want a detailed glimpse into the black boxes we call search engines? mining the web is a textbook that discusses everything from building your own crawler to the future of information finding on the web. search engines are designed to be simple to use. type a few words into a query box, and voila, you ' re presented with a set of probable results that match your information need. this simplicity masks some heavy - duty complexity. although we refer to a " search engine " in the singular, google, teoma, alltheweb and others are actually software systems made up of a number of components, each specialized and tuned to perform a specific function that contributes to the whole. mining the web : discovering knowledge from hypertext data is one of the first books that actually describes, in detail, the parts of contemporary search engines and how they function. the author, soumen chakrabarti, is an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the indian institute of technology in bombay, and the book reveals a rare glimpse at the inner workings of our favorite search tools. most commercial search engines guard the details of their innermost operations closely, revealing casual hints here and offhand remarks there, but almost never offering complete information about the " secret sauce " underlying their operations. that ' s what makes this book so interesting. if you really want to understand how search engines work, this book provides an excellent and fairly detailed explanation of the processes they all use, to one degree or another. the book ' s not for the technically faint of heart, however. it assumes a good working knowledge of math, logic and computer science, and the book is dense with formulae and graphs. but don ' t let that scare you - - dr. chakrabarti writes clearly, and the book is well organized, progressing logically from topic to topic. even if you find technical language challenging, skimming past the details will leave you with a good fundamental understanding of search engine technology. the book begins with an introduction to search engine technology. subsequent chapters deal with crawling the web, search and information retrieval, and basic relevance algorithms. the second part of the book is dedicated to machine learning - - how search engines can be engineered to get " smarter " about processing queries and returning better results. part three shifts gears, focusing on practical techniques and applications of search engine technology. here ' s where dr. chakrabarti really gives us a peek behind the curtain, talking about the differences between google ' s pagerank algorithms and some of the techniques used


shifts gears, focusing on practical techniques and applications of search engine technology. here ' s where dr. chakrabarti really gives us a peek behind the curtain, talking about the differences between google ' s pagerank algorithms and some of the techniques used by other commercial search engines to differentiate themselves from one another. the last chapter takes a look at the future of web mining, offering tantalizing glimpses of what we can expect over the next few years as new technologies are adopted and refined, gradually becoming part of the mainstream search tools that we use on a daily basis. while it ' s not a book that you ' ll want to take to the beach this summer, mining the web offers an excellent armchair guide to the inner workings of the black boxes we know as search engines. mining the web : discovering knowledge from hypertext data by soumen chakrabarti morgan kaufmann publishers, $ 54. 95 the link above goes to a page with more information about the book, including links to open source software for search engines and several tutorial slides and links to other web mining resources prepared by dr. chakrabarti. note : article links often change. in case of a bad link, use the publication ' s search facility, which most have, and search for the headline. introducing ses online want to view one of the sessions you missed or listen to an especially informative presenter a second time? ses new york sessions are available for purchase on clickz academy ' s new e - learning site. ses is now online!


but what if an attacker doesn ' t care about getting access to a specific system? after all, trying 10, 000 passwords against a server would most likely cause a target account to be locked out. instead, a malicious hacker could attempt password attacks on a large scale, using the same username and password combination on 10, 000 systems. that would result in only one failed log - in attempt per server, but a much better chance of successfully compromising at least one. lately, attackers have been using the " low and slow " tactic, employing botnets against large numbers of servers. the technique gives them the ability to launch large - scale attacks from multiple sources. defending against these ssh brute - force attacks means going back to the basics of solid security practices. to start, utilize passwords and passphrases that will not be easily guessed. doing standard " leetspeak " - - an internet language that substitutes letters with ascii characters - - will not work. attackers now use custom dictionaries that incorporate the common leet substitutions used by sysadmins, like " @ " for " a " and " 3 " for " e. " also, make the root password inaccessible via a direct ssh connection by setting ' denyusers root ' and ' permitrootlogin no ' in your sshd _ config file. the majority of password attacks i ' ve seen lately have been against the root account on systems. this was first published in january 2009


seeing creation and evolution in grand canyon by jodi wilgoren published : october 6, 2005 tom vail, who has been leading rafting trips down the colorado river here for 23 years, corralled his charges under a rocky outcrop at carbon creek and pointed out the remarkable 90 - degree folds in the cliff overhead. geologists date this sandstone to 550 million years ago and explain the folding as a result of pressure from shifting faults underneath. but to mr. vail, the folds suggest the grand canyon was carved 4, 500 years ago by the great global flood described in genesis as god ' s punishment for humanity ' s sin. ' ' you see any cracks in that? ' ' he asked. ' ' instead of bending like that, it should have cracked. ' ' the material ' ' had to be soft ' ' to bend, mr. vail said, imagining its formation in the flood. when somebody suggested that pressure over time could create plasticity in the rocks, mr. vail said, ' ' that ' s just a theory. ' ' ' ' it ' s all theory, right? ' ' asked jack aiken, 63, an assemblies of god minister in alaska who has a master ' s degree in geology. ' ' except what ' s in the good book. ' ' for mr. vail and 29 guests on his canyon ministries trip, this was vacation as religious pilgrimage, an expedition in search of evidence that god created the earth in six days 6, 000 years ago, just as scripture says. that same week, a few miles upriver, a decidedly different group of 24 rafters surveyed the same rock formations - - but through the lens of science rather than what mr. vail calls ' ' biblical glasses. ' ' sponsored by the national center for science education, the chief challenger to creationists ' influence in public schools, this trip was a floating geology seminar, charting the canyon ' s evolution through eons of erosion. ' ' look at the weathering, look at the size of the pieces, ' ' eugenie c. scott, the center director, said of markings in black tail canyon. ' ' to a standard geologist, to somebody who actually studies geology, this just shouts out at you : this is really old ; this is really gradual. ' ' two groups examining the same evidence. traveling nearly identical itineraries, snoozing under the same stars and bathing in the same chocolate - colored river. yet, standing at opposite ends of the growing creation - evolution


is really gradual. ' ' two groups examining the same evidence. traveling nearly identical itineraries, snoozing under the same stars and bathing in the same chocolate - colored river. yet, standing at opposite ends of the growing creation - evolution debate, they seemed to speak in different tongues. science unequivocally dates the earth ' s age at 4. 5 billion years, and the canyon ' s layers at some two billion years. even the intelligent design movement, which argues that evolution alone cannot explain life ' s complexity, does not challenge the long history of the earth. but a core of creationists like mr. vail continue to champion a bible - based theory of the canyon ' s carving. and polls show many americans are unconvinced by scientific knowledge. though it did not ask specifically about the global flood or six - day creation, a november 2004 gallup survey found that a third of the public believes the bible is the actual word of god that should be taken literally and that 45 percent think god created human beings ' ' pretty much in their present form ' ' within the last 10, 000 years. gallup found in another poll that 5 percent of scientists, and fewer than 1 percent of earth and life scientists, adopted the ' ' young earth ' ' view. the twin rafting trips epitomize the parallel universes often inhabited by americans with polarized positions. members of both groups said they had signed up for these charters to be surrounded by like - minded people. indeed, all the american adults on mr. vail ' s boats voted for president bush last fall, while all but two on the evolutionists ' rafts cast ballots for senator john kerry. when not running the rapids, mr. vail ' s group, which included three pastors, sat in makeshift sanctuaries of sand and stone to offer psalms and prayers of praise for their surroundings. some were committed creationists and others were still asking questions. but all began with a literal interpretation of the bible, seeking examples in the rocks to support its story that god did it all in less than a week. when they made camp, dr. scott ' s rafters, nearly half with ph. d. ' s in science, had evening discussions of tidal patterns and plateau shifts, as well as tutorials on tactics in the evolution debate. most of them ardently secular, a few practicing believers, they started with what they see as unchallengeable facts about the earth ' s age, and dismissed creationism as


