visit any stores because they do not want to embarrass him by asking him to leave Credit: BPM Media
"Please be advised we shall not process any orders you attempt to place by telephone or online channels.
"We have taken this decision due to our firm belief that we are unable to meet your service needs, nor do we believe our range of products will meet your expectations.
"We would therefore ask you not to visit the Solihull store or any other John Lewis branch.
"If you do we shall ask you to leave immediately, we would not wish to embarrass you in this way so we would ask you to comply with this request.
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Mr Chambers said his friend kindly lent him his TV, but he would have liked to returned to the store, to purchase another.
A John Lewis spokesperson later defended their decision, and said: "We're sorry to hear Mr Chambers is disappointed.
"We always want to deliver the very best service for our customers, so we never take this kind of action lightly or without investigation."
How to get a Waitrose coffee for just 1p
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
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The report, which details the future changes the U.S. Congress can expect in terms of voter demographics, was the central focus of the article:
"The newly released study shows that the electoral composition in congressional districts is on track to change as more naturalized U.S. citizens and young Latinos and Asians — many of whom support immigration reform — become eligible to vote in the next few years.
“Representatives contemplating their eventual vote on immigration reform need to weigh the numerous policy arguments in favor of reform and make an informed decision, but they must also understand the shifting demographic dimensions of their districts,” stated Rob Paral, the author of the study."
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Concentration of cephalosporins in tissues of the head and neck after parenteral infusion.
Cephalosporins are successfully used in the therapy of acute sinusitis, purulent parotitis, and lymphadenitis. Anti-infectious prophylaxis in major head and neck surgery may be performed with cephalosporins as first choice. For sufficient prophylaxis or therapy, an effective level of the antibiotic drug in the serum and tissue of the target organs is necessary. In a comparative investigation, we measured serum and tissue levels of three regions of the head and neck (parotid glands, paranasal sinuses, soft tissue of the neck) of the second-generation cephalosporins, cefuroxime and cefotiam, after a single parenteral infusion. Both antibiotics reach levels which are effective against bacteria typically causing spontaneous or postoperative infection of head and neck tissue. Effective levels of cefuroxime both at the investigated tissue sites and in serum are greater than those of cefotiam, and cefuroxime is eliminated from serum less rapidly. The pharmacologic data show that both drugs are suitable for therapy and perioperative prophylaxis of purulent head and neck infections, but various data indicate that there is an advantage in favor of cefuroxime.
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"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
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The Killers Confirm Christmas Collaboration With Dawes
Brandon Flowers has told Radio X we can expect their usual festival offering - their eighth in a row - and this time it is a collaboration.
"We've still got something else for you," the frontman told Radio X's John Kennedy, when asked if they would be continuing their tradition despite the release of 'best of' album Direct Hits next week.
"It's called Christmas in LA and we did it with a band called Dawes."
"Taylor the singer is just a great writer," Brandon explained when asked about the collaboration. "It was really fun.
"I started the song out and left gaps where I either just didn't have anything or wanted him to fill it in and it was just beautiful to see how quickly he adapted and was able to bring it to LA too. It was great."
Brandon and Ronnie from the band were talking Radio X through Direct Hits track by track ahead of its release on Monday.
The Album Playback included the first ever radio play of new song Just Another Girl, which was produced by Brit Stuart Price.
"Recording with Stuart has just become second nature," Brandon said. "If there was a fifth member of The Killers it would be Stuart, we love him like a brother and it's really easy to work with him.
"It's really exciting to be able to make a demo: be 2,000, 4,000 miles away from someone, send it to him and wake up the next morning and they've put their two cents in. It's fun to work like that, it's exciting. It's like Christmas."
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10 Trap Songs That'll Get You Through Monday
When 2 Chainz decided to name his upcoming album Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, he hadn’t stumbled onto anything new and profound. But truth be told, a lot of people live for the grungy beats and carefree nature associated with the Southern-style of hip-hop. The more bass and slower the tempo, the better. In honor of April 7 release of Pretty Girls, we've compiled a list of 10 of our all-time favorite trap songs to get you hyped.
Travis Scott "Antidote" Often confused for The Weeknd or ILoveMakonnen, Travis Scott dominated summer 2015 with the release of his hit, “Antidote.” Prior to the release of his debut album Rodeo, the up-and-coming rapper uploaded the single to his SoundCloud as a separate project thinking it would only be appreciated by his truest fans. But thanks to its stellar online reception, the Texas native decided to add the tune to Rodeo after all, and good thing he did — the single was certified double platinum.
Jidenna "The Let Out" We’ll just come out and say it: Jidenna is the man. Not only is he quickly becoming one of the most respected hip-hop artists to date, but he seems to be the only one doing it while consistently rocking fancy suits. The Stanford graduate knows how to have fun and keep people dancing, and he does it all with an elaborate vocab and the freshest threads on the market. But don’t let his wardrobe fool you — he’ll get down and dance it out, too.