, as well as tutorials on tactics in the evolution debate. most of them ardently secular, a few practicing believers, they started with what they see as unchallengeable facts about the earth ' s age, and dismissed creationism as unscientific. after each ' ' geology moment, ' ' dr. scott play - acted the creationists, saying sarcastically of their evidence, ' ' my part of the lesson is always a lot shorter and less detailed. ' ' mr. vail, whose book on the grand canyon scientists tried to ban from park stores last year, describes this natural wonder as ' ' exhibit a ' ' for young earth creationists. dr. scott calls it a scientists ' louvre. to kathryn crotts, 56, a pastor ' s wife from greensboro, n. c., touching the canyon ' s basement rock was a spiritual moment. ' ' in the book of genesis, it talks about god walking the face of the earth, ' ' mrs. crotts explained. ' ' maybe his footprints are there. ' ' but to charlie webb, 58, an emergency - room doctor in colorado springs, it is evolution that answers ' ' the great philosophical questions why are we here, where did we come from. ' '


the art of passing professors anne dalke, liz mccormack gender, information, science, and technology 11 february 2011 the art of passing gender crossing, especially when done temporarily or situationally, often provokes the question of whether or not one can pass. the term passing, as in the novel passing by nella larsen, was often historically used to describe taking on the appearance of a different racial group. passing for gender is much more difficult. let ’ s take a look at some of the characteristics that would need to be altered in order for another gender : female to male : - bind down breasts - use shoulder pads to make shoulders appear broader - hide curves with loose, baggy clothing - pack underwear to create the illusion of a male genitals - accentuate jawline with makeup or by angle of face / clenching jaw in photos - create facial hair ( stubble, five o ’ clock shadow ) with makeup - wear appropriate footwear - stand with legs at shoulder width - sit with legs apart ; if you cross your legs, prop your ankle on top of the opposite knee - use slimming gear to decrease appearance of butt - change voice ( if you can be convincing ) male to female : - create the illusion of breasts by stuffing a bra - wear a wig or style hair in a feminine manner - makeup : false eyelashes, lipstick enhances the shape of the lips - tuck genitals to create the illusion of a smooth crotch - shave face, armpits, legs, arms ( if necessary ) - wear a girdle or corset to slim stomach and create a waist - pad hips and butt if necessary - wear jewelry - wear heels - cross ankles or legs when sitting ; keep legs together - swing hips when walking - change voice ( if you can be convincing ) the shield obscures the hips and binding flattens the chest, but the straight - on position of the crossplayer ’ s face allows her jawline to appear smooth, rounded, and feminine. the lighting draws attention to the crossplayer ’ s chest, which makes it appear not to be fully binded. she juts her hip out, completely betraying any sense of masculinity she might have tried to achieve. she could have taken a tip from the guy in the middle and crossed her arms over her chest, which would have effectively hidden her bust. it seems that men in tights can be still be manly. switching gender online involves controlling mannerisms, speech, and actions rather than physical appearance and movement. turkle talked about


her arms over her chest, which would have effectively hidden her bust. it seems that men in tights can be still be manly. switching gender online involves controlling mannerisms, speech, and actions rather than physical appearance and movement. turkle talked about people online switching genders for various reasons. some men, like case, felt that women would be seen as stronger, empowered characters if they were the ones taking on a stronger role, which he often described as a “ katherine hepburn ” role — a bryn mawr ideal. some women, like zoe, felt stronger as male characters, because they felt that a strong female character would seem like a bitch. they seemed to believe that men ’ s actions would be read in a more positive way than a female performing the same actions. this was emphasized when ron the male frog was seen as more dependable than ribbit the female frog. regardless of the gender switches occurring, they seemed to happen all for more or less the same reason : people wanted to experience a different role that they felt they could not express through their real - life gender. this includes people wanting to understand the opposite sex by trying to assimilate their role in an online chatroom. online, zoe did not create a female character who was strong and firm — and why not? there are definitely strong female characters that she could have drawn from for inspiration. why would she feel the need to switch her gender? zoe ’ s feeling of weakness or ineffectiveness was centered around her femaleness, just as case ’ s feeling of weakness was centered around his maleness. in a sense, this gender roleplay can be seen as not merely switching genders, but as creating whole other characters purposefully gendered differently than the user. this switch can be initiated for achieving characteristics that the switcher sees as generally a characteristic of the other gender. a woman does not play a male version of herself, but rather a male character that acts the way a male is perceived to act. “ in this way, the play suggests that donning a mask, adopting a persona, is a step toward reaching a deeper truth about the real, a position many mudders take regarding their experiences as virtual selves ” ( turkle 216 ). but how does one know how a male actually acts? these chatrooms do not reveal anything about true male behavior. there ’ s no “ way ” that men act. there is, however, a socially constructed, supposedly “ ideal ” expectation for the way that men are supposed to act, especially in our culture.


| an editor thinks that this article may not be neutral. ( march 2011 ) | after boys grow, we call them a man. there are some times we also call a man a " boy ". for example, we often use the word " boy " when talking about adult males who have a partner, for example in the word boyfriend. sometimes people also use the word in a bad way for a black man or male slave. there are some sexual differences between a man and a woman. men have sex organs which we call " external " ( not in the body ). but many parts of the male reproductive system are internal too. the study of male reproduction and sex organs is " andrology ". men normally have the same illnesses as women, but there are some sexual illnesses which men have only, or more often. biology is not the only thing which makes people feel they are men, or that other people are men. perhaps one in 100, 000 people are men who were born without a male body. we call these transgendered or transsexual men. some men can have a hormone or chromosomal difference ( for example " androgen insensitivity syndrome " ). some men have other intersex conditions. some of those intersex people who people said were female ( girls ) when they were born later want to change this. there are more differences between men and women, not only sexual differences. - some people say men, as a group, are more aggressive than women ; they want to fight more. but most research has found that men and women are equally aggressive. - in modern western society, few men wear make - up or clothing of the sort women traditionally wear. ( some men wear women ' s clothes ( " cross - dressing " ). )


the declaration that this day commemorates swiftly and elegantly set forth this country ' s promise. on its fiftieth anniversary, two signatories, adams and jefferson, died quietly in their homes, their lives forever exemplifying our country ' s both great and contradictory narrative. ( see this recent ny times " picture essay " of jefferson. ) the declaration of course begins : when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature ' s god entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. we hold these truths to be self - evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. — that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. this luminous promise has not always been kept. that is one reason why i always think it best to, whenever we think on the fourth and the great declaration, consider lincoln ' s words about this promise from the vantage point of " four score and seven years " later :.... [ o ] ur fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure..... it is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - - that this nation, under god, shall have a new birth of freedom - - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.


nasas phoenix mars lander. by chris gainor laser technology has the image of being as futuristic as space travel itself, but lasers are being used for many purposes beyond their science fiction role as a weapon. and canadian industry is taking a leading role in developing lasers for space applications. canadian firms are world leaders in applying lidar ( for light detection and ranging ) technology in space, including inspecting tiles on the space shuttle during flight and looking for clouds and precipitation on mars. lidar is already finding many applications close to earth, including surveying and mapping, measuring biomass for forestry and agriculture, detecting topographic features for use by geologists and archeologists, and other remote sensing uses for industry, the military and even law enforcement. lidar ' s most important use in the future may lie in assisting spacecraft with rendezvous and docking operations in space, but future business prospects for canadian contractors remain unclear as space agencies cope with tough economic and political conditions, and as the private sector carves out a larger role in spaceflight. the canadian government began supporting the development of lidar, which bounces light, usually laser beams, off of other object much like radar does with radio waves, in the 1970s and 1980s before the canadian space agency opened its doors in 1989. one of canada ' s best known lidar contractors, the toronto - based optech, was set up in 1974 to market lidar technology, which is widely used on earth for mapping, rangefinding, and hydrography. the canadian weather sensing system for mars phoenix, which landed near the north polar cap of mars on may 25, 2008, included a lidar instrument built by optech and macdonald dettwiler and associates ( mda ). the lidar instrument on mars phoenix surprised scientists when it detected snow falling from clouds, showing that ice clouds and precipitation on the red planet were more earth - like than anticipated. the lidar instrument for phoenix worked by detecting various forms of scattering of the upward - pointing laser pulse sent from the instrument. the delay of the light scattered by particles in the martian atmosphere was used to determine the altitude of the particles, and the wavelength of the scattered light gave clues to the nature of the particles. the osiris - rex spacecraft that will be launched in 2016 to asteroid 1999 rq36 will fly close to it and obtain a sample and includes a canadian lidar instrument built by mda and optech. the data obtained by the osiris - rex laser altimeter ( ola ) will also be used by scientists to map the asteroid and


close to it and obtain a sample and includes a canadian lidar instrument built by mda and optech. the data obtained by the osiris - rex laser altimeter ( ola ) will also be used by scientists to map the asteroid and decide where to obtain the sample from the asteroid. neptec design group, based in ottawa, brought laser technology to the space shuttle in 2001 the form of its laser camera system that added a 3d laser scanning capability to the space vision system that canada has been supporting for many years to help build the international space station. between the loss of the shuttle columbia in 2003 and the end of the shuttle program, nasa used the neptec system to inspect tiles on the bottom of shuttles on orbit to ensure that they were safe for re - entry. although at one time four - fifths of neptec ' s revenues came from the shuttle program, the company has successfully adapted to life without the shuttle by finding new work. " for more than two decades, csa has been funding incremental developments in space - based lidar, which has led to several successful applications, most notably the laser camera system for on - orbit inspection of the thermal tiles on the space shuttle, a lidar for the canadian meteorological station on the phoenix mars lander, and three successful tridar missions on the space shuttle to demonstrate rendezvous and docking with the iss, " csa manager ( robotics ) eric martin told space quarterly. under the strategic technologies for automation and robotics ( stear ) and space technologies development program ( stdp ), csa has helped several contractors, including neptec, optech, hymarc ltd, oerlikon aerospace, virtek corp, and sensor adaptive machines inc., develop scanning technologies and photogrammetry equipment and software, martin said. " space - based lidar is a signature canadian technology, and canada is branded as a world leader, " martin said. the next planned step is to demonstrate lidar applications on the iss that will necessitate further innovation combining a wider field of view, long range tracking, and close up inspection, he added. because of ongoing economic problems faced in recent years by governments and corporations around the world, and the impasse between the obama administration and the u. s. congress over the future direction of nasa, the prospects for new technologies such as lidar are unclear. " the space market is still a place where there is a lot of discussion about a lot of things in a lot of places, " said iain christie,


over the future direction of nasa, the prospects for new technologies such as lidar are unclear. " the space market is still a place where there is a lot of discussion about a lot of things in a lot of places, " said iain christie, ceo of the neptec design group, told space quarterly in an interview. " everybody ' s trying to keep as many options open as possible. " both optech and neptec have developed lidar systems for use in space rendezvous operations, and martin said both companies are in the running to develop the lidar system on the iss. in partnership with mda, optech supplied a rendezvous lidar system for the u. s. air force ' s xss - 11 ( for experimental satellite system ), which was launched on april 11, 2005 atop a minotaur rocket. the spacecraft tested military applications, including in - space inspection, servicing and repair of satellites. the rls operated " flawlessly " during the xss - 11 mission, according to optech, providing live updates during rendezvous operations. after the shuttle columbia was lost in 2003, neptec ' s laser camera system was selected by nasa to obtain detailed imagery of shuttle tiles on orbit during flight to verify their integrity prior to re - entry, and it was used on every subsequent shuttle flight through the end of the program. the system was attached to the end of the boom extension that was attached to the end of the canadarm and passed over tiles on the bottom and sides of the shuttle. neptec built an advanced version of its laser camera system that was enhanced with a range - extending lidar on its triangulation sensor, creating the triangulation and lidar automated rendezvous and docking system or tridar. this system was first tested on the sts - 128, sts - 131 and sts - 135 missions in the final two years of the shuttle program to track the iss during docking, undocking and fly - around operations. christie is optimistic about the future for tridar because it does not require the use of special targets on spacecraft, which means that users don ' t need to worry about building and maintaining targets. tridar equipped vehicles can also rendezvous with non - cooperative spacecraft. " tridar just truly uses the shape of the target, " he said. neptec will be supplying the tridar system for orbital sciences corporation ' s cygnus spacecraft, which is being developed to deliver cargo to the iss starting next year under nasa ' s commercial orbital transportation services program. " we hope to see


. neptec will be supplying the tridar system for orbital sciences corporation ' s cygnus spacecraft, which is being developed to deliver cargo to the iss starting next year under nasa ' s commercial orbital transportation services program. " we hope to see tridar back at the space station in the next year, " christie said. the defense advanced research projects agency ( darpa ) in the united states is undertaking the phoenix program to develop and demonstrate technologies to remove and then re - use components and systems from retired communications and other satellites in graveyard orbits near geosynchronous orbit. christie said this program offers opportunities for developers of space vision systems like neptec. there are also possibilities for contracts involving tridar with the european space agency, including esa ' s projected robotic lunar lander, christie explained. at present, esa programs are undergoing a review due to europe ' s economic problems. neptec is also building a laser sensor for the japanese astro - h x - ray astronomy satellite with support from the csa. canadian companies such as neptec are also working on rovers for use on the moon and elsewhere, and christie said these vehicles will require vision systems for navigation. mda for its part has long been interested in developing robot spacecraft to rendezvous with and service other spacecraft. starting in 2004, mda worked to get support from nasa and american contractors to build a spacecraft using canadarm robotic technology to service the hubble space telescope, but the idea was ultimately set aside. more recently in 2011, mda and communications satellite provider intelsat announced that they were considering working together on satellite refueling and servicing on orbit. but the two firms announced in january that the deal would not proceed because of a lack of interest on the part of the u. s. government and other potential customers. given mda ' s work with optech on the xss - 11 program, it is possible that lidar could have been part of these proposals and in future proposals of this type that mda will likely put forward to advance robotic technologies such as the next - generation canadarm. when contacted on the possibility of using lidar in these proposals, an mda official declined to speculate. once direction is established for nasa and the space industry emerges from today ' s economic problems, new opportunities should open up for canadian suppliers of lidar technology. the growing use of lasers and lidar for a variety of applications both on earth and in space will guarantee that these canadian firms will face greater competition from firms such as lockheed martin and boeing in the united states and


the answer depends on the infrastructure that you are using. generally, the best thing is to do nothing. i know this sounds weird, so let me explain. when the os is talking to a nic, it generally has at least one pair of rx / tx ring - buffers and, in case of commodity hardware, is likely talking to the device over pcie bus. on top of the pcie bus there is a dma engine that makes it possible for a nic to read and write from / to host memory without using a cpu. in other words, while the nic is active, it will always read and write packets on its own, with minimal cpu intervention. there are, of course, a lot of details, but you can generally think that on a driver - level that is what is going on — reads and writes are always performed by the nic using dma, no matter whether your application reads / writes anything or not. now, on top of it there is an os infrastructure that allows user - space applications to send and receive data to / from the nic. when you open a socket, os will determine in what kind of data your application is interested and add an entry into a list of applications talking to a network interface. when that happens, the application starts receiving data that is placed in some sort of application ' s queue in the kernel. it doesn ' t matter whether you are calling read or not, the data is placed there. once the data is placed, the application is getting notified. the notification mechanisms in the kernel vary, but they all share a similar ideas — let application know that data is available to call read ( ). once the data is in that " queue ", application can pick it up by calling read ( ). the difference between blocking and non - blocking read is simple — if the read is blocking, the kernel will simply suspend the execution of an application until the data is arrived. in case of non - blocking read, the control is returned to an application in any case — either with data or without it. if latter happens, the application can either keep trying ( aka spin on a socket ), or wait for a notification from the kernel saying that data is available, and then proceed to reading it. now let ' s get back to " doing nothing ". what it means is that socket is registered to receive notification only once. once registered, the application doesn ' t have to do anything but receive a notification saying " the data is there ". so what the application should do is


" doing nothing ". what it means is that socket is registered to receive notification only once. once registered, the application doesn ' t have to do anything but receive a notification saying " the data is there ". so what the application should do is listen to that notification and perform the read only when the data is there. once enough data is received, the app can start processing it somehow. knowing all that, let ' s see what from the three approaches is better... post another overlapped read on the socket, this time with the size of the packet so it receives it in the next completion? this is a a good approach. ideally, you wouldn ' t have to " post " anything, but this depends on how good the os interface is. if you cannot " register " your application once and then keep receiving notifications every time new data is available and call read ( ) when it is, then posting an asynchronous read request is the next best thing. read inside the routine the whole packet using blocking sockets and then post another overlapped with recv with 9 bytes? this is a good approach if your application has absolutely nothing else to do and you have only one socket to read from. in other words — it is an easy way of doing so, very easy to program, os takes care of completions itself, etc. keep in mind though that once you have more than one socket to read from, you will have to either do a very stupid thing like having a thread per socket ( terrible! ), or re - write your application using the first approach. read in chunks ( decide the size ) say - 4096 and have a counter to keep reading each overlapped completion until the data was read ( say it would complete 12 times till all the packet was read ). this is the way to go! in fact, this is almost the same as approach # 1 with a nice optimization to perform as less round - trips to the kernel as possible, and read as much as possible in one go. first i wanted to correct the first approach with these details, but then i noticed you ' ve done it yourself. hope it helps. good luck!


eventually i had to deal with the infernal ‘ axial ’ age in my treatment of the sacred economy. what interests me here, though, is the way tribute - exchange becomes the dominant institutional form after the long economic crisis at the end of the second millennium bce. so what relevance does the ‘ axial ’ age have? while the ‘ discovery ’ of abstraction and the beginnings of henotheisms and monotheisms in the first millennium have been much celebrated and discussed, less attention has been given to the socio - economic conditions of such changes. as graeber persuasively argues, this was an era of even more extensive violence than usual. marauding bands and armies crisscrossed the land, rulers sought to extract plunder and tribute as ways of feeding larger state machines ( when estates were no longer sufficient ), and the logistics of providing for perpetual armies became a nightmare. in this context, coinage provides an ingenious solution to the logistics of supply, and with coinage a new type of abstraction becomes possible and tangibly real. we need to be careful at this point, for the usual argument is that here lie the origins of the ability of human beings to think abstractly in a sustained manner. that argument goes as follows : coinage can happen and is fostered by a huge step in human abilities, specifically the ability to think abstractly. the reason is that coinage embodies an abstract value, both instituted by the state and agreed upon by those who use it. arguments run back and forth in idealist and materialist directions : either the ‘ discovery ’ of abstraction precedes and enables coinage, or coinage produces the conditions for thinking abstractly. however, the problem lies elsewhere, namely, in the assumption that abstraction itself was a new step in human development. it follows that before then human beings operated in concrete, immediate terms, not being aware of mutually contradictory beliefs – for instance, the god can be a bull, a storm, or physically present in the temple or cult corner. christina pointed out that this argument is exceedingly strange and somewhat patronizing, a projection backwards in time of assertions still made today that indigenous people cannot think abstractly since they are ‘ primitive ’ and ‘ backward ’ ( for instance, danes who work in greenland assert this today about greenlanders ). it may be refuted simply : does not the use of language entail a process of abstraction, or the ability to plan crops or raise herds, or to distinguish between different types of animals or groups of people? what are