Waka Flocka Flame "No Hands" When he isn’t going “Hard In Da Paint,” Waka Flocka is going H.A.M. on a bottle of Moscato. While there no actual research to support it, the Georgia native is probably solely responsible for the direct increase in sales of the wine thanks to his 2010 club banger, “No Hands.” With a little help from Wale and Roscoe Dash, the Flockaveli hit reached Number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Though the Kel Mitchell doppelganger is known for his wilder, dreadlock-shaking ways, the the leisurely, late summer tune is a nice change of pace.
Kenrick Lamar "Humble" Just when fans thought they knew Kendrick Lamar as an artist, he returned with “Humble” and everyone lost their minds. Not only is the lead single off of the upcoming — still untitled — fourth album a demonstration of rhythmic capability, but also a hard glance at Lamar’s lyrical superiority. Beyond that, what fans love most about the track is its depth and honesty, as the rapper not only finds the time to call out fake artists, but also fits in his praises for natural beauty and stretch marks in one fell swoop. Boom.
Migos "Bad and Boujee" Although better lyrics could’ve been written by a middle schooler with a rhyming dictionary, Migos’ 2016 “Bad and Boujee” has still managed to flood every playlist and DJ set around. The inescapable track, featuring Lil Uzi Vert, might actually be one of the first songs to ever be made popular after the lyrics were frequently used in memes. For those who weren’t previously aware of the “raindrop, drop top” internet phenomenon, now you know.
Read on for more essential trap songs from Rae Sremmurd, Desiigner, and T.I.
Rae Sremmurd "Come Get Her" Long before “Black Beatles” and the Mannequin Challenge, Rae Sremmurd was still riding the high from the success of their debut album SremmLife. Brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmy already had four other singles that had gone platinum and made it to the top of the Billboard charts, and the release of 2015’s “Come Get Her” was no different. The Mississippi duo has put out hit after hit, and from the looks of it, isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Future "I Thought It Was a Drought" If there was an award dedicated to random lyrical insults, excessive partying, and autotune use, Future would be first choice for recipient. The unapologetic rapper’s song off of 2015’s DS2 features one of the most iconic choruses in all of trap music, with its sleepy beat carrying the descriptions of luxury, extravagant drug usage and infidelity casually along as though it’s no big deal. While many wish they could party with Future, realistically they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Atlanta rapper’s lifestyle.
Desiigner "Panda" If the Grand Theft Auto franchise had an official theme song, it would be Desiigner’s 2015 whirlwind hit, “Panda.” Sounding like a less sedated version of Future, the New York native found fame via the good old method: YouTube. Days after “Panda” was uploaded to the video sharing site and his SoundCloud account, he gained the attention of Kanye West, who immediately signed him to his GOOD Music label. The debut single went on to be featured on Kanye’s most anticipated album, The Life of Pablo.
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T.I. "What You Know" Throwing it back a ways, no trap music playlist is complete without the King of Southern rap, Mr. T.I.P. “What You Know,” the 2006 lead single off of his fourth studio album King, not only reached Number 3 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, but was certified double platinum. After being featured on the soundtrack for the hit movie ATL, people couldn’t listen to the song without feeling a little bit edgy and cool. After all, who else was “sitting pretty” and trying making Louis Vuitton knapsacks a thing?
2 Chainz "It’s A Vibe" Normally upbeat and raunchy, Georgia boy 2 Chainz slowed it down for his collaboration with Ty Dolla Sign, Trey Songz, and Jhené Aiko on “It’s a Vibe" on 2017’s Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. In preparation for the album’s release, the wearer of multiple necklaces enlisted the help of pretty girls like Lauren London, Karrueche Tran, and Erykah Badu to create their own preferred trap music playlists that he featured on Spotify. Not only is he one of the tallest rappers in the game, but he’s also one of the smartest — not many rappers have been invited to CNN to debate important matters, like the legalization of marijuana. However, until he’s officially sworn in as governor, we’ll just keep dancing to his music.
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Generally, an existing child's tricycle includes a front fork, a front wheel arranged at a lower part of the front fork, a handlebar arranged on the front fork and being capable of controlling a steering of the front wheel, a frame body extending in a front-rear direction, a seat arranged on the frame body, rear brackets respectively arranged on two sides of the frame body, and rear wheels respectively arranged on the corresponding rear brackets. However, the frame body of an existing child's tricycle is generally fixed together with a frame head tube which is sleeved on the outside of the handle bar, in such a way that the bracket can not be folded, and can only be presented in a riding state. When the tricycle is carried in outgoing, needs to be deposited or transported, it is inconvenient since the volume of the tricycle is too large, and the cost is high during the transportation.