support groups and social support health problems like cancer or heart disease and mental health problems like substance abuse or post - traumatic stress disorder ( ptsd ) have an emotional side. and the same is true for certain life events, like being a parent or caring for someone with a chronic illness. your life changes. and you may need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. you may need a ride to the doctor or a night out. you need support. support takes many forms. you can find support in seminars and groups led by professionals, in groups of others who have the same problem, and in your relationships with family and friends. if you have a support network, you will not feel as alone. you ' ll learn new ways to deal with your problem, and you may try harder to overcome it. social support can play an important role in recovery. support groups and peer support you may want help only from your doctor, friends, and family. but sometimes other people also are good for you. in support groups, you find other people with situations like yours. some support groups focus on education. these groups often are led by a professional, such as a teacher or a doctor who shares information about the problem. other groups focus on support. they often include only people who have the same problem. these are called peer groups. in a peer group, you ' ll find people who are going through the same things you are. you ' ll see that you ' re not the only one and that others have the same feelings and challenges as you. group members can give you support, advice, and encouragement. you can see what is working for others and decide if it might work for you. you can help others in the group by paying attention and letting them know you are listening and by sharing your thoughts. your experiences and ideas may be new to them. being able to help others is rewarding and helps you gain self - confidence. peer support may include consumer providers and consumer - run services. - a consumer provider is someone who has been trained to help others with the same type of problems. you can find consumer providers in clinics. because they know what you have gone through, they can be good role models and coaches. - a consumer - run service is a group, or part of a group, in which people with the same problem provide services. these services include support groups, peer counseling, telephone helplines, and drop - in centers. how to find a support group here are some ways to find support groups. - ask your


a group, in which people with the same problem provide services. these services include support groups, peer counseling, telephone helplines, and drop - in centers. how to find a support group here are some ways to find support groups. - ask your doctor, counselor, or other health professional for suggestions. - ask your religious leader. you can contact churches, mosques, synagogues, or other religious groups. - ask your family and friends. - ask people who have the same condition. - contact a city, state, or national group for the condition. your library, community center, or phone book may have a list of these groups. - search the internet. forums, e - mail lists, and chat rooms let you read messages from others and leave your own messages. you can exchange stories, let off steam, and ask and answer questions. look for a support group that works for you. ask yourself if you prefer structure and would like a group leader, or if you ' d like a less formal group. do you prefer face - to - face meetings, or do you feel more secure in internet chat rooms or forums? social support includes emotional support such as love, trust, and understanding, as well as advice and concrete help, such as help managing your time. your family, friends, and community all can do this. they can make you feel cared about and feel good about yourself, and can give you hope. you may get your social support from many people. you may play sports with one group of people, go to movies with another, and turn to family or friends to talk over problems. you can look for support from : - your spouse or partner and your children. - your parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and anyone who is like family to you. - friends, coworkers, members of your religious and / or spiritual groups, neighbors, and classmates. - support groups, consumer drop - in centers, and online support groups. - doctors, therapists, nurses, and other professionals. ask yourself where you get your social support. you may be able to forge a closer relationship with family members or friends. maybe you know someone who you ' d like to know better. you can join a club, or find a group of people with the same interests you have. improving social support you may not have good social support. you may avoid other people. this may be because : - you may feel ashamed of having your problem and not want to talk to anyone. -


group of people with the same interests you have. improving social support you may not have good social support. you may avoid other people. this may be because : - you may feel ashamed of having your problem and not want to talk to anyone. - your condition may make other people wary of you. for example, if you have ptsd and are often angry, people may avoid you. - you may feel too sad to want to talk to people. - you may have no family and few friends where you live. if you can improve your social support, it can help you deal with your condition. here are some ways you can make your social support stronger : - know that social support is a two - way street. you count on your social network for support, but its members also count on you. ask them about their families, jobs, and interests, and help them when you can. - know your friends ' limits. you don ' t have to see or call your friends every day. if you ' re going through a rough patch, ask friends if it ' s okay to contact them outside of the usual boundaries. - don ' t always complain or talk about yourself. know when it ' s time to stop talking and listen or to just enjoy your friend ' s company. - be clear when communicating. ask questions to be sure you know what people want. if you ask for something, be sure you make yourself understood. listen to what your friends have to say, and don ' t judge them. - know that good friends can be bad friends. if your buddy keeps you drinking when you shouldn ' t be, you may want to end the friendship. a social network lifts you up. it shouldn ' t drag you down. last updated : january 21, 2009 author : jeannette curtis


working with data types in expressions ( reporting services ) data types represent different kinds of data so that it can be stored and processed efficiently. typical data types include text ( also known as strings ), numbers with and without decimal places, dates and times, and images. data can be stored using one data type for efficiency but formatted according to your preference when the data is displayed in the report. for example, a field that represents currency can be stored as a floating point number, but can be displayed in a variety of formats depending on the format property you choose. for more information about display formats, see formatting reports and report items. it is important to understand data types when you write expressions to compare or combine values, for example, when you define group or filter expressions, or calculate aggregates. comparisons and calculations are valid only between items of the same data type. if the data types do not match, you must explicitly convert the data type in the report item by using an expression. the following list describes cases when you may need to convert data to a different data type : comparing the value of a report parameter of one data type to a dataset field of a different data type. writing filter expressions that compare values of different data types. writing sort expressions that combine fields of different data types. writing group expressions that combine fields of different data types. converting a value retrieved from the data source from one data type to a different data type. to determine the data type of a report item, you can write an expression that returns its data type. for example, to show the data type for the field myfield, add the following expression to a table cell : = fields! myfield. value. getdatatype ( ). tostring ( ). the result displays the clr data type used to represent myfield, for example, system. string or system. datetime. you can also convert dataset fields before you use them in a report. the following list describes ways that you can convert an existing dataset field : modify the dataset query to add a new query field with the converted data. for relational or multidimensional data sources, this uses data source resources to perform the conversion. create a calculated field based on an existing report dataset field by writing an expression that converts all the data in one result set column to a new column with a different data type. for example, the following expression converts the field year from an integer value to a string value : = cstr ( fields! year. value )


expression that converts all the data in one result set column to a new column with a different data type. for example, the following expression converts the field year from an integer value to a string value : = cstr ( fields! year. value ). for more information, see how to : add, edit, or delete a field in the report data pane. check whether the data processing extension you are using includes metadata for retrieving preformatted data. for example, a sql server analysis services mdx query includes a formatted _ value extended property for cube values that have already been formatted when processing the cube. for more information, see using extended field properties for an analysis services dataset. report parameters must be one of five data types : boolean, datetime, integer, float, or text ( also known as string ). when a dataset query includes query parameters, report parameters are automatically created and linked to the query parameters. the default data type for a report parameter is string. to change the default data type of a report parameter, select the correct value from the data type drop - down list on the general page of the report parameter properties dialog box. report parameters that are datetime data types do not support milliseconds. although you can create a parameter based on values that include milliseconds, you cannot select a value from an available values drop - down list that includes date or time values that include milliseconds. when you combine text and dataset fields using the concatenation operator ( & ), the common language runtime ( clr ) generally provides default formats. when you need to explicitly convert a dataset field or parameter to a specific data type, you must use a clr method or a visual basic runtime library function to convert the data. the following table shows examples of converting data types. type of conversion datetime to string string to datetime string to datetimeoffset extracting the year - - or - - boolean to integer - 1 is true and 0 is false. boolean to integer 1 is true and 0 is false. just the datetime part of a datetimeoffset value just the offset part of a datetimeoffset value you can also use the format function to control the display format for value. for more information, see functions ( visual basic ). when you connect to a data source with a data provider that does not provide conversion support for all the data types on the data source, the default data type for


control the display format for value. for more information, see functions ( visual basic ). when you connect to a data source with a data provider that does not provide conversion support for all the data types on the data source, the default data type for unsupported data source types is string. the following examples provide solutions to specific data types that are returned as a string. concatenating a string and a clr datetimeoffset data type for most data types, the clr provides default conversions so that you can concatenate values that are different data types into one string by using the & operator. for example, the following expression concatenates the text " the date and time are : " with a dataset field startdate, which is a system. datetime value : = " the date and time are : " & fields! startdate. value. for some data types, you may need to include the tostring function. for example, the following expression shows the same example using the clr data type system. datetimeoffset, which include the date, the time, and a time - zone offset relative to the utc time zone : = " the time is : " & fields! startdate. value. tostring ( ). converting a string data type to a clr datetime data type if a data processing extension does not support all data types defined on a data source, the data may be retrieved as text. for example, a datetimeoffset ( 7 ) data type value may be retrieved as a string data type. in perth, australia, the string value for july 1, 2008, at 6 : 05 : 07. 9999999 a. m. would resemble : 2008 - 07 - 01 06 : 05 : 07. 9999999 + 08 : 00 this example shows the date ( july 1, 2008 ), followed by the time to a 7 - digit precision ( 6 : 05 : 07. 9999999 a. m. ), followed by a utc time zone offset in hours and minutes ( plus 8 hours, 0 minutes ). for the following examples, this value has been placed in a string field called mydatetime. value. you can use one of the following strategies to convert this data to one or more clr values : in a text box, use an expression to extract parts of the string. for example : the following expression extracts just the hour part of the utc time zone offset and converts it to minutes


strategies to convert this data to one or more clr values : in a text box, use an expression to extract parts of the string. for example : the following expression extracts just the hour part of the utc time zone offset and converts it to minutes : = cint ( fields! mydatetime. value. substring ( fields! mydatetime. value. length - 5, 2 ) ) * 60 the result is 480. the following expression converts the string to a date and time value : = datetime. parse ( fields! mydatetime. value ) if the mydatetime. value string has a utc offset, the datetime. parse function first adjusts for the utc offset ( 7 a. m. - [ + 08 : 00 ] to the utc time of 11 p. m. the night before ). the datetime. parse function then applies the local report server utc offset and, if necessary, adjusts the time again for daylight saving time. for example, in redmond, washington, the local time offset adjusted for daylight saving time is [ - 07 : 00 ], or 7 hours earlier than 11 pm. the result is the following datetime value : 2007 - 07 - 06 04 : 07 : 07 pm ( july 6, 2007 at 4 : 07 p. m ). add a new calculated field to the report dataset that uses an expression to extract parts of the string. for more information, see how to : add, edit, or delete a field in the report data pane. change the report dataset query to use transact - sql functions to extract the date and time values independently to create separate columns. the following example shows how to use the function datepart to add a column for the year and a column for the utc time zone converted to minutes : datepart ( year, mydatetime ) as year, datepart ( tz, mydatetime ) as offsetinminutes the result set has three columns. the first column is the date and time, the second column is the year, and the third column is the utc offset in minutes. the following row shows example data : 2008 - 07 - 01 06 : 05 : 07 2008 480 for more information about sql server database types, see data types ( database engine ) and date and time data types and functions ( transact - sql ).


today the federal government is literally everywhere. it has its nose in everything, and it has been that way for a long, long time. in the kentucky and virginia resolutions of 1798, thomas jefferson and james madison warned us that if the federal government were to have the exclusive right to judge the extent of its own powers, its power would continue to grow a€ “ regardless of elections, the separation of powers, and other much - touted limits on power. the principle behind these resolutions, that the power of federal government must be checked by state governments, has gained resurgence in recent years, and is growing more every day. fourteen states are now defying federal laws on marijuana. nearly two dozen states have rendered the bush - era real id act null and void by passing laws or resolutions refusing to comply with it. two states have already passed laws to effectively nullify some federal gun laws or regulations within their borders and more than two dozen others are considering similar legislation. more than a dozen states are considering legislation to nullify or effectively ban any future national health care plan in their state. other states are considering legislation to refuse sending their national guard troops to wars deemed unconstitutional by state governors. and still others are looking at laws to resist cap and trade legislation. the principle behind such legislation is nullification. when a state a federal law, it is proclaiming that the law in question is void and inoperative, or - effective, a€™ within the boundaries of that state ; or, in other words, not a law as far as the state is concerned. more than words but to simply declare a law null and void is not enough. implied in any nullification legislation is enforcement of the state law. in the virginia resolution of 1798, james madison wrote of the principle of interposition : that this assembly doth explicitly and peremptorily declare, that it views the powers of the federal government, as resulting from the compact, to which the states are parties ; as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting the compact ; as no further valid that they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact ; and that in case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states who are parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appertaining to them. in his famous speech


parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appertaining to them. in his famous speech during the war of 1812, daniel webster said : a€œthe operation of measures thus unconstitutional and illegal ought to be prevented by a resort to other measures which are both constitutional and legal. it will be the solemn duty of the state governments to protect their own authority over their own militia, and to interpose between their citizens and arbitrary power. these are among the objects for which the state governments exista€ here madison and webster assert what is implied in nullification laws a€ ” that state governments not only have the right to resist unconstitutional federal acts, but that, in order to protect liberty, they are “ duty bound to interpose ” or stand between the federal government and the people of the state. resisting federal intrustion the only way to restrain an out of control federal government is through the interposition of state authority to stand in defense of individual life and liberty. those sound like nice words, but what does this mean precisely in application? in order to restore usurped constitutional authority, a state must be prepared, at some point, to resist federal intrusion. in the american tradition, there is a long history of states doing just that. georgia nullified the supreme courta€™s ruling in chisholm vs. georgia ( 1793 ) ; new england states nullified fugitive slave laws ; and earlier new england townships nullified jeffersona€™s embargo and the war of 1812 declared under madisona€™s administration. jefferson said a€œhe felt the foundations of the government shaken under my feet by the new england townships. a€ wisconsin was nullifying what it declared to be usurpations by the supreme court into the 1850s. there was a time when the states kept the central government under control. follow the money when i talk to people about these principles a€ “ most agree, like martin luther king jr. said in his famous a€œletter from birmingham jail, a€ that there is a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. but, theya€™ll often ask, even if states pass laws to nullify unjust and unconstitutional federal acts, the feds will still continue to tax us and punish our states financially for not complying a€ “ so what can we really do? one idea, which will take


, even if states pass laws to nullify unjust and unconstitutional federal acts, the feds will still continue to tax us and punish our states financially for not complying a€ “ so what can we really do? one idea, which will take a great deal of courage on the part of the people and their state governments, is to establish whata€™s being called a a€œfederal tax escrow accounta€ or a a€œstate authority and federal tax funds act. a€ already introduced in georgia ( hb877 ), oklahoma ( hb2810 ), and washington ( hb2712 ), such laws would require that all federal taxes come first to the statea€™s department of revenue. a panel of legislators would assay the constitutional appropriateness of the federal budget, and then forward to the federal government a percentage of the federal tax dollars that are delineated as legal and constitutionally justified. the remainder of those dollars would be assigned to budgetary items that are currently funded through federal allocations and grants or returned to the people. will the federal government a€ “ and its courts a€ “ deem such laws constitutional? unlikely, especially in light of the fact that as recently as 2005 the supreme court ruled that a person growing a plant on their own property, keeping it at home, and consuming it in their own home was somehow a€œinterstate commerce. a€ rulings such as these show that the courts have little, if any, respect for the rights of the people. the supreme court, with only nine unelected judges, has become the most important policy making body in this country, and makes claim to be the final authority on interpreting the constitution. never in history have so many been ruled by so few. the essential question, of course, will the people and their state governments have enough courage to push forward anyway? only time will tell. click here for the tenth amendment centera€™s legislative tracking page a€ “ for information on all current nullification efforts. click here for the tenth amendment centera€™s federal tax funds act tracking page michael boldin is the founder of the tenth amendment center copyright a© 2010 by tenthamendmentcenter. com. permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.


while other cultural and historical places light up christmas trees, antietam lights up a battlefield. saturday, december 6, 2008 was the 20th annual memorial illumination ceremony in which 23, 110 lighted candles graced antietam ’ s battlefield, one candle for each soldier killed, wounded, or missing during battle. the battle of antietam on september 17, 1862 was the bloodiest one - day battle during the civil war, the bloodiest day in america ’ s history. ( gettysburg was the bloodiest battle but it lasted three days. ) the yankees kicked back the confederate army south of the potomac, though president lincoln wasn ’ t happy that general george mcclellan didn ’ t follow the retreat and destroy the confederate army, as lincoln had instructed. mcclellan ’ s reticence cost him his generalship ; following orders could have potentially averted many subsequent deaths during the next three years of the civil war. i wasn ’ t able to visit the illumination this year, but i did drive down to antietam a couple weeks ago. i grabbed a guide from the visitor ’ s center and rode my bike along the pathway, while visitors in heated cars looked at me askance. it was cold, but i ’ d learned at the gettysburg battlefield that driving a car was a hindrance, since i wanted to get out every fifty yards to read the plaques, monuments, and guideposts. at antietam, i stared into the west woods where over 2, 200 union soldiers were killed or wounded during a twenty minute period ; i walked along bloody lane, a farm lane which had became an open grave after three hours of slaughter. “ [ the dead ] were laying in the road like the ties of a railroad, ” one soldier said. when i got home i wrote a poem to organize my thoughts and emotions, as i ’ d needed to after visiting gettysburg for the first time. a while back i heard the documentarist ken burns speak. he ’ s intelligent and engaging, and i listened closely to his presentation, but now i can only remember two things he said : his documentary on the national parks will come out in fall 2009, and far too many americans have never heard of antietam. burns told about when he went out to lunch with a young professional woman who had grown up in maryland and worked in washington dc. when burns told her he was headed to antietam after their meeting, she gave him a blank look. when he described the battle and noted the casualties, she was astounded. “