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"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Q:
Utilization of MOSFETs as switches, design methodology
Let's say I want to use an nMos FET in a low side switching circuit as follows:
simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab
Datasheet for IRF530 here.
Now, during my education in EE, I have learnt some operation regions for MOSFETs and formulas for drain current related to these regions. And one parameter Kn which was the key parameter shows up in everywhere.
But now, I am having hard time in my calculations, because, there is not a Kn value in the datasheets of such MOSFETs. If it were present, what I would do is:
(For Vgs = high case, SW1 is closed)
Assume an operation region for the nMOS, I start with SAT generally
Use Idsat formula for the SAT region. Idsat = Kn/2*(Vgs-Vtn)^2
Find the drain voltage using Vd = Vdd - Rload * Idsat
Check if Vds >= Vgs - Vtn or not, if so, assumption for SAT is validated, if not, then MOSFET is in linear region, since it cannot be in cut-off
This was working great while doing it on paper, however, now in reality, I am stuck how to approach this kind of a design using the information present in datasheets.
I'm not able to make any comments on the operation region of the MOSFET because I cannot guess drain voltage without any information about drain current flowing through the circuit.
So, what I am asking is something like the followings:
In which operation region a MOSFET should be operated for switching applications?
For ON(mosfet conducts) part of the operation, what should I replace MOSFET with? Rds(on)? Or a voltage difference between source and drain? How should I decide whether I can directly replace the MOSFET with a resistance of Rds(on) or not. What criterias do I have to satisyf for it to act as an almost short circuit when it is ON.
And as an extra, if anyone knows, an answer to the following would be nice:
Why Kn is not present in these datasheets while it is heavily used in theoretical calculations, at least in my college education?
A:
Powermosfets like this are not meant to be used in their constant-current region (I call it that because people like to confuse saturation/linear, because they are flipped with BJT. In this case it would be saturation).
When you do, they very often suffer from thermal runaway. As a result, you are pretty much always going to be in the linear region (which you will definitely be doing with the 5V gate-source you show in the schematic). The Rds(on) value is the only one you really care about.
You can actually look at the figures in the Datasheet to see where you would be operating. In Fig.1 you can see that in order to get in saturation with a gate-source voltage of 5 V, you would need a drain-source current of 3 A. With your 9 V battery that would mean you have a maximum 3 Ohm total load.
You can use the same graphs to figure out the Rdson. With a gate-source of 5 V, you can see that we have about 200 mV drain-source voltage for 1A drain-source current, or about 200 mOhm. Of course this gets worse with higher temperature, see Fig.4 for that.
As to what you should model the device with: Depends on what you are doign. If it is a simple DC circuit hand-calculation, the Rds(on) will suffice probably.
A:
For ON(mosfet conducts) part of the operation, what should I replace
MOSFET with? Rds(on)?
If you look in the data sheet, figure 1 will give you a lot of information: -
With a \$V_{GS}\$ of 4.5 volts and a drain current of 1 amp, the MOSFET will be dropping about 1 volt. So if the supply voltage is 10 volts and the load were 9 ohms you'd get 9 volts across the load and 1 volt dropped between drain and source.
If \$V_{GS}\$ was 5 volts you can see that with a 1 amp load current, the volt drop is only 0.2 volts hence a 9.8 ohm load on a 10 volt supply would see around 9.8 volts across it with the MOSFET only losing 0.2 volts.
If \$V_{GS}\$ was 15 volts a ten amp drain current would only drop typically 0.9 volts.
I never try and replace the MOSFET with a single figure for RDS(on) because it just doesn't give me the full story - I always look at the data in the graph above.
In which operation region a MOSFET should be operated for switching
applications?
The graph above depicts that - for an NMOS both voltage and current are positive.
When operating the MOSFET with a "reduced gate drive" you have to be aware of the temperature coefficients that can cause thermal runaway. See this graph below from the IRF530: -
I've marked on the graph the ZTC point - this means the zero temperature coefficient point and basically it means that with a gate source voltage below circa 5.7 volts, there is a possibility that as the device warms up, it's drain current will increase causing more warming and hence more drain current and therefore thermal runaway.
For instance, at a gate drive of 4 volts, the drain current will be typically 0.1 amps and, if the power supply drain-source voltage is (say) 10 volts, the MOSFET power dissipation will be 1 watt and this will warm the MOSFET causing more drain current heading towards 1.2 amps on the graph. Now the MOSFET is dissipating 12 watts and rapidly heading to heaven. It will self-destruct without a heatsink.
So, if a switching application is being targeted use a MOSFET gate drive voltage greater than 5.7 volts plus a safety margin.
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