had grown up in maryland and worked in washington dc. when burns told her he was headed to antietam after their meeting, she gave him a blank look. when he described the battle and noted the casualties, she was astounded. “ that happened here? ” she asked. so many men died? his story only sort of surprised me. i mean, i do have a student who swears the holocaust is a myth, and when i mentioned antietam to a couple people in a writing group, one asked if that battle was the end or beginning of the civil war. after i told them the number of casualties, another asked if we had lost that many in any battle in iraq. we haven ’ t suffered many more casualties in the whole iraq war, i replied. ( a comment which wasn ’ t meant to downplay the number of american casualties in iraq, only to remind her of the many, often forgotten, civil war casualties. ) at an antietam cemetery, as i stood by gravestones on which were written the names of multiple people from the same family who died in the civil war, i realized that the majority of americans can ’ t comprehend the enormous grief which encapsulated families and the entire nation during 1861 - 1865. if you didn ’ t have a family member killed or wounded, it was only a matter of time. when placing myself in their shoes, i ’ m thankful that my immediate family can be together over the holidays, and i sympathize with friends and relatives who have family members fighting on the other side of the world. antietam ’ s lights add sobriety to the holiday season, a sobriety which prompts healthy reflection. photo credit to http : / / www. lindsayfincher. com


sweet tea is a southern institution. in the south it is more plentiful then water, however this was not always the case. in the late 1800 ′ s and early 1900 ′ s sweet tea was a luxury. sweet tea was a way to demonstrate ones status and decadence. there were several reasons for this. during this time period, tea, ice, and sugar were expensive. out of all these the biggest luxury item was ice which had to cut and shipped from frozen lakes often over great distances and then stored into the warm months. the oldest known recipe for sweet ice tea was published in 1879 in a cookbook called the housekeeping in old virginia by marion cabell tyree. this original recipe bears a strong resemblance to the modern version including the long steeping time and massive amounts of sugar. the only glaring difference is the use of green tea. prior to wwii green tea was plentiful in the us and most sweet tea during this time period was made from green tea. however because of wwii green tea was no longer imported from japan and instead the us turned to india which was under british - control and produced black tea. after the war, america never looked back and now black tea, specifically lipton is the hallmark of sweet tea. while people from the north may balk at the sweetness of the tea it is a refreshing summertime staple. but sometimes you need a little extra kick in your tea. the following drink was created by simon gibson of the brooklyn star. i discovered this recipe in an article written on complex. com sweet tea sour 2 oz. four roses bourbon 1 oz. sweet tea syrup 1 oz. lemon juice 1 / 2 oz. egg white tea syrup : steep two large lipton iced tea bags in three pints of boiling water for 30 minutes. remove tea and add 1 quart of sugar while the water is still hot. stir to dissolve and allow to cool. for a southern secret, try adding a touch of baking soda while the tea is boiling to help smooth some of the bitterness. the egg white adds a real nice texture to the drink. there is a a nice balance between the sweet and sour components but in homage to sweet tea on my second go round i dropped the lemon juice by a 1 / 4 to up the sweetness of the overall drink. i did not have have any four roses so i used old weller antique. the lynchburg lemonade was the subject of a fierce legal battle between creator tony mason and the jack daniels distillery. was it a drink worth fighting for? not in


. i did not have have any four roses so i used old weller antique. the lynchburg lemonade was the subject of a fierce legal battle between creator tony mason and the jack daniels distillery. was it a drink worth fighting for? not in its original form, i ’ d say. the classic lynchburg lemonade is equal … continue reading → i discovered this recipe while skimming through the 75th anniversary edition of mr. boston ’ s official bartender ’ s guide. the recipe calls for 1792 ridgemont reserve bourbon whiskey, which i did not have on hand. the notes for the drink state that this particular bourbon has a higher than average content of rye. i decided to go with a rye whiskey ( redemption rye ), although bulleit bourbon would have been another excellent choice. commodore cocktail 2 oz 1792 ridgemont reserve bourbon whiskey ( redemption rye or bulleit bourbon ). 75 oz white creme de cacao. 5oz lemon juice 1 dash ( tsp ) of grenadine ( hibiscus grenadine ) shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. some recipes call for equal parts of the first 3 ingredients and do not specify a high rye content bourbon. this will create an overall sweeter drink compared to the recipe i have listed. you should experiment to see which suits your palate best. while its pink color may lure you into thinking its a sweet drink with no bite, beware for the rye gives it its fangs. there is sweet chocolately goodness throughout the drink with the rye making its presence felt near the end. 2oz bourbon ( makers mark ) 1oz fresh lemon juice. 5oz creme de cassis. 5oz simple syrup 1 dash angostura bitters shake all ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker and pour over cracked ice. garnish with a lemon wheel or lemon wedge whichever works for you this drink was sweet, fruity, tart with a faint hint of spice. the bourbon is evident throughout and complemented by the spiciness of the angostura. next time i will up the bitters to 2 or 3 dashes to add a heavier spice note. in the process of making this drink i noticed that i still had some hibiscus simple syrup in the fridge. i made a second drink and replaced the simple syrup with the hibiscus. i found that this creates a softer drink with the floral notes of the hibiscus pairing well with the cassis and toning down some of the bourbon flavors. i garnished it with a


the concept of the “ responsible traveler ” or “ ethical tourism ” is about cultivating respect for other cultures and reducing our footprint upon the world while traveling. this awareness goes beyond eco - friendly behaviors to practicing a “ global code of ethics for tourism. ” there are many ethical concerns about the impact of tourists, especially affluent westerners ’, upon developing countries ’ cultures and economies. when thinking of ethical issues around travel, i have one image permanently burnt in my memory. in 1999, i witnessed a young western backpacker giving what she thought was something of value to a local indonesian woman – an empty water bottle. the local woman politely accepts the bottle. the backpacker turns and walks away. almost immediately the woman tosses the empty water bottle into the nearby water ravine and returns to her work without a pause. that situation could have easily come out of the 1982 movie, koyaanisqati ( “ world out of balance ” ). the cultural misunderstanding and environmental implications of this exchange, has never left me. the following is taken from world tourism organization website : the responsible tourist and traveler travel and tourism should be planned and practiced as a means of individual and collective fulfillment. when practiced with an open mind, it is an irreplaceable factor of self education, mutual tolerance and for learning about the legitimate differences between peoples and cultures and their diversity. everyone has a role to play creating responsible travel and tourism. governments, business and communities must do all they can, but as a guest you can support this in many ways to make a difference : 1. open your mind to other cultures and traditions – it will transform your experience, you will earn respect and be more readily welcomed by local people. be tolerant and respect diversity – observe social and cultural traditions and practices. 2. respect human rights. exploitation in any form conflicts with the fundamental aims of tourism. the sexual exploitation of children is a crime punishable in the destination or at the offender ’ s home country. 3. help preserve natural environments. protect wildlife and habitats and do not purchase products made from endangered plants or animals. 4. respect cultural resources. activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage. 5. your trip can contribute to economic and social development. purchase local handicrafts and products to support the local economy using the principles of fair trade. bargaining for goods should reflect an understanding of a fair wage. 6. inform yourself about the destination ’ s current health situation and access to emergency and consular services prior to departure and be assured that your


science daily — hiv - infected patients undergoing surgical procedures may be more likely to develop pneumonia after surgery and to die within 12 months than those without hiv, according to a report in the december issue of archives of surgery, one of the jama / archives journals. in addition, hiv patients with a preoperative viral load ( number of copies of the virus in the blood ) greater than 30, 000 per milliliter appear to have increased risk of surgical complications. since the development of medication regimens known as highly active antiretroviral therapy ( haart ), hiv has become a chronic, manageable condition, according to background information in the article. “ consequently, many hiv - infected patients elect to undergo surgical procedures to correct physical ailments that would not have been treated previously, and undergo operative interventions in lieu of medical therapies for certain conditions, ” the authors write. michael a. horberg, m. d., m. a. s., and colleagues at kaiser permanente medical care program – northern california, oakland, studied surgical outcomes in 332 hiv - infected patients who underwent a variety of procedures ( including abdominal, orthopedic and heart surgeries ) between 1997 and 2002. for comparison, the researchers selected a group of 332 patients who did not have hiv but were the same age and sex and had a similar procedure at around the same time and at the same location as one of the hiv - infected patients. the investigators then used health plan databases to obtain clinical information about the hiv patients ’ disease and to track whether any of the patients had complications after surgery or died within 12 months. the surgical procedures analyzed included abdominal or pelvic procedures ( 80. 8 percent ), cardiac or breast procedures ( 8. 4 percent ) and orthopedic procedures ( 10. 8 percent ). most complications – including infections and delayed wound healing – occurred equally frequently in patients with and without hiv. no difference between the two groups was found in the length of hospital stay, number of complications or need for additional procedures to treat complications. however, more hiv patients developed pneumonia ( eight or 2. 4 percent vs. one or. 3 percent ) and more died within 12 months ( 10 or 3 percent vs. two or. 6 percent ). “ the causes of death varied ” in hiv patients, the authors write. “ while none of the causes appeared to be a direct consequence of the operation, two deaths were within 30 days of the operation. ” the researchers also examined risk factors for complications and death among


of death varied ” in hiv patients, the authors write. “ while none of the causes appeared to be a direct consequence of the operation, two deaths were within 30 days of the operation. ” the researchers also examined risk factors for complications and death among hiv patients, including cd4 cell count response, a measure of the state of the immune system. the lower the cd4 count, the more likely a patient with hiv / aids is to develop secondary infections or illnesses. those with a cd4 count of less than 50 cells per cubic millimeter of blood had more complications than those with higher cd4 counts. in addition, viral loads – measured as the number of copies of the virus in a milliliter of blood – of more than 30, 000 were associated with a higher complication rate. whether the patients were taking antiretroviral therapy did not appear to be related to their risk of developing complications. “ our results indicate that a higher hiv viral load seems to be a greater predictor of surgically related complications than either the cd4 cell count or the presence or absence of haart use, ” the authors write. “ patients with hiv are living longer and regaining a substantial amount of immune function, ” they conclude. “ many hiv - infected patients will require surgical attention because of a variety of disorders. in many cases, hiv serostatus [ whether a person is infected with hiv or not ] should not be a criterion when determining the need for surgery if patients have adequate viral control. ” note : this story has been adapted from a news release issued by jama and archives journals.


the students crouched down at the makeshift starting line readying their cars for launch. " on your mark, get set, go! " their teacher deanna molloy shouted. and like that the cars were off - - some more quickly than others. the friday race involved solar - powered cars that about 100 eighth - graders at tyler isd ' s hubbard middle school created. the exercise was a part of the students ' science, technology, engineering and math ( stem ) class where they have been learning about renewable energy. " it ' s a cool learning opportunity to be hands - on, " eighth - grader emily johnson, 13, said of the project. the cars, each about the length of a small mousetrap, consisted of a small piece of wood, two sets of wheels, an axle, a motor and one or two solar panels connected to the motor by cables. the students spent about one week working on the project. " i thought it was really fun and it was a really good learning experience, " amber brown, 14, said. " we get to learn a little bit about natural energy and making things. " the project was made possible through a $ 5, 100 grant from the tyler isd foundation. it is one of several funded through the grant aimed to increase students ' awareness of the need for alternative energy sources and help them use creative thinking. about 300 hubbard seventh - and eighth - graders are participating in grant - funded projects. ms. molloy said she likes to incorporate a lot of engineering projects into her stem class, which is a semester - long elective. projects include making water turbines to power light bulbs, making kites and running levitation cars, the latter of which work through opposing magnets. students also created mosaics with tiles and will create display boards about alternative energy forms. the students have been studying that topic. ms. molloy said she gives her students a lot of creative license so they can learn how to design and think outside the box, which will benefit them down the road. she also works to connect the concepts taught in class to the real world. " they ' re going to be the generation that uses these types of energy, " she said of her students. larry goddard, tyler isd foundation executive director, said this project shows how students can be engaged. rather than just putting together a car, they had to make choices about design and how that would affect speed. " not only are they learning in the classroom, but they are coming up with creative and


said this project shows how students can be engaged. rather than just putting together a car, they had to make choices about design and how that would affect speed. " not only are they learning in the classroom, but they are coming up with creative and innovative ideas, " goddard said. " it ' s not just building a ca r from a kit, it ' s also using your mind to see how much better it can be. " he said he likes the idea of turning the project into a competition because that motivates students, but in the process, they learn about aerodynamics, solar energy and other concepts. " this is the creative and competitive generation and if we don ' t reach them with projects that are creative and competitive we are going to lose this generation, so i ' m very proud, " goddard said. students said they liked the hands - on nature of the activity and the ability to put actual concepts into practice. sergio hurtado ' s car placed first in the race followed by cody clark ' s. sergio, 14, said he thinks the two solar panels on his car gave it the edge. many students had only one panel. he also cut his wood piece into a forklike shape, making it lighter and, in his opinion, more aerodynamic. cody, 14, said cutting down his wooden piece made his car lighter something he believes contributed to its speed. he said he ' s seen how race cars are designed and modeled his piece after those. he also glued his solar panel flat on the base which he thought helped to make his car faster. " i really liked it, " he said of the project. " i think this is my favorite ( project ) that we ' ve done so far. " ms. molloy said part of her class is about exposing students to potential career fields. she said she tries to do that through the projects. " i try to relate every project to something that ' s going to happen in the future, " ms. molloy said. hubbard middle school students react as their solar cars stall near the starting line of the first race on friday. ( staff photo by christopher r. vinn )


in the late ' 60s, the surgeon general of the united states said that we were closing in on the worldwide eradication of infectious ' there were no known treatments ' : dr. jerry p. jaax told stories of the frightening ebola outbreak in reston, va., that spread from a research facility of 500 monkeys and inspired a best - selling book and film. since, then, says dr. jerry p. jaax, the world has faced " hiv, sars, aids, tuberculosis ( tb ), drug - resistant tb, exotic pests, nipah virus, hantavirus, west nile virus, drug - resistant pathogens, ebola, bovine spongiform encephalopathy ( bse ), lyme disease, and that doesn ' t even take into account what somebody might do on purpose. when it comes to emerging infectious disease and bioterrorism, we have a lot of work to do, " he adds. jaax should know. in fact, he and his wife nancy jaax confronted an ebola virus outbreak in reston, va. their work inspired a best - selling book titled " the hot zone, " which ultimately inspired the film " outbreak. " according to jerry jaax, the reston outbreak remains " an important turning point in the recognition of infectious disease in public health. " then employed with the u. s. army veterinary corps, jaax recalls that interest in infectious disease in public health in 1989 was clearly focused on risks to our armed forces. " no one had even considered what might happen if something went wrong in the united states. most people were worried about humans, but plants and animals are a huge component of the threat spectrum. " in this case, the ebola virus swept through a research facility with some 500 monkeys. at the time, says nancy jaax, they were treating it as biosafety level 3 ( bsl3 ) emergency, which means it poses a significant health threat but there are countermeasures. when diagnostic testing kept pointing to ebola, the threat spectrum was raised to biosafety level 4 ( bsl4 ). in other words, there were no known treatments. more testing revealed that they were in the middle of an outbreak with an entirely new strain of ebola virus. " you can ' t imagine, " nancy jaax says. " you think you are at the top of the rollercoaster, and all of a sudden you are at the bottom. we were treating it like


new strain of ebola virus. " you can ' t imagine, " nancy jaax says. " you think you are at the top of the rollercoaster, and all of a sudden you are at the bottom. we were treating it like a bsl3 agent. you were trying to remember who had it, who looked at it. we went into a kind of diagnostic brain lock. you know that this virus is supposed to be in africa. it certainly was not supposed to have come from a group of monkeys from the philippines, flown to amersterdam, and flown to new york. by the way, two of the animals that were sick were taken home at night by an animal caretaker. we were very frightened, " nancy jaax says. and the detective work that goes along with combating an outbreak is just one component to the response. there ' s containment issues and safety for laboratory workers, especially in handling animals potentially infected with a new virus without a known and what happens when a monkey escapes? jerry jaax had first - hand experience. in fact, he offered a comparison between hollywood and reality. " at 9 a. m., the hollywood army discovered there was a virus killing hundreds of people in california. the guy gets on television telling everyone they were looking for a monkey. this lady saw this little drawing up in her daughter ' s room. she said, ' i think that looks like the monkey. ' she called and told them : ' i think my daughter has seen the monkey. ' the ( response team ) piled in a helicopter. they get to the house and throw some apples off the back deck. out of a redwood forest comes this monkey. they shoot the monkey with a tranquilizer gun, jump into the helicopter and fly back to the town where all the people are dying. they take this little monkey, the size of a scottie, into the laboratory and get a couple of tanker trucks of antibody to save the world, " jerry jaax says. the reality is : a monkey did get loose and he and three colleagues chased it all day. they finally sedated the escaped animal by trapping it behind some cages. " and i can tell you that if you inject enough ketamine in the tip of a tail, it will anesthetize and while jerry jaax says he can make light of the incident now, it was quite serious. during this outbreak, they identified 42 people who had been near the virus. luckily, no one seroconverted. and


diffusion and cascading behaviour in networks published : nov. 28, 2007, recorded : september 2007, views : 1980 report a problem or upload filesif you have found a problem with this lecture or would like to send us extra material, articles, exercises, etc., please use our ticket system to describe your request and upload the data. enter your e - mail into the ' cc ' field, and we will keep you updated with your request ' s status. diffusion is a process by which information, viruses, ideas and new behavior spread over the network. for example, adoption of a new technology begins on a small scale with a few “ early adopters ”, then more and more people adopt it as they observe friends and neighbors using it. eventually the adoption of the technology may spread through the social network as an epidemic “ infecting ” most of the network. as it spreads over the network it creates a cascade. cascades have been studied for many years by sociologists concerned with the diffusion of innovation ; more recently, researchers have investigated cascades for selecting trendsetters for viral marketing, finding inoculation targets in epidemiology, and explaining trends in blogspace. download slides : mmdss07 _ leskovec _ dcbn _ 01. pdf ( 2. 6 mb ) link this pagewould you like to put a link to this lecture on your homepage? go ahead! copy the html snippet!


what is an igneous rock? it ’ s hard, may be pale or nearly black, but what ’ s in it? this entry is aimed as a brief introduction to igneous mineralogy / petrology to the ‘ beginners ’ and it may be useful to have available a mineralogy and / or petrology text, see the ‘ books ’ below the title bar. an igneous rock is essentially a collection of potassium -, sodium -, calcium - ( ie alkalis ), iron - and magnesium - ( ie ferromagnesian ) silicates and alumino - silicates, free quartz and ferro - and ferro - titanium / chromium ( and other metal ) oxide and occasionally sulphide, minerals that have solidified from the molten state, ie magma. these minerals are grouped in several ways according to their relative importance to the rock mass : essential or primary are those from which the rock is primarily composed, eg quartz, mica and feldspar in granite, or who ’ s presence gives name to a specific rock type, eg reibekite microgranite ( as on ailsa craig – used to make the best curling stones! ) ; accessory may be present but have no bearing on the rock type, eg zircon, apatite in granites ; secondary produced by later weathering or hydrothermal alteration of the original essential minerals, eg kaolin from the alteration of feldspar in granite or chlorite from the hydrothermal alteration of primary ferromagnesian minerals. a further classification is based on the silica saturation of the rock ; silica saturated acidic, silica poor basic ; this classification does not refer to the amount of free silica – ie quartz – in the rock, but to the total silicate in the minerals present. in addition, intermediate rocks are those showing mixed acid and basic characteristics ; ultra - basic ( or ultra - mafic ) are silica depleted and contain rare oxides. note, the acid - basic categorisation is not that of chemists redox ph divisions. examples of these groups are : acid : rhyolite intermediate : andesite. note dacite and trachyte lavas fall between intermediate and acid basic : calc - alkaline basalt, high - alumina basalt, tholiitic basalt ultra - basic : picritic basalt the minerals are in 6 main groups : feldspars / feldspathoids


intermediate and acid basic : calc - alkaline basalt, high - alumina basalt, tholiitic basalt ultra - basic : picritic basalt the minerals are in 6 main groups : feldspars / feldspathoids, amphiboles, pyroxenes, micas, olivines and oxides ( of silicon and metals ). the lighter coloured minerals are termed felsic, the darker ferromagnesian, mafic ; the relative proportions roughly determining the colour of the rock ; hence acid rocks which have a high felsic content are generally paler than the basic types with higher mafic minerals. it may be relevant here to digress to the effects of decreasing silica content on mineralogy as mentioned earlier. with reference to the potassic and sodic feldspar / feldspathoids, the silica saturated end members, feldspar, are orthoclase and albite and by the removal – ie silica depletion – of one sio2 molecule, two stages of felspathoids are produced thus, ( ie feldspathoids being silica poor feldspar ) : orthoclase – kalsi3o8 albite – naalsi3o8 leucite – kalsi2o6 jadeite – naalsi2o6 kalsilite – kalsio4 nepheline – naalsio4 feldspars and feldspathoids comprise the bulk of the felsic minerals, their relationships mentioned above, but feldspars are the larger rock - forming group and are subdivided into potassic ( k feldspar ) and sodic - na and calcic - ca ( combined na and ca form the plagioclase sub - group ) varieties. they are generally pale coloured, whites, greys to pinks and almost colourless. k feldspars, predominantly orthoclase and sanidine, are characteristic of the more acidic rocks – dacite, trachyte and rhyolites the plagioclase group are a chemical continuous substitution series of 6 recognised minerals between the two end members albite ( na end ) and anorthite ( ca end ). the more sodic members are associated, in general, with more acid rocks, calcic with basic. the minerals of the 6 divisions are identified by name and analysis notation of the albite ( ab ) :


new technique advances carbon - fiber composites. a revised view of continental tectonics is emerging from the research of an mit professor who has made the first statistical evaluation in the west of long - secret gravity - field data for a large section of the former soviet union. dr. marcia k. mcnutt of the department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, played a leading role, in collaboration with mikhail g. kogan of the institute of physics of the earth, moscow, in making the russian data available to colleagues throughout the world. they published their findings in a recent issue of science magazine. gravity - field data help geologists understand the nature of the various layers deep below the earth ' s surface, giving clues to the influence those layers have on the formation of mountain ranges and other surface features, like the tibetan plateau. the data also have important economic and strategic values which lead many nations to keep information for their territories under wraps. the information is of vital importance in finding and extracting mineral resources, oil and gas, especially for terrain where surface features are obscured by forests. information on gravity - field data can also be used to measure subsurface stress. some nations believe that a knowledge of gravity data can aid the targeting of intercontinental ballistic missiles. this was the original reason for the classification of the soviet data, but now a more important russian imperative has led to the release of the data to help stimulate the economy. the basic geologic question professor mcnutt sought to answer in reviewing the russian data was : when continental blocks such as italy, arabia and india collided with the southern border of eurasia why were narrow mountain belts created in the west and very broad ones in the east? her conclusion : differences in the lateral strength of the upper mantle control intracontinental deformation. the difference between western and eastern eurasia, she found, can be explained by the presence of a low - viscosity zone in the uppermost mantle beneath eastern eurasia that is absent in the west. professor mcnutt ' s statistical analysis of the russian data shows that the location of the change in viscosity corresponds with the geologic boundary between the older shields and platforms of the baltics, russia and siberia with the younger, geologically active mountain belts of eastern asia. " our conclusions from dynamic modeling of gravity and seismic velocity anomalies from northern eurasia point to a revised view of continental tectonics according to which the physical properties of the upper mantle to depths as great as 400 km ( 248 miles ) are affected by the thermal structure and


of gravity and seismic velocity anomalies from northern eurasia point to a revised view of continental tectonics according to which the physical properties of the upper mantle to depths as great as 400 km ( 248 miles ) are affected by the thermal structure and stress history of the overlying continents, and that lateral variations in these physical properties in turn dictate patterns of intracontinental deformation, " professor mcnutt and her russian colleague wrote in their paper, " gravity field over northern eurasia and variations in the strength of the upper mantle, " ( science, january 22 ). professor mcnutt and dr. kogan have been working together for about 10 years to gain access to the data that the former soviet union spent 30 years and the equivalent of $ 2 billion acquiring. their success means a 20 - percent increase in the land area available for gravitational analysis at wavelengths less than 2, 500 km ( 1, 550 miles ). the information is of great interest to scientists because data derived from satellites " currently predict correctly only 50 percent of the total gravity spectrum over northern eurasia at wavelengths greater than 1, 000 km ( 620 miles ) and only 75 percent at wavelengths greater than 3, 000 km ( 1, 860 miles ), " she said. the soviet data - an estimated 10 million point measurements - were derived by the topographic service of the armed forces of russia at a resolution of 10 km ( 6. 2 miles ) using airplanes and helicopters, professor mcnutt said. despite the value of the data, it was nearly lost, however. the original paper records were never entered into computers and were beginning to crumble, professor mcnutt said. it was the breakup of the soviet union that finally led to success for dr. kogan in his long quest to make the data available to his scientific colleagues in the west. his first step, after gaining permission, was to arrange a consortium of western companies interested in oil and mineral exploration of russia. through the consortium, computer equipment was made available and the data were recorded electronically. professor mcnutt praised her russian colleague, whom she met 10 years ago in france at a scientific conference, not only for his perservence in pressing his request for access to the data, but for his courage. dr. kogan, a jew, was excluded from membership in the communist party, a virtual requirement for advancement, influence and, most important, security in the former soviet union, professor mcnutt said. yet, he kept up his efforts to make the data available.


a jew, was excluded from membership in the communist party, a virtual requirement for advancement, influence and, most important, security in the former soviet union, professor mcnutt said. yet, he kept up his efforts to make the data available. " this was a very good outcome of political change, " professor mcnutt said. but she also sees a tragic side for science in the dissolution of the former ussr. " the soviet system of science was very powerful, " she said. " it was held in high esteem, and while researchers didn ' t always have the best equipment, in some areas they made unsurpassed theoretical contributions. but now, there is not enough money to support scientists because the infrastructure has fallen apart. many scientific institutes have shut down. the average pay a scientist can command might provide bread for a month. students are being told to pick potatoes. " those scientists with foreign contacts have had some success securing funding from abroad, but there is no way that i can see that the russians will be able to maintain their output of science. the national science foundation has helped out to some extent with certain projects of the former soviet union, but these are difficult economic times in this country as well and we probably can ' t support much russian science from the us. " russia is encouraging its scientists to get involved in projects that will make money. i hate to see this emphasis on applied science. the soviets had such a strong commitment to pure research. once they start looking only at the bottom line, they won ' t be doing much research. " a version of this article appeared in the march 31, 1993 issue of mit tech talk ( volume 37, number 27 ).